Advice on best place to live between brisbane and sydney?

[HCC]

Hello all...being somewhat of a virgin to this forum and to the whole emigrating thing too..can anyone shed any light on the most ideal area to live in..Having never been to Oz (but partner lived in coogee for 2 years but thats looking quite pricey) we are thinking of moving over there permanantly with our 5 year old daughter. We kinda think somewhere between brisbane and sydney, neither of us are city dwellers nor total out in the sticks country bumkins types... I guess my wish list is somewhat challanging...so here goes...

a) 4 bed house for under $400K in area suitable for families (ie..not a rough dodgy area)
b) has excellent primary/secondary school
c) local amenties within short drive/walk away
d) beach not to far either
e) easy train ride or 1-2 hr drive to nearest city
f) oh and a local vet would be good...as need to find work as a VN.

well if anyone can advise on an area that fills my probably unreachable list...you would be a complete saint and it would at least give me somewhere to start aiming for when we go on our recky visit next year.
cheers
HCC

[scoop]

Hi HCC

Just a personal observation but the Northern Rivers Region of NSW looks very appealing and my friends in Oz say it's a thriving community.

Hope this helps

Good luck

Sharon
x
:D

[mark78]

Hi, and welcome.

To give you my cents worth - I would agree with Sharon, The Northern Rivers Region of NSW would suit your listed criteria. If you’re not aware, the region is located about a 2 ½ hour drive south of Brisbane, or about 10 hours north of Sydney.

Ballina & Lismore would be the places most populated, with numerous other towns surrounding, such as the world famous Byron Bay or Lennox Head for examples. Beaches are aplenty in the region, with some surrounded by beautiful Hinterland.

Personally, I’ve spent a lot of time visiting these areas growing up as a kid and also as an adult, when living in Brisbane, as I have alot family living there (folks have recently moved there too). I can’t think of a better place to raise kids. Crime rate is low & lifestyle is clean and healthy. Plenty of schools to choose from too. There is also a University in the area. (Southern Cross) for when the kids get older.

House prices have boomed there in recent years, but I believe they will continue to rise steadily in the future due to the large amount of southern “baby boomers” retiring in the next 10 years and looking for that perfect retirement spot, or executives looking for a sea change, as they have done so in the past in great numbers.

If you would prefer being closer to Sydney, perhaps look into the Central Coast Region, which is about a 90 min drive (mainly freeway) north of Sydney.

Either way, both places would provide for a great lifestyle, with the convenience of having a major city close by. Unfortunately securing decent employment in both areas might be a challenge though, but I suppose that’s a completely different topic.

[scoop]

Thanks for that Mark78, appreciate the affirmation of my research.

:lol:

[HCC]

thanks very much...i shall definately be researching those areas. Very helpful and at least gives us somewhere to start looking...cheers..

[dodge]

if u want to be near a main city for the budget u have , maybe look at areas near the gold coast, the hinterlands are nice and pretty but close to the beah and brisbane. good luck . it always pays to rent for 6 mts to see if u like the area u chose, its a cheap way to find out where u want to be .

[HCC]

thanks for all that..we will definately rent first anyway...once we have found work etc...then decide where is more practical. It all sounds great..i just want to get out there now and get the ball rolling...first things first..am hoping next year we can get out there for 4 weeks just to get the feel of the place, explore and just have fun. Take it from there.