weve been here 3 years. Hubby has worked for the same employer since we got here never had an issue. My employers are great aswell. They do like to have a bit of a laugh and a joke at your expense but its kind of like an initiation into the lifestyle i found.
As for commuting, i personally would not live on the gold coast and commute to the city but people definately do it. Its far too long and every night you hear of something on the radio that causes hold ups. We live North side and for your age, no kids and commute to the city i stronlgy recommend you look round the recliffe peninsula, we love it there its beautiful. Great cafe and restaurant strip, beautiful beaches for dog walking, fanatstic sunday markets, laid back lifestyle, new train link to open soon and all you need. 40 min up to the sunny coast, 40 min to the city and about 1.5hrs to surfers.
We find the working hours here very long, be prepared to work hard during the week. Its dark by the time we get home, but that doesnt stop us throwing something on the BBQ with a bit salad most nights. Mozzies are absolutely an issue but if you prepare your home accordingly you can deal with them. We love nothing more on the weekends then jumping on the car and going for a drive to find new places, or into the city atleast once a month to try a new food place. A perfect Sunday for me if i lived at Redcliffe would be to walk through the markets, grab a coffee pick up some fresh veggies, to have with our sunday BBQ roast.
Life here is definately different to how we initially thought it would be and it has taken us a long time to settle, even now we have off days. We find making friends extremely difficult and has been our biggest hurdle without doubt.
You will really only get a good feel once your here!