Brisbane - suburbs and commuting

[mwgster]

Hi All,

 

We have our residency visas and are looking to migrate to Perth. (errrr so you are thinking what are you doing on the QLD forum! lol... bare with me on this..)

 

The issue is that we really do love Perth (went on a reccie last March), the great beaches, fantastic weather, open spaces etc etc. I backpacked the east coast some years ago and fell in love with QLD. For me, Brisbane and surrounding areas just about have my vote, (can't put my finger on it, just a gut feeling I have) but lets face it, they are both amazing places to live. My wife has never been to QLD. We need to sell our house here in the UK before we move and only have until April 2013 to activate our visa. So, it seems another holiday is looming.... gulp.. better find that money tree or write a letter to that French bod who won £133million on the euromillions!!!

 

I am trying to persuade her to go to QLD for a reccie (will have Daniel (6) and Emily (3) in tow!). She is not keen to go there on holiday as her heart is set on Perth now but I am trying to persuade her to keep an open mind... after all, it is the biggest decision we will ever make.

 

As most of our research has been WA side, I am not so clued up on Brisbane and surrounding areas. From what I can see/read, my concerns are as follows:

 

1. Commuting - from what I have read seems like a nightmare in Brisbane. (True?) Is it possible to live in a nice suburb within walking distance of a beach not too close to the city but is within an hours commute of the CBD (on a bad day!) (PS I work in IT so assume most jobs would be in the CBD . In Perth, commuting from the Joondalup area, say Burns Beach or Iluka it is do-oable maximum by car in an hour.. 45min on a good day) :-) Bingo mate.

2. If you look on google maps, it seems that there are not many beachside suburbs within a close distance of the CBD, most are riverside type areas.. Is this the case? (I am talking south of the sunshine coast and north of the gold coast).

3. Sunshine coast is gorgeous, is it really too far to commute from here to Brisbane CBD ?

4. MOST IMPORTANTLY.. You may find this odd, but I am Welsh and my main hobby is not sheep related :-) (and I am a farmers son!)lol... No, surprisingly its surfing! I am really worried about surfing in WA given all the shark attacks this last year... Not hearing so much of this in QLD.. Is the shark issue as bad there.. ? I went diving in the GrtBarrier Reef and was not bothered but in WA, I was apprehensive.. One of the big plus points for me is to be able to surf day in day out.. My son is 5 and will be surfing soon.. I dont think I would be happy if he were surfing in WA when he is older. You know how it is with your kids... Are my worries well founded or just a bit daft..?

6. Are houses cheaper in QLD? Prices do not seem that much different to WA.. Again, it is suburb dependent. To give you an example, a 4 bed 550sq Mtr House and Land package on Burns Beach starts at around $AU535,000. (You can walk to the beach and commute comfortably to Perth CBD). Is there an equivalent in the Brisbane area?

 

I think I have rambled on a bit... Really, any feedback much appreciated.. I realise this type of thing is very subjective but it will at least give me a heads up.

 

:-) Happy surfing guys. M

[Guest guest74886]

Hi All,

 

We have our residency visas and are looking to migrate to Perth. (errrr so you are thinking what are you doing on the QLD forum! lol... bare with me on this..)

 

The issue is that we really do love Perth (went on a reccie last March), the great beaches, fantastic weather, open spaces etc etc. I backpacked the east coast some years ago and fell in love with QLD. For me, Brisbane and surrounding areas just about have my vote, (can't put my finger on it, just a gut feeling I have) but lets face it, they are both amazing places to live. My wife has never been to QLD. We need to sell our house here in the UK before we move and only have until April 2013 to activate our visa. So, it seems another holiday is looming.... gulp.. better find that money tree or write a letter to that French bod who won £133million on the euromillions!!!

 

I am trying to persuade her to go to QLD for a reccie (will have Daniel (6) and Emily (3) in tow!). She is not keen to go there on holiday as her heart is set on Perth now but I am trying to persuade her to keep an open mind... after all, it is the biggest decision we will ever make.

 

As most of our research has been WA side, I am not so clued up on Brisbane and surrounding areas. From what I can see/read, my concerns are as follows:

 

1. Commuting - from what I have read seems like a nightmare in Brisbane. (True?) Is it possible to live in a nice suburb within walking distance of a beach not too close to the city but is within an hours commute of the CBD (on a bad day!) (PS I work in IT so assume most jobs would be in the CBD . In Perth, commuting from the Joondalup area, say Burns Beach or Iluka it is do-oable maximum by car in an hour.. 45min on a good day) :-) Bingo mate.

 

Brisbane is not really a beachside city, its built around the river, to get beachside you have to go either north or south and then commuting is I believe a pain because there is only one road, the Bruce highway, and altho there are tunnels to get into town these are toll road tunnels which pushes commuting costs up, Sunshine coast housing is cheaper at the moment but is too far out in my opinion, you also have to think about facilities in places outside of brisbane, such as schooling , shopping, drinking holes, cinemas. Gold coast is in my opinion tacky and has lots of social probs with quite a lot of crime and a bit of a drugs culture because its a tourism magnet so it attracts a lot of low life on the fringes.

 

2. If you look on google maps, it seems that there are not many beachside suburbs within a close distance of the CBD, most are riverside type areas.. Is this the case? (I am talking south of the sunshine coast and north of the gold coast).

 

Anything that has a water view is mega bucks

 

3. Sunshine coast is gorgeous, is it really too far to commute from here to Brisbane CBD ?

 

I personally think it is but I have never liked commuting , you have to remember that there is only one road into Brisbane and that is the Bruce highway or one of its offshoots and then the toll tunnels and flexi hours are not as common here as in UK so there is a definite rush hour

 

4. MOST IMPORTANTLY.. You may find this odd, but I am Welsh and my main hobby is not sheep related :-) (and I am a farmers son!)lol... No, surprisingly its surfing! I am really worried about surfing in WA given all the shark attacks this last year... Not hearing so much of this in QLD.. Is the shark issue as bad there.. ? I went diving in the GrtBarrier Reef and was not bothered but in WA, I was apprehensive.. One of the big plus points for me is to be able to surf day in day out.. My son is 5 and will be surfing soon.. I dont think I would be happy if he were surfing in WA when he is older. You know how it is with your kids... Are my worries well founded or just a bit daft..?

 

There does seem to have been an increase recently in shark attacks across the west coast , various thoughts as to why but it is a reality.In Queensland we have Stingers , poisonous jellyfish which are deadly, look them up, they are seasonal but a reality, as Bill Bryson said 'there are more things to kill you in Australia than anywhere else'.

 

6. Are houses cheaper in QLD? Prices do not seem that much different to WA.. Again, it is suburb dependent. To give you an example, a 4 bed 550sq Mtr House and Land package on Burns Beach starts at around $AU535,000. (You can walk to the beach and commute comfortably to Perth CBD). Is there an equivalent in the Brisbane area?

 

New builds are cheap but they are on very small blocks of land with hardly any garden area for kids to play and tend to be a long way out and public transport is often very poor so you then have to think about 2 cars. Look at public transport access as a determinant of where to live as , unless you get employer funded parking which I think is not often provided, parking in city is very expensive altho i see reports of it becoming cheaper, I guess as a result of redundancies but is still expensive where ever you are in Oz ,

Many people choose to live closer to work and go up to the sunshine coast at the weekend.

One thing in QLD is there is no daylight saving so it is dark here at 6:30at night and it is high summer, in winter its dark at 5:30.

 

 

A problem at the moment here is that employment may be difficult as the state govt is slashing its work force and in the 12 months from June it will make around 16-18000 redundant , admittedly not all high level and not in IT but competition is going to be fierce for the next couple of years around Brisbane and The locals with networks are going to get first pickings, possibly!

Perth I believe from the papers is coming off the boil as far as the mining boom is concerned and property prices are more realistic the papers are saying;

I would suggest that you look at Adelaide as an option, its smaller than Melbourne or Sydney but is considered to have a more cultured feel than Brisbane/QLD but I have no idea about jobs, have a look on SEEK for job availability in Bris and other centers

If you are coming over it might be a good idea to come in next 3 months as you will be able to experience the heat and high humidity of QLD and see whether its for you, altho at the moment it is not getting up into the 30's which is what it often is in the summer here with 50%+ humidity, bring plenty of factor 30 and big brim hats and you'll fit right in,

you can fit in two centers Bris and Adelaide easy with air travel, book local flights from the UK well in advance to get cheapest flights, seperate to your main flight into Bris, Tiger airways are cheapest but are not always the most reliable but you can live with that on holiday, if you want a trip to tropical paradise go up to Palm Cove for few days and go out to the reef, it will be very hot and humid with a high risk of rain but it is our favourite slice of tropical paradise, don't forget the anti mozzie spray. I book car rentals thro Economy car rentals which is based in Greece but still beats any Oz rental firm.

 

Have a look at realestate.com.au for house prices and comparisons, a number of the new developments out on the edges of cities are real dormitory suburbs with very little in the way of facilities and access to facilities can often be the make and break of whether moving here works out for you and price alone is not the decider it is access to the things I've mentioned especially doctors and Hospitals, often the edge of town places don't have enough doctors and surgeries are jammed or you have to travel further to find one which will accept you. Travelling to things just adds to costs and makes life more stressed, we lived out of town , admittedly 25 K out of Brisbane CBD in the country at Samford, and you always had to allow a half an hour to do anything and 45mins to town and now we are renting in a suburb Bridgeman Downs 10 k out and everything is suddenly 10 mins away and town is 20 mins away.

Property prices have dropped, we are selling our rental house we have been letting out, a 3/4 bedroom 2 bath older lowset house on a reasonable sized block close to rail station in Zillmere and close to main northern suburbs shopping center for 450k and we are going to take a 25-35000 hit on it just to sell up.

I have definitely rambled on

I think I have rambled on a bit... Really, any feedback much appreciated.. I realise this type of thing is very subjective but it will at least give me a heads up.

 

:-) Happy surfing guys. M[/quote]

 

Happy days

Edited November 20, 2012 by guest74886

[calNgary]

Id have a look into Redcliffe or Bribie Island for beachside living (although i'm not sure if they have decent surfing beaches), i wouldnt want to go further afield if commuting into Brisbane.

 

Cal x

[Guest GeorgeD]

I would agree with Cal...I wouldn't go much fruther North than Redcliffe. Even Bribie is a bit of a trek to commute to the CBD. Not the best for surfing though (not that I would know!!)

 

As for Perth vs Brisbane...they are both large state capital cities. There will be good bits and bad bits in both. The folks who live in Perth will tell you it's the best, the folks who live in Brisbane will say it's the best. I think it's difficult to tell from overseas which would suit you best without giving them a go.

[TheGrahams]

Hi, We live on the Sunshine Coast and in my opinion it's too far to commute to the CBD, but lots of people do. You are looking at 1-2 hours into the city at rush hour. We are in Caloundra, so relativley south in the sunshine coast. But there is the train, from Landsborough the train takes 1hr 20mins to Roma Street Station (Brisbane CBD) and is very frequent. Again, in my eyes it's too far, but then I don't like to commute.

 

The Sunshine COast is a great place to live, esp with little ones, but that's my opinion and that's why we live here. As someone has already said you can't make that decision till you have been there. Over the last 8 years we have lived here, Melbourne, back in the UK and back here to the Sunshine Coast. So it's taken us a while to realize this is where we want to be.

[PositivePixie]

Something I thought I'd just pop up to give you something to think about. From our travels and stays in Perth and Brisbane we have both (me and hubby) said that Perth is a large Town, whereas Brissie is a small city - they are very very different in our opinions, and if you really like Perth, Brisbane is not the same kind of feel at all. That doesn't mean if you like Perth you won't like Brisbane, but its something to bear in mind. Definately do a reccie if you think you want to move over here (we are currently in Brissie) as its a very very long way to relocate if you decide that Perth really is for you after all.

 

(Perth gets our vote btw, long term, and the beach is a bit of a draw, despite the sharks. But we don't dress up as seals to tempt/confuse them, so hopefully they shouldn't worry us too much We do really love Brissie as well, but its very very different in our opinion and we're not sure we would live here long term, whereas I can see us living in Perth. If we could ever afford it (which we probably can't lol))

[Chortlepuss]

I think the point about jobs is one worth considering if you're moving to QLD - If you're in IT without niche skills you may find yourself struggling to find work. Govt and Health were key areas of demand for IT workers/consultants/contractors - work has dried out and there are a lot of excellent people on the market in Brisbane. I have never been out of work for any length of time in the UK and Australia (PM/BA) but am now unemployed and it's not looking good at all. Brisbane is a lovely city, and sunshine coast a great place to live but you need to make the commute as easy for you as possible and that means avoiding driving long distances. I think you have to choose between living near a nice beach and living somewhere where your ride to work is reasonably civilised. I have known many people broken by the commute from the Gold Coast. From what you read about Perth here, I get the impression that the work is a little easier to get there, and living near a beach is more achievable. I prefer Brissy to Perth, but would rather be employed!

 

Finally I have to say that if you could get work in Adelaide, that may be worth exploring - My favourite city in Australia!

Edited November 20, 2012 by Chortlepuss

[fish.01]

Brisbane is set in a great area surrounded by the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, the mountains, hinterland villages, subtropical rainforest, the incredible abundance of flora and fauna that living in the sub tropics brings, northern nsw, byron bay, all the massive islands including the incredible Fraser Island etc BUT it is not a beach city, it is a river city. If you want daily after work surfing I would go to Perth. If you are happy with weekend surfing you could consider Brisbane.

 

Redcliffe is a lovely quiet affordable, commutable, beachside place in Brisbane but it is child friendly bayside calm waters, not surf beaches. (btw the deadly stingers are up further north in qld)

[fish.01]

work has dried out and there are a lot of excellent people on the market in Brisbane. I have never been out of work for any length of time in the UK and Australia (PM/BA) but am now unemployed and it's not looking good at all....

 

Talking about work, tonight just before leaving I overheard our senior management lamenting the difficulty of getting good staff. A good fish they thought they had hooked had just gotten away and they weren't happy.

 

I asked them about it and they said they find it very hard to recruit senior level .net developers who are willing to be technical lead across a bunch of staff. So if any of you are very experienced .net developers who are comfortable in a senior technical leadership role (systems architect) and want to work in Brisbane for one of Australia's leading software companies then PM me. They will not sponsor people but are open to people from anywhere who have their own PR visa.

 

Thinking about the hard time you're having Chortlepuss I also asked about BA's (I noticed 2 new BA's arrive at the next set of desks last week) and they said they have a position open right now...PM if you're interested and I'll forward your CV. I mentioned what you said previously about a lot of the BA jobs getting 100+ applicants and they said they haven't experienced that so you might have a decent shot. No skin off my nose as I get a reward if you get employed and you last your probation as they love it if we can find good people so don't be shy

Edited November 20, 2012 by fish.01

[mwgster]

Oz To France, your input is very much appreciated.. You confirm pretty much what I suspected but it is always good to hear it second hand.

If we look at some of the major pointers for us, such as living by the beach, commuting, finding a job etc then I think Perth is a better option.

[mwgster]

Guys, thanks to you all for your great comments, invaluable information..

[Tango001]

Hi

 

Sorry for highjacking this thread !

 

oz to France ~I've read a lot of your threads you seem to know your stuff.

I live in Adelaide just built a gorgeous house in golden grove 30 minutes from cbd ten mins from west fields plaza.

I find its boring nothing to do for kids 15, 5,& 3 not sure what I'm looking for tbh been on my travels for 6 years now & I just feel something is missing here originally from jersey channel islands done Spain,Dubai(think this is my problem) Adelaide

Hubby works in a bank I work part time for four eye surgeons in melbourne st, life is pretty good!

As you know Adelaide got some beautiful beaches great schools- strange people just like home.

its expensive even with a Great job it's still tough I suppose what I am trying to say is I don't feel we are getting value for money here not even decent resorts to stay in!!

Hubby is looking at job in Brisbane a lot more money, I'm thinking might be a better life style for us/ kids - if we find the right suburb close to beach coast Cbd shops ect was looking at Redcliffe, north lakes. What do u think

 

Ok rambles over is leaving Adelaide for Brisbane - daft ? Help pls..

 

Thanks

[Tickled Pink]

Well Redcliffe isnt what I would call close to the CBD. It is roughly, in good traffic, 45-60min drive. The train would prob be quicker, but it gets very busy. North lakes is where majority of the British seem to go, so if you want to live around people from UK then you'll be happy there. I'm not sure more there would be thre for the kids to do then where you already are. Redcliffe is a bit of a small seaside town. There is an RSL club, so that might appeal.

[Guest guest74886]

Hi

 

Sorry for highjacking this thread !

 

oz to France ~I've read a lot of your threads you seem to know your stuff.

I live in Adelaide just built a gorgeous house in golden grove 30 minutes from cbd ten mins from west fields plaza.

I find its boring nothing to do for kids 15, 5,& 3 not sure what I'm looking for tbh been on my travels for 6 years now & I just feel something is missing here originally from jersey channel islands done Spain,Dubai(think this is my problem) Adelaide

Hubby works in a bank I work part time for four eye surgeons in melbourne st, life is pretty good!

As you know Adelaide got some beautiful beaches great schools- strange people just like home.

its expensive even with a Great job it's still tough I suppose what I am trying to say is I don't feel we are getting value for money here not even decent resorts to stay in!!

Hubby is looking at job in Brisbane a lot more money, I'm thinking might be a better life style for us/ kids - if we find the right suburb close to beach coast Cbd shops ect was looking at Redcliffe, north lakes. What do u think

 

Ok rambles over is leaving Adelaide for Brisbane - daft ? Help pls..

 

Thanks

 

HiTango001

Send me a PM and I will respond, but it will be a few days as I am trying to finish off a reno on an investment property so we can sell up and move on.

In the weather at the moment it is proving exhausting.

All the action is very much on the center of Brisbane, depends what you are looking for in making a change so if you could be a bit clearer in your PM what you want I might be able to help more

Regards

[Tango001]

Ok mate cheers

[Davo1]

Really useful information all. I thought the SC was too far to commute everyday albeit it is beautiful.

[Guest guest74886]

Ok mate cheers

 

Hi Tango001

Sent you a PM

[carrieann]

Only know we love the sunshine coast and love living here. Work is the important factor traveling to brisbane each day does not sound inviting, but bringing up children here is great and the life they have is amazing i would need to check out both to be sure then you can make a educated choice Good luck