Living in Townsville - Brownsville

[Guest The Pom Queen]

It is interesting to read the different views on Townsville. Our young family moved here from the UK in March 2013. My wife and I both had good jobs and our lifestyle was comfortable, however we wanted to try something different.

 

Our experience has been very good, we live in a cracking area and the kids attend the Grammar which is excellent. I like others had doubts when doing research, there seemed to be lots of comments regarding crime which is worrying. I would not say there are more problems in Townsville than any other town of city on the East coast. It feels like a safe & happy place to bring up young kids, I would not hesitate to recommend it as a place to live.

 

Yes it is very hot at this time of year, but for 9 months the weather is perfect. You can get to some amazing places in a short period of time, Arlie & Mission Beach both within 3 hours, Magnetic Island 30 minutes on the ferry and Rainforest an hour upto Paluma. Not to mention Cairns, Palm Cove & Port Douglas a little further afield.

 

We all have different ideas on what makes a place good to live, for us relocating to Townsville has been a good happy experience. I have no doubt that in time we will move to a different part of Australia, but for now we are enjoying what Tropical North Queensland has to offer, which is plenty.

I'm glad you enjoy the life in Townsville. I think if we had also come straight from the UK I would have loved it but to me Cairns is my home and I can't help but compare the two.

Yes the grammar is an excellent school but most families can't afford to pay the huge fees, even the religious school fees can be too high for some.

One thing I must pick you up on though is that you say Townsvilles crime rate is the same as any other town on the East Coast, unfortunately this is not the case. I've lived in numerous towns on the East coast where we can leave our front doors wide open and not be concerned. Townsville is the only place where I've felt the need to get an alarm, security dog and cameras installed and we are suppose to live in one of the nicest areas. The police are still doing rounds in Douglas at the moment visiting properties at night and getting the owners to secure their properties as the crime rate has got ridiculous.

I imagine though, again, coming straight from the UK it feels normal but I can assure you there are some gorgeous areas on the East coast where the crime rate is virtually non existent.

[doubter]

I have friends in Cairns who are not keen on Townsville but I liked it and would have lived there if the wife agreed. There are pros and cons for both but the main one is employment where Townsville comes out on top. A few of my mates moved from Cairns to the Gold Coast for work. As for crime Cairns has its fair share like other places in Qld, I lived in the Gold Coast and you can't leave your door open. I loved the north beaches around Cairns, Kuranda and the coast drive to Port Douglas but it definitely rains more than Townsville. Not that keen on the town but it does have that pool on the front.

Loved the strand and the rock pool in Townsville and the climb up castle hill but the shops in the town were poor when I was there. when you look around up castle hill it's a great view but not much else around so maybe I would feel isolated. however you are central to Cairns and The Whitsundays.

All the best with your health Pom Queen.

[Canada2Australia]

I had passed through Townsville back in February. I was only there for a day, and it definitely was not a mega tourist destination from what I could gather. However, I really liked it. I had a middle-class, blue-collar feel to it. A place where you weren't surrounded by tourists; I personally hate that. It was place where I could strike up a conversation with like-minded Australians about anything. The people there reminded me of my home city; not plastic and phony, but just your average hard-working joe, and I rather enjoyed it. I was secretly hoping my company would consider transferring me to our Townsville, even though I knew the chances of that were slim.

[Dom1]

I'm glad you enjoy the life in Townsville. I think if we had also come straight from the UK I would have loved it but to me Cairns is my home and I can't help but compare the two.

Yes the grammar is an excellent school but most families can't afford to pay the huge fees, even the religious school fees can be too high for some.

One thing I must pick you up on though is that you say Townsvilles crime rate is the same as any other town on the East Coast, unfortunately this is not the case. I've lived in numerous towns on the East coast where we can leave our front doors wide open and not be concerned. Townsville is the only place where I've felt the need to get an alarm, security dog and cameras installed and we are suppose to live in one of the nicest areas. The police are still doing rounds in Douglas at the moment visiting properties at night and getting the owners to secure their properties as the crime rate has got ridiculous.

I imagine though, again, coming straight from the UK it feels normal but I can assure you there are some gorgeous areas on the East coast where the crime rate is virtually non existent.

 

What i said was there doesn't seem to be any more problems in Townsville compared to other places on the Coast, I don't know the crime rate statistics.

You are incorrect imagining i deem crime normal because i have arrived directly from the UK. Quite the opposite, I have been lucky not to live in areas with high crime rates so the situation you describe would not go unnoticed.

The security measures you are having to take are far from normal, I would be looking at a different suburb rather than buying guard dogs and installing surveillance cameras. Being able to leave your front doors wide open and not worry is not very realistic in this day and age, maybe if you live remotely or a small community, not in a city of any size.

I appreciate your preference would be to live in Cairns, but I don't see how your comments are beneficial to other posters, who are mainly new to Townsville or making the huge decision of where to emigrate too. There are some pretty ropey areas in most Cities, including Cairns, maybe the key is to avoid them.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

The security measures you are having to take are far from normal, I would be looking at a different suburb rather than buying guard dogs and installing surveillance cameras. Being able to leave your front doors wide open and not worry is not very realistic in this day and age, maybe if you live remotely or a small community, not in a city of any size.

I appreciate your preference would be to live in Cairns, but I don't see how your comments are beneficial to other posters, who are mainly new to Townsville or making the huge decision of where to emigrate too. There are some pretty ropey areas in most Cities, including Cairns, maybe the key is to avoid them.

This is the thing though, Townsville is different to most areas in that there are no real good or bad areas and crime hits all of them. We are in a very affluent area, yet we had someone come up our drive and key our car. Our neighbours consist of a lawyer at one side, a policeman at the other and next door but one is a retired policeman who has lived in our street for 40 plus years. All have dogs for security reasons.

 

As the OP of the thread I created it to discuss MY thoughts on Townsville. I have been in Australia since 2004 during which I've lived in different areas and travelled more than most Aussies.

I have been visiting Townsville for the last 5 years, the last two my son has been here living in Douglas whilst he is at uni and his housemate is at the police academy.

Obviously everyone has their own opinions and you are more than entitled to yours and I'm very happy for you that you love it here although if I remember rightly you had your concerns when you were considering the move in 2014 http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/queensland/203099-trouble-townsville.html

 

In regards to locking of doors, we have never locked our doors in Cairns and to be honest where we lived in Melbourne we never felt the need.

Cairns is different in that you know which suburbs to avoid. whoever you talk to in Townsville and chatting with our neighbours, they say there are no "bad" suburbs in Townsville everywhere has crime so it's more a case of pot luck. Maybe also have a look at the police maps for the crime in Townsville and you will see what I mean.

Maybe it's me who is a snob and can't cope with these larger cities :wink:

[Guest The Pom Queen]

I had passed through Townsville back in February. I was only there for a day, and it definitely was not a mega tourist destination from what I could gather. However, I really liked it. I had a middle-class, blue-collar feel to it. A place where you weren't surrounded by tourists; I personally hate that. It was place where I could strike up a conversation with like-minded Australians about anything. The people there reminded me of my home city; not plastic and phony, but just your average hard-working joe, and I rather enjoyed it. I was secretly hoping my company would consider transferring me to our Townsville, even though I knew the chances of that were slim.

I agree, we avoided the esplanade in Cairns because it is full of tourists. The downside for Townsville is that we don't have an international airport although saying that we didn't have many direct flights from Cairns overseas most went down to Brissy or Sydney and back again.

Kuranda and PD are lovely but they have nightmare roads when it comes to wet season. If it wasn't for the range I could have lived in Kuranda.

You are spot on with regards to employment, there is nothing in Cairns unless you are a health care worker or in hospitality.

Townsville - the centre is still run down although over the last few years they have tried to bring it back to life and have major plans going on. That's one thing I do like about Townsville they always seem to have plenty of money to splash around on improving the place. Did you visit Riverway whilst you were in Townsville, the lagoon is lovely down by the river.

I think the isolation may be what gets me, although saying that I could easily live in Isa or Kununurra but that's because there is so much to do within easy reach. Townsville it's 4 hours back up home or if I'm heading to BobJ's near Airlie it's another 4 hours. Whereas with Cairns you have the tablelands, Daintree, Port Douglas, Mossman and the Islands.

Where in Canada are you moving from, I lived in Burlington many many moons ago.

[Canada2Australia]

I agree, we avoided the esplanade in Cairns because it is full of tourists. The downside for Townsville is that we don't have an international airport although saying that we didn't have many direct flights from Cairns overseas most went down to Brissy or Sydney and back again.

Kuranda and PD are lovely but they have nightmare roads when it comes to wet season. If it wasn't for the range I could have lived in Kuranda.

You are spot on with regards to employment, there is nothing in Cairns unless you are a health care worker or in hospitality.

Townsville - the centre is still run down although over the last few years they have tried to bring it back to life and have major plans going on. That's one thing I do like about Townsville they always seem to have plenty of money to splash around on improving the place. Did you visit Riverway whilst you were in Townsville, the lagoon is lovely down by the river.

I think the isolation may be what gets me, although saying that I could easily live in Isa or Kununurra but that's because there is so much to do within easy reach. Townsville it's 4 hours back up home or if I'm heading to BobJ's near Airlie it's another 4 hours. Whereas with Cairns you have the tablelands, Daintree, Port Douglas, Mossman and the Islands.

Where in Canada are you moving from, I lived in Burlington many many moons ago.

 

I didn't have a chance to check out any of the areas by the river unfortunately; only had a limited amount of time. I'll definitely be back to check it out. We have an office there and I'll likely have an opportunity to travel for work to the region. I loved Cairns as well; being a smaller town it's harder to get away from the tourists that flock there. As such, it's just a bit too touristy for my likes.

 

I'm from Winnipeg, born and raised. I lived in Alberta for 12 years after I left home. Then the economic crash happened, lost my job, and came back home for a new job. Now I have accepted a transfer to Australia and am really looking forward to it! (pending visa approval, of course).

 

Ah Burlington (Hamilton); the Golden Horseshoe area of Ontario. I haven't been there in almost 25 years. I'll visit again one day.

[jac2011]

I moved here as you know nearly four months ago straight from the UK. To me Townsville is the ideal location for us since being here. It is everything we hoped for and more. The prices are so cheap we are living in Idalia (as you mentioned one of the nicer new suburbs) in a lovely complex where it is safe to leave your door open as there is 24 hour security. We are across the road from some amazing restaurants. My boys are in Oonoonba school which is a state school and is one of the best schools in the whole of Townsville if not northern qld. My daughter is in William Ross state school as of January and due to the education system in the UK she has been placed in an 'advanced' group of students and will be taught at a higher level than her peer group. We are surviving more than comfortably of one 'almost new' nurse grades. I am well respected in work by both the management and the medical team for my nursing skills from the UK. I can easily see promotion opportunities for anyone that lives permanently here, as there are so many people who transition through the city. Also, whilst there are lots of petty crimes, have you seen the crime? The newspaper and news programmes are full of stories that would never ever make the news in the UK. Someone stole a plant pot for example. I have not seen anywhere near the severe level of crime that I read about in the major cities.

 

Townsville is known as brownsville, but for us we are happy with that. It's still very green in the suburbs where most places are watered and green. The cbd for example is just as lush as Brisbane was, Idalia is very green! I don't mind the brown too much on the outskirts as in the 4 months I have been here, last night was the only time it rained for more than 20 minutes. It certainly means we can go out each and every day. In fact we just booked 3 days accommodation in Cairns in January and I have been warned to cancel, as the rainfall in wet season in Cairns may potentially ruin our break. That is not the case in Townsville. Instead we can spend the month doing 'lots' of day trips to Magentic Island, the reef, airlie beach, mission beach, palaranda, wallaman falls, etc...

 

There are a lot of brits here I find, especially in the hospital where I would say 30% have moved here since 2008. We have had no end of offers of support. And of all the brits we have met I would say 95% think this is paradise. Though, many don't like to advertise stating they would rather Townsville stayed small and unknown.

 

Again, its just personal opinion. We loved Brisbane during our brief stay but for me personally I could never live in a larger city after living here. I feel like I live in paradise each day. And there is plenty of cash in my bank to ensure we have a good quality of life before the husband has even started work in the new year.

[JockinTas]

Lovely to hear how well you have settled in Townsville Jac! ........ And of course your family too :smile:

 

By the way you will have to change your 'location' from Nottingham to Townsville :cute:

[Gbye grey sky]

Also, whilst there are lots of petty crimes, have you seen the crime? The newspaper and news programmes are full of stories that would never ever make the news in the UK. Someone stole a plant pot for example. I have not seen anywhere near the severe level of crime that I read about in the major cities.

 

This is my experience here too. We are in the Redlands which is 30kms south of Brisbane but every single property crime gets a write up in the paper and it is clear they are not terribly common. Given that most of these involve people leaving cars unlocked or doors open with just fly screens closed and many do this, I would expect to see much more crime really. Have not seen any graffiti and even littering is rare too.

 

That said the locals will tell you with a straight face that crime is rife. All about perception I suspect.

 

I never felt unsafe where I lived in the UK though a chav/yob culture was evident everywhere they never bothered me unduly. Here it feels a good deal safer and people respect and care for their community amenities a great deal more.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

I moved here as you know nearly four months ago straight from the UK. To me Townsville is the ideal location for us since being here. It is everything we hoped for and more. The prices are so cheap we are living in Idalia (as you mentioned one of the nicer new suburbs) in a lovely complex where it is safe to leave your door open as there is 24 hour security. We are across the road from some amazing restaurants. My boys are in Oonoonba school which is a state school and is one of the best schools in the whole of Townsville if not northern qld. My daughter is in William Ross state school as of January and due to the education system in the UK she has been placed in an 'advanced' group of students and will be taught at a higher level than her peer group. We are surviving more than comfortably of one 'almost new' nurse grades. I am well respected in work by both the management and the medical team for my nursing skills from the UK. I can easily see promotion opportunities for anyone that lives permanently here, as there are so many people who transition through the city. Also, whilst there are lots of petty crimes, have you seen the crime? The newspaper and news programmes are full of stories that would never ever make the news in the UK. Someone stole a plant pot for example. I have not seen anywhere near the severe level of crime that I read about in the major cities.

 

Townsville is known as brownsville, but for us we are happy with that. It's still very green in the suburbs where most places are watered and green. The cbd for example is just as lush as Brisbane was, Idalia is very green! I don't mind the brown too much on the outskirts as in the 4 months I have been here, last night was the only time it rained for more than 20 minutes. It certainly means we can go out each and every day. In fact we just booked 3 days accommodation in Cairns in January and I have been warned to cancel, as the rainfall in wet season in Cairns may potentially ruin our break. That is not the case in Townsville. Instead we can spend the month doing 'lots' of day trips to Magentic Island, the reef, airlie beach, mission beach, palaranda, wallaman falls, etc...

 

There are a lot of brits here I find, especially in the hospital where I would say 30% have moved here since 2008. We have had no end of offers of support. And of all the brits we have met I would say 95% think this is paradise. Though, many don't like to advertise stating they would rather Townsville stayed small and unknown.

 

Again, its just personal opinion. We loved Brisbane during our brief stay but for me personally I could never live in a larger city after living here. I feel like I live in paradise each day. And there is plenty of cash in my bank to ensure we have a good quality of life before the husband has even started work in the new year.

Glad you have settled in Hun. I agree January isn't the time to visit Cairns, I'd head up during the Easter holidays if I was you. Coming straight from the UK you have seen what Australia has to offer which is great, just don't go travelling as you will end up like me seeing too many other beautiful areas and you will want to move on lol.