Captain Roberto Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 We moved to Sydney 10 months ago, and in many ways we love it. But on our income, at our ages and with 3 kids, we couldn't afford to settle here. Some contextual info: We are a 'professional couple' but not on crazy wages. My wife is an experienced District Nurse and I am a graphic designer/animator (now freelance/own business since getting to Sydney). I'm 44 and she's 41. We don't earn tons.. maybe $150k - $170k combined, which doesn't get you that far here in Sydney! We have PR here. We have 3 kids, currently 13, 10 and 6 And a dog, 3 guinea pigs and a leaf insect (they want more pets!) We currently have a house in North Wales, with about 8 years left on the mortgage. It's only worth about £140k -/ $280k - so if we sold up and bought here, it would be a deposit. If we stay here, we want to buy, not rent - it must be our British mentality, but I feel uneasy renting on a long-term basis. We like the outdoors lifestyle. Beaches are good, but would rather travel to a beach at the weekend rather than have a really long commute to work every day. My definition os idea commute is 1 hour and under. Could go slightly over, but not too much. I'm happy to commute to work on the train or bus. I'd probably need to be able to work in Brisbane CBD, but my wife could work anywhere if the job was available. If we move, we'd need to 'get it right' and move into the right area, as we don't want to move the kids schools any more times than is strictly necessary. We'd use 'good' state schools wherever we moved. We've considered the NSW central Coast, but signing up to a 90 mins / 2-hour commute (each way) on an ongoing basis could be madness... so looking at Brisbane. We just took a reccie to Brisbane for a week, but it's not really long enough to get an idea what's what. We stayed in Moreton Bay, Cleveland. It was quite nice, but maybe a little quiet. Hard to know! We also went to the GC (Dreamworld area, had a drive-through Helensvale and hung out in Burleigh Heads which was nice, and took a day trip to the city and the Southbank, which we liked a lot. We've been recommended these areas: Kenmore Chapel Hill Bellbowrie areas - south West of the CBD Taringa and Toowong (closer to CBD) The Gap Carindale Morningside Mooloolaba, Caloundra, Beerwah, Maroochydore (these might all be a bit out of the way for a commute?) Manly Wynnum Wakerly Cleveland Victoria Point (Maybe a bit far out and quiet?) Our house budget is between $00k and $600k for $400 - $650 p/w rent. We pay $1k a week here in Sydney and it sucks the joy out of life a bit! We can't afford to ever go back the UK for a visit, and holidays are likely to be a rarity. It's just a bit too hard here. We all need time, and I want to see my kids and do things with them a bit before they all grow up and leave home! We didn't move here to be a slave to the rent... We're still pretty new to researching - but having realising we can't really afford to stay in Sydney long-term, we need to look into a move now, even if it doesn't happen for 6-12 or 18 months. We figure we'll give this a go. And if ia Brisbane move doesn't end up working out, we could go back the UK after 2-3 years here and chalk it all down to experience. But we'd give this Brisbane things a good go, and want to get it right! Any opinions, thought and advice would be gratefully accepted. Thanks Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 I wish you the best of luck! One of the factors behind our move out of Sydney was the cost of housing - even though I'd lived in Sydney for 30 years and my oh had lived there almost his whole life. For various reasons (including previous failed relationships), neither of us held property at the right times to make a motza on the Sydney property market, as most people our age did. It is SO difficult to decide where else in Australia to go instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest241083 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 http://www.homely.com.au/search/suburbs-in-brisbane-queensland ........always found this site helpful.... .........some reviews might be a little outdated.... ..........but by regoogling the name of somewhere you like the sound of... ..........you can check out houses ,schools and more recent news..... ...........good luck to you and yours..... ............Brisbane and its surrounding suberbs have much to offer IMO..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 I wish you the best of luck! One of the factors behind our move out of Sydney was the cost of housing - even though I'd lived in Sydney for 30 years and my oh had lived there almost his whole life. For various reasons (including previous failed relationships), neither of us held property at the right times to make a motza on the Sydney property market, as most people our age did. It is SO difficult to decide where else in Australia to go instead.In indeed! I do speak to many people who say, 'we moved late 90's and bought, or even early 00s, and bought and it was fine. but for us, it's just thsat bit out of reach. a 4 bedroom house is generally over 1 million bucks anywhere (unless you try Berowra or something) It seems like Brisbane is pretty good. It's 'on the up' apparently (Aren't they all eh...) I'd say if Sydney was Australia's London, Melbourne is not far behind, and maybe Brisbane is like Manchester. Or something like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 I love living in Brisbane. The school are great - both primary and high school. Lots of lovely green areas and so many well kept parks. Our quality of life is fantastic. Have spent a HUGE amount of time research suburbs and driving round to get a feel for the different areas. My own personal opinion: The Gap - great to rent. Great schools. Expensive to buy somewhere decent. Kenmore and Chapel Hill - nice but pricey to buy. Toowong - mixed. Some bits verging on industrial but otherwise nice and lovely botanical gardens. Pricey to buy. My recommendations northside: On trainline: Ferny Hills and Ferny Grove - excellent schools for primary - public and Catholic private - family oriented - cheaper than above to buy somewhere nice with a pool. Mitchelton - very sought after area - you could get somewhere that needs some work within your budget. Good schools Nundah and Northgate: very quick into city - Nundah is quite nice for cafes / shops etc. Northgate very smart. Large plots. Quiet and leafy. Keperra - up and coming - mixed - you could get somewhere nice in your budget but not as smart as Chapel Hill/ Kenmore. Not sure it would be for you given your account above Not on trainline: Eaton Hills Albany Creek Very popular with young families and the schools are great. Very friendly areas Arana Hills - popular - nice views of the city - good family area but would be slightly lower on the list for me. If you are working in the CBD aim for a trainline. Will make a huge difference to the commute. Name your suburb and I can probably give you a run down - but obviously my own bias on all the areas ;-) I can't rate Brisbane highly enough. We won't be going back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 PS would not be drawn by the cheaper houses up the Sunny Coast - it is one hell of a commute. I would stick to 30 - 45 mins from CBD on public transport (v cheap) and steer clear of anywhere that involves the highway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTA Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 The median house price in Brisbane is 600k, so much cheaper than 1m in Sydney. Prices are a little flat in Brisbane since the mining slump, whilst Sydney and Melbourne have seen double digit increases, so now is a good time to buy. I wouldn't go as far as saying that it is 'on the up' but there will be plenty more following you from Sydney/Melbourne. However, if your wife is a nurse and you are freelance, why do you need to work in the city? What about Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, or Toowoomba? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DT55 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 I live in The Gap and I love it. Very green and leafy and very good schools. Other areas you mentioned are also very good. If you get a job in the CBD I would probably avoid Belbowrie as the commute isn't great. With a family i would maybe pass on Toowong also- nothing wrong with the area but i think its expensive for what it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallyman Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Have you thought about Newcastle if you can work from home , you could get train down to Sydney if required plenty of work for nurses in this area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 ... Ferny Hills and Ferny Grove - excellent schools for primary - public and Catholic private - family oriented - cheaper than above to buy somewhere nice with a pool. Mitchelton - very sought after area - you could get somewhere that needs some work within your budget. Good schools Nundah and Northgate: very quick into city - Nundah is quite nice for cafes / shops etc. Northgate very smart. Large plots. Quiet and leafy. Keperra - up and coming - mixed - you could get somewhere nice in your budget but not as smart as Chapel Hill/ Kenmore. Not sure it would be for you given your account above ... Just a historical addition in regard to the schools in case it helps, The Gap has always had the best reputation in that general area and I think Ferny Grove is ok these days as well. Mitchelton though has always had a bad rep but not sure if it is ok now ? I think its Naplan results are still way below the others, though I haven't checked how much they improve the students they do get...Keperra was always considered a knock about area and I think that leaked into Mitchelton as well. Was saying to my brother tonight it may be a good area for people to buy in as the prices may be repressed from its past reputation; though would be worried about the high school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Mitchelton has Mt Maria which has v good rep. I think that Mitchelton folk do tend to send their kids to private, which is pretty cheap in comparison to uk. Ferny Grove high is fine. Reasonable rep now, but across most of the slightly cheaper suburbs where ycan get nice house for $600k or less there us a leaning towards private for high. Lots of good primaries though . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted April 24, 2016 Author Share Posted April 24, 2016 Have you thought about Newcastle if you can work from home , you could get train down to Sydney if required plenty of work for nurses in this area. @Rallyman We've looked at central Coast by the beach. Looks really nice! I am only just starting as self employed and not that established, so will need to work more in the the city/a city for a while - so as it stands now, it might not work very well. hard to tell really! Just trying out options. I have tried actually working from home' and it's not easy to get anything done with everything going on, 3 kids etc - so I work out of a shared office in Chippendale. A commute from Avoca type areas to the city is between 90-120 mins each way which is a bit brutal over time. hard to know! We certainly haven't discounted this kind of idea yet, but my gut instinct is telling me it's best to avoid a crazy long commute. been doing them lots in the UK and it gets a bit annoying over time. How's life up there? Are you liking it? Is it more relaxed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted April 24, 2016 Author Share Posted April 24, 2016 Thanks all for your tips so far. I guess we need to take our time and really looks at these things. Personally, I have a decent gut instinct that this kind of move would be good for us. But gut instincts without lots of research can be wrong! There are a couple of extra things that we'd like to know, and a couple ideas - I wonder if anyone can give me feedback on them: Our kids do like a good bit of beach. Is it pretty normal for people who live closer to the CBD to travel out to one of the coast of a weekend and do the beach life? (GC or SC?) Are the neighbourhoods mentioned about quite sociable? (Where we are in Sydney it isn't very, everyone stays in their houses and it feels a little isolated - and in winter there nothing to do in the evenings) Is it generally better to have a shorter weekday commute and travel to the coast, or would anyone recommend the other way around - commute longer to work and live nearer the coast? What's fun to do around there? and what's a god way to get more social and meet people? are certain neighbourhoods better for that kind of thing? Is it ok living on the GC? The lower parts seem nice, Burleigh etc, and there are plenty of places a bit inland of there, like Varsity that might be good. Just to work in some of our desired things and help convince our kids when the time comes, as they all have friends and like it here in Sydney. They have this idea that we are by the beach here, even though it actually takes half an hour to get there as it is. The way I see it, it's just going to take an extra 30 mins, but you still have to get in the car and drive. (or live by the beach and I'll spend 70+ mins on the train each way to work...) Thanks! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 @Rallyman We've looked at central Coast by the beach. Looks really nice! I am only just starting as self employed and not that established, so will need to work more in the the city/a city for a while - so as it stands now, it might not work very well. hard to tell really! Just trying out options. I have tried actually working from home' and it's not easy to get anything done with everything going on, 3 kids etc - so I work out of a shared office in Chippendale. A commute from Avoca type areas to the city is between 90-120 mins each way which is a bit brutal over time. hard to know! I don't think Rallyman was suggesting a regular commute, just that it's easy to get to Sydney occasionally if you need to. I lived in Sydney and used to drive up to the Newcastle office fairly regularly - I wouldn't want to do it every day, but once a week would be tolerable, especially if you can avoid peak hour. I used to work with two guys who worked in our Sydney office and commuted every day from Newcastle - I thought they were bonkers but they felt Newcastle offered such a good lifestyle for their children compared to Sydney, that they weren't prepared to move. So that says something for the place. It used to have a rough reputation but has been gentrified a lot, it has a fabulous beach right in the town centre, wineries on the doorstep, Port Stephens and the dunes a short distance away. It just depends whether there would be enough work for you in a city the size of Newcastle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 Thanks all for your tips so far. I guess we need to take our time and really looks at these things. Personally, I have a decent gut instinct that this kind of move would be good for us. But gut instincts without lots of research can be wrong! There are a couple of extra things that we'd like to know, and a couple ideas - I wonder if anyone can give me feedback on them: Our kids do like a good bit of beach. Is it pretty normal for people who live closer to the CBD to travel out to one of the coast of a weekend and do the beach life? (GC or SC?) Are the neighbourhoods mentioned about quite sociable? (Where we are in Sydney it isn't very, everyone stays in their houses and it feels a little isolated - and in winter there nothing to do in the evenings) Is it generally better to have a shorter weekday commute and travel to the coast, or would anyone recommend the other way around - commute longer to work and live nearer the coast? What's fun to do around there? and what's a god way to get more social and meet people? are certain neighbourhoods better for that kind of thing? Is it ok living on the GC? The lower parts seem nice, Burleigh etc, and there are plenty of places a bit inland of there, like Varsity that might be good. Just to work in some of our desired things and help convince our kids when the time comes, as they all have friends and like it here in Sydney. They have this idea that we are by the beach here, even though it actually takes half an hour to get there as it is. The way I see it, it's just going to take an extra 30 mins, but you still have to get in the car and drive. (or live by the beach and I'll spend 70+ mins on the train each way to work...) Thanks! Matt Hi I would definitely recommend closer to work rather than the beach. After school the kids will be doing sports clubs and hobbies. It gets dark super early and I wouldn't find it practical to go onto the beach every night. Length of commute will have much more influence on your quality of life. Re beaches, I live on the northside so we go to Bribie Island which is safe for kids and has a surf beach. About an hour and 15 mins from Brisbane. There are lots other beaches further north which are within an easy drive. You can easily manage a morning play on the beach and back home for lunch. The suburbs that I mentioned are very family friendly. People go to bed really early so I don't socialise with our neighbours during the week. We have made lots of very good friends through social groups and interests. My husband and I have things to do of an evening with friends. It is a matter of picking the right area and then joining up to as much as time will allow. You will also have more funds for outings if you are reducing your rental payments. Fun stuff that we do: swimming in the local creeks, park outings, cycling (lots of cycle tracks for families around Brisbane), barefoot bowls, walking, bbqs - this is the day to day stuff. There are heaps of other free activities to do every weekend. Personal preference, but I am not a fan of the Gold Coast. Traffic is more of an issue and more built up. My colleagues how live on the Gold Coast do moan about the commute. Again, may be my bias, but Brisbane suburbs feel safer than Gold Coast suburbs. I live in a suburb on northside 30 mins from the city, with views of the mountains, 30 mins (if that) from a swimming creek, and within an hr and 15 mins of a beach. What more can you want :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilotg2 Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 Have you considered Perth - it would easily tick all your boxes. I can offer advise on areas. Have a look at Carine or Duncraig to start off - very well regarded public schools 5 min to the beach 15 min to CBD or 20min by train. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted April 27, 2016 Author Share Posted April 27, 2016 Have you considered Perth - it would easily tick all your boxes. I can offer advise on areas. Have a look at Carine or Duncraig to start off - very well regarded public schools 5 min to the beach 15 min to CBD or 20min by train.P @pilotg2 Perth seems good. We have friends over there. Unfortunately I don't think there's hardly any work there for me. Most of the work for me is Sydney and Melbourne, but there is some in Brisbane. So workwise, Brisbane isn't perfect and part of the reason we never considered it on our initial move - but having looked into it more since we arrived and met a few people, it seems there might be enough work. Hard to know for sure though! but I know Perth just doesn't really have much video/animation work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playghirl Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Did you make the move ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Did you make the move ? I was wondering that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Roberto Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 No! Still in sydney. It's nice. But it's crazy expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playghirl Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 I hear ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playghirl Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 I'm really wanting to lose k into this move too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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