What to do & where to live dilemma...

[aconcannon]

My husband & I (31 & 34) have been very happily living on Sydneys northern beaches for the past 20 months.

 

We absolutely love Sydney...the beautiful scenery, walks & beaches, the fantastic bars & restaurants in both Sydney CBD & on the northern beaches, the sophisticated / healthy way of life a lot of people seem to adopt, the cafe scene & the whole beach lifestyle.

 

Our dilemma is that we're tired of living in an apartment & desperately want somewhere bigger, ideally a house! With houses renting at over $1,000 a week on Sydney's northern beaches (and us not wanting to move inland) we're kind of stuck.

 

We're open to the idea of moving & have so far narrowed it down to the Gold Coast - Burleigh & Broadbeach being our favourite suburbs. For what we pay in rent in Sydney we could have a 4 bed house with a pool on the Goldie, have the possibility of saving some money towards buying a property & the year round better weather would suit us perfectly!

 

However, having spoken to a lot of people & visited several times to explore, we've concerned that if we move to the Goldie we're going to be making a big mistake. People talk about the crime, high unemployment rates, lack of 'decent' restaurants, no cafe culture etc

 

My question is, without giving up our beach lifestyle is there anywhere else within Australia that would offer us a similar life to what we have in Sydney without the Sydney price tag? Melbourne isn't an option as we've lived there before & didn't enjoy the climate outside of the summer months!

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

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[Guest The Pom Queen]

I've lived in and travelled quite a bit around different areas and love Qld. What about the Sunshine Coast?

If you don't have children then the Gold Coast would probably be fine for you. I love Far North Queensland but employment is the issue up there. 

[aconcannon]

8 hours ago, The Pom Queen said:

I've lived in and travelled quite a bit around different areas and love Qld. What about the Sunshine Coast?

If you don't have children then the Gold Coast would probably be fine for you. I love Far North Queensland but employment is the issue up there. 

We're going to the Sunshine Coast in August for a look around as it's been about 7 years since our last visit. However, everybody tells us the sunshine coast would be too quiet for us as we like to eat/drink out and be sociable. Also I believe there isn't masses of work there?

[Collie]

What do you do for work?

Not much point having a 4 bed house if you've no work or a long commute.

[aconcannon]

What do you do for work?
Not much point having a 4 bed house if you've no work or a long commute.

I work in marketing (but happy to do general office work if need be) and my hubby's a mechanical engineer...agreed we need to be somewhere with work & less of a commute than we have in Sydney, that's our ultimate aim! There's definitely work on the GC in our field...


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[calNgary]

On 5/1/2017 at 9:06 AM, aconcannon said:

We're going to the Sunshine Coast in August for a look around as it's been about 7 years since our last visit. However, everybody tells us the sunshine coast would be too quiet for us as we like to eat/drink out and be sociable. Also I believe there isn't masses of work there?

Have a look at Caloundra and Mooloolaba both have the beacj front cafe restaurant type vibe.

[aconcannon]

Have a look at Caloundra and Mooloolaba both have the beacj front cafe restaurant type vibe.

Is there much work though? That's our biggest concern.


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[calNgary]

The people i know who live in these places do fine for work. The sunny coast has grown lots over the last few years and its not as 'quiet;as  it used to be. Definately have a look at work vacancies up that way, you may be surprised.

Cal x

[aconcannon]

The people i know who live in these places do fine for work. The sunny coast has grown lots over the last few years and its not as 'quiet;as  it used to be. Definately have a look at work vacancies up that way, you may be surprised.
Cal x

We most definitely will, thanks Cal!


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[llessur]

People might laugh at this one but have you considered Adelaide? My partner and I are the same age as you guys and Adelaide suits us perfectly. The city has changed so much in the last 4-5 years and is growing in vibrancy all the time – there’s a great café culture, loads of small bars and eateries, various festivals, a pretty good live music scene, plentiful craft breweries, footy and cricket at the Oval etc. Cycling culture is growing pretty quickly and there's some fairly decent infrastructure in place now, with more planned for the CBD in the next year or so.

Plus the weather’s great (it doesn’t get humid like the GC can and winters are nothing like those of Melbourne), there are superb wine regions to the north and south and everywhere’s close to a beach (especially if you head to one of the beach-side suburbs like Glenelg, Henley etc).

House prices are still realistic – we’ve just bought our first house (a 3 bedder on 600sqm a stone’s throw from the CBD) and we’ve had no problem at all in finding work.

Well worth a look if you haven’t been before.

[aconcannon]

People might laugh at this one but have you considered Adelaide? My partner and I are the same age as you guys and Adelaide suits us perfectly. The city has changed so much in the last 4-5 years and is growing in vibrancy all the time – there’s a great café culture, loads of small bars and eateries, various festivals, a pretty good live music scene, plentiful craft breweries, footy and cricket at the Oval etc. Cycling culture is growing pretty quickly and there's some fairly decent infrastructure in place now, with more planned for the CBD in the next year or so.
Plus the weather’s great (it doesn’t get humid like the GC can and winters are nothing like those of Melbourne), there are superb wine regions to the north and south and everywhere’s close to a beach (especially if you head to one of the beach-side suburbs like Glenelg, Henley etc).
House prices are still realistic – we’ve just bought our first house (a 3 bedder on 600sqm a stone’s throw from the CBD) and we’ve had no problem at all in finding work.
Well worth a look if you haven’t been before.

In all honesty it's the last place I'd considered living based on an previous experience. We visited a cousin back in 2007 who was living there at the time & we disliked Adelaide as a city massively...although we loved exploring South Australia as a whole! A couple of people have told me how much it's changed so I'll definitely do a bit of research! What sort of weather do you get in winter? When we lived in Melbourne it was cold, grey, wet & miserable. Winter in Sydney has been predominately dry & sunny but not warm enough for the beach...


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[Parley]

I always laugh when people who lived most of their lives in England say they could never live in Melbourne because of the weather.

I would rethink that idea as Melbourne is the fastest growing and the best city in Australia.

[aconcannon]

I always laugh when people who lived most of their lives in England say they could never live in Melbourne because of the weather. I would rethink that idea as Melbourne is the fastest growing and the best city in Australia.

 

 

 

having spent a year living in Melbourne we know it's not for us with the weather sadly being the only reason! We shall continue to enjoy quarterly trips to see our family though [emoji4]

 

 

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[Guest]

28 minutes ago, aconcannon said:

 

In all honesty it's the last place I'd considered living based on an previous experience. We visited a cousin back in 2007 who was living there at the time & we disliked Adelaide as a city massively...although we loved exploring South Australia as a whole! A couple of people have told me how much it's changed so I'll definitely do a bit of research! What sort of weather do you get in winter? When we lived in Melbourne it was cold, grey, wet & miserable. Winter in Sydney has been predominately dry & sunny but not warm enough for the beach...


 

 

If you want year round beach weather than Adelaide isn't the place for you. Its has a winter where it does get chilly and can rain also.

However, for some that is not an issue as the warmer months more than make up for it. Spring and autumn are lovely (currently 17C and blue skies and sunshine for me here, am wearing tee shirt) and summers can get hot. Hot. Its a dry heat as has been said. I prefer it over the humidity any day. 

As for Adelaide itself, it has changed greatly since I first visited in 2004. I don't know what didn't appeal about the CBD to you in terms of a city (if you mean the suburbs I can get why it doesn't appeal if a city person, but thats suburban living all over Aus I think). Its a fab CBD in terms of easy to access, get round and lots of options for theatre, musicals  etc as many do tour here. As has been said, Adelaide has the redeveloped Adelaide Oval (concerts, sports etc), lots of development, the Fringe season (a month long thereabouts in March), festivals, good cafes, bars etc and lots of great places for food. In terms of beachside suburbs, Glenelg or Henley Beach would get my vote if you want more going on, cafes and culture. Will come with a price tag but cheaper than Sydney beachside living. 

 

 

 

[llessur]

52 minutes ago, aconcannon said:

In all honesty it's the last place I'd considered living based on an previous experience. We visited a cousin back in 2007 who was living there at the time & we disliked Adelaide as a city massively...although we loved exploring South Australia as a whole! A couple of people have told me how much it's changed so I'll definitely do a bit of research! What sort of weather do you get in winter? When we lived in Melbourne it was cold, grey, wet & miserable. Winter in Sydney has been predominately dry & sunny but not warm enough for the beach...

I first came over to Adelaide in 2010 (moved permanently in 2012) and in the six years since my first visit the place has changed incredibly. There is so much going on now that it feels like a completely different city. Not that booze is the be all and end all but they changed the licensing laws back in, I think, 2012/13 and gave the green light for small bars to open in the CBD (yep, until then only large hotels were allowed – go figure). In conjunction with an incredibly progressive mayor and a city-focused state government the place has genuinely changed immeasurably since then. The options in the CBD for eating and socialising are so much greater than they were back in 2012 (I think 60+ new bars have opened in the CBD since the law changed and a good number of great new food places too). Coupled with the redevelopment of the Oval/bringing footy back into the CBD, plentiful foodtrucks and the ongoing apartment boom, the city feels so much more alive than it did when I first arrived and there are still cranes throughout the city building new stuff. A laneway culture is gradually being developed and there is a project in place to pedestrianise a couple more CBD laneways in the coming months which should build upon this even further.

Since you last visited the tram line has been extended through the CBD to the north-west of the city (my neck of the woods) and there is a new spur going in this year towards the east (with more extensions planned for the future). As mentioned before, it's a really easy cycling city as it's so flat and the cycle path network is gradually expanding through the suburbs and the CBD.

In my opinion the weather is fantastic. Late spring and early autumn are just beautiful – it tends to sit at 23-27 degrees for several weeks on end with very little rain. Summer is hot – often in the 35 degree range but can hit 40-43 several times during the season – but humidity is low so it’s not overbearing in my opinion. We head to the beach loads in spring, summer, autumn to walk or sit and watch the amazing sunsets. Winter is a mixed bag, we get quite a bit of rain (despite being the driest state) but full days of rain are quite rare, when it does rain it usually stops within an hour and due to the low humidity the pavements and roads dry up pretty quickly so you forget it happened. There are some nice sunny days in winter too.

There are mixed opinions about employment – like I say neither myself, my partner or any of our fairly large group of friends seem to have had any trouble in finding work. Obviously it’s a smaller city though so options won’t be as plentiful as Sydney and Melbourne and I’ve heard stories from new immigrants who have found it difficult to find something in their chosen field.

I love it here, it suits me just fine in my 30s and we can afford to buy a house 5 mins drive/train/tram from the CBD and 10 mins from the beach whilst not really missing out on many large city conveniences (although I’d quite like an H&M – hopefully there’ll be one opening up soon if rumour is to be believed). It's obviously not Sydney or Melbourne and will never have the range of activities, venues, events etc found in such large cities. But I've come to appreciate that as a positive (i.e. no overcrowding, bugger all in the way of traffic jams, you can almost always get a seat on the train etc) - and both of these big cities are cheap and quick flights away.

Even if you never consider moving here I’d recommend a weekend in spring to check it out.

Edited May 2, 2017 by llessur

[bane01]

Gold Coast will be fine and it not that difficult to find the appropriate work. Good Luck

[aconcannon]

I first came over to Adelaide in 2010 (moved permanently in 2012) and in the six years since my first visit the place has changed incredibly. There is so much going on now that it feels like a completely different city. Not that booze is the be all and end all but they changed the licensing laws back in, I think, 2012/13 and gave the green light for small bars to open in the CBD (yep, until then only large hotels were allowed – go figure). In conjunction with an incredibly progressive mayor and a city-focused state government the place has genuinely changed immeasurably since then. The options in the CBD for eating and socialising are so much greater than they were back in 2012 (I think 60+ new bars have opened in the CBD since the law changed and a good number of great new food places too). Coupled with the redevelopment of the Oval/bringing footy back into the CBD, plentiful foodtrucks and the ongoing apartment boom, the city feels so much more alive than it did when I first arrived and there are still cranes throughout the city building new stuff. A laneway culture is gradually being developed and there is a project in place to pedestrianise a couple more CBD laneways in the coming months which should build upon this even further.
Since you last visited the tram line has been extended through the CBD to the north-west of the city (my neck of the woods) and there is a new spur going in this year towards the east (with more extensions planned for the future). As mentioned before, it's a really easy cycling city as it's so flat and the cycle path network is gradually expanding through the suburbs and the CBD.
In my opinion the weather is fantastic. Late spring and early autumn are just beautiful – it tends to sit at 23-27 degrees for several weeks on end with very little rain. Summer is hot – often in the 35 degree range but can hit 40-43 several times during the season – but humidity is low so it’s not overbearing in my opinion. We head to the beach loads in spring, summer, autumn to walk or sit and watch the amazing sunsets. Winter is a mixed bag, we get quite a bit of rain (despite being the driest state) but full days of rain are quite rare, when it does rain it usually stops within an hour and due to the low humidity the pavements and roads dry up pretty quickly so you forget it happened. There are some nice sunny days in winter too.
There are mixed opinions about employment – like I say neither myself, my partner or any of our fairly large group of friends seem to have had any trouble in finding work. Obviously it’s a smaller city though so options won’t be as plentiful as Sydney and Melbourne and I’ve heard stories from new immigrants who have found it difficult to find something in their chosen field.
I love it here, it suits me just fine in my 30s and we can afford to buy a house 5 mins drive/train/tram from the CBD and 10 mins from the beach whilst not really missing out on many large city conveniences (although I’d quite like an H&M – hopefully there’ll be one opening up soon if rumour is to be believed). It's obviously not Sydney or Melbourne and will never have the range of activities, venues, events etc found in such large cities. But I've come to appreciate that as a positive (i.e. no overcrowding, bugger all in the way of traffic jams, you can almost always get a seat on the train etc) - and both of these big cities are cheap and quick flights away.
Even if you never consider moving here I’d recommend a weekend in spring to check it out.

That's a fantastic description on how Adelaide has evolved, really interesting! I'm definitely keen to come & visit before I rule it out completely as it does seem to have changed a lot! I have a bit of spare time the first weekend of August where I was planning another QLD reccy - what sort of weather should we expect then if we came over to Adelaide instead?


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[llessur]

34 minutes ago, aconcannon said:

That's a fantastic description on how Adelaide has evolved, really interesting! I'm definitely keen to come & visit before I rule it out completely as it does seem to have changed a lot! I have a bit of spare time the first weekend of August where I was planning another QLD reccy - what sort of weather should we expect then if we came over to Adelaide instead?

Blimey, I should go into marketing myself – selling Adelaide to a Sydneysider. I'll put that on my CV.

Adelaide will be a tad cooler than QLD in August – probably around 17 degrees (according to the internet). Depends on whether you were planning any sunbathing…

In all seriousness though, I wouldn’t rule the place out based on one visit in 2007. If you’ve got the time it’s worth checking it out for future reference. if you do decide to head over will be happy to share some eating/socialising tips.

[aconcannon]

Blimey, I should go into marketing myself – selling Adelaide to a Sydneysider. I'll put that on my CV. [emoji41]




Adelaide will be a tad cooler than QLD in August – probably around 17 degrees (according to the internet). Depends on whether you were planning any sunbathing…


In all seriousness though, I wouldn’t rule the place out based on one visit in 2007. If you’ve got the time it’s worth checking it out for future reference. if you do decide to head over will be happy to share some eating/socialising tips.

Haha you have definitely sold the idea to me! I know this is going to sound awful but one of the things that put me off so much when we visited my cousin, in addition to the complete lack of things to do, were the locals. I remember taking the bus into the CBD & spending a day wondering around and it seemed the majority of people had a low socio-economic status...that will make me sound like a terrible snob, which I'm not, but it reminded me of walking around a town centre in a really rough area of the UK - people in PJ's, lots of homeless & drunks etc. I was amazed at how many I came across in such a small area & a small space of time. That's always stuck in my head & put me off a bit if I'm honest. I'm guessing that's changed now too???


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[llessur]

17 minutes ago, aconcannon said:

Haha you have definitely sold the idea to me! I know this is going to sound awful but one of the things that put me off so much when we visited my cousin, in addition to the complete lack of things to do, were the locals. I remember taking the bus into the CBD & spending a day wondering around and it seemed the majority of people had a low socio-economic status...that will make me sound like a terrible snob, which I'm not, but it reminded me of walking around a town centre in a really rough area of the UK - people in PJ's, lots of homeless & drunks etc. I was amazed at how many I came across in such a small area & a small space of time. That's always stuck in my head & put me off a bit if I'm honest. I'm guessing that's changed now too???

Wow, I wasn’t in Adelaide in 2007 but it doesn’t sound like Adelaide today. Depends on your point of view I guess – seems perfectly respectable to me (and I'm originally from leafy Sussex). As in any city there are more upmarket areas and less ‘desirable’ areas – the CBD’s a pretty safe bet though. Plus, as in any city (and as much as I love public transport), you do tend to get all sorts on the buses. Not sure what it is about buses...

Edited May 2, 2017 by llessur

[Collie]

Wow, interesting perspective on Adelaide.  I haven't been in manys a year but I did like it when I was there.  Had a great weekend there during the Rugby World Cup in 2003, the city ran out of beer and Redbull :).  So it's no longer the city of churches & serial killers  (joke).  Had a few Adelaide friends call it the city of serial killers.  I hear that it is awesome for the fringe festival.  Definitely on the list of places to return to, maybe next year.

Ok  no matter where you go in Australia, it is probably going to be quieter than Sydney or Melbourne.  I'm a big fan of Melbourne but, like, you wouldn't necessarily like to live there because of the 4 seasons in 1 day and the heat in summer.  Great vibe but if I was going to live in Melbourne I'd be in Dublin.  I lived in Balmain in Sydney and loved the vibe around there (but not the house prices), recently moved to Perth.

I have never lived in Qld so take this with a pinch of salt.  I think the Sunshine coast will be too quiet for you.  The commute to Brisbane is too long.  I interviewed a guy last year and they made the move up about 7 years ago.  He did the commute to Brisvegas initially but found it too hard.  Managed to get a job locally (Finance professional) but it was a bit of a step backwards.  Eventually him & the missus decided to moved back to Sydney as it was too quiet for them up there.  Young family, mid 30's at a guess by his CV.  I have another mate who moved to Melbourne last year after 10 years in Brisbane (he had done 10 years in Sydney before that).  His missus got a great job offer.  He was delighted with the move, she had a choice of Sydney or Melbourne, he was agnostic but was looking forward to a proper city lifestyle again and to quote him - "where you go out for a meal after 8pm and not find everything closing".  Think they lived in a nice spot of Brisbane too.  He'd be late 40's now, no kids with his current missus but a grown up son in the UK.  Can't really speak about the Goldie - always found it a bit tacky but don't know it well.

Still fairly new to Perth but have being travelling over monthly for about 2 years.  Awesome weather, been sensational the last few months, mid to high 20's, no humidity.  Drops a bit at nighttime but I'm ok with that.  Great beaches (better than Sydney) and lots of them.  Easy to get around although you do need a car.  Accomodation is very reasonable at the moment (mining bust), renter's market, I find it quiet compared to Sydney (again may be economic) but there is stuff going on.  Apart from rent/property, it is expensive.  I actually walked out of a coffee shop today when he wanted $6.50 for a small mocha.  Drinks generally $10 minimum when you're out.  Leisure stuff (cafe's, lunch, dinner, Drinks etc) about 20-25% more expensive than Sydney - (may be a hangover from the mining boom).  Work can be hard to come by.  Still seems to be stuff for tradies but not so much for professionals.

Looks like you have some great planning and road trips ahead of you to check places out.  Enjoy.

[Beffers]

3 hours ago, llessur said:

I first came over to Adelaide in 2010 (moved permanently in 2012) and in the six years since my first visit the place has changed incredibly. There is so much going on now that it feels like a completely different city. Not that booze is the be all and end all but they changed the licensing laws back in, I think, 2012/13 and gave the green light for small bars to open in the CBD (yep, until then only large hotels were allowed – go figure). In conjunction with an incredibly progressive mayor and a city-focused state government the place has genuinely changed immeasurably since then. The options in the CBD for eating and socialising are so much greater than they were back in 2012 (I think 60+ new bars have opened in the CBD since the law changed and a good number of great new food places too). Coupled with the redevelopment of the Oval/bringing footy back into the CBD, plentiful foodtrucks and the ongoing apartment boom, the city feels so much more alive than it did when I first arrived and there are still cranes throughout the city building new stuff. A laneway culture is gradually being developed and there is a project in place to pedestrianise a couple more CBD laneways in the coming months which should build upon this even further.

Since you last visited the tram line has been extended through the CBD to the north-west of the city (my neck of the woods) and there is a new spur going in this year towards the east (with more extensions planned for the future). As mentioned before, it's a really easy cycling city as it's so flat and the cycle path network is gradually expanding through the suburbs and the CBD.

In my opinion the weather is fantastic. Late spring and early autumn are just beautiful – it tends to sit at 23-27 degrees for several weeks on end with very little rain. Summer is hot – often in the 35 degree range but can hit 40-43 several times during the season – but humidity is low so it’s not overbearing in my opinion. We head to the beach loads in spring, summer, autumn to walk or sit and watch the amazing sunsets. Winter is a mixed bag, we get quite a bit of rain (despite being the driest state) but full days of rain are quite rare, when it does rain it usually stops within an hour and due to the low humidity the pavements and roads dry up pretty quickly so you forget it happened. There are some nice sunny days in winter too.

There are mixed opinions about employment – like I say neither myself, my partner or any of our fairly large group of friends seem to have had any trouble in finding work. Obviously it’s a smaller city though so options won’t be as plentiful as Sydney and Melbourne and I’ve heard stories from new immigrants who have found it difficult to find something in their chosen field.

I love it here, it suits me just fine in my 30s and we can afford to buy a house 5 mins drive/train/tram from the CBD and 10 mins from the beach whilst not really missing out on many large city conveniences (although I’d quite like an H&M – hopefully there’ll be one opening up soon if rumour is to be believed). It's obviously not Sydney or Melbourne and will never have the range of activities, venues, events etc found in such large cities. But I've come to appreciate that as a positive (i.e. no overcrowding, bugger all in the way of traffic jams, you can almost always get a seat on the train etc) - and both of these big cities are cheap and quick flights away.

Even if you never consider moving here I’d recommend a weekend in spring to check it out.

That's really interesting as I was last in Adelaide in 2006 and hated it, but loved South Australia and indeed got married in Barossa.  My best friend from home lives there now, and I'm looking forward to visiting her and seeing how much the city has changed!  Fabulous description!

[NicF]

3 hours ago, aconcannon said:

 

That's a fantastic description on how Adelaide has evolved, really interesting! I'm definitely keen to come & visit before I rule it out completely as it does seem to have changed a lot! I have a bit of spare time the first weekend of August where I was planning another QLD reccy - what sort of weather should we expect then if we came over to Adelaide instead?


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Adelaide in August can be cold and wet - think mild UK winter with slightly more daylight.  Or it could be bright and sunny with some warmth during the day and freezing overnight.  Or both.  August is winter and to me it very much feels like winter here.  July would probably be a worse month to visit but August would come a close second.

[llessur]

How timely - here's an article published in the Adelaide Review today which is worth a read. Talks about how much Adelaide has changed in the last decade.

http://adelaidereview.com.au/features/general/coming-home-one-decade-changed-adelaide/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TAR 120517&utm_content=TAR 120517+CID_c7f65b6caa0eb93ec2632b8bda2035d6&utm_source=Editorial Newsletter&utm_term=Read on

[NicF]

1 hour ago, llessur said:

How timely - here's an article published in the Adelaide Review today which is worth a read. Talks about how much Adelaide has changed in the last decade.

http://adelaidereview.com.au/features/general/coming-home-one-decade-changed-adelaide/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TAR 120517&utm_content=TAR 120517+CID_c7f65b6caa0eb93ec2632b8bda2035d6&utm_source=Editorial Newsletter&utm_term=Read on

An interesting viewpoint.  I've lived in Adelaide for a bit less than 5 years now but I visited several times before moving, first time in 2000.  The place has changed pretty dramatically since that first visit and continues to develop in to a more vibrant and interesting place while still being small and easy to get around.