Snowball2 Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 (edited) Hi all I’m after some advice on places to live. We’ve been in Townsville for almost a year and I don’t like it much. It has great nature/outdoors but it’s too quiet for us. Most cafes are closed by 2pm and good bars are few & far between. Cultural stuff & the LGBT community is minimal too. I might be able to move with my job, and our choices will be Brisbane or the Gold Coast (maybe Melbourne). We like cafes, upmarket bars and restaurants and cultural activities/festivals. We also like the beach, outdoors and nature. I’m after opinions on whether Brisbane or GC would suit us best (we are going down for a reccie but not for a couple of months). We moved over from central Manchester, so would like something similar but perhaps a bit more laid back. Thanks! Edited October 15, 2020 by Snowball2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 10 minutes ago, Snowball2 said: I might be able to move with my job, and our choices will be Brisbane or the Gold Coast (maybe Melbourne). We like cafes, upmarket bars and restaurants and cultural activities/festivals. We also like the beach, outdoors and nature. If you're into culture, cafés, upmarket bars and cultural activities then you will love Melbourne. However, bear in mind the weather is drastically different, because the distance from Townsville to Melbourne is further than from Malaga to Manchester! I think the weather is still better than most of the UK, but it's similar in that the weather isn't predictable. Moving to Melbourne from Sydney, I had to get used to carrying my umbrella and/or a jacket "just in case" again. However, I think the weather is one reason why there's so much culture, eateries etc - because people aren't as obsessed with outdoors-y stuff. There are beaches but they're not a patch on anything in the rest of Australia. Melbourne sits on a huge bay, not on the ocean - so the water isn't as clean, the bottom's weedy and there's no surf. People don't generally come to Melbs for a beach lifestyle. I love it but it's certainly not the quintessential Australian lifestyle. It's the closest thing you can get to a European feel in Australia. I'd say Brisbane might be a good fit for you if you want to beaches too (though Brisbane doesn't have good beaches either, you've got the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, etc, close enough for frequent visits). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 I think Gold Coast may well tick your boxes. Personally id avoid the touristy hustle and bustle of Surfers Paradise but the likes of Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads etc will still give you easy enough access to all Surfers does offer (eaterys. clubs,restaurants etc). There are varying festivals throughout the year and the sand sculpture festival is awesome. On the hinterland side of the Gold Coast ,you have the greenery and the valleys of Tamborine, O 'Reillys and Springbrook National parks, lovely little villages, great nature walks etc The weather is great and a million miles away from our Manc weather,lol, (not hard to beat ,i know! ). Cal x 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 I have been in Surfers Paradise for three months now living with my brother in the Hilton a Cavil Ave/Orchid Ave. My brother has been here all year renting a two bedroom apartment and we are both thinking of buying one in the Hilton. It has got its brash side, especially on the weekends but not unbearably so and I'm willing to put up with it for the sheer convienience of having everything I want on my doorstep - supermarkets, bars, restaurants, cafes, shops, the wonderful tram service right outside the Hilton, beach a couple of hundred metres away. There are other places which have their own attractions. I was just posting that I had "discovered" Main Beach which is 3 stops on the tram from Cavill Ave, posher, with a very pleasant ambience, plenty of restaurants but not the plethora of places at Cavill Ave. Broadbeach has all the facilities that Cavill Ave has plus the big shopping mall - Pacfic Fair I think it's called. It is more spread out than around Cavill Ave and I like the more compact atmosphere of Cavill Ave but it is all subjective. No problems with late night places in Cavill Ave of course and there is a 24x7 IGA supermarket just down the road. I don't like driving here and everywhere seems busy and jammed on the roads but I don't need to drive when I'm on the tram line. Again, some people hate public transport and love driving everywhere to the big suburban malls. I did not care for driving to Brisbane etiher, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowball2 Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 Thanks all. We’ve booked to go down in a couple of months & hopefully we can make a decision! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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