Brisbane or Perth for young family

[MARYROSE02]

5 hours ago, calNgary said:

Surfers is definately Gold Coast not Brisbane. There are tons and tons of nice suburbs in-between suitable for families, thats why is always best to drive, drive and drive some more to look at areas before you commit to one place.   Cal x

I had to Google the word to describe how I feel about Surfers Paradise: 

Serendipity, i.e. I had no intention of coming here but now I am I love it. My brother was living here so I came here. It could have been Main Beach, Broadbeach, Coolangatta, Southport, etc, etc, all of which have their advantages and their adherents. I went to Main Beach and fell in love with Teddar Ave with its lovely little strip of restaurants, bars, shops, BUT the beach and the tram stop are not as close as they are in Surfers Paradise, and it's the same at Broadbeach. I love walking but I love having the facilities I need right on my doorstep. As I think I told Paul in Perth, for the first time in 30 years in Australia that cliche of "Living the Dream" might actually be true.

Of course, if I had a family different criteria would come into play. How close are the schools? And if I might want a house and garden. I see from the map that there are some schools at Southport - The Southport School and Keebra Park High. Subject to budget somewhere round there, preferably walking distance might suit, but I've seen plenty of kids on the tram so maybe I could stay round Surfers. 

[MARYROSE02]

53 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

Don't think you'd like Toowoomba MR. I've stayed there a few times on work trips, when I had to stay over weekends I'd drive down to surfers and work would book me into a hotel there rather than stay in Central Apartments Toowoomba. Found it really boring.

It might be nice to go there for a week, maybe even stay in those Central Apartments? Get a feel for the place, walk around. I did that in Perth on the second trip - two weeks in Applecross, one week in Northbridge, one week down to Albany (Whenever I think about that trip I think about The Valley of the Giants - one of the best places I've been to), and week in South Perth. I was toying with the idea of a week in Fremantle or a week in Scarborough too. Each of those weeks I was walking about, finding a cafe and a pub, getting to know the area.

I looked on the QLD map and see that I stayed in St George, then Dalby then Gympie so came close to Toowoomba.

I Googled Valley of the Giants and it says it's in Denmark? I didn't think it was, though come to think of it, I stayed in Walpole and drove back to it. Then I had a night at Manjimup, stopped at Bridgetown - pretty there, and in Donnybrook. I have the stubby holder  here which I got in the pub. The one thing I kind of mucked up on that trip was, after two nights in York, driving to Albany late at night after dawdling through the day, Beverly (got a stubby holder in the pub there), late dinner at a truck stop in, I think Williams, I booked a motel in Albany on Booking.com and drove there a bit too late in the evening.

t t'

[Frankly1759]

Brisbane. Me...London to Briz..Wife Perth to Briz. I'd move to Perth for her but she loves Briz. Nuff said

[Paul1Perth]

19 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

It might be nice to go there for a week, maybe even stay in those Central Apartments? Get a feel for the place, walk around. I did that in Perth on the second trip - two weeks in Applecross, one week in Northbridge, one week down to Albany (Whenever I think about that trip I think about The Valley of the Giants - one of the best places I've been to), and week in South Perth. I was toying with the idea of a week in Fremantle or a week in Scarborough too. Each of those weeks I was walking about, finding a cafe and a pub, getting to know the area.

I looked on the QLD map and see that I stayed in St George, then Dalby then Gympie so came close to Toowoomba.

I Googled Valley of the Giants and it says it's in Denmark? I didn't think it was, though come to think of it, I stayed in Walpole and drove back to it. Then I had a night at Manjimup, stopped at Bridgetown - pretty there, and in Donnybrook. I have the stubby holder  here which I got in the pub. The one thing I kind of mucked up on that trip was, after two nights in York, driving to Albany late at night after dawdling through the day, Beverly (got a stubby holder in the pub there), late dinner at a truck stop in, I think Williams, I booked a motel in Albany on Booking.com and drove there a bit too late in the evening.

t t'

You wouldn't need a week to get a feel for Toowoomba. Some good restaurants though.

Valley of the giants is not in Denmark. It's nearer walpole I think. Been a few times, it's good. Denmark is a top spot for surf too. 

You had a decent tour to say you weren't here long. Must have clocked up some km's. We've only been down to Esperance once. Loved it there, best beaches I've ever seen anywhere, long way to go though.

Edited December 2, 2020 by Paul1Perth

[MARYROSE02]

3 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

You wouldn't need a week to get a feel for Toowoomba. Some good restaurants though.

Valley of the giants is not in Denmark. It's nearer walpole I think. Been a few times, it's good. Denmark is a top spot for surf too. 

You had a decent tour to say you weren't here long. Must have clocked up some km's. We've only been down to Esperance once. Loved it there, best beaches I've ever seen anywhere, long way to go though.

Walpole was where I stayed! I just found my pen from the Tree Top Motel. There is a nice little bush walk in Walpole itself, constructed I think by "convict labour"  (20th or 21st century).  About a kilometre in a circular walk. 

On that trip to the country I was not sure where to go. I was half thinking of going to Kalgoorlie, then in Albany, going to Esperance. So I was a bit "aimless." Northam, York, stay there for two nights, what to do now? More meandering south, late lunch in Beverly, shall I go back to Perth? Williams - late dinner there, did I try to get a room somewhere else? Then booking a motel in Albany and not getting there till 10pm. I've cocked up road trips like that before, in England too, not sure where to get a room. Got one very late at night in Falmouth when I was down in the West Country. It is much more sensible to get a room by about 5 pm and then relax. I drove from Walgett to Lightning Ridge about 8pm, passing four cars in 70 odd km, not knowing what to expect - actually a nice motel opposite the RSL club.

Looking back on my two trips to Perth I realize that on my first trip I spent six weeks out of seven in South Perth, long enough to "embed" myself as a sort of local. (I had five days in Margaret River). On the second trip I was spending a week here, a week there - Applecross,  Northbridge, last week in South Perth, and even that was not the same as when I'd been there the previous time. 

It was a good thing to do that second trip as it confirmed that I was too "embedded" in Sydney - job, family, friends - to move permanently to Perth. I think it would have been the same in Surfers Paradise had my brother not been here. In fact, if he does go off travelling again I will see what it is lie to live here on my own, although after five months I am starting to "embed" myself here.

I was REALLY impressed by The Valley of the Giants! You know, if I was a person who needed to go away every weekend I'd be quite happy to work my way through every small town in WA - stay in local pub or motel for two nights, but I don't like going away at weekends. I'm sure I would be OK in Toowoomba! "Boring" suburbs don't exist for me. Look at Surfers Paradise - all tower blocks built mostly in the last 40 or 50 years, not even the 19th century history you get in most Aussie cities and towns, but I don't care.

[Paul1Perth]

28 minutes ago, MARYROSE02 said:

Walpole was where I stayed! I just found my pen from the Tree Top Motel. There is a nice little bush walk in Walpole itself, constructed I think by "convict labour"  (20th or 21st century).  About a kilometre in a circular walk. 

On that trip to the country I was not sure where to go. I was half thinking of going to Kalgoorlie, then in Albany, going to Esperance. So I was a bit "aimless." Northam, York, stay there for two nights, what to do now? More meandering south, late lunch in Beverly, shall I go back to Perth? Williams - late dinner there, did I try to get a room somewhere else? Then booking a motel in Albany and not getting there till 10pm. I've cocked up road trips like that before, in England too, not sure where to get a room. Got one very late at night in Falmouth when I was down in the West Country. It is much more sensible to get a room by about 5 pm and then relax. I drove from Walgett to Lightning Ridge about 8pm, passing four cars in 70 odd km, not knowing what to expect - actually a nice motel opposite the RSL club.

Looking back on my two trips to Perth I realize that on my first trip I spent six weeks out of seven in South Perth, long enough to "embed" myself as a sort of local. (I had five days in Margaret River). On the second trip I was spending a week here, a week there - Applecross,  Northbridge, last week in South Perth, and even that was not the same as when I'd been there the previous time. 

It was a good thing to do that second trip as it confirmed that I was too "embedded" in Sydney - job, family, friends - to move permanently to Perth. I think it would have been the same in Surfers Paradise had my brother not been here. In fact, if he does go off travelling again I will see what it is lie to live here on my own, although after five months I am starting to "embed" myself here.

I was REALLY impressed by The Valley of the Giants! You know, if I was a person who needed to go away every weekend I'd be quite happy to work my way through every small town in WA - stay in local pub or motel for two nights, but I don't like going away at weekends. I'm sure I would be OK in Toowoomba! "Boring" suburbs don't exist for me. Look at Surfers Paradise - all tower blocks built mostly in the last 40 or 50 years, not even the 19th century history you get in most Aussie cities and towns, but I don't care.

Don't think you missed much not going to Kalgoorlie MR. Not one of my favourite places. I've only been there years ago on work trips when I worked in predictive maintenance on mine sites. Had some decent pubs but it's a boring 6 hour drive with not much between Perth and Kal. The superpit is something to behold though.

[Dusty Plains]

42 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

Don't think you missed much not going to Kalgoorlie MR. Not one of my favourite places. I've only been there years ago on work trips when I worked in predictive maintenance on mine sites. Had some decent pubs but it's a boring 6 hour drive with not much between Perth and Kal. The superpit is something to behold though.

Kal is a definitely a Blokie town. I kind of liked it though, through tourist eyes at least, as being a living breathing wild west gold town. Don't bother going to Boulder just down the road.

 In my career  I was posted to numerous towns in NSW over many years and always used my own invented analogy that if the number of pubs in the town was comparable to the number of dress shops then it was usually not too blokie. I remember working for 7months at a particular large NSW town which had 4 Pubs, 5 butcher shops and NO dress shops for the Ladies.

Blokie overload.

 

 

[Paul1Perth]

3 hours ago, Dusty Plains said:

Kal is a definitely a Blokie town. I kind of liked it though, through tourist eyes at least, as being a living breathing wild west gold town. Don't bother going to Boulder just down the road.

 In my career  I was posted to numerous towns in NSW over many years and always used my own invented analogy that if the number of pubs in the town was comparable to the number of dress shops then it was usually not too blokie. I remember working for 7months at a particular large NSW town which had 4 Pubs, 5 butcher shops and NO dress shops for the Ladies.

Blokie overload.

 

 

I think the've beautified Kal a bit. Some of the pubs are nowhere near as lively as a few years back. Just about every pub had skimpies and some of the girls were good looking and made good money in tips. 

Miners have always had a bit to throw around.

[Jon the Hat]

15 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

I think the've beautified Kal a bit. Some of the pubs are nowhere near as lively as a few years back. Just about every pub had skimpies and some of the girls were good looking and made good money in tips. 

Miners have always had a bit to throw around.

They are trying to attract families to live out there nowadays.

[MARYROSE02]

7 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

Don't think you missed much not going to Kalgoorlie MR. Not one of my favourite places. I've only been there years ago on work trips when I worked in predictive maintenance on mine sites. Had some decent pubs but it's a boring 6 hour drive with not much between Perth and Kal. The superpit is something to behold though.

I must have gone through there on the bus from Perth to Adelaide in December, 1978, but I remember nothing about that trip.

[Dusty Plains]

18 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

They are trying to attract families to live out there nowadays.

Sooner than later, operations in the Super Pit (the big hole in the earth) will close down. I wonder what impact that will have on the viability of the town. 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Dusty Plains

[MARYROSE02]

6 hours ago, Dusty Plains said:

Sooner than later, operations in the Super Pit (the big hole in the earth) will close down. I wonder what impact that will have on the viability of the town. a

How old is that? Is it bigger and older than the one in Kimberley?

[welljock]

According to Wiki it was started in 1893 and is currently 3.5 kilometres long, 1.5 kilometres wide and over 600 metres deep, a quick google of the Kimberley (SA) is 'only' 170,000m2 x 240m deep, so the Super pit is 30 times the area of the Big hole and 2.5 times deeper 

[Dusty Plains]

5 hours ago, welljock said:

According to Wiki it was started in 1893 and is currently 3.5 kilometres long, 1.5 kilometres wide and over 600 metres deep, a quick google of the Kimberley (SA) is 'only' 170,000m2 x 240m deep, so the Super pit is 30 times the area of the Big hole and 2.5 times deeper 

If the Empire State Building (NY) with its tall spire at the top at a height of 443 metres could be placed in the pit, from ground level, you would need to look down deep to see the top of the spire. 

Apparently at the bottom of the pit there is a strange yet prevailing aroma of Chinese cooking 

[MARYROSE02]

On 03/12/2020 at 16:56, Dusty Plains said:

Sooner than later, operations in the Super Pit (the big hole in the earth) will close down. I wonder what impact that will have on the viability of the town. 

Move some state government departments out there perhaps? In fact, move the State government itself out there!

 

[Guest The Pom Queen]

On 01/12/2020 at 15:33, Paul1Perth said:

Don't think you'd like Toowoomba MR. I've stayed there a few times on work trips, when I had to stay over weekends I'd drive down to surfers and work would book me into a hotel there rather than stay in Central Apartments Toowoomba. Found it really boring.

It just shows how different we all are. We are an hour from Toowoomba and it’s our closest major town and I love it. In fact I’ve been up there today with my carer who lives up there. Personally I can’t stand the hustle and bustle of places like Surfers, yes they are great for a holiday or a couple of nights away but it isn’t me. I prefer to live on acreage, with beautiful scenery and plenty of wildlife not forgetting the beautiful night skies, no light pollution and breathing in fresh air.  I wouldn’t recommend Toowoomba for someone in their teens or twenties to move to because I agree if they aren’t an outdoors person they may find it boring. 
‘I love the numerous gardens and parks, the lakes, how much cooler it is than down the range. In fact I started off this morning sweltering and got to Toowoomba and wished I’d brought a coat. Today I was shown around numerous suburbs that make up Toowoomba and some literally took my breath away.  It is now the 15th largest city in Australia.

[MARYROSE02]

12 hours ago, The Pom Queen said:

It just shows how different we all are. We are an hour from Toowoomba and it’s our closest major town and I love it. In fact I’ve been up there today with my carer who lives up there. Personally I can’t stand the hustle and bustle of places like Surfers, yes they are great for a holiday or a couple of nights away but it isn’t me. I prefer to live on acreage, with beautiful scenery and plenty of wildlife not forgetting the beautiful night skies, no light pollution and breathing in fresh air.  I wouldn’t recommend Toowoomba for someone in their teens or twenties to move to because I agree if they aren’t an outdoors person they may find it boring. 
‘I love the numerous gardens and parks, the lakes, how much cooler it is than down the range. In fact I started off this morning sweltering and got to Toowoomba and wished I’d brought a coat. Today I was shown around numerous suburbs that make up Toowoomba and some literally took my breath away.  It is now the 15th largest city in Australia.

I spoke to a couple from Toowoomba the other night in the Surf Club. Preston is where they live and they showed me a photo of their friendly kangaroo. I said to them, "How far is it to Toowoomba?" "Ten minutes." "Walk?" "Oh no, drive." So that is the downside to living on an acreage, for me at any rate.

Surfers Paradise is different to other busy places I've been to because although Cavil Ave, Orchid Ave and the promenade directly by Cavil Mall is busy, especially on the weekends. the rest of it is rather quiet. The plethora of high towers makes you think it is like Manhattan but it's something of an illusion. The beach is almost deserted other than between the flags for swimming, and at night you practically have the beach to yourself.

All the facilities are walking distance too which is why I prefer to be in Surfers itself rather than a few blocks down the road in either direction. I'm going for a coffee now with my brother and it means taking the lift to the foyer, turn right and there is the cafe, 20 metres from the tram stop and 100 metres from Woolies supermarket, and 200 metres from the beach. Horses for courses but I would not go to the cafe if i had to drive there.

I would still like to stay for a week in the centre of Toowoomba mind. 

[Paul1Perth]

On 03/12/2020 at 14:56, Dusty Plains said:

Sooner than later, operations in the Super Pit (the big hole in the earth) will close down. I wonder what impact that will have on the viability of the town. 

That's only one big mine of hundreds around the area. Certainly, if people stopped buying gold, coal, iron ore, tin, manganese, lithium etc etc then Kalgoorlie would be a ghost town. 

[Dusty Plains]

5 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

That's only one big mine of hundreds around the area. Certainly, if people stopped buying gold, coal, iron ore, tin, manganese, lithium etc etc then Kalgoorlie would be a ghost town. 

All is forgiven:

Super Pit gold mine's life extended until at least 2035 as owners recruit 100 new workers - ABC News

[ali]

3 hours ago, Dusty Plains said:

All is forgiven:

Super Pit gold mine's life extended until at least 2035 as owners recruit 100 new workers - ABC News

We're thinking of going on a road trip next year and visiting Kal .. saw this on a documentary and on our list to visit

[Dusty Plains]

We will get back there one day but this time we will armed. Armed with a metal detector that is. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-12/mining-towns-miss-out-on-a-golden-opportunity/11402730

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Dusty Plains

[Bobj]

1 hour ago, Dusty Plains said:

We will get back there one day but this time we will armed. Armed with a metal detector that is. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-12/mining-towns-miss-out-on-a-golden-opportunity/11402730

 

Go to the Pilbara, they're finding lotsa nuggets.

Cheers, Bobj.