leelee 18 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Hello does anybody live in north lakes or have any information on it? do you have to pay for schools? prices of renting/buying , my husband is a carpenter whats the work like here and rates? :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellyjamie Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 if you put north lakes into the search on here you will find info on it as theres alot of brits in the area :yes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 North Lakes is a massive puprspose buillt estate with all ammenities near by. A quick search on www.realestate.com should give you a reliable guide to renting costs and house prices. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernow43 Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 if you put north lakes into the search on here you will find info on it as theres alot of brits in the area :yes: known as Little Britain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus1 Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 According to REIQ, "..the second most popular suburb in Queensland for 2010 was North Lakes which recorded 389 preliminary house sales over the year. Its median house price was $452,500. (Forest Lakes was the most popular suburb with 412 sales) "A master-planned community about 28km north of Brisbane, North Lakes was first developed in the early 2000s. Formerly a pine plantation, the estate development spans some 1,000 hectares and is expected to be home to about 20,000 people on its completion. It was officially made a suburb in 2006." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leelee 18 Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share Posted February 26, 2011 According to REIQ, "..the second most popular suburb in Queensland for 2010 was North Lakes which recorded 389 preliminary house sales over the year. Its median house price was $452,500. (Forest Lakes was the most popular suburb with 412 sales) "A master-planned community about 28km north of Brisbane, North Lakes was first developed in the early 2000s. Formerly a pine plantation, the estate development spans some 1,000 hectares and is expected to be home to about 20,000 people on its completion. It was officially made a suburb in 2006." Hiya is that jst ova £300,000? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bray Family Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Hi I live in North lakes traffic is a nightmare.State school is very large about 3000 pupils.Shopping centre is great really handy.the estate has grown so much even in the 2 years i have been here traffic is a real issue at the moment can take 15 mins just to get of the estate at school times. hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leelee 18 Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share Posted February 26, 2011 Hi I live in North lakes traffic is a nightmare.State school is very large about 3000 pupils.Shopping centre is great really handy.the estate has grown so much even in the 2 years i have been here traffic is a real issue at the moment can take 15 mins just to get of the estate at school times. hope this helps Hiya, may i ask have you a better life in north lakes than before it seems you can get alot more for your money with houses, what about general cost of living and do you have to pay for school fees? is it cheaper to build or buy? x:hug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Joker Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 In Queensland you have options on schooling. State schools are free (apart from the usual costs in buying uniforms, books etc) or there are a multitude of private schools around - some funded by religous organisations (and great if you are religious) whilst others are non-denominational. You would expect to pay between $2K - $3K per child per term. Some private schools give discounts if you have multiple children at the school. As in the UK, it is a bit hit and miss with the state schools as to the quality of education. Some state schools can be large (as is the case on North Lakes) or some can be smaller in more rural and remote areas. Private schools can be as small as only 12 students PER YEAR. Good, focussed education there. Housing - you generally get a better standard of accommodation here than the average "estate" house in the UK. Partly because they are newer but also they have historically been larger houses on larger blocks of land. Although sizes of house and land are getting smaller (due to the population inflow and limited availability of building land) the builders have compensated by increasing the specifications to attract buyers. Generally, it is cheaper to buy an established house than to build. However, with a new build you have the ability to determine the content and fitout and even change the layout of the plans so you get exactly what you are after. With an established property you are usually trying to find a "best fit" property and, if you have to do any renovating and redecorating (particularly if you have to replace bathrooms and kitchen) then a new build can be a better option and cost about the same - although you have to factor in living in a rental property and paying rent whilst it is being built and paying mortgage on the land and house as it grows (unless you are lucky enough to have enough cash to buy it outright). We have now had 3 houses built, so can tell you exactly what the process entails. We live a little further north of North Lakes and my wife drives to Brisbane every day. All is fine until she meets the point on the motorway where the North Lakes turn off is and then the traffic becomes rediculous. North Lakes is a large sprawling residential estate with limited access into and out of the estate. Hence traffic at peak rush hour and school start/finish times is mental. That, alone, put it off for us as a place to live. However, most suburbs from there towards Brisbane have some form of traffic issue. Brisbane is really THE place to work but the road infrastructure isn't that great, so rush hour is something to be endured. The do have good rail connections but, with the increases in petrol, insurance and registration costs, (and huge influx of migrants to South East Queensland) the trains have become pretty crowded in the past couple of years. But despite all of that, if you compare it to, say, living in Surrey and commuting to London then it is nowhere near as busy or expensive. And the weather and lifestyle certainly compensate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bray Family Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Hiya, may i ask have you a better life in north lakes than before it seems you can get alot more for your money with houses, what about general cost of living and do you have to pay for school fees? is it cheaper to build or buy? x:hug: My Daughter went to the state school for nearly a year you have to pay for there books and sport.She now goes to a private school which costs quiet a lot more but is worth every penny her grades have been a lot better than state school.The plot sizes in north lakes are very small they seem to be getting smaller and smaller so not much space and very close to your nieghbours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30038 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 When they started to build NL, they made the house and land packages very attractive to get "up and running". Nowadays though, I wouldn't consider it to be a cheaper alternative to longer establishes suburbs (such as mine) closer in and the plots are certainly a lot smaller than the developers originally mooted. As others have said, simply exiting the estate first thing in the morning, can be a nightmare............hopefully, they will put more exits in as the estate grows. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, although I do know folk who are quite happy there. OTOH I know folk who couldn't get off the estate quick enough as the kids were bored out of their minds and there was an element of them "hanging around street corners". kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AndyandYvonneD Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 When they started to build NL, they made the house and land packages very attractive to get "up and running". Nowadays though, I wouldn't consider it to be a cheaper alternative to longer establishes suburbs (such as mine) closer in and the plots are certainly a lot smaller than the developers originally mooted. As others have said, simply exiting the estate first thing in the morning, can be a nightmare............hopefully, they will put more exits in as the estate grows. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, although I do know folk who are quite happy there. OTOH I know folk who couldn't get off the estate quick enough as the kids were bored out of their minds and there was an element of them "hanging around street corners". kev Spot on Kev, we looked at houses in North Lakes and the house are that close in some parts that the gutters are only about a foot apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernow43 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 known as Little Britain or Lego Land, as the houses are badly built compared to other places I've worked on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leelee 18 Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 or Lego Land, as the houses are badly built compared to other places I've worked on are you in the building game then? what do you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernow43 Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 are you in the building game then? what do you do? I am retired now, but I was a Painter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Regarding North Lakes, they are building new roads in and out of it, one is being built at the moment that will make driving to Dakabin train station very easy, avoiding the Bruce Highway. The estate itself is still, in my opinion, far more attractive than any estates I've seen in the UK. The houses are built by different builders, so you have a good variety of styles iin each road, rather than variations on a theme by one builder. THe landscaping is very well maintained and is attractive. We live ten mins drive from NL, in Narangba and are delighted with the move. We live 2 mins drive from railway station, 2 mins from Highway, this is a great alternative spot if you are interested in having a bigger plot or don't want to live quite so close to your neighbours. The state school at NL is massive, 9 classes fr Prep most years for example. We use a Private School at NL which costs us around $10,000 for two children, per year. A bit less than THe Joker said. The Catholic Private School, St Benedicts is less expensive, nothing like cost of private education in UK and with none of the snobbery attached. There are parents from every walk of life at the school. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leelee 18 Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Hi Masusie, Thanks for ur reply, may i ask how long have you lived there? is the flooding areas near? what about bush fires i know they are common in Perth do you get any out there? What about medical cover do you have to pay for hospitals and doctors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Hi We have lived her for just over 3 years, love it. Great access for Sunshine Coast where we head often at weekends and on holiday. We weren't affected by the flooding, that was the river in Brisbane, the areas affected were built on areas prone to flooding. All good here, no bushfires, although of course, in the dry season a fire could break out, but we have not had any in the time we've been here and it isn't as much of a worry as it is in WA - it's much drier heat there. We have just stopped paying for Private Health Insurance, although there is a tax incentive to have it. We were paying $250 a month and felt it was getting a bit steep. If I went for a massage or saw an Osteopath, I would get a rebate of about 30% of the treatment through the private health insurance, same with dentist and optician. So it can be worth it if you use contact lenses or have a need for a dentist regularly, but there is a perfectly fine public health system, particularly in Queensland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 If you see a GP you do not have to pay, you can go to a "bulk Billed" one which means you have no out of pocket expenses, others charge you and then you get a rebate from Medicare. This entails going to a Medicare office and handing over the Gp's bill, getting a rebate there and then. Cheers, Susie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest staceyp Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 mr friends husband is a police offer around North Lakes and it has a reputation with the police for being an "English Ghetto". Nice enough to go shopping there but you couldn't pay me to live there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatW Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 (edited) Hello Leelee A friend, Sue Fisher (who arrived last Sept) lives in North Lakes. PM me for ehr contact details and she may be able to give you more information than I can. You don't have to pay for children to attend the State (govt) schools, but you would have to pay for them to be at the private schools (there's the Anglican/Uniting Church school and I can't think of the name of the other!). Our school year goes from late January (after the school holidays) to early Dec, giving 6-8 weeks of summer holidays. For renting/buying, check www.realestate.com.au, put in North Lakes and choose either Rent or Buy to get an idea of prices for both. Can't help you much with carpenter work, unfortunately. There are private builders (DJ Roberts, Kelvin Woodrow, Bob Jarvis), project builders (A V Jennings, McCarthy Homes, Dixon Homes, Coral Homes, etc) and it would be worth contacting them and seeing if they need carpenters. He will need an ABN (Australian Business Number) and register for GST (Goods & Services Tax - our VAT), public liability insurance & own vehicle/tools to work as a sub-contractor (which I believe most carpenters do) and be registered with the BSA (Builders' Standards Authority) to be able to work as a sub-contractor (subbie). A handyman can do work under $3,300 (including GST) but a chippie, plumber, builder, etc. has to be registered with the BSA. Can't think of anything else immediately, but if you want to chat more, PM me and I'll see what I can do to help. Pat (was Leytonstone, then Goodmayes, then Banbury, now Brisbane) Edited May 30, 2013 by GeorgeD Forum Rules: removed personal info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leelee 18 Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 Hi thanks pat If you can get me emails for those companys that would be great, I will message your friend sue and ask her what she thinks of north lakes. regards leelee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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