CaveatEmptor

I have lived at Glen Aplin where you will find many excellent wineries within a 3 or 4 minutes drive. There are also a couple of fine restaurants close by. Glen Aplin is peaceful yet very convenient to the town centre of Stanthorpe - only a 10 minute drive away. The views to the mountains are fantastic and gorgeous sunsets are plentiful. The town of Stanthorpe caters for most of your needs and boasts a great market one Sunday in the month. Along with all the festivals throughout the year and the year 'round availability of fine wines, cheeses, olives, etc - you'd find Stanthorpe and it's surrounds are hard place to beat for a relaxed, friendly and peaceful lifestyle.

This property is in West Ballina which has a high percentage of indigenous and Housing Commission residents and a high rate of break ins and crime. The town of Ballina itself appears, on the surface, to be a lovely beachside location but the local youth, and some not so youthful people, have made it a very ordinary town to live in. Be prepared to be awoken at night with drunken youths doing burnouts in your street, yelling obscenities at each other or smashing bottles right outside your window, young women passing out or vomiting in your front yard or stealing or destroying your property. We have recently moved from central Ballina to a quieter country location as living in Ballina was no longer an enjoyable experience due to all of the previously described activities. The police are ineffectual and may come out if you call them 4 or 5 times. We had a youth being beaten by a large groups of young 'men' in our street and the police failed to respond, even after 4 phone calls. Would I recommend living in Central or West Ballina in its present state? - NEVER! East Ballina appears to be a better option as there are no licenced premises in the area that are popular with young people.