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Delectable

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Reviews

Russell Island

"The Undiscovered Paradise just minutes from the hussle & bustle of the urban sprawl"

I just love starting the day looking out the window of the water bus watching out for dolphins, dugongs and turtles... I equally love the wind down ride home after a hectic stressful day stuck in traffic in Brisbane.

I really have found my little piece of paradise - where else, this close to both Brisbane City and the Gold Coast can you own your own piece of land on the waterfront without crown land in front.

The peace and tranquility, the abundant bird life, the mud crabs at the bottom of the garden, the great fishing, prawning - Russell Island is truely a magic place to wind down on weekends after a hectic busy lifestyle during the week.

I'd recommend it for anyone working on the mainland - the commute is only 20 minutes and it really is a fantastic start and finish to each day.

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Retirees
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james31

hmmm sounds like the usual realestate spin 20 minute commute is a bit of an exaggeration.... allow 40 mins for the ferry and then drive another 40mins to the city at least ......oh yeh and don't forget you need two cars and the one you need to leave on the mainland will take about ten minutes to walk to from the ferry to where you had to park. Don't miss the last ferry either or you will be sleeping in your car on the mainland!

Delectable

Guessing you haven't done the commute very often James31 - I have been commuting for 12 years now and yes there are some inconveniences involved in living on an Island - but I chose to live them....!! 20 minute commute is what my schedule allows - and it really is about being organised and getting your timing right.... Stop being sooo negative - this is paradise!! it's not the mainland - and it's not for everyone - you really do need to be organised - maybe you are not!

james31

There is no doubt the SMBI area is lovely. The trouble is that when you paint such a rosie picture people believe it because it matches with their romantic ideal of island living and getting away from it all. However they aren't being told all the realities. The facts are that most people who buy here haven't lived here. Once they move here they find out the negatives that you seem to avoid mentioning for some reason. Then they have to move because they can't handle the islands mozzies or isolation or undesirables. What happens then is we end up with another house that needs to be rented or resold. Maybe we are lucky and another nice resident buys or rents the property but ultimately these houses are becoming harder to rent to normal working citizens because of the difficulties living here. It really does take an organised, tough (for the bugs) and resourceful individual to handle living here. Your average person is just not up to it. So the statistics would show it is hard to rent out your house here to a normal family. And thats the trouble, instead of being the Russell Island of the past where you waved to everyone as you drove down the road and you never had to lock your doors now we have all types of prowlers and addicts that would rather do a burnout in front of you than wave, steal from you when you are at home even or like to "make friends" with children!!?? Too many cheap rental properties is the real problem not commuting. I just want to give potential buyers a heads up on the fact that they will probably not last here so that we don't end up with any more cheap rentals...is that ok with you?
Maybe you can take some photos of all the dugongs you see from the ferry we would love to see them too.

budgie69

Heh - love your posts James31. I'm with you all the way. Seems like the only people who post on here are real estate agents and trolls. It really doesn't add much value for the genuine person looking to decide whether to move to Russell or not.

tinymumsy

james it seems you are too highly strung for a place like russell island -
you just need to be organized.. sorry mate but bugs are a part of life .. and if you cant handle putting repellant on and closing the screens then that is a little concerning that this is what people have come to - and RELAX ! and stop wasting so much energy on writing negative postos on EVERY review .. maybe go fishing ? or make a cuppa and sit on the porch and enjoy the fact that you dont have sirens in every angle every 5 mins ? or maybe if this is not what your into /.... get on the ferry and go and enjoy the city ! and dont look back! all places are different and just because you prefer all mods and cons and cant handle a simple laid back lifestyle - there is no need to drag down what could potentially be someone elses happines ! these reviews are meant to be fair - and each person puts their own PERSONAL OPITION on here .. it is not a board for you to drag down any positive thing anyone could say ... as i have have said on other reviews you have grafitied - just becuase it is not for you and you prefer the modern lifestyle .. doesnt mean others dont enjoy the laid back lifestyle ....
and as for the undesirables on the island.. i would look closely at your behaviour on here - i sure as heck would prefer a family that live on the dole and barely shower as neighbours rather than a grumpy whining person that complains about every mosquito and wind gust . . . at least being an easygoing happy person like myself would be able to say hi comfortably to them without wanting to cringe about what they will be complaining about today ..

james31

this review system is for people to write reviews in, that's what I did, don't attack me I just say it as I see it. The number of times you have attacked my comments makes me think you are quite aggresive and I think you are trying to bully me, just the type of person we don't want here..... what did budgie69 say ... internet troll

ptony1948

Hello james31. It is I again. I agree with the point you make in posts about people not being prepared for what they're letting themselves in for when they move to the islands. They then leave. We're still coming.(Jan 2015 is the target). So we're busy getting as much info as possible and adjusting our lifestyle to fit the island. (especially financial). This way we won't be one of the move in/move out brigade. I used to follow the 'Bay island forum' but it's no longer active. Do you know anywhere else online or over the phone that I can get island info so as to keep updated?(I've tried a few facebook pages without much success). Also, I'd be interested to hear your views on Translink. e.g.. will it lead to more people living on the island and working on the mainland thereby improving the move on/move off situation? Also, how is the recreation/sports centre going? Because there is a lack of jobs on the island, we're leaning towards the idea of some kind of business activity that targets the huge Brisbane population. Do you know if Brisbane people frequent the island on weekends as a getaway to take advantage of the water and quiet? And in your opinion is there any opportunity there?
Well. That's enough for now. Look forward to your reply.

james31

Hi Tony the good news is that finally there has been a long overdue "tidy up" of the island, it was getting a bit rough but things seem to back to normal. What's normal here...peace. Why is it peaceful because its mostly wilderness.
But as with most wilderness areas access is a problem. Although the island is a very attractive place there are no specific attractions. Tourists don't jump on the ferry or barge to go to come to the island for no reason, there needs to be a good reason to pay for the ferry and spend the time traveling and parking etc.

Minjerribah (Nth Straddie) doesn't have this problem, it has "attractions" and "things to do", it's prefect for "tourism" it's fast and racey up the nth end

Canaipa is a sleepy place where Curlews morn the break of day.
It's usually described as being behind the times, its slow and quiet. It's really not that great for tourism. It's more for people who like to live in a quiet natural surrounding but still have great access to a capital city. There are plenty of opportunities here for those who are motivated, it is a very diverse location.

The Gold Coast has a little tourism problem of it's own I noticed. They seem to be loosing their main attraction, the beach. Maybe we should put a bridge across Russell making it a "stepon" stone to get to Straddie. I think the GC council need some of their sand, maybe Tom Tate can make a deal with Redland Council. The GC could pay for the bridge and get some free sand. Then they won't have to build have a breakwall from the Spit to Burleigh and have no sand at Surfers Paradise and then you can get a job driving the huge dump trucks back and forth across the island LOL

hope that sheds some light
all the best

BeauB

Went to island to suss out my little peace of paradise...
My god I'm so glad I stayed 2 weeks...
Got to see the ice/ amphetamiane users pushers...
Meet the local drunks witnessed the nightly domestics...
My god don't do it...
Consider why so cheap...
Cheap rentals = females...
I repeat cheap rentals = feral....
Seriously consider why the place is so cheap....
Go so bitten by mozzies I'm scared I have ross river fever
Great place if you have a drip king problem....
Phedos leering at my kids .....
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fringedweller

Wow! You should hang with a better crowd. I hope you ran a mile from all of this and never ever risk a come back. The last thing we need here is delusional people. Good luck with the Ross River, I am told you get over it eventually.

FD

88KATmando
88KATmando

For all those planning to come here. Be flexible, if you are not, then don't come. A lot of the people saying negatives, need first probably to look at themselves. Came over in 2002, said to ourselves one day we will come back, dreamt about it for the first 5 years, thought it would not happen, went off around north south west and bayside Brisbane, finally moved here in 2013, rented 1 year on Macleay, bought and moved to our island 6 years ago. I look out my lounge room and kitchen windows and bless the day we came here. My husband says regularly, it is so noisy here and we laugh as all we can hear are the birds. Fresh air, swaying native trees. Curlews. Fishing, prawning, crabbing, beautiful water each time we leave our island paradise. Yes, a bit of a hassle to get items over here. Some people are just so negative. If you want manicured yards which look all the same, or covenants, and being dictated to, then go elsewhere. Great for retirees, also for those people who will never be able to afford to buy anywhere else in Australia at the water. Some druggies, some ferals, but mainly descent sociable people or if you prefer to stick to yourself, no quieter place to do it, all whilst being so close to the water! Do yourself a favour, come over for a holiday or rent. We love it.

The opinions expressed within this review are those of the individual and not those of Homely.com.au.
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