Georgina Kelleher

Godwin Beach is a cute little gem not far from Bribie - it doesn't offer anything other than the tranquility of being close to the water, but you'll have to commute to Bribie, or Sandstone Point for a supermarket. Great for those who really want the ultimate isolation, without having to deal with the ferals of nearby suburbs such as Beachmere.

I only briefly lived here in between moves but I did enjoy being able to drive in either direction to something close by - Westfield of course is now an amazing centre with everything you want. Redcliffe beaches aren't far away. I'm not really needing to go into the city but it is just a 35 minute or so drive so that is a nice drawcard. Obviously its drawbacks are traffic, Anzac Ave & Bruce Highway can be terribly busy at times, so getting to said places can be a little bit of a headache.

Kippa-Ring is a nice central spot in Redcliffe, I enjoyed living here close to the shopping centre but it does lack the nicety of the cafe's & restaurants that you get at Redcliffe. Nevermind, its just a 5 minute drive. Not a bad place, handy to all - a few people to avoid, otherwise great.

So I really tried to like this place, I really did, having lived at Bribie, Deception Bay, Morayfield & Redcliffe all nearby towns, I tried my luck at the seaside appeal of Beachmere. When you compare it to all the other places nearby (yes, including Morayfield), Beachmere really is bad. It isn't just bad, its a downright shocking town.

There is nothing here - I was warned but I didn't listen. IGA is it, a bakery & a lot of empty shops. I kept having to drive to Morayfield just for a woolworths/decent food etc. which, let me tell you, is tiring on that road 20 mins each way. Now, lets talk about Beachmere Rd - what a joke!!! 80kmh but you get run off the road if you do that, hoons & drugged up locals fly down that road at 100kmh and then whinge about it on the community page. A very poor experience here, there's a reason its a no through road. Thankfully another storm surge might take this town away with it, hopefully they will rebuild from the rubble something nice.

Redcliffe is a gem of the Moreton Bay Region & its easy to see why. Having lived in so many other places, Redcliffe was by far my favourite (though Woorim is a close second). Redcliffe has everything in a short walk - supermarkets, loads of restaurants, cafe's, Sunday markets, waterfront paths & parks, the lagoon, medical & transport. The old & new mix really well & all this just 45 mins to Brisbane. I hope to be able to move back here one day!

D Bay, for what its worth, is far better than its neighbour Beachmere. Deception Bay has a bad reputation, but that is definitely changing & thankfully it is changing because there is now shopping centres, restaurants, medical & a general upkeep of the lovely foreshore. Ok, so you can't really swim here, you'll go to Redcliffe or maybe Bribie, but for what is a lot cheaper than those places, Deception Bay is a beautiful compromise. There are kilometres of waterfront path & walkway, there's a couple of nice cafe's at Captain Cook Parade end,and all this only 10 mins to North Lakes westfield & 15 to Redcliffe.

I lived here for a few years. It's not a bad place really, it has everything you could need & there seems to be more and more all the time happening. Big shopping centre, all the restaurants & fast food. Medical, hospital not far & big format stores - some new ones have opened up some new growth potential. Only thing of course is Morayfield is still crawling with undesirables & it can be very very busy, particularly when Morayfield Rd is used as a cut-through to the gridlocked highway.

Woorim is such an underrated gem of a little town. Beautiful stretches of surf beach, growing number of cafe's & eateries. The surf club is fantastic, there is also lovely walks up north end of Woorim & the south. Beautifully isolated & not to be overdeveloped Woorim is my pick of the Bribie suburbs & dare I say, a little 'younger' than the calm side - which is also beautiful!

Bongaree is really growing to have all the things you need. Cafe's, restaurants, beautiful seaside parks & pathways. There is the stunning waters of the Passage & Bay, clear & deep for a swim. Lets see, you have a nice supermarket/shopping centre not far away & theres the nature reserve at Buckleys Hole, beautiful for birdwatching.

I have lived here on & off in between other places and I'm impressed with the growth. Only downfall of course is the increased traffic on weekends and the bridge, but otherwise, once you are on the island, why leave?