Thinking of retiring to Lamb Island, anyone have regrets having done so?

Hi LynziS, there are doctors on both Macleay and Russell Islands, a free ferry ride away from Lamb, 5mins to Macleay and 8 minutes to Russell and Karragarra is about 10-12 minutes from Lamb, via Macleay. The ferries from Redland Bay go clockwise and anti-clockwise, many choose to only get on one that goes to their island first, but as Lamb is in the middle basically, we don't care which ferry we catch as long as it takes us home! There is a newly built, about a year old, medical centre on Macleay Is, which is a walk up a fairly steep hill or you can get a taxi. The clinic has, all these services:
Pharmacy, the pharmacist built the centre
Pathology
All Family Medicine (Including Men’s & Women’s Health and Children’s health)
Kids Health checks
Childhood vaccinations & immunisations (Government & private)
Women’s Health
Vaccinations / Immunisations
Allied Health
Dietitian
Physiotherapist
Indigenous Health
Medical Assessments (pre-employments, workplace, health assessments, etc)
Workcover Consultations
Sexual Health
Chronic Disease Management (Asthma, diabetes, obesity, etc)
Mental Health Care Planning (psychology & psychiatry)
LGBTI Health
Skin Cancer clinic
If the worst happens and you require an ambulance we have ambulances on all 4 islands who will carry a patient to the ambulance ferry which will come specifically to collect you if unwell and transfer you to a mainland ambulance. If you are very unwell, an immergency basically, we do have helicopter landing spots on Lamb, Macleay and Russell, I am not sure about Karragarra?
Many doctors just over on the mainland and a hospital at Cleveland, larger hospitals in Brisbane, just a couple of buses away from Redland Bay Ferry Terminal.
The dentist I have been to on Macleay, across the road from the Medical Clinic is - Brendan he is one of the best dentists I have ever been to, he is firm, but explains everything, puts you at ease and does not do any work that is not necessary - honest in other words. I don't know a lot about the doctor or services on Russell but the clinic is only a 200m walk from the ferry, up a little bit of a hill.
Stores: yes Macleay has a Spar, next to dentist, and also a 5 star supermarket - located towards the middle of the island, you could walk it, bust most people don't and on Russell a 500m walk up to the IGA which is the biggest supermarket on the islands. None on Lamb and none, not even a shop on Karragarra. Lamb does have a little shop for milk bread paper, sell petrol by the jerry can and incidentals, also lovely take-away on sit at tables provided in front of the store. Russell and Macleay have a couple of coffee shops each. A very lovely couple called Chris and Eka run the Lamb Island Convenience store. Russell has a petrol station and the 5 star on Macleay has a bowser outside. Macleay Island has a pub and Russell Island has a Thirsty Camel alcohol shop and a small hotel basically next door, there is also a Library next door which is connected with all mainland libraries in the Redland Shire, ie. you can ask for a book to be ready for collection from Russell or you can drop off any book once read at Russell. Macleay has an independant library. Lots of real estate agents on both Macleay and Russell only. Regular markets on Macleay, including an Organic market not far from the 5 star. Some retail, pet store, $2 dollar shops on both Macleay and Russell, but really not a lot of stores, Auto marine on Macleay - has bait, some whitegoods, small hardware stores on both Macleay and Russell, a second hand car yard on Macleay, but for retail, most people go to the mainland once a week, some never go over, others go every few days (cost each way of about $7 with a gocard and $9+ with a paper ticket each way) Vehicle ferry is about $100 return, so people tend to use the passenger ferries unless they have to use the vehicular ferries for taking their cars onto the mainland for service, moving their caravans on and off the islands etc. Half price rego for island cars, but you have to ask for permission from the Qld Transport Dept to take cars off the islands. There is some mainland parking, some secure paid parking provided by the council, but you have to join the waiting list, which I believe is a few years in waiting as of now, people have a hard time finding parking close to the ferry terminal at Redland Bay, as more people moving here all the time. The council plans to provide more parking at the terminal, are currently putting in place, plans for more parking (have just bought closeby, an old 10acre farm, which they will have to run shuttles or something back and forth to the terminal, as just too far for people with granny trolleys or the old and infirmed etc to walk) Parking is a sore point with the islands and the council is aware that people here are not happy. We got a brand new ferry terminal building a year ago, but a coffee shop is yet to open there and they did not put in enough toilets (which the old shed did have!) but it is modern and an improvement on the old one and much bigger, the buses pull in right there to take people to where they want to go. There is a train to the city and northern suburbs from Cleveland which is a bus ride away from the ferry terminal. Police: Lamb and Karragarra have to wait for the Redland Bay police to come out to us, they do have a fast cat with a police car space on board for emergencies and the like. Both Macleay and Russell have their own police who live on each island, but not enough and that is a bit of a sore point also, but I read more police to come.
Why come here : Lamb was not our first choice, hadn't really considered Lamb prior to finding our house, bought a house at a good price so came to Lamb, so very glad we did, very quite very small population, just like a little country town with water surrounding it! Fishing, beautiful sunsets, curlews and many other birds, friendly people, at least on Lamb, I can only really speak about Lamb, have family on two of the other islands, lots to do in as much as groups or organisations, yoga, all the things most retirees like to do, bowls, golf, art clubs, a small art gallery on Macleay, yacht clubs and miniature boats, kiyaking, skatepark on Macleay for grand-kids, sports field on Russell with tennis courts, basketball hoops, two ovals, hall for hire, swimming at Karragarra (best beach) Macleay and Russell there are swimming enclosures and an extra beach on each island, whilst on Lamb, an easy walk no matter where you live on the island as the enclosure is in the middle of the island, but not as sandy as the others. Lamb has a recreation club (used to be a bowls club) with an oval for cricket matches, the management has tried very hard here of late and there are improved food and opening times on offer, the club is run by voluntees. Also on the islands, unemployment services, community services and halls, churches. Lots of tradies, and handypeople, a few mechanics. We have our own magazine called Bay Islander, which I read from cover to cover. A local paper comes from the mainland weekly and is available for free pick up from the convenience store on Wednesdays. We currently have a free dump, which seems to be open most hours, the other islands may have to pay, not sure, but they do have limited opening hours. Friendly posty, we know her by her first name, letterboxes on each home here. Post boxes on all islands and private boxes at the Post Offices on both Macleay and Russell. Many companies deliver here if you order from the net, some don't or want to charge you a fortune to deliver, you get to know ways around every problem, or ask an old local, who will give you the drum. Many people with do you a good turn rather than a bad. Some ferrals on the islands, some drugs, but we go to the mainland and see the same sort of people over there also! Victoria Point, tends to be were most people go for their retail hit, Kmart, Best & Less, coffee shops, dress shops, Bunnings, 2 x Woolies, Coles, MacDonalds, Red Rooster, Hungry Jacks, Pizza, Fish and chip shops, Asian takeaways, gyms, medical centres, Chemist Warehouse, Lincraft, Mrs Flannery, Dan Murphies, Cheesecake Shop, a movie theatre, cheap prices and restaurants. Loganhome is one bus ride away, the sortest ride to a large shopping centre, and it is a large shopping centre, with Kmart, Coles, Aldi, butcher, green grocer, coffee shops, hairdresser all at the bus station end, so very convenient, but Myer there, has basically closed down, just a outlet for other Myer stores, set to close I believe in about 6 months time. Carindale and Garden City, each large Westfields, have Myer, David Jones and any other retail you can ask for.
Rates are over $2,000 per year, including water. We have a meter box reader who rides his bike around the island and reads your electricity meter when due. Solar companies do supply the islands, many homes here with solar panels. Some shed companies will build here and quite a few container homes and kit or "freezer" style homes on all the islands.
You need to work out, as everyone is an individual and will or will not tolerate not have some services, so what are the downsides worth trading for the upside, the quiet, space to stop and let you mind rest and think, read and relax.
I can't think of anything else
Hope this helps
Kat

Wonderful , thorough report. Thankyou so much Kat. Regards Vanessa