Best coastal area to live with a young family close to brisbane? ( coming from the uk )
20 Answers
If you would like to live in a Coastal town that has excellent Schools then you can't go past Buderim. Every major private school is represented on the mountain with Matthew Flinders College, The Sunshine Coast Grammar School, Siena Catholic College, Immanuel Lutheran College & Montessori International School as well as some of the best Government Schools on the coast. Don't forget the full University for the future.
With the beaches only 10 minutes away you can be in the action but more importantly your kids will be safe and connected with Buderim regarded as a very community minded and secure Area.
There is plenty going on in the Village with Coffee shops, restaurants, medical and Boutique Shopping. Buderim is well positioned for your husband's work as a carpenter with all of the building projects to take place just down the road at Kawana island & around the University. Close enough to get to work in 5 minutes but far enough away not to have the noise & dust of the projects.
Cooler in summer, Warmer in Winter Buderim has all of the positives you are looking for. All the best Lloyd
A little drawn out, but paradise is hard to explain in just a few words alone;
Bribie Island is a coastal paradise that offers not only the closest surf beach to Brisbane but also protected sailing and fishing in Pumicestone Passage. Bribie Island is predominantly National Park and Marine Park, and is characterised by a relaxed lifestyle and enjoyable sub-tropical climate.
Bribie Island is 45km from Brisbanes CBD and some 17km from the Bruce Highway, the main north-south arterial route connecting Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast. The Island is approximately 34km long and up to 8km wide. Bribie Islands wetland areas, heath, coastal forest and beaches are largely protected within the Bribie Island National Park. In fact, less than 20% of the Island can be built upon.
The tranquil waters of Pumicestone Passage are a sanctuary for dolphins, turtles, dugongs and migratory birds. Pumicestone Passage extends north to Caloundra, and much of it is a Marine Park. Bribie Island is also only a short cruise from some of Queenslands best fishing and game fishing grounds off Moreton Island. The Moreton Island resort of Tangalooma is also within easy reach, as are some of Queenslands best diving spots such as Flinders Reef. Ocean access is quick and safe, with no treacherous bars to navigate.
According to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), a little over 20,000 people currently live on Bribie Island, however, 84% of the island is protected from development and this limit to development dictates a natural population cap of around 30,000 people, meaning that Bribie Island will never become as crowded as the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast.
In addition to the 20,000 permanent residents, up to an additional 1,100 people at any one time visit the Island.
I can tell you; there are now less than 10,000 chances to live on this Island paradise and when we reach the proposed population cap of 30,000 people, up will go the No Vacancy sign. Is the glass half empty?
I can also tell you; that if I am ever down to my last five dollars, I will stroll along the waterfront, to the Blue Anchorage restaurant, order a glass of the house white, sit outside in the sun, watch people catch bream off the jetty, children play on the pristine sand, dolphins slowly cruise by, and look down at my glass. Thank goodness my glass, is still half full.
Thank goodness, I live in paradise.
Yes you do live in Paradise! I bought a holiday home in Woorm. I neve want to leave when I head back to Brisbane where we live. The raw untouched & protected beauty of Bribie is unique & truly special, especially being so clean Se to a major city! Walking on a beach that at times I have all to myself recharges my batteries & brings a sense in of calm to my soul. Maybe we should not brag as we don't want to many people invading!
Do not move to Bribie Island. I've lived in Queensland for 12 years now and I have found out certain things by chatting to teachers and parents. The state schools are incredibly rough, you don't want your kids going there. The population is made up mainly of retirees. It takes you 30 minutes just to get to the highway and the nearest hospital. It's 1 hour 30 mins to Brisbane or the airport. There is no work, you have to travel long distances to get to work.
Hi Pom 88,
The simple and honest answer, Caloundra West!
Caloundra West a connected village community where everything you need is right on your doorstep and it is only 10 minutes to the Bruce Highway for a quick trip for you to visit your friends in Chremside.
You will live in a vibrant, yet relaxed area of the Sunshine Coast with Pathways, Parks and Nature Reserves surrounding you. A quick bike ride will take you to the Bellvista Market Place: with IGA, medical centre, Bella Hair, Smooth beauty, RetroPizza, Chemmart pharmacy, PieVista Bakery, Bellvista Tavern and Bottleshop. For a larger shop, Woolworths, Coles and a multitude of Specialty shops are only a five minute drive to Caloundra and it's beautiful beaches.
As for work, your husband will not have any trouble finding a Carpentry job in the Sunshine Coast's fastest growing community, and he will have the opportunity to return home early or even for lunch!
Caloundra West truly is a place you can call a home for a very long time, with Bambini Early Learning Development Centre (if you have younger aged children) a short walk away and just moments from the outstanding and affordable Unity College.
For all of your rental and sales inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact our office on 07 5438 0090.
We promise that will not regret your decision to move to Caloundra West Pom88, I personally have lived in Bellvista for 8 years and I am not planning on leaving anytime soon!
Warmest regards,
Positive Property People
My opinion would be to chat to different people about the work situation - NOT real estate agents, they will say anything for a sale. Our experience has been that my husband has found full-time work in Brisbane and I found work on the Sunshine Coast after 10 years of living in Queensland. We live in Beerburrum which is half-way between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, in the Glass House hinterland and on the train line. The Sunshine Coast is beautiful but the work situation is not great.
Almost 100,000 of us younger Brits live and work in Adelaide now. Try looking at homes in Seacliff and Marino . great local schools, sporting clubs and pubs .20 minute city with great arts scene and lovely climate. Not so wet and not huge rips . 3 unis . Anyway Qld is so beautiful too so good luck with your move!
Twin Waters as i live in this suburb and work in Mooloolaba it is one of the best places to live with parks, walking tracks canal waterways, surf beaches and river all in an easy walk or bike ride, Great Community atmosphere and lots of amenities such as golf courses, Tennis courts, shopping centers and great coffee shops not to mention the local bowls club for a good meal and a cheap night out mixed amongst some more stylish local restaurants. As my Mum lives in Brisbane I travel there quite often averaging about 55 mins to Aspley a northern suburb of Brisbane
Hi,your spoilt for choice on the Sunshine Coast, as a father of 3 small children Buderim attracted me the most because of its lifestyle, proximity to the beaches and the easy access to the highway for commuting to Bne and the north. The additional benefit with Buderim is that you have a large selection of both private and public schools which are regarded as some of the best in Queensland. A safe suburb, a convenient suburb and an affordable one that will perfectly suit a new young family, good luck and we hope to welcome you soon.
We are looking to relocate from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast with our 3 children. Bud Erin has flashed up as a place of interest for us. Would love to know more of your opinion of living here... I am a nurse & my husband has worked in his own gourmet pizzeria in Melbourne . Any insight, links or general help would be greatly appreciated..
High unemployment on the Sunshine Coast. Find a job before moving your whole family to another state. That's what we did. We both found work in Brisbane city and North Brisbane. We bought in Beerburrum (acreage) which is on the train line so we can catch the 50 minute train to work. It is also a 30 minute drive to the Sunshine Coast.
Hi there, I am looking to move to the Sunshine Coast from the UK in the near future with my wife and 3 children. Im an electrician so was wondering when you say high unemployment, does that include construction? As dive heard that theres a lot going on there at the moment in that industry.. Any info would be greatly appreciated :) Regards. Jason
Ive heard this term high unemployment lots. Its a perception only. The stats do not match the feeling that there is high unemploymemt. That being said, I lined up a job prior to moving here (Caloundra West) and I recommend the same, if possible. There are so many people moving here so the job market is competitive. Best of luck
I would throw Hervey Bay in to the mix too (it is 3-4 hours north of Brisbane)...we have a strong ex-pat community (if that is important!). We have beautiful safe beaches, very low crime and it is cheap to buy here. If your hubby is a chippie he should have no issue getting work and we have some really great schools.
Wherever you choose to go - great decision, I emigrated 11 years ago have never looked back! Australia is a wonderful place to live and the people have been very helpful and supportive towards my family and I.
Hi Damian, Sorry just gate-crashing this conversation. My hubby, me and our little lad are coming in August on 489 SS visa and have to live in regional QLD for 2 years. Hervey Bay is on our list at the top, but we are struggling to find carpentry jobs, that is the only thing concerning us. Do you think finding work will be ok?? I am a nurse, but just want part time hours. Any ideas welcome :-) Steph and Mark
Hi Steph. Thanks for the question and joining our conversation - most welcome! Hervey Bay is wonderful for families and I am sure you would love the lifestyle. As far as jobs go, it is hard to respond as there is lots of high publicity media attention as to how hard it is to find work here and only last week we (unfortunately) became officially the town with the highest unemployment in QLD! However, the media have jumped all over this (they love doom and gloom over here as much as in the UK!!) without studying or reporting some fairly mitigating reasons for this such as very high proportion of retirees, self funded retirees etc Building and construction has always been a big part of our employment sector - over the last few years it has shrunk a little as the GFC has hit us pretty hard but the signs are positive as developers are moving slowly back in to town. I have friends in the building trade and they say there is always work available. Remember to check qualifications/certificates etc for Mark as he will need various 'tickets' to do certain work - it is very different from the UK in that regard. Given the ageing population I mentioned above there is a flourishing health sector which is growing fast (just had a huge new private hospital open) including a new 'health precinct' with lots of new practices coming to town. Again, I have lots of friends in this sector and they claim there is always work too. I guess the moral of the story is that finding work is certainly possible if you/Mark are prepared to look and sometimes take a job that may be below your qualifications/ability to meet the right people etc... Always happy to help, point you in the right direction etc - good luck with the move and keep in touch.
While Hervey Bay is a lovely spot I would strongly advise against it unless you were a doctor/specialist etc. we moved to Qld from Tas 4 years ago, we went to Mackay and got jobs (carpentry and state gov. Worker) within two weeks and over the dreaded dead Christmas/New Year period. We were never want for work even though the mine boom had crashed in the region. We wanted to be a bit more central and so I applied for positions further south and by chance got a temp. Contract with communities in Hervey Bay! Great we thought let's go, I genuinely regret it. I looked and applied for jobs from day one of arriving and not just professional positions but cleaning and sales and anything going. All to no avail. All the locals will tell you expect to be unemployed for min. 12 months. I used to be one who said there's always work if you want it....well no, not here in Hervey Bay, unfortunately. Also as a young family we find much less to do socially compared to Mackay, no family oriented water park, unless your kids are under the age of 8 and you are happy to sit and watch (as opposed to have a swim) Shopping here is quite ordinary. Land and housing is cheap, but how you pay the mortgage with one or no income kind of negates that. Heavily aged demographic which influences the councils direction/priorities. I'm disappointed by the lack of advantage taken over the great location for tourist industries and businesses, for example we had to go to a Bundaberg to buy scuba tanks. We are sitting on Fraser Islands doorstep!! I know there will be lovers of this place who will be agitated by my opinion, but that's what it is my opinion based on my experience here. Come here for a lovely seaside holiday but look elsewhere for a spot with opportunities for you and the family.
For me it’s Sippy Downs, we love all the beautiful paths around the lakes, perfect for a stroll or bike ride. The sense of community is just fantastic with every age group represented here, there’s everything from retirement villages to students who are attending the nearby University it literally has everything for everybody! Being a mum of two kids aged 8 and 10 it’s reassuring there are so many traffic calming fixtures on the roads such as chicanes not only do they give you peace of mind but they actually look attractive and give a lovely calmness and peacefulness to the area. Some of the best schools are here with Chancellor and Sienna on your doorstep and easy access to all the other schools on the coast. The University is here too for the budding geniuses. It’s a short 11 minute drive to Mooloolaba Beach and being close to the sunshine motorway, only 1 hours’ drive to Brisbane CBD. It has a pub, huge supermarket lots of shops and the best fish and chip shop in the whole of the sunshine coast! Definitely Sippy Downs !!
Wynnum on the bay is lovely. Wynnum Manly is not beach but is bay with views. Depends on how long a commute you are looking for.
Bribie Island is without a doubt the place to be, everything you could ever desire on a fantastic Island Paradise.
Shane I lived on Bribie when I first emigrated and LOVED IT!!! It is a wonderful place and your description is excellent. For me the greatest things were - peace and quiet on a day to day basis but big city only an hour away when required (I am from London after all!). The Passage side for calm swimming water and the ocean at Woorim for surf - best of both worlds. Also 4WD on the beach - that was it for me and we chose to live about 2 mins from a beach entry - we used to drive down for sunset picnics and even camp on a regular basis. Great choice for this family!!
Hi, There is a really large UK ex-pat community in a suburb called Little Mountain, which is close to the beautiful beaches of Caloundra like Golden Beach, Shelly Beach and Kings Beach.
Mountain Creek offers one of the best schools in QLD, Mountain Creek State High School. Mountain Creek is only a few minutes from the beaches of Mooloolaba and has many larger houses for rent and sale, perfect for a young family.
Best of luck with your move!
Hi all, myself and my husband are moving over in 18 months time with our then 3 and 4 year olds, he should have a job secured and I am a teaching assistant in mainstream and special schools. We are unsure where abouts to move to to start with, our friend lives in noosa and loves it and we like the look of it too, we want to be near the beach for the children and we love, we would like a lovely safe suburb, that’s got a nice community feel with really good schools that has plenty to do especially for me with the little ones initially. I love our community where we are and my only worry is being somewhere isolated. We make friends easily so in the right area I know we will be ok. I’ve seen properties in Mitchelton and Stafford Heights and Aspley but unsure on the area and can’t find much on the net. Buderim seems to sound perfect any help is much appreciated thank you xxx
I have lived in Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast for many years, my husband has also commuted from Sunshine Coast to Brisbane and to the Gold Coast. Ignore most of these posts a lot are from real estate agents. If you work in Brisbane, live in Brisbane unless you want to spend 2-3 hours of your day commuting. Don’t move to the Sunshine Coast expecting to get work straight away, and don’t expect to get paid as much as in Brisbane. There are lots of tradespeople and employment is very competitive because people all over the world and Australia consider it an ideal place to live. If you are a professional you will need experience to get a good job, and even then you may expect a lower salary and demotion to secure it.
Hello
I am hoping people are still commenting on here!
My husband and I have only just made a decision to move from the UK to oz. I am a registered nurse (qualified for 7 years) and he a social worker (qualified 14 years). We have 3 children one who will have left school by the time we leave the UK but will want to go to university.
We have friends who live in Springfield lakes but are planning to move to the Sunshine Coast. To see them regularly would be great.
We are looking for a family orientated area. with easy access to work and university (we are willing to travel 40 minutes or so) Good local schools are essential. The dream would be to live near the beach but I'm not sure this would be possible to enable us to find work. My concern is that we choose somewhere that we don't like and we have to unsettle the kids again.
All help appreciated 😊
If you have friends in Springfield Lakes, move there. It is very lonely moving somewhere where you don't know anyone. You are more likely to find work in that region as well, plus Brisbane. High unemployment on the Sunshine Coast. Best universities are in Brisbane too. You can always travel to the Gold Coast for the beach. But, if you think you will find friends fast, then Elimbah/Beerburrum is a great place to live. Peaceful, acreage only, on the train line, 50 minute train ride to Brisbane where the work is, 30 minute drive to the Sunshine Coast beaches for the weekend. Glass House Christian College has the best reputation in the area. The Glass House Mountains are beautiful for hiking, riding bikes, gorgeous cafes etc.
Hi Teresa, is the unemployment still really that bad on the coast? Im so keen to get out of Sydney with my family and I like the Sunshine Coast over the heat of Brisbane. My biggest concern is finding work as a primary school teacher. The thought of leaving secure jobs in Sydney is scary but the idea of not having to spend 30 years paying off our mortgage in Sydney is like a dream. But only if we can both still find work. My husband works in mental health and we were hoping he could at least secure a job before moving. Teaching doesnt work like that so I would need to find casual work. I guess worst case commuting to Brisbane might have to be what we do. Just means the kids have to go to before school and after school care a lot more than what they do now. By the sounds of it you dont seem to regret moving from Sydney. We are thinking of around Caloundra.
Unemployment rate on the Coast is 6%, Sydney is less than 3%. So its highconpared to Sydney. Melbourne isclise to 5, Adelaide is over 7. So it depends on your qualifications and ability to land a role. So many people are moving here so its competitive. I had to take a role in North Brisbane and take the Bruce Hwy everyday. But I think its worth the commute so that I live in paradise.
Hi, I'm hoping that this forum is still going!!! I'm moving from northern NSW with a little one, and by myself. My main priority is work - I'm hoping to get a support role in the construction industry (not mining. All beach people, I would love your opinion as to where has a lot of construction potential. I think my little girl and I would get lost in Brisbane and hoping for a smaller town closer to the water. Any feedback would be great. Thanks
Hello and Congratulations on the decision to move. My suggestions that would help you settle in to the Australian life best, would be to settle somewhere that offers the kids the best schools, your hubby the best opportunities for work and you the best local community to make friends and start to settle. The beach suburbs are great but unfortunately they don't offer the above to the degree that the Brisbane CBD does.
Driving 50-60 kilometres in Australia is not uncommon, like it is in UK, so living in Brisbane and driving to the coast is better than living on the coast and driving to Brisbane for Schools and work.
Holland Park, Mount Gravatt, Coorparoo, and Camp hill are top suburbs. Good luck and best wishes with your decisions.
Love to meet you when you arrive.
Like the best part of a sandwich Coolum Beach is in the middle and perfectly situated between the busy nodes of Noosa and Maroochydore. It is surrounded by national parks and lots on offer if you are after a quiet village vibe, yet just over an hour from Brisbane.
Benefits are: local shopping, banks, post office, primary and high schools, childcare and entertaining. Fifteen mins to the airport, and easy access to the Sunshine Motor way to Brisbane. Patrolled surf beach.
Have a look at Alexandra Headland. Its central to Maroochydore which has great shopping options and also central to Mooloolaba which has the holiday/restaurant/cafe feel about it. It's not uncommon to see kids skating down the street with a surf board under their arms.
You may also enjoy coastal suburbs Currimundi, Dicky Beach or Wurtulla
Caloundra offers relaxed, friendly, family orientated lifestyle.
Happy relocation
Great write up on Buderim from and well known local