Philip Alliston
Reviews
"Get in quick before the Boom!"
Edit: This review was written in 2018, prices have since gone up quite a bit as of 2022. Original review is below:
Burnie may have had a negative past but all this turned around long ago. I bought a place here in Burnie (moved from Sydney) in mid 2017 and it’s the best choice I made. Where I lived before (Manly), you were lucky to find anything for less than a million dollars, 2 million or more of you wanted a decent water view (even then you are looking at 1960s apartments). Here in Burnie though, you can get an older 2 bedroom apartment with great beach views for less than $150,000! (Not for long though!) For many places in Sydney, $150,000 is barely even enough for a deposit...
The best thing about this is that you don’t even need a car if you live in or near the Burnie CBD. Public transport is available but I’ve been able to access everything on foot for the past 8 months without needing a car or even taking the bus. This is great if you want to reduce expenses! Infact, living a VERY BASIC lifestyle on $200 a week as a single is actually possible here in Burnie assuming you own your own property, travel everywhere on foot and cook your own meals. Living on $200 a week allows you to invest the rest of your income and build up a passive income while others in more expensive places are struggling to save much at all and build up debt instead. This makes Burnie perfect for online professionals or those who work from home, especially with the execellent NBN access we have here (unlike in Manly where it still hasn’t arrived).
I’ve heard about job opportunities being a little low in general but I haven’t had an issue with this myself and with the new construction of Australia's biggest hardwood mill here in Burnie starting, there will be even more jobs available in both the short and long term!
So how is this area for crime? Well, In comparison to the stabbings, assault and breakins in Sydney... Burnie is absolute heaven! It’s full of the most friendliest people I’ve ever met in Australia and I’ve never had any issues with anything safety wise here. I’ll be reading the news in Sydney hearing about problems with car theft and one hit punches causing instant death among teens and young adults, while here in Burnie the top news story will be that there are too many pigeons hanging around the CBD... and no, that’s not slang or another word for bogans, I literally mean the birds, which in my oppinion is not a problem at all!
So, if you want to be safe in a friendly beach side city with all the services you’ll ever need to access all available on foot for prices that are an absolute steal at the moment, then get in quick! Prices in Burnie may have not moved much in the last 10 years but already I’ve seen places that went for about 100K in 2017 going for almost 140K in 2018. The boom is finally upon us with Hobart prices becoming too high (encouraging people to move to smaller Tasmanian cities such as Burnie) and of course the fantastic Living City project in the nearby city of Devonport (which will have great flow on effects for the whole north west coast of Tasmania).
So, to conclude... Burnie is going to give you the best bang for your buck whether you are a property invester looking for good returns or a person wanting to live in a vibrant, yet safe and friendly beach side city. If you are looking to move to Tasmania on a budget (or not), Burnie is the best choice!
Who lives here?
- Singles
- Families with kids
A lot of the issues you are having dont generally affect me due to a difference we must have between our lifestyles. I dont believe in car ownership myself as I dislike the negative effects it has on our environment as well as how expensive it is. Living near the CBD (literally a 2 minute walk max or a 30 second run) means I dont need a car and Ive never had to use one for the entirety of my life here over the past year. Burnie is small enough that I can walk even to its far corners (I walk 5-10km per day for exercise as I work online and its great to ensure I get the exercise I need) but for shopping purposes I never have to walk more than a couple km on a round trip. Oh and trust me, parking in Sydney is way worse than Burnie ;)
Living in Sydney/Manly where rents were $700-$2000 a week meant that I couldnt work online full time and I was trapped in a low wage full time job while working online at the same time in my free time to earn more money barely saving enough for anything but rent money. Sydney is where I had no hope, but Burnie is filled with nothing but hope, peace and happiness. All I need to live on here is $200 total per week after buying my apartment here. If I was renting here that would bump up my spending to $300 per week ($150 of that being rent).
Sure, Sydney is GREAT for super high paying UNI jobs paying 200,000+ per year which you generally dont find in Burnie, but by studying in UNI you will find yourself stuck in the UNI TRAP which means you are basically forever stranded and shackled to living in places like Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. And when you lose one of those jobs it can be a huge financial strain (depending on your situation) as having high expenses to deal with in Sydney while looking for your next job is... hell.
Im also a minimalist so I generally dont buy stuff unless I need it (and even then its mainly digital software for my online job such as VMWare, Abobe Fireworks, Sony Vegas Pro etc). So apart from food and health services I dont really buy anything else, but, from what Ive seen, Burnie has plenty of shops and what you cant get here you can simply order online.
So in the end, its all about what suits you and your needs. Im sorry that Burnie wasnt able to serve your needs as much as it has turned my life into paradise, but I do hope wherever you have moved to is an improvement for you in your life :)
God bless and may good things come to you!
Hey Phil, your words are very inspiring mate and like you, I too bought a beautiful 80 year old bungalow fully restored with magnificent views out into Bass Straight and eastwards to the mountains. I have had my house since 2015 but have been frustratingly stuck in Western Australia. My wife and I can't wait to move into our house next year not only for our wonderful home but also for the magnificent place for all reasons that Burnie is. (except for parking apparently haha) I bought my house and have change all for less than $300k.
Sounds excellent Rob! I really hope your stay in Burnie once you finally get here is a good one like mine has been.
Hi Philip, could I contact you privately via email? I am looking at moving from Mona Vale:)
[email protected]
Hi there i too would like to privately and get more information please peter thanks
We will be moving to Burnie between now and end of March, so looking forward to getting the hell out of Sydneys Wild West gang lands.
Yeh jason planning the same hate Sydney disastrous state
wow Phillip you are a very positive fellow ! , see how you feel after a few years and the novelty has worn off mate. I got my family the heck out of there last year after 40 years of living on the coast burnie the city by the sea , what a joke it is a town of 19000 people that has been slowly dying for the last 20 years ! no free parking in town , not many shops to choose from and poor job prospects for kids leaving school . best of luck to you!