BreeB1

Russell is definitely not a place for everyone. The people who can handle the conditions if living here are rewarded with the amazing island atmosphere. People who come just for the cheap rent/sale price of the houses will be thoroughly disappointed to find out that the cost of transport, rates, parking fines on the mainland or paid parking space (if you were lucky enough to secure one) definitely offset the savings. Retirees who like fishing, and are not worried about relatively high rates and who don't need shops other than the essentials would be the type of people who would benefit the most from island life. Single income families do ok as well, especially if you own a boat to really enjoy the island passages. The schools hours are 8:45 to 2:45, which does not leave you much time to ferry over to the mainland to work.
The ferry is a lovely experience, taking approximately 25 minutes for a direct and 35 for an indirect. Paid with a go card the tickets become about 30% cheaper than a cash ticket (which you can only purchase one way). There is an office where you can charge a go card or purchase tickets on the mainland but no go card stations at any of the island jetties. You can recharge your go card at the post office however it is not open on weekends and the ferries themselves don't have eftpos on board but will let you purchase a cash ticket. Once on the mainland you can catch the 250 or 280 translink bus to the city, both take approximately an hour. If you are driving you need to get back well before the last ferry leaves so you can find a parking spot (if you are lucky) and have enough time to walk from wherever you had to park your car to the jetty. If you Park your car in a spot not designated for your type of parking, or if you stay for too long in a timed Park (almost all of them are timed) you will get a fine from the diligent parking officers. If you miss the last ferry you will be sleeping in your car (parked in a place other than the jetty) or crashing at a friends house for the night. Basically you need to be organised and have a fair bit of time otherwise you are not going to have a good time with the ferries. Most large items are not allowed on the ferries and you will need to use a barge instead, these run only during daylight hours and take just over an hour each way. The Cafe has lovely food relatively cheap, and the bowls club has delicious Chinese food. There are a few lovely parks with equipment for children, like parks anywhere they sometimes have undesirables hanging out in them, but I've seen no more than anywhere else. There is no high school on the islands but the school buses meet the ferries on the mainland. There are mosquitos, no more than I have experienced in the Northern suburbs of Brisbane but the closer you get to the water the more migies there are.