camerao1

Yet another run of the mill collection of soulless houses on tiny blocks. Good for stereotypical families (but keep the kids from the locals as they will be a bad influence) but little else. There is no character here, nothing to differentiate it from the countless other suburbs identical to this one. This suburb has no resale value because there are so many just like it around Brisbane.

I think the problem is that the developers tried to transform my area into the clichd suburban dream like you see in American sitcoms but they did a very poor copy. It has become the sort of suburb you buy into because the neighbouring suburbs are great (they are) and you are hoping that the effect will magically spill over into yours given time (it might happen). Look around for similar suburbs because the dream Thornlands tries to sell is not better than the dream found in other areas around Brisbane. Apart from the dream, there is nothing which stands out here.

A typical house here is on a 700 sqm block (not even a quarter acre) and occupies all but a tiny fringe of grass around the edges. Some don't even have grass anymore (just concrete or gravel walkways) which makes them look like a cheap beachside motel (the kind you see in horror movies). Most have swimming pools occupying what should have been a modest back yard.

A house with a pool has perks BUT a house with neighbours who have pools is a noisy cacophony of pool pumps running all night. Also, air conditioners. The sheer amount of concrete and paving in this area creates so much heat that air conditioning is essential for most of the year so the noise and heat never stop in this suburb.

Traffic is a problem and getting worse. When I first moved here, there was a forest behind me. That got built into more box-houses and the traffic increased. More houses are being built so the traffic is getting worse. All of this adds to the never-ending noise of the area. If you must move here, avoid the main roads (and roundabouts).

Lack of decent public transport here means lots of cars on the roads at certain hours (I have yet to give up mine because the buses are so rare). I think this is why so many people have two cars here. The extra cost is necessary because of the lack of buses. Also, the council fines people who park on the grass and the sea salt is bad for metal so be sure the house you buy has a good garage.

Parties seem to happen every second night and the crammed-in nature of the suburb means everyone knows about it. Luckily, they seem to stop shortly after midnight on average. Like every other such suburb, no one talks to neighbours so it is a collection of strangers having raucous parties a few doors away.

The people around me all seem to have too much stuff and there is always a boat or a jet ski which wont fit in the garage. I live in the sort of suburb which seems to attract those sort of people.

Crime seems to be increasing a little too. Nothing too malicious, simply the sort of thing which happens when young children get bored and start tipping bins over or scrawling on walls. Not much in the way of burglaries or setting cars on fire (good because most cars are parked in driveways not in garages as they do not fit) as far as I know. Just gangs of bored teenagers hanging out together and their numbers seem to be rising. I have no idea about good/bad of our local schools.

The good news is that the shops are a short drive away. The suburbs around this one are wealthy and vibrant (live in Victoria Point or Wellington instead if you can afford it) and have great facilities so you need not travel far to get to the good stuff.

This place is good for young people trying to raise a family on limited means but the prices are still high for what you get. You can find the same kind of suburb everywhere else so shop around for a good locality and you can get a nice surprise for a better price. For everyone else, this is a noisy suburban monotony full of mindless parents and potentially problematic adolescents.