ptony1948

So you decided to write a review about Russell where you have never lived? I checked out the Mount Isa reviews and there wasn't even one! Why didn't you write a review about Mt Isa where you have some real experience to help people research about Mt Isa? You say Mt Isa is 1000kms from the coast? That's not hard to research it's only about 300km to the Gulf! Why write a review on the Russell page telling us how bad Mt Isa is? Comparing Russell to Mt Isa now you are getting desperate. Why are you even reading reviews on Russell if you have already bought your expensive house, it"s too late now to research! Or are you a realestate agent on Russell? LOL Unscroupulous! The more people you trick into buying here the more cheap rentals we end up with that's the big problem. Please stop it, life's not about making money. You can "do something about it" See you tomorrow on Russell ps you used "Wow" to start ptony1948, or are you DRA, same vocab I see, not much research needed for that one

Hello James. Go put your Sherlock Holmes hat on again. Do some more investigating. I am not a real estate agent as you think. Everything I put in my post is true. 300 km to the Gulf? Maybe if you fly. Driving would be at least 700km. And because I do live up here I know that the Gulf doesn't hold much attraction for me. I was talking about Townsville. Why not write about Mt Isa. Because the SMBIs are where I want to be. Plus most people don't come to Mt Isa for the lifestyle. They come for the job and then find everything else later. They work in the mine, make their money and then go to greener pastures. James, you're missing the whole point of why I was doing a comparison. The point is you have concerns that are very important in your eyes and rightly so from your background and perspective. However, from where I'm coming from those concerns aren't as major because I've faced worse imo. You should be glad that people like me are coming to the islands because the more of us the less trouble for you.
James. I am interested to know more about some of your points. (why you may ask if I've already bought. Well, forewarned is forearmed.)
You speak of the undesirables. What % of the population on Russell would you estimate fit this category?
What are the problems that the undesirable types cause to others and how often would this be?
Is it a minority of the centrelink crowd that cause the problems? (because I am sure that there would have to be decent centrelink people).
The "ferals" as you call them. Would they be more of a problem in the back half of the island as opposed to the front?
Why has the police station not made a difference? ie could the police be doing more and how so?
At school what kind of contagious illnesses are you talking about?
James, if you're interested email me at [email protected] so I may give you my ph number as I'd like to pick your brain. Not to debate with you or to change your opinions but to learn more as I assume that there is plenty that you can't say on a forum like this. As I said before, forewarned is forearmed.
Hopefully talk to you soon.

Sorry I didn't know I would ruffle so many feathers with my review. I thought you could write a review without having to defend it. I guess that if you lived in Afghanistan Russell would look great from your perspective but thats not what a review is about. It is not about comparing apples to oranges it's about writing some facts about Russell. How can anyone who has never lived here know the facts. The poster before me wrote a similar review however they didn't metion real estate agents so maybe that was my mistake. So here are some answers to your questions. What percentage is undesirables? Not sure but when you go to the Lions park on Sunday and there are 4 groups there and two of the four are known amphetamine sellers/users who have no prolem using the c word in front of your kids I guess we could estimate 50%.
The problems they cause? well I have just answered that they ruin the lovely atmosphere, but thats minor, we have also seen cars doing 110kms/hour down centre road and known men who had an unusual interest in children etc. The police can't really do much about the problem of too many cheaps rentals in one area that's out of their control. It just makes their job harder. The contagious illnesses we have known to occur is foot and mouth and impetigo (school sores). Sorry if you want to pick my brain that doesn't sound like too much fun, I will pass on that offer, I have many stories but i have said everything here I wanted to say. I wrote what you may say is a bad review and that's bad for business and I am sorry. But if you aren't selling real estate why are you so concerned with what my review says? If you love the Bay islands I love you we are on the same team. Lets work together to make them great and we need to look at the facts to do that. We need real reviews not romantic versions with dugongs cuddling under the ferries.
It's elementary my dear ptony, we need reviews that give people the truth about living on Russell so we don't end up with more cheap rentals. We just want a normal population not a housing commision type island. Sure it's better than Mt Isa, Mt Druitt and Afghanistan too, but people need to know the facts about Russell before they commit. Good luck with your sea change.

I appreciate you replying James. I've learnt a bit more which is , as you say, the point of these reviews.

i am sorry to bust in on this discussion -
i am in my mid 20's , and am expecting my second child - and am also a recent divorcee ... i have always loved the country lifestyle and a quiet atmosphere -
i am moving from a very remote place in central qld - which is almost 500 klm to the nearest city . where i am from , most people live in humpy's - which is generally either a tent or shed - with no running water . . . this is not my cup of tea - so i am one of the few people out there that pay ridiculous money for a proper 3 bed house for my kids and i . . . i pay $300 per week , and we do not have bin services, postal services , or sewerage . . there is a pub and a corner shop within an hour but that is it - all becuase there is mines within 3 hours . all town have the general "riff raff" and all communities have trouble makers - however it is who you associate with - i am a respectable business woman who cherishes her family and you just learn who to associate with and who not to - i do not want a party lifestyle, and will not be needing to work for another 5 years until my new bub goes to school - therefore this gives me the freedom of a small community to raise my kids - but only a short ferry ride to civilization - which 1 hour to me is very short considering i used to have to make a weekend of it just to go to a big w . .
all places have their pros and cons .... the township i have been in for the past couple of years has definitely got its fair share of "questionable characters" however - they are everywhere - it just seems more concentrated in small communities -
as for the school sores etc . . . i was just wondering if james - have you got school aged children ? as i am studying my bathcellor of nursing, and also have a school aged child and know for a fact that school sores - headlice - and general common ailments run ravage through all schools - not just small communities .
as for the mosquitos - my current house is on a creek that floods most weeks which causes massive outbreaks of mosquitos and midges and i think that is something only an unprepared und uneducated person would complain about ..
for me - getting out of the middle of no where to enjoy a small island lifestyle that i can afford to comfortably raise my kids will do just fine thank you :)

Hello tinymumsy. We're still aiming to be on the islands end of 2014. Just wondering if you've made it there yet and if you have, how it's all working out?

I am a Russell Island local...and I just came back from there where I spent time at Lions Park and I can assure you there were no drug dealers present, in fact myself my brother another local who has lived there all his life and another family just enjoying the peaceful waters with their young children. I take offense to the term "ferals" at that end of the island as my Mother who built her house herself which incidentally is still standing and in good repair, and the people that now own that house are definitely not ferals but rather hard working people who run a business over there have taken a simple two bedroom home and transformed it into something they enjoy. You see drugs are everywhere I live in Brisbane in one of the wealthy suburbs and yet drugs are running rampant in the schools here, so to single out a place for drugs and term people ferals. Yes Russell Island is a small place with some limited services, and as a local who went to school there and is about to buy land there and relocate back there it is home. I remember learning to swim down at Lions Park which incidentally wasn't there 33 years ago. In fact I am sure if you speak to some of us true locals who have memories of what the island used to be like and what its like now, you would find that they dont like what has happened and the influx of people buying land building big houses then trying to sell them off for millions of dollars just like they didn't like it years ago when the real estate agents came across, which incidentally was also at the Lions Park end of the island and pulled their scams back then. So before you go telling people how bad the place is, if you don't like it your welcome to leave but for those of us who love the island and some of the history there we tend to get our feathers ruffled james 31. My question to you is how long have YOU lived there? Were you there over 30years ago??? You see my family founded the ambulance service, without the funding of the QLD Ambulance but to provide services it was volunteer run. I am proud to say I WILL be moving back there with my children and family quite happily. I hope you find the beauty and serenity that the island provides but perhaps if your not nobody stopping you from relocating to a more suitable place for yourself.

Hi Barb I really love your passion for the islands.
If you check above you will see that I wrote that comment almost 2 years ago and I have lived here a lot longer than that. In fact in the two years a lot has changed and things have improved so it's back to the good old days. The bad eggs (won't use the term ferals) have mostly gone so it's happy days again as you saw for yourself. Maybe my comments and reviews helped induce the change who knows. After all, the squeaky wheel gets the grease doesn't it (especially when there is a lot of money at stake).
Yes realestate has hit rock bottom here again, maybe partly due to my comments and review, but no need to thank me, I guess now is a great time to buy your slice of heaven isn't it?
As for me relocating to somewhere more suitable I have looked high and low and I can't find anywhere that compares to here so I guess you are stuck with me ;-)
Oh and as for learning to swim at sandy beach, you must have incredibly short arms LOL, lucky we have a local pool now it's a tad deeper!

Hi,
I don't want to add fuel, but we would love to buy in Russell. We currently live in Melbourne and we also wanted to knowof the good areas to buy.
I know that there are drugs everywhere but we don't want to be living in the'wrong' part of the island.
If someone could advise the nicest ares to be searching for properties I would be very grateful.

Hi Im thinking about moving to the island - if Im happy to walk once on the island - is that feasible? When on the mainland - do people just find a carpark somewhere on the street...sorry if I sound a bi daft. cheers vic

James 31- if 2 out of 4 families at the lions park on sundays is a known amphetamines seller and user, why is the million dollar plus cop shop not stopping them?
Is it that You are judging people and judging them wrong? Is it that the police dont do their job well enough? If You ask me, a remote island with a police station should be the first place in oz to be amphetamine free!!!