Hi Guys

We have been living in Canberra for the past 6 months and things have not worked out for us here. I wont bore you with the details but we are looking to move to Brisbane next July and we are going up in January to take a look around for a week. We are quite nervous as we are afraid we wont like Brisbane because of our bad experiences in Canberra. Im just wondering if anyone can give a bit of advice or if anyone has been in the same situation? We have a 13 yr old daughter aswell and she is a little bored here in Canberra. At the moment we live 23kms from the CBD - there is a shopping centre near where we live but thats pretty much it plus public transport seems to be non existent here aswell. Can anyone tell me what they like about Brisbane or how you find it with teenagers and if it is a safe enough place to live? Also we are interested in living somewhere that we can walk to restaurants or get a short bus ride.

Cheers

Surhythms

 

Hi

Sorry to hear that things haven't worked out for you in Canberra however I do think you are wise to try somewhere else b4 giving up!!

We are not living in Australia at the moment but did live in Auckland and have come back to the UK (2006) we wished we had gone over to OZ first.

We have a 13yr old daughter, like you we want there to be enough going on for her she loves shopping, cinema, horse riding, fashion etc.

We were booked for Perth and going October 2011 then due to personal reasons ( family health ) we had to cancel and put our move on hold during this time I had a rethink and looked in to Queensland ( between Brisbane and sunshine coast ) I found that it had lots going on and like you like the idea of walking to shops/restaurants etc also being near the gold coast more for our children to do once they reach that age. ( we have a son he will be 11 in jan ).

I have found some really good schools as well, sorry I can't be of anymore help as not there yet!! But thought I would say hello

I hope your trip goes well keep us updated on what you find.

Good luck

Anouska

 

I do not have children so I cannot help with that side of your question, what I can tell you is that there is plenty of things to do in and around Brisbane. Depending where you will be working how long you want the journey to work to last and what type of home you want i think there should be something to suit you in Brisbane. Most people live outside the CBD and travel into work. I have always found the transport system to be very good. I have lived on Bribie Island (North of Brisbane) That has a 20min journey to Caboolture and then a 1 hour train ride to the CBD. Bribie Island is very safe area and we have a lot of members live there. Close to a medium size shopping center but in Caboolture there is Morayfields Shopping complex.

You have Redcliffe on the coast and a lovely area, plus the Gold Coast, QLD residents can purchase a ticket for the theme parks $99 for the year ( I think) unlimited admission to 3 parks. There are plenty of nice areas and i am sure others who know the Brisbane area better will be along with more information.

 

Hi Anouska

Thanks for your response - I will let you know how we get on when we go up there in January.

Cheers

S

 

Hi Colin -- thanks for the response. Its good to know that there is lots to do in Brisbane - we are struggling a little in Canberra as the facilities here are pretty much one of everything if you catch my drift!!

S

 

This is the locals pass for the tourist parks,

http://myfun.com.au/big3/VIP-pass.aspx

Look for the locals pass. it will give you an idea of what is available at the theme parks..

A few other pages to show whats on in the area.

http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au/Travel/Default.aspx

http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/Whats-on/index.htm

http://www.informationcentres.com.au/information/brisbane/events-calendar/whats-on-in-brisbane.html

 

A lot of the suburbs with street life and walk up restaurants are in the inner 5km of Brisbane. These of course are often the most expensive as well. So it often comes down to budget. Some happily buy a smaller house/plot so they can spend less time on maintenance and have access to more going on. Depends what you like. There are some suburbs further out that have a few walk-up restaurants if you position yourself well though your choice is more limited.

Brisbane has a train network plus some dedicated off road busways - and normal bus routes as well of course. Here's a map that shows both the train and dedicated busway network: http://www.railmaps.com.au/brisbane.htm. Note the northern busway extension to Kedron will be complete 30th April next year.

If you tell us more specifically what you are after we might be able to help narrow it down for you.

 

Thanks guys for all your replies and apologies for the delay in responding - work and life has taken over recently. Ok so we are a family of 3 with a 13 yr old daughter who will be 14 early next year. We are looking for somewhere no more than 15km from Brissie CBD. We like going out to eat, comedy clubs, music events etc . We dont mind being a half hour or so drive from a beach (even an hour would be fine). At the moment we live 25km outside Canberra's civic are (you wouldnt call it a city centre because to its not in my opinion). We want to be able to get a bus into the city and also maybe have restaurants where we live. We are willing to pay $550 per week in rent (we dont havu to have a pool) We really like living on the hills aswell. I would like my daughter to go to a good school and Im looking at all girls aswell. I would like my daughter to have access to amenities aswell. Is there much for teenagers to do in Brissie? THey pretty much mall trawl in Canberra and thats pretty much it plus sleepovers of course.

Cheers!