Moving to Queensland Very Soon, Any Tips?

frugalftw on 20/02/2021 - 09:09
Last edited 20/02/2021 - 09:36 by 1 other user

Hi QLDers/Seasoned Travellers,

I'll be moving to QLD in a couple weeks, but haven't decide exactly where yet. Just wondering if there's anyone else out there who can advise on good locations?

I plan to do Ubereats/Menulog for a while until I have figured out which suburb is the right fit (great subsidisation of my exploration), but it always helps if someone else had experiences with QLD can help out. Solo traveller so I'm not after good schools or anything. Last time I talked to a local, they told me Southport is a definite no lol Probably wouldn't have gone for Gold Coast region anyway, so anywhere Brisbane and north up to Hervey Bay would be good I think.

I'm looking to work part time in coding and start my own business in alternative therapy, so it'll be a 6 months to a year timeframe before actually making any money methinks. Haven't sit down to do the whole business plan yet, but I know somewhere open-minded and technically-challenged would be the ideal fit in case one of my skills fail to meet the market. Or if you are open to meeting new friends, I'd be happy to shout you a coffee when I got there and have a bit of a chat :)

Home & Garden

Comments

  • WreckTangle on 20/02/2021 - 10:02
    +1

    I used to live in Qld. Get used to having BBQ’s in the dark due to lack of daylight savings. Oh and say hi to the 4am screeching birds for me…

    • dylanando on 20/02/2021 - 10:20
      +25

      Have your bbq an hr earlier

    • Loopholio on 21/02/2021 - 09:50

      BBQs in the dark rock

  • oscargamer on 20/02/2021 - 10:02
    +8

    Take some shorts

  • jhaley3180 on 20/02/2021 - 10:11
    +1

    I love Hervey Bay. Great lifestyle, great weather. I find the cost of living very effective. Growth region but I'm not sure the growth is in the work area you're after.

    • chrisie on 20/02/2021 - 11:49
      +3

      Hervey Bay = God's waiting room :)

    • Techie4066 on 21/02/2021 - 15:22

      So sad Hervey Bay lost Virgin Australia's direct 737 flights to Sydney.

    • Techie4066 on 23/02/2021 - 21:12

      Just as I say that, Jetstar announces direct Sydney to Hervey Bay flights starting 26th May! Fantastic, lol.

  • dylanando on 20/02/2021 - 10:21
    +3

    Depends how much cash you’ve got. I think the brisbane bayside is really nice, hr to Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. 15mins from the city. And you’ve got the foreshore.

    Else redbank plains in Ipswich.

    • Hardlyworkin on 20/02/2021 - 12:30
      +4

      People always say an hour to the beach though how often is it actually an hour at the times most people want to go?

      • brendanm on 20/02/2021 - 13:08

        Who said an hour to the beach?

        • morse on 20/02/2021 - 13:23

          Dylanando did just above. People in general from Brisbane say it a lot too. An hour is a long time in the car for a swim. Hardlyworkin is right, it usually takes a lot longer especially when you consider parking in the popular areas. This was one of the biggest reasons we moved from brisvegas to gc.

          • brendanm on 20/02/2021 - 13:25
            +1

            @morse: He didn't mention the beach at all as far as I can see.

            • morse on 20/02/2021 - 13:41

              @brendanm: Well that’s true. I guess you could get to northern Gold Coast in 40mins from Brisbane if you got a good run. Any part of the sunny coast from Brisbane cbd would be a stretch most of the time. Realistically most people coming from Bris are coming for the beach and I think that’s what they are referring to. There are of course those who work or have family or want to go to pacific fair or the theme parks but even they get burned with the traffic regularly.

              • brendanm on 20/02/2021 - 15:40

                @morse: The traffic is horrendous. I like going to Brisbane, can't stand the traffic.

                • morse on 20/02/2021 - 16:08

                  @brendanm: So true. I used to work up in Bris some days, luckily it was flexible so I usually avoided the peak, but even then no guarantees there wouldn’t be an accident - used to check the traffic religiously before leaving the home or office. I would go up more for non work reasons if it wasn’t for the risk of getting stuck.

        • Hardlyworkin on 20/02/2021 - 14:16

          True, my mistake on the beach part. My view is that there is no point leaving Brisbane or the Bayside to go to either coast if you're not heading to the beach. Also I'm currently at a beach so maybe that played a part :p

          • brendanm on 20/02/2021 - 15:39

            @Hardlyworkin: What theme parks are you going to in Brisbane? There is also hinterland etc. My view is that most gold coast beaches are pretty average any packed anyway, I personally go over to south straddie.

            • Hardlyworkin on 20/02/2021 - 16:38

              @brendanm: My theme parks turned into pubs years ago!

              Hinterland is worth the drive though.

        • Peter Enis on 20/02/2021 - 14:44

          Google maps says 55min from my house in Tarragindi to Main Beach Gold Coast right now.

          • morse on 20/02/2021 - 15:10

            @Peter Enis: Yeah it can be done. It’s just very often you’ll end up getting stuck in traffic on the M1 if not on the way down on the way back and if you want to go anywhere south of main beach it’ll usually be over an hour even without traffic.

      • dylanando on 20/02/2021 - 13:54

        Speed down there, Wynnum has a solid beach haha

        • Mikeyphoto48 on 21/02/2021 - 10:28

          Yes a very nice mud beach.

    • modsec802 on 21/02/2021 - 20:31

      Bayside is 15 mins from the city? By private helicopter?

      • dylanando on 21/02/2021 - 20:41
        -1

        From wynnum yeah

        • modsec802 on 23/02/2021 - 18:41
          +1

          Not sure where you’re getting your figures but google maps currently shows 43 mins no rolls and 37 mins with tolls from GPO to Wynnum. Even with no traffic it’s double what you say.

  • Mechz on 20/02/2021 - 10:21

    If you want to do food delivery you won't be able to leave the major SE cities.

    • frugalftw on 21/02/2021 - 08:08

      So there’s not much going on in say Sunshine Coast? There’s also alcohol delivery jobs but I guess they are very similar.

      • Mechz on 21/02/2021 - 09:45
        +3

        Sunny coast has the highest unemployment rate in Oz I was told a while ago. Good luck getting any assistance if you can't find work.

  • Muzeeb on 20/02/2021 - 10:24
    +8

    Any Tips?

    Update your ozbargain profile location to QLD as soon as you move.

    • frugalftw on 21/02/2021 - 08:07

      Hahaha thanks!

  • nedski on 20/02/2021 - 10:56
    +1

    Yeah, dont!

    • frugalftw on 21/02/2021 - 08:59

      Thanks for the support :)

  • Nugs on 20/02/2021 - 11:10
    +1

    Talcum powder
    .

    • Mechz on 21/02/2021 - 09:46

      Reapply every 40 minutes.

  • slow on 20/02/2021 - 11:16
    +11

    Set your clock back 1 hour and mind back 40 years

    • brendanm on 20/02/2021 - 13:08
      +3

      User's location checks out.

      • AlienC on 20/02/2021 - 19:18

        Also username

    • frugalftw on 21/02/2021 - 08:12

      Hahaha I did notice school zone signs say 7am or something. People seems to be nice so far. I called the govt to get some info on rego and licence transfer, the first thing the operator said was ‘welcome!’, did not expect that at all.

  • inherentchoice on 20/02/2021 - 11:28
    +2

    Ahh so many southerners moving to QLD at the moment. Real Estate in some places has gone up 47% in one year, while rental vacancy rates are below 0.5%

    • frugalftw on 21/02/2021 - 08:14
      -4

      Apparently the same with Central Coast. Covid had driven up the market all the way up to QLD. Only if a certain dictator isn't in power in a certain state >_>

      • Mechz on 21/02/2021 - 09:47
        +5

        He wouldn't have to shut us down all the time if we didn't keep getting covid. Just sayin.

  • kiitos on 20/02/2021 - 11:57

    Would the Sunshine Coast have good balance of tech need and alternative therapy market?

    • Helenn on 21/02/2021 - 02:37
      +1

      I second the sunshine coast for these reasons too (would suggest coolum, mudjimba, maroochydore, noosa, tewantin etc) and also the sunshine coast hinterland (eumundi, maleny, buderim, bli bli, etc). Or the southern end of the gold coast/northern nsw. Would stay out of brisbane if you don't need to be in brisbane.. its a city. If you do though you could try the northern beach areas like bribie island (probably do well with tech support there and maybe alternative therapies), deception bay, sandgate, etc. If you want more happening, central but still alternative places maybe west end.
      You could also look between brissy and harvey bay like tin can bay.
      A few of these areas are retirement sort of places though because I'm thinking that might be good for tech support work but depends what sort of things are you looking for in the right suburb? Are you seriously basing your move on good takeaway? That's kind of awesome!

      • frugalftw on 21/02/2021 - 08:37

        I do like Maroochydore a lot, but last time I visited during Xmas, there was no parking at all, it's just, full of people and way too busy at the beach. Haven't visited the hinterland or bribie island, sounds very interesting.

        Retirement places could be very good for alternative therapy if they are open enough, but the cases tend to be much more complicated and takes a long time to unravel. I'd much prefer to treat younger people tbh, because it changes their trajectory in life so they don't end up becoming a complicated case in old age. For suburbs I'm looking for ones with fresh food/farmer's market where you can get cheap organic veggies and grass-finished meats, so a copy of VIC Market would be nice lol Other than that, will also need a gym. Access to beach is nice but not super important.

        Yes, I have been doing deliveries in NSW since escaping Melbourne actually. There are some very nice suburbs and people, and some I just wanted to report and ban lol I roam or code when there's no assignment, fits my lifestyle perfectly :)

        • wisdomtooth on 23/02/2021 - 17:46

          We made this exact move, from Sydney to Sunny Coast, last May. And we are in the Hinterland. Dunno about uber eats around here; perhaps there is demand from older folks, but I'd venture to say mostly everyone in the Hinterland cooks and eats at home.

          If you're single, I'd say stick to the beaches, otherwise the Hinterland offers a healthier lifestyle for children and families.

  • BigBirdy on 20/02/2021 - 11:59
    +1

    Good plan, great destination, but you’re following the recent large migration Covid caused, primarily to SE Qld, pushing up property prices and killing vacancy. Assuming you are young (as well as single), it will be far more cost effective and have more options, if you look north of the Sunshine Coast. Many people look only in SE Qld due to hospitals, airports, schools, work opportunities, etc, leaving the rest of the state lagging, and much cheaper to live. Hervey Bay is nice, under-rated, lots of oldies (known locally as God’s Waiting Room), cheap housing, very urbanised so probably popular for home food delivery. I’m northern sunny coast, love it, lots of coffee

    • frugalftw on 21/02/2021 - 08:44

      My move had been in motion since mid 2019, covid added… a lot of complications, to say the least. I was going to move to Hervey Bay straight away too, but the flights are really expensive compared to Maroochydore, which made me wonder if the place is ever going to give me any sort of realistic income at all after settling down. Maybe it's time to reconsider it.

  • Catullus on 20/02/2021 - 13:05
    +4

    Must pay attention to local environment where you live. Preferably on rising ground, house face N or NE Minimum exposure to West maybe some good trees,, maybe within few ks of the sea?

    • frugalftw on 21/02/2021 - 08:46

      Thanks for that, great tip. Didn't realise it gets so hot there.

  • morse on 20/02/2021 - 13:18
    +2

    I’m from Sydney moved to Brisbane about 10 years ago and then to Gold Coast about 7-8years ago.

    I never really got into Brisbane, it’s hot and humid a lot of the time and far from the beach. I also found socially I didn’t really find my people (different for everyone though) People always say, oh “Brisbane is great, it’s only an hour to Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Stradbroke island etc”. They great thing about Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast stradie etc is that you’re already there.

    In Brisbane we lived in highgate hill (near west end) and coorparoo I like both areas and would probably go Southside again if I moved back.

    Currently live in Burleigh and love the lifestyle. Burleigh, Miami, mermaid beach, Broadbeach, palm beach, Currumbin are all great. Where we are you can walk to the beach and have great food, bars, live music, parks, shops all walkable or short driving distance. Real estate is expensive but older units are still affordable to rent. You’d definitely have lots of people into alternative therapies in this area and lots of restaurants etc close together if you’re thinking of Ubereats (sunny Coast is a bit more spread out).

    Sunshine Coast is excellent too, I’ve only been a tourist though so not sure what it’s like to live in.

    I’ve spent a bit of time in Townsville and quite like it. Apparently lots of crime though. It’s also north qld so it’s muggy nearly all the time.

    • frugalftw on 23/02/2021 - 12:05

      Brisbane city beach is interesting, and the cheap movies, but cities don't really appeal to me. Given up on finding my people long time ago, most people I met were really clients, I just didn't know back then. Tried so hard to help them but to no avail… That's the lesson I learned the hard way, now I don't have to have that, it's such a relief.

      Sounds like I should check out Burleigh, maybe it is different to the Gold Coast. It might be very different to live there as Mikeyphoto48 also suggested.

  • cheapjack on 21/02/2021 - 08:05
    +2

    Go far north Queensland to Cairns area.
    So much to do and see, way more natural beauty
    Than bris/Goldy/sunny coast combined.

    • frugalftw on 21/02/2021 - 09:03

      I went to Cairns last summer and it was hot… The place feels very touristy similar to and very different from Byron Bay. Not sure if it's a good place to live for long term? Have you lived there?

      • lgacb08 on 21/02/2021 - 22:11

        with covid wiping out the entire population of japanese/chinese tourist it might be a very different experience now.

  • MontyMacaw on 21/02/2021 - 08:33
    +2

    Go to where you can get work first then re-evaluate. It’s a big state with many wonderful places to live and a great climate. If you pick the wrong starting point you will hate it. Choosing where you WANT to live can often lead to places with low paying jobs because living in popular places means more people needing work. Cairns is an example of this. Lovely place but work is scarce if you are not established.

    • frugalftw on 21/02/2021 - 09:14
      +1

      Thanks for that. If high-paying jobs were a priority, I'd stayed in my dev roles and moved to Sydney :) I understand your point tho, would have said the same to anyone asking a few years back too. Plus I'm not staying forever, will probably move again in a few years when it feels right. Being in therapy, the cost is really the rent of the shop/room and advertising, as far as income goes, if you are good, your clients will bring their friends and vice versa. I guess that's what you meant about being established?

  • Mikeyphoto48 on 21/02/2021 - 10:41
    +3

    These people that knock the Gold Coast amuse me, I live on the Broadwater and it’s a beautiful, safe, civilised place to be. You have the option of walking/cycling to the surf if that’s your thing. Public transport to anywhere on the coast is regular clean and safe. Shopping/Hospitals are amongst the best in Aus. The surf beaches contrary to what others have said are deserted compared to Bondi and Sydney beaches. The mountains are GENUINELY 30 minutes drive away. I also laugh when people say it’s an hours drive to either Sunny or Gold Coast. If that’s the main attraction how about actually living AT the beach and being “an hours drive to Brisbane” you will have very few reasons to go there because the infrastructure and lifestyle on the Gold Coast is probably better in all respects. Crime/Violence?. Well if you find yourself in the nightclub district pissed at 3 am I guess you can expect that anywhere. I’ve lived in many suburbs of the Gold Coast and personally I’d be happy if no more people moved here, but there are lots of reasons why they choose to. Wherever you choose to live hope you enjoy it.you’ll be welcome to come here but… If you don’t like it ,, move somewhere else. Simples.

    • barratttc on 21/02/2021 - 12:28
      +2

      Just moved to the Gold Coast from Melbourne. Best thing we've done. Have an awesome house on the water at Hope Island. Great lifestyle. Absolutely no regrets!

    • brendanm on 21/02/2021 - 14:12

      People equate the gold coast with surfers. They don't realise that no one likes surfers.

      • MontyMacaw on 22/02/2021 - 09:53

        And bikies. It’s actually the opposite. The GC has had a bit of a facelift recently after getting very tired looking. We can thank the Commonwealth Games for a lot of this.

    • EFC94 on 21/02/2021 - 18:50
      +2

      Whilst I don't disagree with everything you've written about the coast, every time I go down there from Brisbane I find the traffic to be an absolute nightmare. Brisbane drivers seem much smarter and the traffic lights are timed a million times better.

    • modsec802 on 21/02/2021 - 20:37

      What about professional jobs on the gold coast?

    • frugalftw on 23/02/2021 - 11:05
      +1

      Not a hater of the built-up-ness of Gold Coast, but it feels like something is amiss, as in, it lacks a certain harmony. Say Melbourne for example, when I'm in the city, I'm in the city, it's quite an integrated and depressed feeling especially in winter, same with Sydney. If I ventured out a bit into the suburbs of NSW, you have that lovely and cosy suburbian feeling, the Jacaranda trees and all, very pretty (most of the places). Gold Coast on the other hand, feels quite scattered and confused. Maybe it had gone through fast changes, or there'd been a lot of people from different places moving there without integration, or people living there are after drastically different things. I imagine geomancers would be high in demand there. One thing I didn't like about it is the waves. Being able to swim and play with the water is something I expect from the beach experience, not sure if that's there at the Gold Coast. Maybe there are rockpools?

  • greywise on 21/02/2021 - 12:36
    +1

    You have a unusually wide range of experiences coding, food delivery and alternative therapies so I dont forsee any problems. Having grown up in Brisbane it is quite conservative. May I know what alternative therapies you do?

    • frugalftw on 23/02/2021 - 11:36

      I work both hands on and off the body. Theoretical basis are: TCM meridians and organs, muscle testing, energy centers, hypnotherapy (regression), cranial-sacral (stillness) and last but not the least, anatomy and biology. It seems I attract more male reproductive system cases than anything else. Coding and treating are really similar tho, you know the end results, the work is to help them navigate to a (re)solution and integrate the pieces back into the personality. Physical, mental and emotional aspects are all connected, and they leach into each other, therefore they must all be treated at the same time. Someone wrote a book called 'The Body Keeps the Score', look it up if you are interested. Different modalities are aimed at approaching the personality from different angles. For example, while regression is excellent at unlocking blocked-out trauma, those who had been severely traumatised would rarely be able to go under hypnosis because of their experiences. So it's like in this age of frameworks, you need to be able to discern what works the best with the project at hand, instead of picking the next-hottest thing; sometimes it pays to just hand-code it. Every type of alternative therapy works for some cases but not all, and I've had to tell one client of mine to go to the hospital immediately once.

  • LFO on 21/02/2021 - 15:19
    +3

    LOL
    Queensland is really really big …

    Title should say "a biggish city in Queensland".

    Southport is Gold Coast. Actually City of Gold Coast goes from Coolangatta (Tweed Heads is NSW) up to Pimpama and whatever, half way from Brisbane. And inland of course.

    Good move to move.
    But as you haven't planned much, just like I will do :), take the jump and evaluate place by place.
    You are free of a family, travel light and move often.

    You might find a virtually unknown place is exactly what you dream of.
    Biggish cities have biggish problems, more opportunities but also far far far more people fighting for those opportunities.

    You'll need to discover your place in this earth by finding it first. Adventure awaits.

    You are free. Don't settle. Fly high!

    • frugalftw on 23/02/2021 - 11:41

      Hahaha I honestly didn't realise how small Victoria is until I started to drive around NSW. Guess the maps were to scale lol

      Thank you :D

      • jorf on 23/02/2021 - 13:01

        Qld is more than double the size of NSW too.

  • Mythreesons on 21/02/2021 - 19:39

    I would be very organised with your accommodation, rentals and properties for sale are in very high demand. Do a lot of research into the area you settle on, crime wise and things like schools and public transport. The roads and public transport up here are crap.

    • frugalftw on 23/02/2021 - 11:54
      +1

      Thank you. The Department of Transport and Main Roads did send me a notification today about dispatching my driver's licence, that's something I'd never get from VicRoads so I'm still hopeful about transport. Airbnb hasn't let me down in the past, I'd think it's not too bad because there's fewer international visitors now, but maybe there are more people moving from VIC and NSW to QLD than I thought.

  • redvaldez on 22/02/2021 - 10:50

    My partner used to live in Hervey Bay, and I visited regularly. The beach and esplanade is nice - it's a touristy town so plenty of cafes and restaurants etc. But the saying "God's waiting room" isn't exaggerating, and the major industry would be tourism. The Gympie/Maryborough/Hervey Bay/Bundaberg area is lower socio-economic too with relatively high unemployment. Don't take that as me saying that you can't get ahead there, but you do need to be realistic about your employment prospects and earning potential. Sunshine Coast isn't great for employment either, but at least it's a bit more diverse (although much higher cost of living).

    Presently the motorway ends at Gympie, and there's no plans to extend it significantly past Gympie, so be prepared for lots of highway driving. Public transport essentially stops once you get to Caboolture (between Brisbane and Sunshine Coast). Flights north of the Sunshine Coast are generally in and out of Brisbane airport.

    I sound a little bitter but I do like living in regional Queensland, and I reckon you should give it a go - I just don't want you approaching this with rose coloured glasses.

    • frugalftw on 23/02/2021 - 11:48

      Sounds like Gympie and beyond could use a lot of good delivery services :P Surely the waiting rooms need to have the expired magazines and water coolers topped up haha

      Thank you, I'm sure there will be good, bad and indetermined, as with any experiences. At the end of the day, they'll all become memories, even if a lot of them becomes Mie Goreng-infused again ;)

  • jv on 23/02/2021 - 11:11

    Moving to Queensland Very Soon, Any Tips?

    Go get XXXX !!!

  • Dianne OKeefe on 12/06/2023 - 17:50

    Hi. I live in Hervey Bay. It's a great place for sure. I originally moved to Surfers Paradise but it was really busy there. Hervey Bay has gorgeous beaches, fabulous weather and is relatively inexpensive compared to other regions. There's plenty of information available online, but you might find this post about Living in Hervey Bay really useful.

    • chrisie on 12/06/2023 - 18:40

      Hervey Bay = Gods Waiting Room :)

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