May be moving to SC and scared!

[AliAngel72]

Hi everyone:wave:! My name is Ali and I am 35 and living in Adelaide with my husband and 4-year-old daughter, Brookelin. I have lived in Adelaide all my life and my elderly parents and 2 older brothers live here. Hubby and I have been discussing moving to the Sunshine Coast for a while now because we are concerned our daughter, and any future children, may not have the opportunities here. I am also worried that my daughter won't have the opportunity to live in an area where she can be around kids her own age. Due to health issues, she may be an only child and it looks unlikely she will ever have any cousins either. My husband and I are both studying kinesiology and think alternative health seems to be more accepted in other states. I am scared about uprooting and especially leaving my parents, but I want to do what's best for us all long term. A friend has moved to Upper Coomera on the GC, but we just think the SC would be a bit more laid back. I worry that this is just a 'grass is always greener' thing we are going through and would really appreciate some input. My GC friend says that the GC is much more family orientated than the SC. What do you guys think? Do you find the SC family-friendly? We are drawn to the Buderim area and I can't even explain why, as we have never been there. We got the Sunshine Daily for a few weeks and crime levels seemed reasonable except for the esplanade at Mooloolaba. Are there areas that we should avoid buying in? Mountain Creek school seems good, but are there any other schools with good reputations? Chancellor Park sounds interesting but is it fairly new? We want to be somewhere where Brookelin can be around a lot of other kids but still be near the sea and maybe even have a sea view if we can affoird it. Sorry this is so long:ecomcity:. I guess I'm just anxious! Oh yer, I'm also worried about the weather. Is it really humid all the time? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated:smiliedance:.

[*Cj*]

Are there areas that we should avoid buying in? Mountain Creek school seems good, but are there any other schools with good reputations? Chancellor Park sounds interesting but is it fairly new? We want to be somewhere where Brookelin can be around a lot of other kids but still be near the sea and maybe even have a sea view if we can affoird it. Sorry this is so long:ecomcity:. I guess I'm just anxious! Oh yer, I'm also worried about the weather. Is it really humid all the time? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated:smiliedance:.


Don't have much time right now,
Was just going to say if one of the main things you want is a good school.
Then pick the school you want your dd to go to, then get a house in that area. I know when I lived there all the schools were Zoned so you had to go to the school which was zoned for your area.
I lived in Nambour and it was't really family friendly. I use to fine people were too busy with there own lives to make friend's.

House's price are a little on the High side.

I'll be back later

[MrsMiggins]

Hi! :wave:

I'm from Canberra originally (which apparently is Adelaide's twin sister!) and have lived on the Gold Coast & Sunny Coast. I personally would say that the SC is more family friendly, for sure! The GC is a bit too busy & touristy for me.

Buderim is a really nice area, and I always tout the Caloundra end of the coast (because I love it!! :))

The SC used to be just locals & retirees, but it's not that way at all any more. I've had 2 babies at Nambour General & both times they were so busy in the maternity ward! It is very much a young families place now.

Alternative therapies are certainly popular here - there are many places that offer that kind of thing (even the vet at our local shops advertises natural therapies!)

As for schools, I don't have any school-aged children, so I can't really give you an informed opinion there, but there are certainly a lot of good choices. Hopefully some of the regular SC mums will be able to pop in here, as many of them have kids at school.

You won't regret your decision to move. We moved here from Sydney 5 years ago & LOVE it!!

Plus, you have all us wonderful bubhubbers to help you!! :D

ETA: Oh yes, it is humid here!!! I won't lie to you!! But you have the beach & if you choose somewhere closer to the hinterland, it will probably be kinder to you!

[Issey]

Hi AliAngel72,

I am originally from Adelaide and grew up there around the Modbury area and then lived with my then husband at Happy Valley then Seaford before we moved to the Sunshine Coast 3 years ago. I had a really good job in Adelaide so it was hard leaving that and our family.

I would not EVER move back to Adelaide having lived here. One of the reasons is the amount of family things you can do around here and the places you can go on the weekends etc. This weekend just stayed down Brisbane. You have the Gold Coast to go to, Hervey Bay, Noosa and many small towns to visit and things to do such as Buderim Waterfall!!

I love the weather, it is different heat from Adelaide, I found it didn't take long to climatise and I don't notice the humidity. I can't stand the cold winters in Adelaide and was bored with what there was to do, you can only go to Victor Harbour, Barossa, McLaren Vale so much!!

I am the same age as you so sure we would get along if you moved up here. If you want to PM me please do, I am also happy to talk to you on the phone if you want to discuss anything or have questions.

Also I feel alot safer living here than Adelaide, everyone is friendlier, and it is easy to meet other people when you have children etc. There are many people up here from other States, next door neigbours are from Adelaide on one side and Sydney the other!

[3boys1girl]

Im sorry but im a bit annoyed at people that have told u that the SC isnt family friendly. Have they lived here let alone been here for a holiday??:mad: You are better comming and checking out the SC and talking to the locals here!

I moved from a little town called Wagga in NSW about 6 years ago and I will NEVER be moving back! I love the Sunny Coast its very family orentaited, there are always family activites around the coast that we can attend that are free or almost free.

I live in Chancellor Park and love it! I live in a cul de sac with about 10 other kids in the street that go to my kids school. They have a ball out in the street kicking the footy and playing cricket. Chancellor park is a great place to raise a family as everything such as schools and shops are very close.

If u want her to have friends to play with then a cul de sac is the best place for her to make friends especially one near her school.

So go back and tell your friend she is wrong, sorry to be blunt but she doesnt know what she is talking about!

Oh and one more thing...... the grass is greener on the Sunshine Coast in more ways than one! :yes:

[AliAngel72]

Thank you so much for your replies. It is wonderful to hear from those who are experiencing Sunshine Coast life. It sounds like there are a lot of people who move up there from other states!

CJ - I agree, finding a school would be good. Many of the schools are still zoned. I have looked them up and they all sound great, so it will be hard to make a decision!

MrsMiggins - Caloundra does sound nice too. I have heard there are a lot of families down that way. We are hoping to get to the Sunny coast towards the end of the year so we can have a good look around. We were originally going to concentrate only around the Maroochydore end, but I now also want to check out Caloundra. I was surprised to read the population was bigger than Maroochydore.

Debster - I know exactly what you mean about Victor Harbor and the like. My parents had a shack down there for a while and I was dragged there every holiday! It's nice enough, but not much to do. That's certainly a major attraction for us on the SC - the activities available. Plus a Sizzler. They closed them here years ago and I've been hanging out for some. Mind you, I doubt it will live up to expectation now lol! Thank you for you offer to help with my questions. I will PM you soon.

3KIDSMUM - I'm glad you have set the record straight. I had a feeling my friend was a bit biased and maybe wanted us to move to the GC. I've never really liked 'busy' places, so I can't see us liking the GC all that much. It's just that another woman had told me the people from SC were more snobby. Again, I thought there was a major bias on her part as she lived in, and had written a book about, the GC! It annoys me when people make gross generalisations too! Chancellor Park looks nice, but not many trees yet? Maybe just the photos I saw? I see your point about a cul-de-sac too.

As for the weather, well, I would acclimatise eventually I'm sure. As the forecast here in Adelaide is 36, 38, 38, 39 and 40 for the next 5 days, I am ready to jump in a plane right now lol!

Have you all found it easy to make friends?

[3boys1girl]

Drive into Chancellor and there is one of the biggest trees u have ever seen! Have u checked out these pics? Chancellor park (http://www.chancellorpark.com.au)

As for making friends here, bub hub helps with that as well as playgroups around the areas. At first its hard, but after a while when u know the area, people are very friendly!:yes:

[MrsMiggins]

I found it very easy to make friends here once we had kids - there are just so many other young families around. My DH is one of those people who tends to know everyone on the planet & true to form, he knows just about everyone in Caloundra now! I've met some truly wonderful people since we moved here - no snobs so far!!

[mum2maddy]

I've lived on the Goldy & I'm not a fan. My Inlaws live there now in a Posh Estate near Surfers with their poodles and their environmentally sound Prius.

Talk about snobby!!!

If you don't drive the latest car or have bifold doors opening onto your humungous pool which overlooks the canal then they don't wanna know ya! hehe!

It's too busy, touristy and commercial down there now.

As far as the Sunny Coast goes I like sleepy Caloundra personally, rather than the M'dore end. Buderim is getting really busy and mental since they put in the woolies, I really hate going up there, the traffic's a shocker. Chancellor is nice and established now, If you like surburban living.

Cheers

[AliAngel72]

Well, MrsMiggins and Mum2Maddy, you have really sparked our interest in Caloundra now lol! I was wondering if you could give me some more info about that area? I know there is a new estate called BellVista, where I would assume there would be a lot of young families, but the yards look small and no room for a pool with heaps of play area as well. There looks to be a lot of older homes in the areas we have seen online, with some newer homes mixed in. Are there areas to avoid? I think I read about hoons in Aroona or something - but they are everywhere I guess! 'Sleepy' does appeal to us and it looks like Caloundra has most of the stores we have here in suburban Adelaide. Are there lots of young families in the areas where you guys live? We like the sound of some of the schools, particularly Kawana State, but I think the zone for that starts about Parrearra and ends around Wurtulla. Are you guys around there or further down? Any info you could give would be great. We are trying to plan our trip up there and now plan to stay somewhere in Caloundra as well as Maroochydore and the days on the GC are getting less and less lol!

[Jaileth]

I've lived on the sunshine coast almost my whole life, but my dh and his parents moved up around 20 years ago.

Caloundra (were I grew up) is a great place - but it is getting busier. Recently we've moved from Currimundi (10mins north of Caloundra) to Mooloolah, which is out near Australia Zoo. Mooloolah is a smaller town, but (to us) has a nicer feel to it. There are heaps of kids in the area and a great kid-friendly park.

Buderim is fantastic too, they have lots of boutique type shops, and a nice looking school and some great parks and natural bushland areas.

Maroochydore has 'The Plaza' (Sunshine Plaza) which has a whole heap of shops and crosses the river. It also has other shopping centres and is somewhere to avoid at christmas if you don't like loads of crowds.

There are good points and bad points about everywhere, I'm glad to see that you'll be coming up and checking it out.

My friend lived in Bellvista estate for a while, and it did seem that there were a lot of families there (although, to be honest, it seems like that everywhere on the coast nowdays). As for the yards, it would depend on the size of the pool and the house, but her parents bought in Bellvista and their yard is huge.

Aroona is a great area, to me it is a bit quieter than some of the others on the coast. There is a new school that is kinda close to there.

As for particular schools, I couldn't give you any real details, but if we lived in Caloundra when ds is due to start, I would be trying to get him into Golden Beach Primary, Caloundra Primary or Currimundi Primary.

Good luck with your search. PM me if you want any more info - even if it's about particular shops or places. :)

[gypsy72]

My Husband and I moved from Adelaide to SC August 06. I like it here although there are times I miss my family and friends (and continental food!!) back in SA. My husband has found it more difficult to adjust than I as I spent 10 years up on the Gold Coast before returning to SA, so I had some family and friends already in QLD. I also had DEBSTER here as well for company!! The girls I've met thru BUB HUB are great too. I think it's easier for us girls as we have Mum's groups etc....to meet new people.

In terms of alternative lifestyle and alternative health etc.... Sunshine Coast is the MECCA for it. Our main attraction to the Sunny Coast was the family friendly atmosphere- To ditch our long hours-white collar jobs to spend more time with our boys!!

I live on the border of Maroochydore/ Buderim and love the location as it's very central to everything- but yes I do avoid the PLAZA holiday season and RAINY days!!

Moving away from family and friends IS hard but you always have US to help you assimulate to the new lifestyle should you decide to move.

My Husband can't believe the change in my attitude to life since moving here. I was very focused on my career, money etc...back in SA. Whereas here in QLD I am a bit more laid back and relaxed. (except on School Holidays- when the kids drive me a little insane!!!- who am I kidding ALOT insane!!)

[MrsMiggins]

Well, MrsMiggins and Mum2Maddy, you have really sparked our interest in Caloundra now lol! I was wondering if you could give me some more info about that area? I know there is a new estate called BellVista, where I would assume there would be a lot of young families, but the yards look small and no room for a pool with heaps of play area as well. There looks to be a lot of older homes in the areas we have seen online, with some newer homes mixed in. Are there areas to avoid? I think I read about hoons in Aroona or something - but they are everywhere I guess! 'Sleepy' does appeal to us and it looks like Caloundra has most of the stores we have here in suburban Adelaide. Are there lots of young families in the areas where you guys live? We like the sound of some of the schools, particularly Kawana State, but I think the zone for that starts about Parrearra and ends around Wurtulla. Are you guys around there or further down? Any info you could give would be great. We are trying to plan our trip up there and now plan to stay somewhere in Caloundra as well as Maroochydore and the days on the GC are getting less and less lol!

OK!

When we first moved here, we looked at BellVista, but decided it wasn't for us, as we'd moved from a similar estate called Glenmore Park in NSW (owned by the same developer) and didn't want the same lifestyle we had there. We wanted a bit more open space, older, more established areas, no neighbours sitting on top of you etc. There definitely are larger yards in BellVista, but you will have to pay for the privelege. On the plus side, it is all quite new & sparkly, the houses are all pretty, it's organised, there are parks etc., lots of young families.

You absolutely hit the nail on the head when you said there seems to be a lot of older houses with newer ones mixed in. What started to happen around 10 years ago, was that people cottoned on to the potential of the place and started buying up older style or run-down homes in good locations, knocking them down & re-building modern homes, or renovating what was there. Areas like Golden Beach are a perfect example of this. In one street, you may have a mix of old, untouched properties, older homes which have been completely renovated & brand new homes with all the bells & whistles! They all seem to work in well with eachother though. Many areas have seen a lot of redevelopment over the past decade or so.

It may even be a little difficult getting up to the minute info on services etc around some areas, because it all changes so rapidly. (Caloundra just got a new Woolworths, for instance. Looks pretty swish! I think it opens on Monday. And there is an Aldi set to open very soon.) But you can always ask us here if there's something specific you need to know.

Aroona is OK. There are certainly some spectacular homes there, with equally spectacular views (and price tags, I'm sure!!) I guess like you said, there are positives & negatives about any location. Again, Aroona is one of those areas with a lot of old & new blended together.

We live in Wurtulla. At first I was a bit hesitant moving here, as the areas around Nicklin Way I had some idea in my head were a bit rough, but we really have had no problems, and have been enjoying it. There are lots of young families around here (apparently half my playgroup live within walking distance of me, I've recently been finding out!!) and lots of walking tracks, parks etc.

We lived in Little Mountain for a while. You might want to have a look around there (the racecourse side of Caloundra Road) if you like the idea of "sleepy" but still want to be close to everything. There are lots of nice small acreage properties & it's an older, more established area, yet it's only a 5-10 minute drive to the main part of Caloundra. Another plus for that location is that it's very close to the Bruce Highway, which makes accessing Brisbane, the hinterland & the northern areas of the Coast very easy.

[AliAngel72]

Thanks for your reply MrsMiggins. We have looked at a few houses online and there are some nice houses up in Little Mountain. Is that area fairly family friendly? What made you guys move? We have a 2008 street directory, so we can see the proposed railway. Do you think that will make the area noisy?

We just can't wait to come up and have a look around all of the SC.

I wish we didn't have to go to the GC at all, but we have a slight problem. The woman who has moved up to Upper Coomera on the GC has a little girl 9 months older than my daughter. It is the weirdest thing, they seem to have formed a huge bond when they were just 2.5 years and 3. They moved to the GC in December 2006 and Brookelin still talks about Georgia constantly. I thought it was just one-sided, but apparently despite making heaps of friends in QLD, Georgia still talks to them all about Brookelin. I don't know if it is strange for kids to form a bond that early in life and whether they will be weird around each other when they meet, but we really do have to go and see them. They are right near the theme parks so we may check out a couple as well. I just don't see us being happy living there.

There is a short video of Caloundra on realestate.com.au and it shows what they are referring to as the 'main street' with a lovely tree canopy. Does anyone know where that would be?

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. We are sweltering! We have not had a day under 35 for a week and the next 7 days are all over 35 (closer to 40), except one which is 34! If that day goes over 35 apparently Adelaide will break a record that has stood since 1934. Well, that's one record I hope we don't break!

[mum2maddy]

Hey,
Just a quick one about Caloundra. We used to live in Aroona in the oldish part but still really nice. We had a good sized yard and a pool. I guess the estate was built in the 90's some time which is good cos that was before developers decided to make blocks 450 sqm instead of 800.

There are good facilities close to Aroona with the Currimundi Marketplace (woolies and stuff) and it's close to the beach and Caloundra. I really loved living there but when we got more into horses and stuff we had to move out of town.

There were hoons there but my husband was one of them and he lives here now so that's one less you have to worry about LOL!

There is a new estate called Ivadale lakes in Little Mountain which has nice homes. Bellvista is ok I guess, but it used to be VERY cheap and it's quite flat there so I think it'd be fairly stuffy there when there was little breeze. My hubby used to sell Real Estate in Caloundra and he reckons Aroona is the best value for money.

Anyway hope that helps. Have fun scouting around.

Oh the main street of Caloundra is called Bulcock Street. And yeh it's like a tradional little beach town main street. Very quaint. If you follow the road in from the Highway u pretty much run right into the main street. It's good for a walk up and down occasionally but I'll take airconditioned Stockland shopping centre over that any day! the shops in Caloundra are basic but we have some awesome boutiques, Kmart, coles and woolies now which is all you need. If you want anything that caloundra doesnt have you have to go to the dreaded plaza in Maroochydore. I go there about once a year, I hate crowds, so the plaza and me don't get along real well!

Cheers
Ange

[MrsMiggins]

Thanks for your reply MrsMiggins. We have looked at a few houses online and there are some nice houses up in Little Mountain. Is that area fairly family friendly?

Little Mountain is family friendly. They actually just put all new play equipment in one of the parks there & made it a really fantastic park to take the kids (yep, they did all that the week after we moved!! :laughing:)


What made you guys move?
The owners of the house we were renting! They moved back from Mackay about 3 years early!! They missed the Sunshine Coast too much!


We have a 2008 street directory, so we can see the proposed railway. Do you think that will make the area noisy?

Hard to say, but in all honesty I sincerely doubt it. That whole area is very open & even with all the development going on in the area, it's still very "bush-like". There are some major, major road works going on on Caloundra Road near Corbould Park (the racecourse) and even though we were living quite close to it, and could hear it going on, it was barely noticeable.

That "proposed train line" has been on the agenda for YEARS! It will probably go ahead, but I'm pretty sure it's still a long way off. I can't even remember what year they were talking about it being completed now.....?

If anything, the new train line would be fantastic, making public transport in the area easier. :thumbsup:

[AliAngel72]

Thanks again MrsMiggins!

We really like some of the houses in both Little Mountain and the Currimundi area. We are definitely realising we will be spoiled for choice on the SC. I am getting the distinct impression that Maroochydore may be a lot busier than I first thought. I read recently on the Sunshine Daily site people complaining about the traffic around Buderim and Mountain Creek, especially at school drop-off/pick-up times. Or is that the way school times are in general everywhere?

Where we live, in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, we are within 10mins of a Westfield and other shopping and 6 minutes from the beach and have a major shopping development happening about 2 minutes drive from us. It all sounds ideal and I DO think we are being a little ungrateful, but we just don't feel 'home'. Do you think that sounds weird or naive? I don't know. Maybe we are searching for something outside ourselves, but the fact remains Brookelin has no kids her age anywhere around her and the job oportunities in Adelaide are really average. Adelaide is a lovely place, but it has a very aging population and few family activities. It is also only ever bloody hot (like now) or freezing and not many average days in between. Well, that's enough whinging! I just wish we were in a position to be able to come up there right now for a visit lol!

P.S. MrsMiggins are you a fan of ELO? I was playing ELO most of the morning and Brookelin quite liked most of the songs. It was a nice change from High School Musical, which I was ready to throw out the window, she plays it so much lol!