Just moved to the Gold Coast HELP

[needmoretime]

Hey Everyone,

I have just moved to the gold coast from Sydney as my partner had to get a transfer with work and im really not enjoying it. My partners work is renting us a house in Upper Coomera which i hate. Sorry if anyone lives here, but i find the people rude and there is constantly people getting broken into. We are going to be buying our own house on the gold coast but i dont know what suburbs to look in. Any help would be greatly appreciated. We are looking to spend about $800 000 - $850 000. I have a 15 month old son, so any areas which have parks and close to the beach but dont have a high crime rate. Any help would be greatly appreciated as im quite stressed out about it.
Thank you so much.

[Cupcake]

Welcome :) I can't speak about were you are right now because I never go up that way :no: I was born here & I live in Mermaid Beach....you are willing to spend a good amount so that will allow you to live a bit more central & closer to the beach which is good.
I think places like Burleigh Waters,Mermaid Waters,Broadbeach Waters are all nice places with a family feel also Robina is a nice area just a bit further from the beach, there are plenty of other places that I am sure other Gold Coasters could tell you about but I have only ever been on the beach side so that's all I can help you with :)
Good luck.

[needmoretime]

Thanks so much for that we were going to look at mermaid waters. It seems very central as u are close to the beach and close to pacific fair. Any other help would be greatly appreciated, It is so hard moving interstate not knowing anything about the suburbs

[Cupcake]

I love Mermaid Waters & I love Pacific Fair ;)
There are alot of older houses around there as well that just need a makeover & a nice Render :) My DH owns he's own company & we know someone in just about every trade so if you need any tips or advice I am sure I could find someone to help you :D

[Mammy]

Hi and welcome :wave:

I've sent a pm to you.

Its hard moving somewhere new isn't it? Ive been here 3 years and i still havent settled in, im wondering if i ever will... Don't get me wrong, its a fabulous place, but i just get very homesick...

Like Cupcake I dont really know Upper Coomera and the northern end of the coast so i cant comment.
I live in Robina and it seems to be a great place for families. Also Varsity lakes is fab, its a brand new suburb, very family friendly, lots of parks, and central to everything. With your budget you shouldnt have too many problems finding a house in a nice suburb.

So i would recommend these two places plus broadbeach, broadbeach waters, mermaid beach/waters, and burleigh heads. Currumbin is nice too but might be a bit too far away...

[cassie]

hi it doesnt matter were you go it will be a bit rough. Im at coomera and we havent had any problems. Yes there are people here that are rud a bit i think you get alot people comming down from rough areas. I found the local people on the Coast are really freindly. Also there are lot of tourist area to. So please dont judge us all as know alot of lovely people that live in coomera. Allso about people breaking in to your house im sorry to hear that. I dont wish it happen to anyone. Good luck with the move.
cas

[kaydensmom]

Hi! I just moved here a year ago from overseas with my husband and (now) 18 month old and trust me I know how you feel ;) We spent 6 months looking for the right house and neighborhood...we settled in Varsity Lakes and are really happy. We chose a really quiet street with 3 bedroom house + pool and didn't come near your budget so you will do really well especially with the current market. I totally agree, Varsity, Robina, Mermaid are great locations for local access to shops, the beach, airport and the M1... so you can get the hell outta here if need be :p
Once I let down my guard I started to find everyone around these areas really nice actually. Although, to be honest some of y'alls accents are so strong I just have to smile and nod :eek: Good luck chica...

[needmoretime]

Thank you so much for all your help. We are going to look at a couple of houses in Mermaid Waters and Broadbeach Waters. I have been down that way the last couple of days and everyone seems really lovely. So hopefully we will be happy there.
Its so hard moving interstate/overseas.

[ogsmum]

yeah mermaid beach is great - from a local's perspective try and buy as close to the beach as possible - you seem to have the budget to afford it too which is great.

now, don't continue reading if you want positive encouragement about the gold coast...i've been on the coast for 24 years and it really has gone from being an 80 000 people coastal town to a dog-eat-dog 500 000 population aggressive city with lots of 'yobbo' mentality. the coast is also really transient - people come and go all the time so therefore people seem to stick to their friends and not let anyone else in - especially blokes. they are really into their groups and hard to crack into. my partner is from england and he's been here 2 years and hasn't made a single friend outside of my family :no: if your kids enjoy the beach and sports then they'll love it. if not, well....

sorry i can't be more complimentary about the place, but really in many ways the gold coast is an illusion :cool:

[needmoretime]

Hey Ogsmum,

You have perfectly summed up the Gold Coast. If my DH hadnt been offered a job here we would of stayed in Sydney.

Oh well Hopefully when we move to the beach We will be a bit happier.

Thanks for the honest advice.

[ogsmum]

poor you :-) oh well, nothing is forever and before you know it you'll be somewhere else which is why i think you should move to the beach to take advantage of the natural beauty of the ocean - walks, picnics, bbqs, sunrises, etc. better than trying to make sense of the people :no::yelclap: oh, i'm such a sceptic - i'm sorry bout that (!!!) good luck. but now is the time to buy some property bargains near the beach apparently :yes:

[Little Gorilla]

I wouldn't live up Coomera way either...if you are going to spend that type of money...here are my suggestions.....

Close to or even on the water - Runaway Bay, Paradise Point, Hollywell - lots of parks - convenient to Labrador Broadwater - lots of playgroups around - would be my pick.

A little bit more inland - Benowa, Bundall - certain parts of Ashmore.

These are all more Northern Suburbs - which is my preference.

Take a drive around and you will see what I mean.

We live in Coombabah....and although there are some "odd" people around - if you were willing to spend that type of money - you could get a mansion here - probably right on the water front.

Good luck - I moved from Sydney a few years back and it does take time to work out the nicer areas...and basically what suits you.

[Little Gorilla]

Hey Ogsmum,

You have perfectly summed up the Gold Coast. If my DH hadnt been offered a job here we would of stayed in Sydney.

Oh well Hopefully when we move to the beach We will be a bit happier.

Thanks for the honest advice.

I lived in Sydney for over 20 years before moving here - the Eastern Suburbs was all that I knew.

I hated the first year here and wanted to go home, I stuck it out though - I got out there to playgroups and have now made a nice little group of friends - down to earth, genuine people - my DP is friends with their partners and goes fishing and out on "boys nights" etc - our kids all play well together.

It took me a good 2 years to fully settle in.

All my old school friends are in sydney as well as my family.....i love going back for visits - especially the shopping at Bondi Junction and the City....however, you could not pay me to move back there permanently.

PM me if you have any more questions about the Gold Coast....just give it a chance...there are some idiots on the coast - I stay away from Surfers as much as possible....but the lifestyle here is something we just couldn't have had in Sydney.

[lil' starlette]

Hey, I live in Robina and I love this area...it has a nice sense of community. I also love Burleigh we go all the time to play at the swings and have coffee. We have been here for a few and I have found it really easy to make friends (mainly thru BH) I prefer the GC much more than Sydney...I find Sydney a bit dirty, I guess after being here you get used to everything being brand new and clean...good luck house hunting!

[Jenko]

I moved here from Bondi, Sydney 2.5yrs ago. It took a while to settle in, but I wouldn't move back to Sydney at all. We lived in Broadbeach first and now live in Burleigh Waters. Both suburbs I would reccomend. I love where we are now. It's only a 10min walk to the beach. Pac Fair and Robina Town are close by and it's lovely and quiet.

I only knew one person when I moved up here. I go to playgroup and I meet up with a few of the mums from there outside of playgroup. At the park or each others houses. That took a while to come about though. The first 6 months I went to playgroup I only chatted to other mums occasionlly. Sometimes I would come home and realise i didn't even talk to anyone. :( But I stuck it out.

DD goes to kindy and I've got to know her best friends mum as the girls do dancing together and of course theres all my bubhub friends. We're having our night out tomorrow night. :smiliedance: We used to have more regular meets, but there hasn't been any on lately. We'll have to organise one when you get settled :)

Good Luck with the house hunting.

[ogsmum]

well i think you need to take the above advice because it is true, while the coast has its faults - people who have just moved here do seem to find others in the same boat and make good networks. so good luck, and yeah - playgroups and stuff are a great way to make new groups of friends :sunshine:

[needmoretime]

Thank you so much for all your help everyone. Its good to know that im not the only one that thinks like this.

Im going to look at a couple of open homes at mermaid today. So fingers crossed.

Once we move i will look into playgroups. But if anyone is keen to meet up Let me know.

Thanks for your advice :)

[Cupcake]

I will meet up in a heartbeat...we may just be neighbours :D
You will be happier once you get your own place & find your feet, I have lived here all my life but I am always up for new friends :) we are not all horrible it's about finding the right people.

[MurphysLaw]

Hi there
Also new to the coast from Sydney and currently at Mermaid Beach - a great location thankfully! We are close to the beach, Pacific Fair etc, which makes the transition a little easier. If you find yourself close by I would be happy to meet up for a coffee. Surrounding areas look great also, ie: Mermaid Waters, Burleigh etc....Good luck with house shopping, Im sure you will find something great in this market! :sunshine: