Moving to Brisbane (from Perth)

[PetuniaPantyhose]

HI everyone
We will be moving to Brisbane sometime in the New Year. Have been in Perth for three years, my DH is from Perth, living in the western suburbs. We like Perth in general, move is pretty work-related. There are two things we haven't enjoyed: the absence of day trippable interesting things to do (which we think will be better in BRis) and aspects of school. Our kids go to a lovely local state school but with very few two parent working families in it (probably due to the demographics of the area). Parents are all lovely but i would like to swim in a sea with a few more similar fish, IYKWIM.

So, Brisbanites: tell me about why I will love and not love Brisbane.Tell me about the humidity. Is it really that bad? I have to say i loathe summer in Perth, the relentless march of days over 35 gets so wearing, but the rest of the year is gorgeous.

Tell me also about schools. DH will be working in the CBD and I will be working near UQ. We are looking at the non-flooding bits of Paddington, Bardon, Indoorooplilly, St Lucia, Chelmer and Graceville. Would like kids to go to a state primary on arrival

We know approximately 3 people in Brisbane so it's all a bit of an adventure (!!)

[chloeb2002]

Hi we love Brisbane but don't live in the city. Prefer the beach and rural way of life for our kids. I work at herston and dh works in the valley. Been here 7 years now.
Humidity.., sorry it is bad. Dh does say he would have loved Perth for dry heat is much easier. However we cope and our house has no air con! Just fans and a pool
Air con is great and eventually in out building plan we will get some in the bedrooms and living rooms at least.,we choose a pool first as our kids love being outside.
The schools in your area should be ok. Our kids go private.
Day trips , lots of them!
Never short of stuff to do.
Great place for families.
We have all you could want hopping wise. We live Northside ( near bribe) so now Costco is my main shop ikea at Logan and soon hopefully Northside too.
Lots of sports etc. Today I'm off to chandler for state relays.
Generally amazing weather.. Looks outside at the rain

[Shenton]

I've been in Perth for 2.5 years and we are deciding between PR and moving to Texas lol
The economy has turned to shite, it's worrying. Will be watching this with interest.
Oh and we are in Nedlands and I know exactly what you mean about the schools it's quite difficult at times, I'm a single mum so sm a sore thumb sticking out.

[chloeb2002]

Is it really better in the U.S. Financially than Aus? Must admit other than rising cost of living I have not noticed any impact financially.
Tough choices in areas of health and education to streamline services. Otherwise it's all good ??

There is the my school site op if you want to look at individual schools. It's generally not the greatest and often shows how much naplan time is spent but will show demographic etc.

[Shenton]

Cost of living being significantly less is Texas main attraction, same salary less bills.

[HowsTheSerenity]

I've always lived on the Southside around Yeronga.
The areas you have picked are lovely. Are you buying or
renting? It's not the cheapest area. As for flooding.....well it is a rare occurrence.

Do you want a cafe hipster area then Paddington is for you. Big tree lined avenues with expensive houses then Chelmer it is. St. Lucia is full of uni students. Indro (Indooroopilly) is a mix of hipsters, uni students, share house groups, families and a big Westfield. Graceville is my favourite. Families and older couples who have been there since the 50's, nice shops, cafes and parks etc.
Corinda is nice and changing for the better. Is that an option?

So my pick is Graceville. The school is very good too. They have a fabulous fete every year and friends children all went there.

[rockdakazbah]

We are in Yeronga too! We lived in Toowong when we first arrived which was handy for the city (both DH and I work in the CBD.

Saying that I much prefer the Southside and would concur with Howstheserenity in recommending Graceville.

[PetuniaPantyhose]

Thanks everyone! I hadn't checked in a few days as I thought I had no replies and look what happened....

Shenton we are down the road from you! Lots of families heading between PErth and Texas at the moment. THe only good thing about the economic downturn is that the house prices have got to come down....
chloe yes, have looked at the site but as you say has to be taken with a grain (or a gallon) of salt. Our current school does pretty well but not amazingly and I would recommend it highly.

Serenity we will ultimately be buying as it is a permanent move. I really don't want to move the kids twice though and all the schools I like are catchment ones, so I feel a bit of pressure to get the area right, so we can rent there, buy something and keep the kids in the same school. HOw do you think Graceville fares on the two working parent front? The houses look lovely. Brisbane is so vastly cheaper than Perth that fortunately all those suburbs are within our price range.

Neither of you Yeronga residents recommending Yeronga or is that just because I hadn't asked about it specifically?

[HowsTheSerenity]

Yeronga is fab especially around the river and the 'O' streets (all streets start with the letter O. Public transport isn't as great though and Yeronga state school is too big IMO. There has been a massive cultural shift within the area due to the influx of refugees. Initially, there was a lot of violence between warring tribal groups that came with them from the Sudan. It's eased off a lot and there are some great restaurants in Moorooka.
This has made done people wary of the area.

Ooh what about Tennyson? It's between Yeronga and Graceville. Some nice houses . Google 'King Arthur Terrace' for images.

It all depends on how much you earn and the size of your mortgage.
Don't expect anything decent or a good size under $500,000.

[HowsTheSerenity]

Out of curiosity what jobs are transferable between WA and Texas? Gas and oil?

[Shenton]

I don't think the houses prices will come down .. They never really did in the uk they just became further and further out of reach as wages dropped. I think Perth will be awful in 2015. Our rental is now 2/3's of my salary ??

[Shenton]

Oh yes oil and gas

[rockdakazbah]

I would recommend Yeronga, I hadn't recommended it as OP hadn't specifically asked about it. We are really happy there and it's only about 20 mins from the CBD (as someone who used to commute for 4 hours a day, a short commute was very important when choosing a location).