Brisbane..Help

[julesgee]

I'm having a panic

We are moving to Brisbane in November for 4 years. It has all happened very quickly.

We have temp accommodation for the first 8 weekS but having never been to Brisbane before I have no idea what area to look for more permanent rental accommodation.

We have a 4 year old and I will be a SAHM to begin with , OH will be working in CBD and he will commute( 40 mins max)

So, what are the best areas? with decent schools? easy commute. I dont know where to start looking.

Thank you

Until a Brisbane MN-er turns up; try the Poms in Oz forum.

Bump.

Thanks Echt

i haved never been , but my RL best mate moved there 6 weeks ago so ant particular questions i can ask her? her kids are 11 and 13 tho

You'll have no problem finding furnished rental accommodation in Briz. Renting is more secure in QLD than here. Be aware that it's bloody cold in a cute looking wooden 'bungalow' without heating in the dead of winter! 4 degrees C with no insulation?!

You'll need a car! The train and bus services aren't bad but everything is a lot more spread out than in the UK. The bike tracks are good and often off-road.

By and large the western and NW suburbs are considered the 'best', but those along the river to the east have improved with the arrival of the City Cat(amarans).

If you live in a reasonable area, you'll have no problem finding reasonable schools. A lot of DCs go private (36% on AVERAGE) but most of the private schools are run by religions. The school starting age was 6 but I think they've made the preschool year compulsory now.

HTH

I would look at

realestate.com.au

ourbrisbane

education queensland

sorry I cannot link. Everytime I try IE and Mozilla crash

I have grown up on the southside so know that area quite well. Not sure about the northside but I do like Mcdowall, Chermside, Ascot, Hawthorne, Bulimba, Greenslopes, Indoorpilly, Yeronga, Chelmer, Coorparoo, Tarrgindi, St Lucia, Ashgrove or Carindale if I had a family.

Yes you will need a car. Publis tranport is not that great compared to here.

Start looking at schools now as they start in January. He may start prep soon if he turns five soon.

Local newspaper is the Courier Mail. Is a shit paper but it gives you a rough idea of what happens there.

Brisbane News is a freebie paper which is very good. ALso gives you ideas about the area.

Look into private health insurance too. Medibank Private and MBF are the big ones. Much better thenthe UK versions but medicare (like NHS) is good too.

Feel free to ask anything else.

Thanks for all your help

I feel more on top of things now. I am working through the list I have and trying not to stress until I have to.

We have decided to not look for more perm accommodation unitl we actually arrive in Brisbane. No point really as you cant make decisons via info or pictures on a computer. But I have a long list of places to visit/research.

We have health insurance already as it was a requirement of the temp visa

Schools I have briefly researched. Our daughter will be turning 4 a few weeks before we leave so we have a little more time to find a decent school ( I think)

Arggghhhh So much to do, so little time

My next door neighbour emigrated to Brisbane 18 months ago and have settled in a place called Wellington Point.

Her DS's go to the local primary there and seem to have settled well.

Might be worth investigating.

Good luck!

I live in Brisbane and grew up here - have lived most of my life here so:

there are a few places within 40 minute commute. Near us is a place called North Lakes - good schools within 10 minutes drive - lots of choice, lots of expats - area is nicknamed little Britain!! :)

We live 10 minutes walk from a train station with a bus that stops right outside our door. Dh works in the city and he commutes by train (so much easier than driving and parking in city)- walks to train station and then is able to catch an express train to the city that takes around 30 minutes. We live 30 minutes drive from the coast - we are in north Brisbane.

You could try areas like Ferny Hills/Ferny Grove/Grovely/Mitchelton (north west areas) - good schools again as well as easy commute to the city. Ferny grove is the last stop on that line and takes no more than 30 minutes by train and between 20 and 30 minutes to drive to the city.

If you want to live closer to the city - if you can live near a train station - they go straight to the city and easy commuting.

Chermside is very good area - direct bus route to the city as well as a very large shopping centre! Good schools around that area.

OMG eids... your actually reccomending .... GULP.... North Lakes.... Faints and falls over.....
Im sure we can find her somewhere nicer!
I prefer you plan b list although being a coastal gal id add the the extra short drive makes little britain 2 a good bet! ( Bribie Island)Dh makes it into the city in 45 mins on the train ... with the beach lie style and eventually good school found!

Chloe -Better then springfield or forest lake!!

Bulimba, Hawthorne, are very popular and anywhere on the Bayside - Manly, Wellington Point, Ormiston, Cleveland, Redland Bay Water and sea breezes on those

Sorry, breezes on those hot summer days

Just dont move to:
Inala, Richmond, Forest lake, Depression (aka Deception) Bay, Beaudesert (oh the humanity I have to move back there)...I could go on.

Maybe look into suburbs around Centenary? Westlake, Jindalee, etc? Or Moggill/Bellbowrie?

urmm hows the serenity... yes...maybe nbetter but every time i have to go to north lakes i just think of the truman show!.. oh and humanity.... beaudessert.. i recently went to help a firent who was cutting there and by jesus.... Is it really the end of the world.. co it felt like it.. but my dh asures me they do have a maccas... so maybe some signs of life!

it depends whether you want lots of expats or want to run away from them.

Redcliffe peninsula area is fab too.

Good point eids....

Errr, I should imagine I would rather like to run away from them!

julesgee you sound like you're in the same position I was in a few months ago! We moved to Brisbane in August (plan to be here around 3 years) and I'm still in the process of getting settled!

Here's what we did, which worked out pretty well:

When still in the UK, we did a lot of research online, looking at the real estate websites that someone recommended earlier. This should give you a bit of idea on what's on offer in your price range.

When we arrived, we took a few days to recover from the trip (otherwise you're dragging a grumpy and tired DC with you, and NOTHING will look good). Then we lined up some visits to houses in a few areas that had been recommended to us - primarily Ascot, Bulimba, Manly and Kenmore.

We didn't necessarily look to rent at first - the rental market moves quite quickly, so if you're not ready to make an offer, then its best not to get your heart set on a particular house - because we too had temporary accommodation in the CBD. But the visits helped us to get an idea of the style we liked, what was available in different areas, etc. Then DH, DD and I revisited the areas (using public transport to get an idea of how a commute would be) and just had a wander, ate lunch in a local cafe, etc to get a feel for the area.

This helped us to narrow it down to Ascot or Bulimba, both of which had the right 'feel' for us and ended up renting a house in Ascot.

Oh, and you do definitely need a car. Public transport is limited. I've also found it difficult to find as many playgroups and activities for my DD (she's 2.5yo) - we're currently on a waiting list for a playgroup - but there are activities out there, you just have to ask around (and have a car to get to them).

You will enjoy it though. The people are very friendly, the city is a million times more child-friendly than London (or any other British city I've visited) and the weather is beautiful (recent downpours excepted).

I'll shut up now since I'm rattling on, but please let me know if you'd like more about my experience relocating to Brisbane - or someone to call on once you've arrived!

Blimey the busy play group thing must be a city thing? cerainly ares are not over subscribed! however not my cup of tea... I just didnt enjoy it! Tere are wait lists for kindy but ds got in to a very good one by asking for just one day a week and now he can slot extras in if needed... Yes julesgee i am also a... id rather get away from little britain too! One of my neighbours is egyption the others are all aussies who have lived on the street for 30 odd years! But that suits us... dont get me wrong i have english friends and at times.. especially at work its fun to talk about similar past experiences and the state of the NHS at the mo!
I guess the first decison moving to bris is what kind of life style you want? acreage,beach, city, county town... there all availiable!
We did rent a house before we arrived initially, just did it online and paid an extra month, but it meant we had a home address for stuff to be delivered and to order new stuff!

Ok, for an easy commute.... Inner north west is good and easy access to city: Windsor, Wilston, Newmarket, Alderley. All on the Ferny Grove train line. Or get the lovely air-conditioned bus! Bus lanes and new tunnels. All good schools.

I would avoid the (outer) western suburbs if your DH wants easy commute to the CBD. Those suburbs are lovely in themselves, but the Western freeway is a complete drag.

A few people have mentioned Ascot - it is Very Nice! And v expensive. But v nice!

My dh has an interview for a job in Brisbane on wed evening!! Quite hopeful as he has been selected as only one to be interviewed out ov over 15 candidates from UK and OZ.

We have a 5.5yo, 4yo and 2yo and I am already excited/nervous etc!!!

I have heard that you have to pay school fees at first if you are not an australian citizen, is this right?

I don't think we will buy a house. We plan to rent! Let me know how your move goes!!

Hi if you have temp residency so a 457 visa or similar you dont pay school fees for state school. However private education is very popular in Australia and the fees are very differnt from the Uk although so is the basis for the education... mostly churdh owned schools. So DD goes to a lutheran school. we are not lutheran or even religious for that matter but the school provides waht we are looking for and dd actually enjoys the whole god aspect of it now! Good luck with the job! what area does he work in Dh works in IT / business consultancy and they allways need people!

Hi Chloe, thanks for replying! What do you like about the school your dd goes too? We are Christians so wouldn't be opposed to a faith school...

we would be on a 457 visa. My dh is in Environmental Consultancy- contaminated land, which I know is in demand in Australia.

How long have you lived in Australia? I am trying not to get too excited but I am really liking the look of Brisbane from my research!!