Auckland vs Brisbane/Melbourne

[AngryBeaver]

Hi, we emigrated to NZ around 5 years ago (I'm sure some here will remember the threads!)
Well, while we LOVE it here on Waiheke, we find it very restrictive, cost wise.

We decided to move to a suburb of Auckland (Devonport) which I also love.
But, the problem with NZ is its just sooooo horrifically expensive.
We could get a house in Devonport. But it would be a small 3 bed (we have 4 kids) with a tiny garden, and overlooked from most angles! And it will still cost us over a million.

It's not just the houses that are expensive - it's just EVERYTHING.

So, we started to think about Australia.
We started to look at houses in Brisbane and were shocked to see what we could get for the same money.

We wouldn't want to live West Aus, or Sydney.
But, Queensland/Melbourne look nice. I have never been!

We qualify for a visa, so that's no problem.
But, it's another big move for the kids 2,6,8,10.

Can anyone give me any insight into life over there. Someone who has lived both places would be great.
TIA

We lived in The Gap when we were in Brissie! It is a lovely suburb in general, good schools, nice park and we met some lovely people. I would say more like 40/45 minutes on the bus to the CBD though.

Bloody hell though, the rain! I grew up near Manchester in the UK and thought I knew wet weather - boy was I wrong! My parents came to visit one January, we had 4 completely dry days in three weeks and 45cm of rain in one 24hr period.

Lots of interesting wildlife too - plenty of redbacks and huntsmen. We had an eastern brown snake as well as a carpet python and a pink tongued skink.

I did like the kookaburras and the cockatoos though

Do you have to pay for achool supplies in NZ? That did surprise me - was about $180 per child without uniform.

I had to pay for alcohol in Perth much to my disappointment .... Oh you mean school stuff lol
Yeah but £100 a year and the kids actually get pencils they can use, my 6 year old often can't do the morning activity because the pencils are blunt and nobody sharpens them. I'd rather he used his own

"I must say though that seriously, a big thing for us is that we went to malls too and there would be big groups of teens ha binging out there with the most awful behaviour. Just loud, crass fat teen girls in body con, tats and tits and ugh! We has a conversation when Dc were little about not wanting to be there when our kids were older because all good while kids are little and you are calling the shots but when a Dc wants to go to the mall with her qld mates because they are hot, horny and bored and that's all there is to do, that's the stuff they do! Bored urban suburban teens. It's a problem"

Ok, this was from a friend here. Is this a worldwide problem, do we think? My kids are too young yet, for me to have encountered any of this. So, I can say form experience that town centres in uk (rather than malls as it seems to be here, and US and Aus ) definitely have their fair share of this type of stuff.
But, I suppose what I'm asking is, is it prevalent in some areas like Brisbane, for example? A culture, if you will.
I actually feel silly even posting, because I know it's a massive generalisation. I just thought I would check!
Crime levels and anti social behaviour are so scarce here that I fear anywhere we move after this will seem like Bedlam!

What I noticed in QLD was that generally teenagers seemed busier with sport than their UK counterparts....at least the ones I knew. This might have something to do with the weather of course. If not team sporty types, then the beach/surfing was a big draw for many. There were always stories of the Gold Coast being full of drugs/parties etc but to be honest it happens everywhere. I grew up in a UK rural area, I smoked my first fag at 12 and got drunk in a field at 14......being 'out of town' made no difference to that need to explore and experiment.

Access to alcohol is a bit harder in QLD because you can't just buy in the supermarket/corner shop and need to go to a liquor store. Australia, I found, was more rule abiding than the UK in this respect and teenagers would probably need a 25 year old to assist them in purchasing. You can't drink alcohol in parks in QLD either (not sure what the rule on the beach was) so it either cuts it down or drives them further away. I honestly think this aspect of teenage life occurs in all Western societies and really it's down to the kid, their parents and peers as to whether they partake a little or a lot.

It's absolutely a world wide problem. We lived in Stratford upon Avon when the DC's were tiny and there were teens there hanging out with bottles of alcohol outside the local shops after dark. Admittedly they did tend to have a coat on though !

I can say I would prefer my future DCs to be teens in Aus as the teens I see here in the UK are much older than the teens in Aus. In Aus they're much more involved in sport, and it's also much harder to get a hold of booze when you're underage. I'm also shocked as how short school dresses/skirts can be worn here and how much makeup they're allowed to wear to school!

If you're looking at Brisbane I would also look out towards the bayside areas- Cleveland, Wynnum and Wellington Point. Train links are excellent (so straight into Southbank with the museums and cultural centre), still easy to commute by car to the CBD if your DH wants, and lovely markets and bayside living (if your kids like swimming they might like to get involved in sailing, lots of sailing clubs out there).

I grew up in Camp Hill and all the areas around there are fantastic. It's a shame my DH's job just doesn't exist in Brisbane as we could afford an amazing life there (although maybe not if DH couldn't work ).

I'm very jealous! Though we're moving to Sydney in a few months so I'm sure that'll be fun too

One more thing- make sure you take into account transport costs in Brisbane. They are eye-wateringly expensive. A bit better with a Go-Card or a travel card, but still hideous.

My SIL really loved living in Cleveland, they paid $750k for a 4 bed 2 living area house with a pool but not much other lawn, in need of a full redecoration mid last year... they have had to move because her DH struggled to get work in Brisbane (mining related industry) so they've had to rent out the property and move back to inland NSW where he has a job at a mine.

AngryBeaver I think your friend is being a little harsh... yes, there certainly are some groups of teens who hang around the malls, but most of the teens I know are a) a lot more active and focused on sports/activities and b) hang out at friends houses/parks rather than malls. At the risk of vastly stereotyping, there is a definite socio-economic split between the 'mall-rats' and a lot of other teens. It'd be the equivalent of saying all British teenagers are Vicky Pollard

Samford-side... It's lovely out there (will take 45-60 min to the CBD for commuting). The Ferny Grove line is very good for frequency of trains and reliability - a ride into the city is about $4.50, though it is starting to get busy in peak times. Some of the small acreage sites have the most divine views of the mountains, and Samford village has a lot of nice places to eat and some boutique shops that I love.

We are in Upper Kedron, which is just in from there, and love it although it is a bit of a mixed bag as there are some 'older' areas (1990s onwards) and a lot of new development. Sadly, the new developments that have gone in are tending towards smaller blocks (400m2 is starting to look more like the norm) and there is a bit of a tendency in the new estates to go for 'cookie cutter' houses. Whereas in the older bits you'd be looking at 600-800m2 and have more space around the houses.

As a PP has suggested, The Gap is also nice, has excellent schools and facilities, however you don't have any train connection (buses/driving only) and Waterworks Road - the main thoroughfare - can get congested.

Happy searching and hope the job comes through!

Why not look slightly further afield? If you need to be in Brisbane for work then look at living in Ipswich, Pine Rivers etc. We lived in Beaudesert (I was a inner city kind of gal but I would have had to sell a kidney to afford a house) and it was 50 minutes to the middle of Brisbane or Ipswich, an hour to the Gold Coast and 40 minutes to Mt Tamborine (these are not long distances for the uninitiated). We have a 100 yr old 3bdr house with 12ft ceilings on 1200m2 bought for $260000.

If you can travel then why not look at the Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Toowoomba (I love that town), Townsville or be completely different and go west.

I've just come back from Brisbane.... On Thursday it was 27 degrees!!! Bliss. We had a look at the Centenary suburbs...Westlake, Middle Park etc. Good value for money. We're going up again in the school holidays to look at the north west (Albany Creek etc) and then we'll buy a house (to move up next year). We really loved it and so did the kids. Can't wait!

Angrybeaver, how is your decision making going?!

AngryBeaver I too live in NZ but further down the North Island from Auckland. There are so many prettier and affordable property options in NZ than Auckland. English Friends recently moved to Wellington for work reasons and are thoroughly enjoying the community spirit, facilities and culture. I'm from NSW, visited Melbourne last year, was in Europe and the UK recently. Real estate in many city locations has skyrocketed in recent years. Every city has a good and bad side to it. I tend to do a price watch when I visit a place and I certainly don't think food wise NZ is any dearer than any country I have visited or lived. Fuel and food is certainly cheaper in low socioeconomic areas worldwide and Devonport isn't one of those! Family in Western Aust. advise it is a buyers market there, but there is growing discontent against ''foreigners'' taking ''their'' jobs. Sounds much the same here really... ! Is moving/uprooting the kids overseas going to make your life any happier or easier? Are there changes you can make as a family (ie get out of Auckland) that puts quality back into your lives again...

Hi ladies,
I'm aware this thread is a couple of years old but hubby & I are thinking of moving from Auckland to Brisbane for the very same reasons you mentioned plus more. AngryBeaver - did you decide to take the plunge across the ditch?