Those of you living in Brisbane some info please

[Belgianchocolates]

I've just applied for a job in Brisbane. I'm trying to find out more about the city and the surounding suburbs.
The ourbrisbane website is OK, but you've got to click on each suburb to see info about it and that's just taking sooo much time.
I wish I could just imput my info and it would come up with the best place to live. Due to our jobs that would be: somewhere not too far from both the centre and the port, with good schools, nice houses (preferable 4 bedrooms, but 3 would do for now) and not too crowded as that's what we're trying to escape.
Anyone on MN got an idea of a place that would tick all those boxes?

I wonder what else they've got on offer, because I do hate epidurals, don't get me wrong. It would be v. nice to hear from someone who actually works there on what it's like. I definitely don't want to obstetric nurse a normal labouring woman

Ask them before takign a job. I think they are that desperate for m/ws that you can interview them as well as vice versa. You certainly need to make sure that you would be happy there before going such a long way. Or you can look on it as a challenge - that you could be the person who leads the revolution

Hmm, yes I had been thinking of going there and interogating every single consultant about why on earth they think half of the women attending the private hospital and almost 40% of the women attending the public hospital are not capable of giving birth vaginally. But I think I might go there, work a bit, get loved by everyone and then start a small revolution

Belgian - you would also find that a lot of high risk women in country areas would be sent to places like the Mater to give birth - there are a lot of people who want to give birth at the Mater despite their local hospital being okay iyswim. So the stats are probably a bit flawed due to the type of clientèle they have there.

I did think that being a large referal centre would have an effect on their C/S rate, but despite this it still seems a bit on the high side. Similar (but obviously slightly smaller) hospitals in the UK have a lower C/S rate than 38%.

Isn't their referral area bigger than the whole of France or something similar

Yes I think it's something like that, maybe a touch smaller, but big enough. The mater will be the biggest hospital in the whole of the Southern hemisphere, especially once the new block opens. They're looking at a birthrate of 10,000 births a year in a couple of years . Of course that means there are a load of high risk women under their care and a higher c/s rate makes sense, but 50% in the private is still a bit ott. They also have a big fetal medicine unit, which I find fascinating. I don't have any experience with fetal medicine, but have read the odd story here and there and find it amazing what can be done in utero. Hopefully I'll learn a bit more about it when there.

mothers and babies from all over QLD can be patients at the Mater.

Yes I knew that. I also had a quick look in my atlas and I don't think QLD is quite as big in France, still big enough to be a country on it's own though. My home country is completely dwarfed by QLD, but then it is one of the smaller countries in the world ;) (drive 30min S to N and you've been through it!)

drive from nsw border to top - over two days!!

Wow, 30min, almost takes me that long to drive to my dad's house on the northside
Having had both c/s and vaginal birth, I would support your revolution, recovery from v birth so much easier and quicker, and I didn't have to wait to drive

Well, it's 30 mins without any traffic jams. On bad days it can take 30 mins just to get from Antwerp to the border. Most people I meet here say: I know Belgium, I've been through it on my way to x,y,z. NO ONE EVER STOP THERE. It's so small you can get through it without having to stop for petrol!

Hi Belgium, noticed a job advertised in Sat's paper, for a trainee marine pilot, based in either Cairns, Townsville, Mackay or Gladstone. The websites it mentions are www.msq.qld.gov.au or gov.au

Thank you loads Scully. I'll let dh know straightaway.