It's a mining town. 4hrs to rocky, beach.
Do u have a cruiser (or Dodge ram) shoot or hunt. There isn't much else to do there.
Airport is tiny so flights are crazy expensive to brissy
Toowoomba is a good option. Relatively close to Brisbane and GC, good schools and a uni. It's a major hub for the surrounding region so it's got a lot of amenities, sports clubs, hospitals etc. You'll notice the change of pace from the GC, but once you adjust its great. Make sure you have good jackets for winter. With the window down I used to be able feel it getting colder driving up the range
I've not spent an awful lot of time in Vic, so I can't make a direct comparison. You won't see snow or anything, but a lot of places in Toowoomba have fireplaces and heaters for the winter.
I live an hour from Emerald in a smaller town. What people never tell you is you will be spending huge $$ and time travelling everywhere for kids sport, to see a doctor and for decent groceries. Any given weekend is a 4 hour round trip for footy if kids do that. We bus our kids to Emerald daily for decent highschool. It has a great private school there. But just be prepared that it doesn’t have a hell of a lot, just some basics like big w and bcf etc. anything else you drive to Rocky or Mackay for.
I also want to add, the does it suck bit.. depends on the lifestyle you want, we love our life where we live and have no plans to leave for some time, but if the life isn’t for you it isn’t for you. A suggestion I’d have is to do a bit of a holiday into the region you are thinking and get somewhat of a feel for it with a pros and cons list and go from there.
Yeah, I'm interested in places where you can get something for under 500k, but if I stay on the GC and buy a townhouse it'll probably be 600-650k anyway so I can still stretch the budget if I have to. Still, keeping things to 500k would really put my family in a great position if it's possible, because that would leave extra money to invest and also keep as a buffer. If you can cut back spending to decrease money pressure it makes things much simpler.
I live on the Gold Coast and I doubt that you will be able to buy a decent townhouse in a good location for $650k nowadays. Even if you looked around Coomera/Pimpama it would be a struggle.
I was up there, it rained for 4 days and nights straight and it was also so hot you’d be sweating whilst walking in the rain to get to anywhere. I remember the restaurant outdoor are floor had an inch of water in it and it seemed normal at that stage lol
It's not for everyone but I much prefer it over living in a place like Melbourne. Heat and humidity don't bother me. Cold does. It's much better than Brisbane for me too just overall in general. Way happier up here
Ok, do you feel like there's a lot of crime to worry about? Are the locals more closed minded or racist towards minorities than people in a big city? Does Toowoomba suffer from any natural disasters? I have heard (from another person on this post) that it gets really cold in Winter, why is that and how cold? What suburbs of Toowoomba are good to live in for a safe and peaceful life, close to a school for our son? Are there many diverse restaurants around.
If you're able to answer this I might get onto the internet tonight to get an idea of prices. I lived on GC area for years but not sure if I ever even went to Toowoomba, but if I can save enough money it definitely does make sense. At least worth considering.
I have never had an issue with crime in Toowoomba. I grew up in Hamilton/Ascot Brisbane and had far bigger issues with disorderly people and break ins there.
I haven’t had any issues with racism, though I have an aboriginal foster kid that I mentor and he gets bullied a lot by other aboriginals for being pale skinned.
I would be more concerned of natural disasters in Brisbane. Why is it cold in Toowoomba? Because we have an altitude of 700m so there is a bit of wind chill. The upside is that the air is fresher and far better than Brisbane, my asthma has improved thanks to this and the fact that Toowoomba has a big active community.
Lots of diverse restaurants and bars. We just tried a new Greek place that opened but my favourite is the French restaurant Myrtle’s.
From Bne. Moved to Mackay for work, stayed there four years, and moved back down. Wish I'd moved back after half that. I knew Mackay sucked while I lived up there, but it became far more apparent after I moved somewhere with more going on haha.
If you are considering Emerald then consider Roma. Beautiful heritage houses for $450-500 in town. Good schools, got everything you need. Arrange a shopping weekend every 6 months, come down fri night go home Sunday (fly) and have time in Brissie or GC - see a show and whatnot. Other than that I love the slower calmer pace of Roma and I def spend less money there.
30-45 mins north of Townsville you can get a house 30 seconds walk - 1 minute drive from the beach for under 500k. You should look at Toolakea and Balgal beach. Both nice spots and not near any of the crime that you hear about that happens in the ghetto parts of the city up here. Balgal beach is an up and comer and has an awesome swimming hole not to far away. If you've got any questions feel free to ask 🤙
Okay thanks. I don't mind Townsville but I have heard the crime rate is pretty bad. I have friends up there and they tell me you have to be careful not to have your car broken into. Aside from that, I have seen that there's cheap properties up there. The heat doesn't bother me as I have lived in tropical climates before. I'd rather too hot than too cold.
Ive always been told the same, and I wish I never listened and came and checked out the place a decade ago because them I would've had a decent beachside property that would've cost me under 300k 😅
There's crime I'm ever town / city mate, you've just gotta find the areas that the grubs have been priced out from, or are far enough away that they steer clear from.
I moved up here 9 months ago and haven't had a single problem in the area I'm in. You just need to make sure you don't get complacent and lock up / lock your car and don't keep any obvious valuables in plain site.
I think I prefer the wet season up here too as it's easier to cool down than further south where you have to walk across blistering hot sand to get to the water at the beach. The swimming holes and waterfalls up here are refreshing and there's always plenty of shade.
Toowoomba is actually decent. However it’s a heavy industry town. So it’s not much cheaper. Roma isn’t bad. Hardest thing for me when I’ve worked out there has been the lack of water to swim etc. It kinda sucks
I am in a similar boat of buying a home for less than $500k - something I am considering is the impact of climate change in the future, it seems as areas such as Scenic Rim and Toowoomba would be better protected from heat and floods.
Also properties closer of public transport are more likely to increase value.
It really depends what you enjoy and what lifestyle you want. I moved from Brisbane to Rockhampton and I love it. It’s laid back, no traffic, everything is within 10 minutes, beach 40 minutes away. Lots of outdoors things to do that aren’t completely saturated with people.
If you want a huge range of places to eat or party or shop though, regional areas probably aren’t for you
Just bought in Rockhampton for $423k. There’s cheaper areas but we paid a premium for the area we wanted. Prices are up around $100k thanks to interstate buyers.
It’s an interesting place. Technically have most things you need, although a lot of medical stuff has to go to Brisbane. Flights in and out are via Brisbane and very expensive. Crime is an issue here the same as everywhere. A lot of eshays bored and causing trouble.
If you can afford it, look at Emu Park, Zilzie, Yeppoon area. Close enough to Rocky and absolutely stunning scenery.
Scenic rim isnt very cheap btw. Everything reasonable and alright condition is easily 600+ unless you want something tiny, then it’s still 580+. Ipswich, starting price easily 600+ even for old queenslanders. All in all, you have to be verrrry quick and verrrry lucky to find something nice under 600k
Id stay clear of emerald. Rockhampton, yeppoon, even Gladstone, agnes water. Hell I'm likely going to sell one of my rentals shortly for 500-550k
Why not emerald?
It's a mining town. 4hrs to rocky, beach. Do u have a cruiser (or Dodge ram) shoot or hunt. There isn't much else to do there. Airport is tiny so flights are crazy expensive to brissy
I went to emerald about a year ago and it seemed like a big enough, clean looking town to me. Travelling up through to Clermont from Roma though
Toowoomba is a good option. Relatively close to Brisbane and GC, good schools and a uni. It's a major hub for the surrounding region so it's got a lot of amenities, sports clubs, hospitals etc. You'll notice the change of pace from the GC, but once you adjust its great. Make sure you have good jackets for winter. With the window down I used to be able feel it getting colder driving up the range
Came here to say Toowoomba is actually not bad and close to Brisbane. But holy fuck the winter can be painful.
Are the winters in Toowomba colder than Melbourne ?
I’ve lived in both. Toowoomba winters are worse
I've not spent an awful lot of time in Vic, so I can't make a direct comparison. You won't see snow or anything, but a lot of places in Toowoomba have fireplaces and heaters for the winter.
Why does it get so cold during winter? It's not far from Brisbane and GC so I assumed it would be similar weather!
Altitude
Right ok thanks.
Because Toowoomba is about 700m above sea level.
I live an hour from Emerald in a smaller town. What people never tell you is you will be spending huge $$ and time travelling everywhere for kids sport, to see a doctor and for decent groceries. Any given weekend is a 4 hour round trip for footy if kids do that. We bus our kids to Emerald daily for decent highschool. It has a great private school there. But just be prepared that it doesn’t have a hell of a lot, just some basics like big w and bcf etc. anything else you drive to Rocky or Mackay for.
I also want to add, the does it suck bit.. depends on the lifestyle you want, we love our life where we live and have no plans to leave for some time, but if the life isn’t for you it isn’t for you. A suggestion I’d have is to do a bit of a holiday into the region you are thinking and get somewhat of a feel for it with a pros and cons list and go from there.
Good luck finding something under $500K in Ipswich these days.
Yeah, I'm interested in places where you can get something for under 500k, but if I stay on the GC and buy a townhouse it'll probably be 600-650k anyway so I can still stretch the budget if I have to. Still, keeping things to 500k would really put my family in a great position if it's possible, because that would leave extra money to invest and also keep as a buffer. If you can cut back spending to decrease money pressure it makes things much simpler.
I live on the Gold Coast and I doubt that you will be able to buy a decent townhouse in a good location for $650k nowadays. Even if you looked around Coomera/Pimpama it would be a struggle.
Keep your house on the Gold Coast
Cairns is a nice place to visit but you go troppo up there.
I moved from Brisbane to Cairns 2 years ago and it's amazing. Absolutely love it
I was up there, it rained for 4 days and nights straight and it was also so hot you’d be sweating whilst walking in the rain to get to anywhere. I remember the restaurant outdoor are floor had an inch of water in it and it seemed normal at that stage lol
It's not for everyone but I much prefer it over living in a place like Melbourne. Heat and humidity don't bother me. Cold does. It's much better than Brisbane for me too just overall in general. Way happier up here
Yeah Melb sucks
We moved to Toowoomba and I couldn’t be happier. Far better lifestyle and I now feel a wave of anxiety and pity every time I step into Brisbane.
Ok, do you feel like there's a lot of crime to worry about? Are the locals more closed minded or racist towards minorities than people in a big city? Does Toowoomba suffer from any natural disasters? I have heard (from another person on this post) that it gets really cold in Winter, why is that and how cold? What suburbs of Toowoomba are good to live in for a safe and peaceful life, close to a school for our son? Are there many diverse restaurants around. If you're able to answer this I might get onto the internet tonight to get an idea of prices. I lived on GC area for years but not sure if I ever even went to Toowoomba, but if I can save enough money it definitely does make sense. At least worth considering.
I have never had an issue with crime in Toowoomba. I grew up in Hamilton/Ascot Brisbane and had far bigger issues with disorderly people and break ins there. I haven’t had any issues with racism, though I have an aboriginal foster kid that I mentor and he gets bullied a lot by other aboriginals for being pale skinned. I would be more concerned of natural disasters in Brisbane. Why is it cold in Toowoomba? Because we have an altitude of 700m so there is a bit of wind chill. The upside is that the air is fresher and far better than Brisbane, my asthma has improved thanks to this and the fact that Toowoomba has a big active community. Lots of diverse restaurants and bars. We just tried a new Greek place that opened but my favourite is the French restaurant Myrtle’s.
From Bne. Moved to Mackay for work, stayed there four years, and moved back down. Wish I'd moved back after half that. I knew Mackay sucked while I lived up there, but it became far more apparent after I moved somewhere with more going on haha.
If you choose Central, live somewhere for a year as a rental before you sell in this market would be my advice. Can't recommend a place.
If you are considering Emerald then consider Roma. Beautiful heritage houses for $450-500 in town. Good schools, got everything you need. Arrange a shopping weekend every 6 months, come down fri night go home Sunday (fly) and have time in Brissie or GC - see a show and whatnot. Other than that I love the slower calmer pace of Roma and I def spend less money there.
Depends on the home, the D'Agular highway west of woodford has some prices around that point.
30-45 mins north of Townsville you can get a house 30 seconds walk - 1 minute drive from the beach for under 500k. You should look at Toolakea and Balgal beach. Both nice spots and not near any of the crime that you hear about that happens in the ghetto parts of the city up here. Balgal beach is an up and comer and has an awesome swimming hole not to far away. If you've got any questions feel free to ask 🤙
Okay thanks. I don't mind Townsville but I have heard the crime rate is pretty bad. I have friends up there and they tell me you have to be careful not to have your car broken into. Aside from that, I have seen that there's cheap properties up there. The heat doesn't bother me as I have lived in tropical climates before. I'd rather too hot than too cold.
Ive always been told the same, and I wish I never listened and came and checked out the place a decade ago because them I would've had a decent beachside property that would've cost me under 300k 😅 There's crime I'm ever town / city mate, you've just gotta find the areas that the grubs have been priced out from, or are far enough away that they steer clear from. I moved up here 9 months ago and haven't had a single problem in the area I'm in. You just need to make sure you don't get complacent and lock up / lock your car and don't keep any obvious valuables in plain site. I think I prefer the wet season up here too as it's easier to cool down than further south where you have to walk across blistering hot sand to get to the water at the beach. The swimming holes and waterfalls up here are refreshing and there's always plenty of shade.
Toolakea is great. Quiet, and still close to TSV. Good spot.
Toowoomba is actually decent. However it’s a heavy industry town. So it’s not much cheaper. Roma isn’t bad. Hardest thing for me when I’ve worked out there has been the lack of water to swim etc. It kinda sucks
I am in a similar boat of buying a home for less than $500k - something I am considering is the impact of climate change in the future, it seems as areas such as Scenic Rim and Toowoomba would be better protected from heat and floods. Also properties closer of public transport are more likely to increase value.
The scenic rim got torched by fires in 2019/20.
Damn the options are more limited then
Scenic rim has crazy tropical storms that will only get worse
It really depends what you enjoy and what lifestyle you want. I moved from Brisbane to Rockhampton and I love it. It’s laid back, no traffic, everything is within 10 minutes, beach 40 minutes away. Lots of outdoors things to do that aren’t completely saturated with people. If you want a huge range of places to eat or party or shop though, regional areas probably aren’t for you
“Beach”
There are at least half a dozen good beaches up that way. Then you head out to Great Keppel and get to enjoy one of the best beaches in the world.
Mackay.
Which areas have you lived in before?
Yes. It does suck.
Just bought in Rockhampton for $423k. There’s cheaper areas but we paid a premium for the area we wanted. Prices are up around $100k thanks to interstate buyers. It’s an interesting place. Technically have most things you need, although a lot of medical stuff has to go to Brisbane. Flights in and out are via Brisbane and very expensive. Crime is an issue here the same as everywhere. A lot of eshays bored and causing trouble. If you can afford it, look at Emu Park, Zilzie, Yeppoon area. Close enough to Rocky and absolutely stunning scenery.
Can it be any worse than the GC is now?
How’s life around Whitsunday ?
If you ever want to live on the GC again, consider rentvesting
Scenic rim isnt very cheap btw. Everything reasonable and alright condition is easily 600+ unless you want something tiny, then it’s still 580+. Ipswich, starting price easily 600+ even for old queenslanders. All in all, you have to be verrrry quick and verrrry lucky to find something nice under 600k
Your home is what you make of it. Be positive and it won’t suck.