Looking for suggestions on where to live on Sunshine Coast

[BeaRose]

Hi there,

I'm new to this forum so apologies if there are other threads where this has already been covered. I had a quick hunt around but couldn't find the info I was looking for.

My husband and I plus our 18-month-old son are considering spending a year or so on the Sunshine Coast. I am wondering if anyone could recommend areas that would meet the following crietria: close to beach and other spaces for outdoorsy activities; close enough to commute into Brisbane CBD for work / to Nundah where my brother lives; not overrun with tourists; close to or in a friendly town / community (with local libraries, activities for young children, decent restaurants and cafes where they wouldn't side eye you if you asked if they served something gluten free or vegan for instance..!); good public schools (kindergarten / elementary),

Any suggestions much appreciated!

[gaia]

How often are you wanting to be in the cbd?  If you want to commute to the Brisbane cbd you are limited to the south end of the coast really, even from Caloundra you’re looking at about an hour and a quarter and that’s with good traffic and no accidents on the highway. The train service between the coast and Brisbane city is pretty poor as well.The Sunshine Coast is a gorgeous place to live, but if you need to be in the cbd more than once or twice a week the commute will be hell, and severely detract from your quality of life. I speak from experience here. 

 I’m assuming because you said elementary school you’re American? The coast and hinterland are awash with gluten free vegan options. If you want a coconut milk chai latte you will have no issues. There are some lovely small towns like woombye and Palmwoods with good schools and libraries etc but they are about 20 minutes from the beach. To be close to the beach, the areas are generally more built up but again lots of options for good schools, libraries. Everywhere has beautiful big parks. 
Personally I would think about how long I was happy to spend commuting then google map some distances to see which areas were close enough. Also how close to the beach? Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headland and Caloundra are all areas where you can live walking distance to or right on the beach, with lots of family friendly activities and a great cafe scene. obviously the closer to the beach the more expensive the rent. Those areas would also all be under an hour and a half to the cbd.

 

[Marisawright]

7 hours ago, BeaRose said:

My husband and I plus our 18-month-old son are considering spending a year or so on the Sunshine Coast. I am wondering if anyone could recommend areas that would meet the following crietria: close to beach and other spaces for outdoorsy activities; close enough to commute into Brisbane CBD for work

I assume you know that you'll need a visa of some kind if you wish to live in Australia? 

It's really not practical to commute from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane for work, unless you're only planning to be in the office one or two days a week.  I've seen some TV programs that give the impression it's possible, but they do stretch the truth occasionally....

[BeaRose]

12 hours ago, gaia said:

How often are you wanting to be in the cbd?  If you want to commute to the Brisbane cbd you are limited to the south end of the coast really, even from Caloundra you’re looking at about an hour and a quarter and that’s with good traffic and no accidents on the highway. The train service between the coast and Brisbane city is pretty poor as well.The Sunshine Coast is a gorgeous place to live, but if you need to be in the cbd more than once or twice a week the commute will be hell, and severely detract from your quality of life. I speak from experience here.

Hi Gaia,

Thanks for all this info, it is super helpful! We'd be moving from Canada actually but I'm Irish and my husband is British I was trying to think what 'elementary' would be in Aus!

I think, as you rightly point out, it would all hinge around my husband's place of work. (I'm a stay at home parent) We are actually wondering if he'll be able to find a role where he'd work full- or part-time from home. We shall see!

Thanks for all your help!

[BeaRose]

11 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I assume you know that you'll need a visa of some kind if you wish to live in Australia?

Yes... not sure what about my post gave you the impression that I didn't think we'd need visas?

[Marisawright]

4 hours ago, BeaRose said:

Yes... not sure what about my post gave you the impression that I didn't think we'd need visas?

It gave no indication one way or the other, so I wanted to check.  You might be surprised how many people post a question like yours, not realising how difficult it is to get a visa to live and work for a short period in Australia.  

[BeaRose]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

It gave no indication one way or the other, so I wanted to check.  You might be surprised how many people post a question like yours, not realising how difficult it is to get a visa to live and work for a short period in Australia.   

Ah fair enough, I didn't know anyone could think they could move country and work without a visa! Thank you for the heads up

[Marisawright]

Just now, BeaRose said:

Ah fair enough, I didn't know anyone could think they could move country and work without a visa! Thank you for the heads up

I think it's more that people assume getting a visa won't be too difficult, if they are a professional in an in-demand occupation. Whereas nowadays, the sponsorship process is so complex and expensive that many employers simply won't attempt it, and larger employers often have a policy that they won't sponsor below a certain seniority level. And of course, if you can't find an employer to sponsor, there is no other alternative for a short-term working stay.

[gaia]

15 hours ago, BeaRose said:

Hi Gaia,

Thanks for all this info, it is super helpful! We'd be moving from Canada actually but I'm Irish and my husband is British I was trying to think what 'elementary' would be in Aus!

I think, as you rightly point out, it would all hinge around my husband's place of work. (I'm a stay at home parent) We are actually wondering if he'll be able to find a role where he'd work full- or part-time from home. We shall see!

Thanks for all your help!

Okay that’s useful. Aussies say primary school and high school like the Uk does. Palmwoods woombye and the other hinterland towns are  colonial and set up like english towns with a high street that has a post office, shops school nearby etc, they also all all have train stations. Most of the housing stock is detached houses, but as I say 20-30 minutes to the beach. Maroochydore Mooloolaba Caloundra are nice beach suburbs and mostly built from the 1980s onwards so more city like. No train station, some houses but the closer to the beach the more likely they are to be units which is Aussie for flats. Not like English flats they usually have lovely big balconies communal pools and bbq areas etc. I have friends who live beachfront in units with children and love it , but it’s not for everyone. My toddler was a climber so it was a no for us. Public transport is nowhere near what it’s like in England and you will need 2 cars, you may be used to that from Canada though.

and not sure if I mentioned but it’s hard to avoid tourists!  There are some lovely places that I just avoid visiting on a summer weekend day, but that’s okay because the winters here are beautiful.