Living in Brisbane
A quick glance at any map of Australia will convince you that all the major cities, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane are all on the beach. They all are, except Brisbane, which is on a mangrove; if you want to know what I mean about that, check out my post The Beaches of Brisbane: A Quick Tour. Perhaps that’s why Brisbane only came 20th in the Economist’s Intelligence Unit’s 2014 Liveability Survey. But London only made 51st, so…..
Any shoreline about 15 kms either side of the mouth of the Brisbane River is a mangrove. Mangroves are intertidal trees and shrubs growing on tropical and subtropical shores. Basically, trees growing on mud. They are highly productive ecosystems, but you can’t build a sand castle on them.
But you’ll still need to bring your bucket and spade, because Brisbane is ideally located for both the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. This accessibility to beaches is one reason why Brisbane pulls in so many tourists. It also has the benefit of a cooler inland climate.
Surfers Paradise (Gold Coast, south of Brisbane), one of Australia’s best know beaches, is about an hour and 10 minutes drive and Caloundra (Sunshine Coast, north) about an hour and a half. The closest sandy beaches to Brisbane are at Redcliffe (north) and Southport (south).
The city itself is very modern, clean and compact. It is easy to navigate and has its own man made “beach” at South Bank Parklands.
What’s the weather like?
Brisbane boasts, on average, around seven hours of sunshine each day. It doesn’t really have a “proper” winter, so if shorts and T-shirt are your thing, you can wear them all year round.
The only time it gets anything like resembling “cold”, is usually around July and August at night time when you may, on occasions, need to find some jog bottoms or a jumper to see you through those winter evenings.
Possible severe weather around the Brisbane area could include cyclones and some flooding. So be especially careful where you choose to settle. Brisbane Council has produced a flood areas map which you can view online on Brisbane Council’s website.
You may also want to check out my post called Brisbane and Queensland Floods: Should We Avoid Living There? Here’s a clue though, Brisbane is where I live and I love it.
You may think this all looks pretty straight forward, but I didn’t describe them as “sprawling suburbs” for nothing. These areas break down into around 80 or more postcodes and each postcode can have 2, 3 or more places to live. All in all, there are about 250 different places around Brisbane that you can choose from to live.
What’s Brisbane Like?
- Please note: Brisbane is no longer Australia’s fastest-growing city as stated in the commentary, it was a few years ago, but it’s not now.
Brisbane Suburbs Map:
The sprawling suburbs can be divided up into 5 areas as follows.
- Inner Brisbane – Including City, Inner North, Inner South, Inner East and Inner West
- Northern Suburbs – Including Moreton Bay Islands, Northern Suburbs, North Eastern Suburbs, North Western Suburbs, Outer North Eastern Suburbs and Outer Northern Suburbs
- Southern Suburbs – Including South Eastern Suburbs, South Western Suburbs and Southern Suburbs
- Eastern Suburbs – Including Bayside Suburbs and Eastern Suburbs
- Western Suburbs – Including Outer Western Suburbs and Western Suburbs
Questions about Brisbane?
If you have any question about living in Brisbane, please please feel free to ask them in the comments below. Or if you know this city well, why not tell us what you think of it or maybe even help out by answering some of the questions people have about the area. I’m sure anybody thinking of moving here would be very grateful for any help you can give them.
Hi Bob,
My husband got offered a job in Brisbane in the CBD. We are considering taking it but it does mean a move from Scotland to there. We would be coming over hopefully March on a 457 visa with our 3 year old son.
What suburbs would you recommend that are no farther than a 45 minute commute and great for families. We would be renting with a budget of around 500-600 and hopefully a pool of affordable
Thanks in advance ☺
Well, I think you would be able to get all you want with your budget, including a pool. Places that spring to mind are The Gap, Kenmore and Kenmore Hills, and somebody spoke quite well of Keperra somewhere here in these comments.
When you say 45 minutes commute though, do you mean by car or public transport? It might be good if you could also give more information about what you want from a suburb, other than family friendly. Then maybe either I or someone else can offer more advice.
Hi thanks for your reply.
That’s great about the budget ?
Hubby currently walks 20 mins to train station and is then on that for 20 mins. I would probably say by public transport for the commute as I will probably be the one keeping the car.
To be honest I have no idea about suburbs and what we would like. I suppose somewhere that has easy access to shops and a few restaurants/cafes, a good school, friendly vibe, spacious, parks, safe. We aren’t big drinkers and with a 3 year old restaurants are normally a nightmare lol. I suppose an easy paced place if that makes sense ?
Thanks for the extra info. I don’t really know the suburbs north of the city well enough to advise, so hopefully somebody else will see your comment and help with that. As with most cities, the closer you get to it, the less spacious the suburb would be with fewer open green spaces. So not as kid friendly as somewhere further out.
A good compromise could be places like Indooroopilly, Chelmer, Graceville, Sherwood and Corinda. If you Google ‘Brisbane train map’ you will see them all in a row on the same train line. All of those places have a bit going on nearby in terms of restaurants and cafes. Indooroopilly is the busiest of them all, it has a big shopping centre as well. All are good for transport into the city. Be sure to study the flood maps though before committing to buying a house in these areas. Or any area in Brisbane.
Mount Gravatt is also worth a look, it’s on the train line and has been highly recommended elsewhere on this website somewhere in the comments. Keperra, also on the train line, has been given the thumbs up here by others. Further out is Bellbowrie and Moggill, that’s bus only to the city and will take between 40 minutes and an hour. There is a fast bus during peak which doesn’t stop everywhere which can do the journey in 35 minutes. These two are really family friendly suburbs, they are in a good school catchment area and very safe with lots of open green spaces and parks. It has a small shopping centre for the essentials, but you would need to go elsewhere for a big shopping mall.
Hope that helps, Bob
Thanks for getting back to me ?
That’s great I will definitely have a look at these areas, thank you for your help.
Hi Bob
Another Sydney-sider here selling up and moving to Brisbane with the wife and 3 boys. Just wondering if you had any thoughts regarding Brookwater?
It’s a lovely area however it can get quite expensive and I can’t help but feel we could be much closer to the CBD which is where I would work.
We do love the golf course aspect, greenery, contemporary homes and the house proud community. Are there any similar estates or suburbs closer to the city in a similar price range?
Thanks for your input.
Another one! I’m not surprise, I think I would cash in at this stage if I were in Sydney. You should be able to get a great place up here with our prices being so much lower.
Hands up though, I don’t know much about Brookwater at all, I had to Google it to find out where it was. For what it’s worth, it isn’t actually in Brisbane, is part of the City of Ipswich.
The suburbs below, Springfield and Springfield Lakes, are a massive new kind of town really, expanding rapidly. Redbank Plains to the left and Goodna above it are not great suburbs, I think you’ll find prices are very low in those places.
So yes, I would have thought you could get somewhere closer to the city that suits you better, but I’m not quite sure where. Does it have to be modern new housing? What is your budget? If you can let me know, maybe I can help.
Maybe somebody else can help as well, anyone got any ideas for Mark?
Hi Bob, great website. I am hoping you can help please. My family of 4 (sons aged 4 and 2) are looking to move to brisbane soon. We looking for a good primary state school and have come across the following, Indooroopilly State School, Rainworth State School, Milton State School, Ironside State School, Newmarket State School. Can you advise whiches ones are good in comparison to Sydney school standards. Also we a multicultural family (Indian and Chinese) so looking for a multicultural diverse community.
Any advise is much appreciated. thanks
Hi Ev, thanks, glad you like.
Difficult to impossible for me to help you here I’m afraid, I don’t know the Brisbane schools you mention well enough and I have no idea of Sydney school standards. I do have a page that can help though, check out the video on my page Which school?
It shows you how to use a website that can compare the performances of these schools. I also have a page that can help you find the multiculturally diverse areas you’re looking for, check out…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/17428/who-lives-where-migrants-settling-in-australian-cities/
Hope that helps, Bob
Hello Bob
Thanks for a great helpful website.
We are planning to move from Melbourne
I believed I have emailed you before and this time we are almost there re our plan to move to Brisbane.
Bob, I work in health area and I’m being considered for a job in Logan Central. I’ve heard good things about Springfield Lakes Suburb and wondering if that is a good place to live.
I and my wife are after someone good to bring up young kids, somewhere close to transport, not too far the airport and also quiet area. We will be renting for a short while and hopefully buy in the same area.
I like somewhere with good access to city life or good night out (restaurants, park or beach).
Any recommendation please? Is Springfield Lakes a good place or is there any suburb you can recommend?
Thanks again for a great website.
Hi Chris
Thanks, glad you like my website.
I’m afraid I just don’t know what it’s like to live in Springfield Lakes, simply because I don’t live there, but hopefully somebody reading this comment who does, or knows it well, will see your question and help you out.
Here’s what I do know about Springfield Lakes though. Technically speaking, it’s not Brisbane, it’s a suburb of the city of Ipswich, but it is only just outside of the borders of Brisbane. I believe it has good transport links into Brisbane though, and it is well-placed for you to access Logan.
Springfield Lakes is what I would call a ‘new town’, it has sprung up out of nothing and over the years has become quite massive. Property is very reasonably priced and you will have plenty of houses to choose from, with so many new homes being built all the time. There are quite a good selection of restaurants in the area and I’m pretty sure there are plenty of open spaces, but obviously no beach. Gold Coast is not far away though, plenty of beaches there.
That’s all I know, anybody else got any advice for Chris on this?
Hi Bob
Thanks for the insight re Springfield Lakes. Is there any suburb you can suggests that would be a good place to bring up kids if one is working In Logan and the Mrs working in Brisbane. Somewhere not in the middle of Brisbane central but with good access to Brisbane. Transport, parks, schools and amenities?
Once again, thanks a lot for your help.
Upper Mount Gravatt could be worth a look, it’s right between the two. I don’t know it that well, not as in what it’s like to live there, but Steve Lynch gave it high praise in the comments on my page about Southern Suburbs Brisbane. It seems a nice area though, it has a big shopping centre with restaurants and bars and plenty going on. Easy access to the motorway down to Logan and for the city.
Thanks a lot Bob, very much appreciated
Hey Bob,
Thanks for the great site mate. We are (seriously) considering moving to Brisbane from a town called Renmark in SA. We have 3 kids aged from 11 to 16.
I would like to know if there’s a anywhere around the Brisbane and surrounding areas where you could buy a 4 bedroom house for $400,000 mark. Family friendly area with good schools etc.
Thank you for any help in making this decision easier
Thanks John, glad you like. Yes, you can, just about, but you may not get such a good area, location or decent school. If you go to realestate.com.au you can search the Greater Brisbane area with a maximum price of 400k to see what comes up.
If you go to 450 to 475k though, you could buy in Moggill, for example, a very nice area and in Kenmore State School’s catchment area and that is a good school. Good luck, Bob
Hi Bob, great website with lots of helpful tips for relocation.I am moving to Brisbane in January and unsure where to live. I am alone, looking for small exec apartment and can spend around $600 p/week. I am commuting to Sydney so want something convenient to airport. There seem to be lots of apartments around south Brisbane and Southbank, which is on the airtrain. Any other ideas I should consider? Open to all options, thanks in advance
Thanks, glad you like.
I think South Brisbane and Southbank would be ideal options, as would Fortitude Valley, possibly. They are all very lively suburbs, lots going on, restaurants, bars, and in the case of Fortitude Valley, which is probably where Brisbane’s liveliest nightlife is, add nightclubs as well. I’m sure there are some nightclubs in those other suburbs as well, but the Valley is the busiest, if you like that sort of thing.
If it were me, I probably would choose South Brisbane or Southbank, both of which also have good access to West End, which is another lively suburb. With your budget, I think you could pretty much go wherever you want, but for easy access to the train line to the airport, they would be my choices for someone young, on their own and who would probably want to get out a bit and have some fun every now and again.
Good luck, Bob
Hi Bob, I have emailed a question in before which you kindly answered and now we are further along the re-location process I can be more specific and I would like to get your opinion again please. In my previous question I mentioned we are family looking to emulate the vibe of a Florida east coast beach town. The key features being; relaxed friendly atmosphere – the beach isn’t essential but the vibe is, great weather year round, not being cut off from shopping etc and not too close to the city as we would like to leave traffic jams behind for instance (coming from England). And not taking our children into a retirement village vibe is important I guess too.
I figured this best suited the Sunshine Coast and you somewhat agreed. Now my wife is being offered other areas around Brisbane with possible job opportunities. Redland Bay and Keperra have been mentioned but as we have never been to Australia we are already gambling by trying for the Sunshine Coast. Should we stick to our plan? Sunshine Coast or bust? Are either of those two places desirable or suitable? Are there other suburbs if offered around Brisbane that we should snap their hand off if offered?
Thank you in advance, we hope the people we meet in Australia are as helpful and friendly as you are. Cheers David
Brisbane is, without doubt, friendly and relaxed and it also enjoys great weather all year round. So there’s a few boxes ticked already, and although Brisbane doesn’t have any stunning beaches, you are never far away from either the Sunshine Coast or the Gold Coast where you can get your weekend beach fix.
Personally I think it’s more important to have a job to go to than it is to stick to your plan about the Sunshine Coast. SC is a great place to live, but it won’t be so much fun if you can’t find a job there. So I would be inclined to go where the work is if I were you.
Somebody, I think somewhere on this page in the comments, has spoken highly of Keperra and there’s nothing wrong with Redland Bay either. Nothing to stop you moving somewhere else within two or three years if you want to, but I think it’s important to get your feet under the table, settle in and get some Australian job experience under your belt. Once you’ve done that, then maybe you can start to hone in on exactly where you want to live and looking at how to get a job there.
Hope that helps a bit, Bob
Hi Bob,
I’m currently living south of Perth with my two children, aged 18 & 23. We’re all citizens of AU. My 23 yr. old son is completing his thesis soon (dbl major computer science/computer systems engineering) & is top 1% at Curtin uni. He’s gotten a paid internship with Cisco IoE in Perth which will carry him through to the end of this year. My daughter has just begun her dbl major (Gaming Art & Design + Global politics & policies @ Murdoch uni) this year. I work for myself doing residential computer support & repair. My daughter receives Youth Allowance as she is a full-time student.
I’m sort of writing mainly to ask your thoughts if my son would find a decent job in Brisbane, but also about us as a family unit if we all moved there. I’m thinking he might even get a specific job offer from Cisco– and if there’s a choice & Brisbane is one of them– well, I’m just doing some homework.
Is there a market for a home-based business such as I currently do? What are the areas where renting is still possible yet somewhat acceptable commute? Neither child even drives right now (no need/no extra car) so are used to public transport, if that helps.
Thank you for any feedback!
🙂
Well, it’s always difficult to predict whether somebody will find work these days, not just in Brisbane, but anywhere. If your son can get work from Cisco, and I know they have offices here, then that would be ideal.
Other than that, it’s really hard to say, all you can really do is research opportunities through the links on my page called Getting a Job or a Sponsorship.
As for you starting a home-based business in IT, other people are doing it, so I assume they are making money this way so there’s no reason why you couldn’t do so as well.
Rents here are, I believe, quite a bit cheaper than in Perth and I think our job market is a bit stronger than is over there, so it could be a sensible move at this stage. As for renting, that depends where you want to commute to, and you won’t know that until you know where the work is.
Hope that helps though, Bob
Hi,
Extremely useful site. Thanks. I am close to retire and hoping to live in Brisbane as climate is great. I am looking for apt/flat to buy about 250K as close as possible to the city and would like to use public transport mostly. Could you please help.
I’m probably a little biased because I favour the western side of the city, but I’d take a look at Toowong and Indooroopilly. Indooroopilly is a transport hub for buses, and also has a train station, so great for access to public transport. Toowong is closer to the city, and you could actually take advantage of the City Cats, those are our ferries on the Brisbane River.
Your budget is quite restrictive though, I think you might need to pay closer to maybe $300,000, but you might get something for $250,000.
Good evening,
We are thinking of moving to Moggill. Since you have lived in the Western suburb for years, could you comment in the pros and cons of this suburb?
Thanks
Yes, I live in the area, and I like it, including Moggill. It is not for everyone though, here are the pros and cons.
Pros: great place to bring up families, lots of open spaces and parks, larger than normal houses and plots at reasonable prices. It has a good State Junior School and good community feel. It’s like living in the countryside yet being just 35 minutes or so by car from the city, longer during rush hour. No trains though, just buses.
Cons: some will say it’s too quiet, nothing to do, and that it is at the back of beyond. This is true in a way, because Moggill is pretty much at a dead end thanks to the Brisbane River. Look at a map and you’ll see what I mean. There is no bridge across the river, but we do have a ferry that does take cars, but that shuts at 6:30 PM and it’s slow.
So there’s only really two roads out of Moggill, Mount Crosby Road will take you towards Ipswich and Moggill Road towards Brisbane. Both are wonderful drives, the latter only until you get to Kenmore though, then it’s busy.
Some people, me included, like the dead-end aspect, because we like quiet. If you want a busting suburb with a cafe culture and lots to do, this isn’t it. If you do like quiet though, it is.
Hi Bob,
I’m looking to move from Melbourne to Brisbane?
Just wonder how is the job situation in Brisbane at the moment? Any personal observation?
I don’t think the Brisbane job market is too bad at the moment, it’s not as lively as Melbourne or Sydney, but I would say it’s better than Adelaide and Perth, for example.
I suppose it very much depends on what you do though, so it’s best to check out the relevant vacancies in your field through the links on my page Getting a Job or a Sponsorship.
I’m not the best person to ask though, I’ve never looked for a job here in Brisbane being self-employed, so it’s difficult for me to say. Brisbane doesn’t feel like a city with an unemployment problem though, shopping malls are always busy and the city always looks lively.
Don’t take my word for it though, do some thorough research. No good looking at the state figures though, I think regional Queensland does have higher on employment in some areas, but Brisbane seems to have a different economy.
Over the years, it is reported that finding a job is getting more and more difficult in Brisbane. What would be the possible reasons (based on your intuition and observation)?
I am thinking of renting/buying in Coorparoo. What is your impression about this suburb?
Thanks,
Andrew
I think it’s just the economy in general here, and most Australia, jobs just aren’t as easy to come by these days. In my view, and many others, there are two economies in Australia, the Melbourne/Sydney economy, and then the rest of Australia.
No prizes for guessing which has the better economy of the two. Cost-cutting and automation are probably the biggest thieves of jobs these days.
Don’t know much about Coorparoo, but haven’t heard anything bad about it. It’s well located, easy to get to the city, but hopefully someone who knows the place better than me will be able to tell you more.
Hello Bob,
I just stumbled upon this website and i’m hoping this comment section can provide the help which i require. I’m a graduate engineer travelling to Brisbane from Dubai, in search for work. Completely lost on which area i should look for renting options in. These are my factors:
1. My weekly rent budget is about 180 AUD and i will not be having a car for a couple of weeks, however i need to be able to travel easily.
2. I know the bulk of the jobs will be in the CBD so ideally i want to be closeby.
3. Halal restaurants and supermarkets selling Halal meat?
4. Safety, liveliness and Asians in the community
Considering these factors, which areas should i look in?
Thanks and Regards.
I hope I can help too.
So, $180 a week will not get you much, I think you’ll be looking at house sharing with someone. Check out this page for more information on how to search for that…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/16335/finding-a-job-and-somewhere-to-live-in-australia/
You won’t have any problem getting hold of Halal meat. Wherever you choose to live, I’m pretty sure there will be a supermarket nearby that will be able to accommodate, and if you’re close to the city, there are some Asian supermarkets sprinkled around.
You won’t have any problem with safety here either, Brisbane is a very safe city, but if you want to find out where all the Asians hang out, check out this post…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/17428/who-lives-where-migrants-settling-in-australian-cities/
One final word of warning though, if your budget is as tight as I think it is, sounds like you won’t be able to last long without a job. Jobs aren’t easy to get a moment, especially for new migrants, so you want to bear that in mind. Have a look at the comments on this post for more information…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/17033/whats-it-really-like-trying-to-find-a-job-in-australia-2015/
Good luck, Bob
Hi Bob! I love the info on your website. I want to move to Australia for 1 year and I’m in the process of getting ready. One thing I fear though. I am planning to move with a friend, and after reading your blog we decided Brisbane instead of Perth, but I am afraid of the salary. Everywhere I look for average salaries, Restaurant Supervisors get around 40000/year, and a Chef de Partie around 50000. I’m a bit unsure as I see rents being weekly and high (400/500 week). Is this information that I have correct? Can you direct me to any website where I can have a better information about these 2 jobs in particular? Thank you
Well, yes, I can agree with you on the cost of rentals, although you can pay less for an apartment and more for a big house or for somewhere in a sought-after suburb. This is the page where you can research rents – Cost of Buying or Renting a House in Australia.
And this is where you can search for jobs and also research average incomes for various kinds of skills, see Getting a Job or a Sponsorship. Look for the title something like ‘How much will you earn?’
Perth though, I think, will be even worse for you, higher rents and even harder to find work. Perth’s not doing so good at the moment.
Great web site. For a family keen on road cycling (competitive) therefore having the need to get out anywhere from 20KM to 120KM rides where would be some good suburbs within a 30 minute commute of Brisbane CBD?
Property price range 700 to 900K
Good schools (high schools) – private and/or public
Great sports facilities (swimming, track and field and cycling)
We love the beach (Gold Coast, yet to go to Sunshine but that’s happening in December) but work might have to be Brisbane which is why I’m casting the net that way.
Currently in Perth and spoilt with all the above
Thanks, glad you like my website.
We have a couple of great sports complexes, one is called the Sleeman Centre which is in Chandler east of Brisbane and I have written a post about it, you can read it here…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/16246/australians-and-swimming-why-do-aussies-swim-like-fish/
Then we have the Hibiscus Sports Complex in Upper Mount Gravatt, which somebody here in these comments has said is a great place to live.
Brisbane City Council also publish a cycle route map, just Google ‘cycle path map Brisbane’ and it should appear at the top of the results. We have quite a comprehensive cycle track around the city, and quite a bit of it runs along the side of the river. Very nice.
If you were to live in either of these places, you’d have easy access to the motorway to take you down to the Gold Coast for your beach visits. Sunshine Coast is great as well, do check it out. By the way, every year there is a bike race from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, you might like to join in.
So those would probably be the areas I’d be looking at, but as for schools, I don’t know them very well over that way, but my page Which school? can help you research them.
I’m not a cyclist though, so maybe somebody who is will see your comment and give you some additional advice. Hope this helps so, and good luck with your move, Bob
Hiya Bob! I love your website! Your terrific knowledge about Australia and deep affection for this beautiful country are evident in your posts and replies. My other half is a huge fan too.
We are planning to move to Brisbane but Husband wants to buy a house on higher ground, not too far from the Brisbane CBD. What do recommend? We’re in our early 30s and Baby J is 4 months. Thank you! Carol
P.S. I think my husband is taking the role of dad a bit too seriously – he thoroughly baby-proofed the entire house before Baby J was born and now, he keeps talking about how worried he is that our future home may be affected by severe flooding (hence my question about “higher ground”). How about starting a website for dads, Bob? With tips on how to chill out? 😉 In the meantime, I’m dragging Husband to yoga and mindfulness classes. 🙂
Thanks, glad you like my website. Not sure I’m ready to start a site to help dads chill out though, I suspect I’d need to learn how to do that myself first 🙂
Thing is with Brisbane it is very hilly, so quite a few suburbs have a low and high points. For example, Ashgrove, which is quite close to the city, has a high point of just over 60 metres above sea level and a low point of about 9 metres.
If I recall, The Gap, another suburb close to the city is quite hilly and will have plenty of high points. Somebody recently commented here how much they like the suburb of Mount Gravatt, which also has really good access to the city. If you want even higher, I suspect Upper Mount Gravatt will give you that. I believe it may be the highest point in Brisbane, unless that honour goes to Mount Nebo.
I’ve also written a post about avoiding the floods in Brisbane, have a look at…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/8949/brisbane-and-queensland-floods-should-we-avoid-living-there/
Hope that helps in good luck, Bob
Great website! I am looking to relocate from Sydney to Brisbane!
I’m looking at purchasing near graceville with around 600k to play with what would you recommend suburb wise to look at. Looking at around 10-15km to graceville area.
I have listed a few suburbs below!
Moorooka
Salisbury
Taringa
Toowong
Tarragindi
Indoorpilly
Holland park west
Mansfield
Kenmore
Mount gravatt east
graceville
Sherwood
Sinnamon Park
Oxley
Sunnybank Hills
Kuraby
Bellbowrie
Matt
I think my answer depends on what kind of property you are looking to buy. If it’s a four bedroom detached house, I think some of these suburbs may be a bit too pricey for you, if you want an apartment though, or a two or three bedroom townhouse, your choice would be wider.
Of those on your list, I quite like the look of Graceville itself, and the nearby Sherwood and Sinnamon Park and they would be perfect for your commute being the right side of the river. Mount Gravatt has also been highly praised by others somewhere on this page.
My pick would be Bellbowrie if you don’t mind a longer commute. I think it would take you at least 30 minutes to get to Graceville, maybe longer during peak hours because you have to get across the bridge. You will get more house for your money though in Bellbowrie. Kenmore would be a good choice as the state school there, both junior and senior, have a great reputation.
Check out property prices on my page called Cost of Buying or Renting a House in Australia.
Hi Bob,
We just moved to Brisbane from Asia, could you suggest us some good suburbs in Brisbane? I got a job at Crestmead and I don’t have a car at the moment, which means I need to go to work via public transport. But I don’t want to live so far from Brisbane city, could you give me some suggestion? Thanks
Sunnybank may be the perfect suburb for you, it’s almost in between the city and where you will be working. Sunnybank has a very high Asian population and is quite a lively suburb with many restaurants and shops. I think it has a good transport hub as well, so worth a look.
Also worth a look because I think it has good transport links into the city, is Springfield Lakes. Google ‘Translink’ to check on transport options. Good luck, Bob
Moving to North Lakes in September 2017 with my partner we are both 28 from Essex. We have choose North Lakes as it seems similar to home but with the bonus of the weather and close to beaches. Would you say it was a low crime, friendly suburb? We really hope there is lots to do so we can make friends fast? I also hope it’s spider free!!
Thank you
I know somebody who lives in North Lakes, she moved there from the UK with her family, she’s really settled in and loves it. She mentioned that quite a few English people live there as well.
It’s quite a new suburb, but it’s all very safe, and it’s got a Costco…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/16806/costco-versus-coles-in-australia/
Redcliffe and all the way down to Sandgate is all very nice, but they aren’t great beaches, for that you will need the Sunshine Coast. But that’s the beauty of North Lakes, you are not far away from Caloundra or Mooloolaba for those golden sandy beaches.
I think you will love it. Good luck, Bob
Hi Bob,
Me and my wife have plan to move to Brisbane in near future, we are currently living in Sydney. We have few options where want to move to like Paddington, Milton, Newstead, Tenerife, New Farm, West End, South Bank. Which one of them you do recommend in term of easy for transports and get around, safest to stay and affordable to buy ??
Any help much appreciated.
Thanks,
Regards,
Gunn
All good areas, and all have good access to get around, and all of them are quite expensive. Not for you though, coming from Sydney, you could probably buy one in each 🙂
My preference would be for Newstead, because I love the Newstead Brewery Company, they may just produce the best beer in all of Australia.
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/19481/microbreweries-in-brisbane-lets-go-for-a-beer/
I also love New Farm, it has a fantastic park, a cool vibe and it’s by the river with a great river walk…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/10089/a-winters-day-in-the-park-in-brisbane/
I like Paddington as well, it’s quirky with some unusual shops.
Hope that helps, Bob
Bob, your website is amazing! If we weren’t already planning a move to Australia, you would certainly inspire us to consider it.
Couple of questions: What’s a good suburb for a young family to the Northwest of Brisbane? Our priority would be safety and sense of community- we want our kids to grow up knowing the neighbours, and we ourselves are hoping to build up a network of good friends, as we won’t really know anyone in Brisbane when we move. Budget wise- nothing too pricey, but we’d happily pay a bit more for peace of mind (i.e. not gunning for the cheapest place on the market either!)
Also, how soon should we buy? We may spend a short time in a rental place but we really don’t want to get tied down. On the other hand, we don’t want to rush into hasty decisions on such a big ticket item either! What’s a good rental timeframe in your opinion?
Thanks so much for the advice!
Thanks, glad you like 🙂
As for your questions, I’m probably not the best person to answer your first one. Whilst I’ve driven through quite a few suburbs in the north west, that’s not the same as knowing what they are like to live in.
Samford does have what seems to be an amazing community spirit, but I think it is very rare that anything comes on the market there for under $600,000, because most houses are on large plots of land.
The nearby Ferny Grove and Ferny Hills look like good options to me, and recently somebody in the comments, here I think it was, mentioned that they really liked Keppera and I think there is a big new development going on there at the moment.
If you go further north, houses will get cheaper, but I just don’t know what places like Warner, Strathpine or Bray Park are really like. So hopefully someone who does know that part of Brisbane better than I do will help you out.
I’d probably be inclined not to go any further north than I’ve mentioned, you start to get a bit detached from Brisbane up there.
As for rental though, I would probably try to secure a six month lease when you get here and spend as much time as you can driving round and having a look at the various suburbs. I think choosing a suburb where you want to buy somewhere is a big decision and you don’t want to rush into it, so much so that I would say a 12 month rental contract wouldn’t be so bad either. It takes time to find and fall in love with a suburb.
Anyone else got any suggestions for this area?
Thanks Bob, that’s already very helpful and will check out the suburbs you mentioned! Also appreciate the advice about rental timeframes. Good of you to take time to answer my questions. Have a great week ahead!
I live in Everton Hills 13 klms north west of Brisbane s CBD. Rentals would range between $350 to $500 a week depending on what you want. Everywhere in the suburb is close to schools, shopping centres and public transport. And it’s very safe crime wise.
Thanks Andrew, that does sound like it could be what we’re looking for… Will read a bit more about it!
Hi, we are an English married couple in our 30’s with three school aged children. We are relocating to Australia in the near future (wife is qualified school teacher/nursery teacher). We originally wanted to move to Cocoa Beach in Florida, we loved the pace of life, community spirit and weather. However, after 9 months of trying, there was almost zero chance of obtaining a sponsorship to the USA. Therefore, for several months we have been trying to find a place comparable.
This lead us to look at the Sunshine Coast and areas around Brisbane. We are getting closer to moving but obviously being the other side of the world and never having been to Australia our information might be a bit sketchy. We live in a built up area now and want to find that Cocoa Beach vibe in Australia, are we looking in the right place?
We will be renting and expect to spend 450/500 pw on a house, with this in mind. Some recommendations of neighbourhoods that are good value and suitable for families would be helpful. I looked at Mountain Creek/Buderim in the Sunshine Coast but and it might be daft I don’t know, they say they have a midge/sandfly problem, that has put me off a bit. So I started looking further south, North of Brisbane places like Everton Park etc. What do people think?
This is a tricky one, mainly because I have no idea what Cocoa Beach is like, I’ve never been. I have been to Florida, so I know what the climate is like, and I’d say Sunshine Coast is very close, maybe not quite so humid.
Sunshine Coast is also very laid-back, a really quite a beautiful place a live and I’ve been there a lot, never particularly noticed midge or sandfly problem. Mountain Creek and Buderim are quite sought out areas, so you might not get much for your budget. But I do think you are looking in the right space with Sunshine Coast.
Even though I’ve never been, I really can’t imagine that Everton Park = Cocoa Beach, so if I were you I’d be inclined to concentrate my search on the Sunshine Coast area.
Hi
Where in Brisbane would be a good place for a first-home buyer? Two professionals in their late 20s/early 30s looking to relocate to Brisbane but looking for best value for money.
This is a tough one really, because looking for best value can sometimes mean buying a house in an area that is a little socio-economically challenged. So to buy a reasonably priced house in a reasonable area, I’m gonna suggest you look at Springfield Lakes, it’s a planned development, a rapidly expanding ‘new town’.
House prices are very keen because there are so many new houses being built there, so worth a look. I’ve been there, it’s quite a pretty place, plenty of open spaces and parks. What it’s really like to live there though, I don’t know, but I’ve not heard anything bad about it.
Sorry, I had a niggling doubts so I just checked. Springfield Lakes is part of Ipswich Council, it’s not actually in Brisbane. It’s close, for example Forest Lakes, about a kilometre above it is part of Brisbane, but if you want to stay within Brisbane, then you’ll need to look elsewhere.
On the other hand, being just outside of Brisbane might not bother you.
If it does though, then prices in Moggill and Bellbowrie are still very good. These are all for houses though, if it’s just the two of you, maybe an apartment would suit? If so, plenty of cheap options there, we currently have a glut of them. You would be able to live closer to the city and enjoy a much better local night-time entertainment.
If you can let me know what sort of property you are looking for and maybe your budget, maybe I can help a bit more.
Hi Bob…just stumbled upon your website recently. It’s been very informative! We are an American family of 6 (kids are 7, 9, 11 and 14) looking to relocate to Brisbane for my husband’s job for 1-2 years. My hope is to rent an apartment in the CBD. Is the downtown area suitable for families? Thanks!
Well, apart from the obvious, which is that houses will be closer together with smaller gardens and there will be more traffic on the roads in inner Brisbane, yes, the downtown area is suitable for families.
If you can get an apartment in New Farm, for example, there’s a great park there for your kids right by the river. Then there is also South Bank Parklands just the other side of the river with its man-made lagoon complete with beach. Brisbane is a very safe city as well, so no problems with that.
Hope that helps, Bob
Hi Bob, I’m visiting Brisbane to explore a move to QUT from a UK university. When I visit in a few weeks I’d like to check out some rented accommodation. Do you have any recommendations for areas to explore? I hope to be within 45 min walk or with good public transport of Gardens Point.
QUT is right in the heart of the city, so it’s difficult to know what to suggest. But I’d say have a look around St Lucia as there’s lots of student accommodation there for the University of Queensland.
It’s also not far from where you will be going and I believe you can get a city cat (ferry) on the Brisbane River to take you from there to QUT. I also think it might be worth you phoning QUT and ask them where most of their students base themselves as it might be a good idea to live where they will be, so you can socialise in the evenings.
Hi, many students gravitate to the South Brisbane and West End areas for shared accomodation. Good luck!
Hi Bob
We are wanting to move from Gladstone to Brisbane.
Have two sons, 17 and 13 yrs so want to be close to 20 – 30 minutes drive from indooroopooly, toowong area ….. wish to buy a house with a price range of 500-600 k….. preferably 4 bedroom
Do you want to make any suggestions
You would get good value for money if you go further west, any suburb close to Moggill, which itself is about 20 minutes drive from Indooroopilly. It might be a bit quiet for you though, it’s a bit out in the sticks, so if you prefer things to be slightly livelier then check out the suburbs on the other side of the Indooroopilly bridge around Chelmer, Jindalee and Graceville way.
It might be a bit of a pain driving across the bridge though during rush hour. Hope that helps, Bob
Hello Bob,
Thanks for the amazing info that you share with everyone. We are a young family and have a 18m old daughter and currently live in Sydney. We both have established careers and are doing fairly well however the ever increasing costs of housing is making us look outside of Sydney. Both of us have a good chance of getting transfers if we decide to move to Brisbane. weather wise it is very similiar to India where we come from. We arent sure if we should leave Sydney and move up. Maybe you can help us to make that decision. Also which suburbs do you recommend to live? We are looking for a friendly suburb with good schools and child care facilities and within 15km radius of CBD. We researched the internet and quiet overwhelmed with the different reviews and opinions.
Well I can’t help you with your decision whether to move to Brisbane or not, only you can decide on that, but it seems to me from other comments made on my website that quite a few people are thinking now is the time to get out of Sydney. Costs, as you say, continue to rise there.
That said, I think Brisbane would be a good choice, I love it here.
As for which suburb, we have plenty of good schools and childcare facilities within 15 kilometres of the CBD, so it really depends on what else you want. May I suggest you have good skim through all the comments made here so far, you will get a lot of information about the suburbs here and what they are like.
I’ve lived in the same suburb for the last 10 years, so I personally don’t know what it’s really like to live anywhere else, but I’m sure if you give more details of exactly what you want from a suburb close to the CBD, and maybe even suggest or ask about suburbs that interest you, then maybe people who live there can tell you what it’s like.
Good luck with your plans whatever you decide.
Hi B,
Hubby is looking to move to Perth and I’m loving brissy. Unsuccessful in convincing him to Brissy. Just wanted to know your take on Perth.
Perth is a pleasant enough city, but it is a little isolated from the rest of the country. But if you don’t want day trips to theme parks, or you’re not bothered about some of the major live events never actually making it to Perth, or you’re not bothered about jumping on a plane for a cheap weekend in Sydney, then there’s nothing wrong with isolation.
At the moment though, the bigger issue is that Perth is really suffering economically and most people seem to think that the cost of housing is still overpriced for that city. I would choose Brisbane over Perth all day long, actually, I have 🙂
Hi Bob,
Many thanks for your treasure of resources on this and many more posts!
I’ll leave old continent in November and move to Australia in November this year. Very much looking forward to new life in Brisbane =) Searching for some information about the city and its suburbs I came across your post. And since you and your readers are so great with providing helpful advice I thought I’d bother you and ask for some recommendations on where to settle best in the city.
There will be two of us (in our 30s), no kds, no pets. Most likely one car parked in front for weekend use. I’ll work on St Lucia campus and would very much like to avoid the car and ride my bike to work (as I’ve been doing for years now). We do not have any extravagant needs and 1-2 bedroom basic apartment is what we need. Perhaps 2 – if we would like to put it on AirBnb occasionally (as we currently do in Switzerland.. plus we would have a spare room for guests that will arrive soon after we settle ;). Pricewise – I wouldn’t like to live in strict city centre but also would like to be more connected to ‘city’ than suburb.
Where should we zoom in with our search for a rental flat?
Many thanks!
I think you are going to be in for a bit of a treat. There is a fantastic cycle path that stretches all the way from New Farm and goes to at least Toowong and although I haven’t checked, I’d be really surprised if it didn’t go all the way to St Lucia.
As you cycle into your workplace the river will be on your left hand side and you won’t have to deal with any traffic, other than other bikes and pedestrians, along the way. If you’re feeling a bit lazy or don’t want to take the bike for any reason, you can catch a CityCat ferry instead.
So any suburb along that way from New Farm, Teneriffe, Newstead would be good for you and as we have an over supply of apartments at the moment, you should get a good price. If it were me, I’d choose New Farm, it’s a quite trendy suburb full of young people. See…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/10089/a-winters-day-in-the-park-in-brisbane/
Good luck with your search, Bob
Thank you very much for prompt feedback Bob! I’m glad to hear that the current property market will be on our side.
The areas that you mention look great, however soon after New Farm I’d get into the zone of >30min bike rides.
Compared to what you recommend – how do the areas south of CBD stack against those you mention. Browsing through the information and pictures on the Web I was really fond of West End and neighboring areas. But I understand thet they are pretty hip. Would we pay a premium for staying there compared to other locations?
On a similar note – how do the areas west of St Lucia campus (Towoong, Taringa & Indooroopilly) compare? I saw quite a few ‘student like’ flats available there. But was hard to find some reliable information on the neighborhoods.
Sorry, didn’t realise it was actually such a long bike ride. All the suburbs you mention are fine, but the route from Indooroopilly and Taringa would mean cycling on some quite busy roads from what I can see.
West End might be a good option as I think you can cycle across the go-between bridge for free as a cyclist, for other vehicles it is a toll bridge. You can then join the cycle path along the river. I think you should still be able to pick up a reasonably priced apartment there as well.
As for St Lucia, yes, there are plenty of student flats and lots of students living in them. That would be a nice short bike ride 🙂
Thank you Bob. Really appreciate your help! =)
Hi Bob
We are investors looking at purchasing in Brisbane’s outer suburbs. We are not set to anyone area other than it must be within postcodes 4003 – 4300 (ish) rules set upon us by lending via a SMSF. We can afford places in Loganlea, Bundamba, Redbank, Holmview, Waterford and Bahrs Scrub. Are anyof these places a definite no no? Also Logan and around that way is in our price range. We will be heading up but always great to get a locals view.
Many thanks Bob (looks like your Site is quite the hit!!)
I think all of the areas you mention, which I don’t know particularly well, are actually either under Ipswich Council or Logan Council, so they’re not actually in Brisbane. One or two of the suburbs you mentioned might actually come under Brisbane Council, but they are very much on the outskirts.
These areas are significantly cheaper than most of Brisbane, and some are known to be quite socio-economically challenged. That is not to say they would not be good investment properties, but I think it’s fair to say these areas are cheaper for a reason.
Thanks Bob, appreciate you getting back to me.
Awesome site !!!
We are family of 6 soon to be 7 (kids aged 15, 4, 2, 10 months) and looking to get out of Sydney for a more “coastal living” and wanting to know the best areas that are local to beaches and under preferably under $1million housing. Hubby is a plumber and I work in Training and assessment so hoping to be able to factor this in as well…
Well, Brisbane doesn’t do beaches very well, there is a link to an article about that towards the top of this page. If you definitely need to be living in Brisbane, that article will help you make your choice, but if you don’t have to live in this city then you might want to try Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast.
I wouldn’t discount looking at Northern New South Wales either, the Tweed Coast is really nice. Here are three articles to help you…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/18144/20-things-to-do-on-the-sunshine-coast/
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/21182/tugun-currumbin-and-palm-beach-a-weekend-break-on-the-gold-coast/
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/16519/the-tweed-coast-northern-new-south-wales-australia/
Hello bob
My name is Mathew ,currently living in Newzealand .. we are planning to move to brisbane next year ..we are nurses , hopefully there won’t be much problem to get the job there I guess ?..our main concern is school and house prices ..we are looking either south or west ..do u have any idea about Augustine heights and moggiil suburbs..we have found some nice houses there and it’s looks like southern suburbs are expensive..how about stretten ..pls help us to find out a good suburb to live with family and kids ..
We are so confused ?
Thanks
Mathew
Augustina Heights and Stretton are not suburbs I know too much about, and Augustina Heights is actually not in Brisbane, its under Ipswich council. Stretton is right on the outskirts of Brisbane, pretty much ordering Logan which is, again, a different council area. Of the three areas you have suggested, without doubt (well, in my opinion) Moggill is far and away the winner.
It’s a really nice suburb, has a great little junior school and is in the same catchment area of Kenmore State High School which has a great reputation. House prices are very reasonable and it’s a great place to bring up kids.
Highly recommended.
Hi Bob, thanks for a fantastic site.
Which Brisbane suburbs do you reckon are the best for a young professional couple to rent in? We won’t have a car, so proximity to the CBD and public transport is pretty important. We love the outdoors, so would be nice to be close to some parks, and we love to jog, so somewhere close to nice areas for jogging (possibly along the river?).
Thanks very much.
John
I’d look at the suburbs close to the river and the city, for example New Farm, great for river walks or jogs, easy access to nightlife, it has a great park…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/10089/a-winters-day-in-the-park-in-brisbane/ (watch the video if you have time)
… and is full of young professionals. Also look at Teneriffe and Newstead.
Thanks Bob – much appreciated!
Bobinoz youre such a good person returning all these comments with ideal information welcoming our international friends! Good show old boy! I was wondering if maybe you could give me a few pointers for a friend moving from rural north QLD to my home in the suburbs. Anything i should expect???
Expect the unexpected my friend.
That’s my way of saying I have no idea what you should expect. As far as I’m aware though, most people from rural areas are pretty normal :-), so you should be okay. Good luck, Bob
Hi Bob,
Thank you your fabulous site! I have used it a lot over the last few months as we plan a move to Australia.
I am an Aussie married to a Canadian and we have lived in Canada since getting married 10 years ago. We are moving back to Oz now (yay!) and to Brisbane in fact. We plan to be there sometime between September and January, depending on my husband’s visa and selling our house. I grew up in Sydney and have no idea about Brisbane. Can you help us with some suburb suggestions?
We have a 5 year old who will start school in January and a 3 year old. We’re okay with up to a 45min commute to CBD for husband’s job (in order to get a lower mortgage). We would like a family neighbourhood, with a good state school, shops, parks, church etc. My parents live in Coffs Harbour so I wouldn’t mind being somewhere with good access to the Pacific Highway to get to them. I was thinking south for that reason? But open to suggestions! Any ideas where we should look?
Regards, Jemima
Well, may I be one of the first, albeit a bit early, to welcome you back 🙂
My suggestion would be to live anywhere between Kenmore all the way through to Bellbowrie and Moggill in the western suburbs, with the last two mentioned offering great value in housing. It has a really good junior state school and the high school in Kenmore has a fantastic reputation. My daughter goes there.
I’m not sure you could do the commute in 45 minutes in rush hour, but I can drive to the city out of rush-hour easily in 35 minutes. By car, rush-hour, it’s probably an hour or so. If that’s too long, look at Kenmore or even closer, maybe Indooroopilly.
There’s a big shopping centre in Indooroopilly and plenty of churches in the area. Bellbowrie and Moggill have plenty of green space though, lots of parks, great to bring up kids. Not so good for access to the Pacific Highway though, and it that’s really important, maybe have a look at Mount Gravatt, see my answer to the comment low to see what Steve has to say about that place.
I certainly wouldn’t go too far south down the highway towards Logan though, it’s not a great commute, nor will it give you what you’re looking for for your children. Good luck, Bob
Thank you so much! This is so helpful. I will definitely look at those Western suburbs then! Thanks again Bob 🙂
Hi Bob, thanks for the loads of advice and informations. Me and my partner will be moving to Brisbane next(2018) January. We are thinking of buying a house. I was wondering, if you could help us with an advice about young neighbourhoods. We are both turning 30. Young professionals. My partner will be working near central station. We were thinking to look somewhere maybe closer to the sea, but we don’t want to be farther then 40 min driving from the center. We have never been there before so it would help us a lot if you could suggest areas that worth looking into, maybe nearby train stations as well. Thanks so much! E.
My pleasure, glad you’ve been enjoying the information.
Firstly, I just want to check to see that you have clicked on the link towards the beginning of this article about the beaches of Brisbane? They are not the golden sandy beach you are probably looking for, all the good ones are about an hour and a quarter away from the centre of Brisbane.
What you’ve actually said though is that you want to be closer to the sea, and for that I quite like the Sandgate and Brighton areas, which would give you reasonably good access to the city, and Cleveland is also quite nice, but with not so good access to the centre of it all.
If it was golden sandy beaches you want though, I’d live somewhere trendy full of young folk like New Farm, or Teneriffe, and suffer the hour or so drive each time you go to the seaside.
Hope that helps, Bob
Hi Bob, Thanks for the quick response! And for the recommendations, will look into those parts as well 😀
Yeah, I got the beach part. We checked the map and western areas of Brisbane seems quite far from any beach sightings, thats why we though maybe moving somewhere halfway between the city and the ocean. We are from Vancouver, so we are used to got transportation system as well, so we preferably would like to live close by a station. What are your thoughts on areas like – Tingalpa, Mt. Gravatt or Chermside though? Thanks a lot!
Chermside has got a massive shopping centre, and also it’s a major transport hub for both trains and buses I think. I don’t know much at all about Tingalpa, but interestingly Mount Gravatt is also close to another major shopping centre, and one of my other readers, Steve Lynch, had lots of nice things to say about it on my page about the southern suburbs in Brisbane, his comment is dated 5 November 2016. Worth a read.
Thanks Bob!!! 😀 So looking forward to get there 😀
Hi Bob.
Some friends and I are moving to Brisbane 11 of June and are planning to stay for a year. We are exchangestudents and wiches to live close to st. Lucia and at the same time near the ”partystreet”. Do you have any recomendation to where we should stay? and some tips about the areas?
Best Regards Edvard
I think you’ll find St Lucia is near partystreet, a lot of the houses in that suburb have been converted for students to share and we all know students love a party.
Just down the road, in Toowong, there is a pub called The Royal Exchange and I’ve seen queues of youngsters stretch for about 50 meters outside as they queue to get into that pub to party on busy nights. You would also be right by the river there, with access to the CityCat (ferries) that can take you right into the city and also to some of the trendy suburbs like Newstead and New Farm.
Have fun, Bob
Hi Bob, loving your site since i have decided to look into moving to Australia with my husband and son. We are a young family and husband is currently in the Royal navy so we are living in married quarters here. We are first going to look into a transfer to the australian navy but if thats not an option or we decide against that we are looking at brisbane to live so my questions are, how easy is it to get on the property ladder out there? My husband will be earning around 2000-2500 (a month in gbp, sorry dont understand australian dollers yet ha) out there i imagine if he lands a job he is skilled in. I will find a small job but have no qualifications in anything so wouldnt be earning too much. Thanks alot for this website, its so helpful & really gives us an idea of what its like to live in aus! 🙂
Thanks Sarah, glad you like my website 🙂
This is a tough question to answer, I think the bigger question is whether or not you and your husband will qualify for visas, particularly if the Royal Navy transfer to the Australian Navy thing doesn’t work out.
You can buy houses here in Brisbane for around $400,000, but you will need, I think, at least 10% deposit. You can get units or apartments cheaper. £2500 at current exchange rates is about $4200 AUD, so paying off the mortgage might be tight.
You can find out more through the links on my page called Cost of Buying or Renting a House in Australia.
Good luck with your plans, Bob
Hi,
I would be moving to Brisbane along with my wife and parents in a couple of weeks. Could you please suggest some suburbs which have substantial Indian community presence. My parents would be staying at home and hence it would be better for them to stay in areas where there is Indian community presence. Both me and my wife would be working in the city.
Thanks in advance !!
Ah, this is the post you need to read…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/17428/who-lives-where-migrants-settling-in-australian-cities/
Hello Bob
any ideas about asthma in Brisbane? We have heard that Rochedale is a bad place for asthma, also the North Western suburbs. Clearly inner city is not on.
thank you.
I’ve not heard of this and I’m not sure why Rochedale or the North Western suburbs should be particularly bad for asthma, both places are more rural than most for this city. I’ve never heard and no one has ever suggested that anywhere in Brisbane is particularly bad for asthma, but just because I haven’t heard it doesn’t mean there is not a problem.
May I suggest you play around with the following weather site which does talk about asthma weather…
https://www.accuweather.com/en/au/brisbane/24741/asthma-weather/24741
Other than that, I can’t help, but good luck though.
Hi Bob,
I stumbled across your website today and have been finding it very useful, thanks for taking the time to put this information out on the interweb.
I am an Aussie, originally from Melb, but am living in France currently. My son is wanting to move back to Australia in September this year, and has chosen Brisbane as his destination, even though he’s never been there. Growing up though, he has spent a lot of time on the Gold Coast, and loves the warmth Sth Qld offers. He wants to find an apprenticeship in Cabinet Making, so wont be earning a lot of money for at least 4 years, so I thought perhaps we might buy an apartment as an investment that he might use for a bit, which we could later rent out. I’m aware there is quite the oversupply of apartments in Brisbane, and it is really difficult to narrow down our search, so I thought you might have some suggestions. Considering I will be living on the other side of the planet, I would like some peace of mind that he is living in a relatively safe neighbourhood, with easy access to shops etc. He will have a car, so regardless of where he gets a job, he can commute, but it would be nice for him to be in an active area so he can meet new people. Having said that, we live in rural France, so he is not used to City living at all, so an area with a village or strong community feel would be ideal, to reduce his culture shock. I hope such an area exists, thanks for your time, Katie
Hi Bob
I’m moving my family up to Brisbane from Geelong shortly (I’m English, originally from Kent but have lived in Oz for 9 years, wife is from Melbourne). I’ll be working in lutwyche and would really appreciate any information/ guidance on 1. soccer clubs – my 10 year old son plays for the current best under-12 team in Victoria and is sport-mad and 2. Ballet clubs – my 9 year old daughter is ballet and dance-mad and competes at a state-level. She also loves horse-riding. If I can make sure the kids are happy by finding them great clubs and top school (private or state) that just leaves the boss to satisfy:) she is after a beautiful rental house (around $1k per week) in an area with views, a pool, room for the border collie to run in, interesting architecture, green spaces and a great community. As for me if I can get somewhere no more than a 40-min commute to work and I can solve the above then I’m a happy man. Any pointers you can give would be great and keep up the good work!
Well, with that budget, you could probably rent a house with great views overlooking the river from places like Hamilton (probably Brisbane’s most affluent suburb), New Farm or Ascot, but being in the city you might not get the green spaces you want. The Gap to the west would be worth a look, it’s on high ground and there are some very nice houses there with good views and you will have more space around you.
For even more greenery, and if the commute isn’t too far for you, Samford Village is worth a look, your daughter would love it there, lots of horses. It has a great community feel as well. Unfortunately your dog may restrict you in the rental market.
Queensland Ballet is located in West End. As for football for your son, have a look at footballbrisbane.com.au, they have an under 11’s league and you can see the league table so you can pick out the better teams. Good luck, Bob
about the soccer club, I’ve heard FC Barcelona will open a new soccer school in Brisbane, very soon!
Jeremy, I thought you were joking, so I googled it, and you are absolutely right…
http://fcbescola.fcbarcelona.com/brisbane/
It opens in July apparently. Thanks for the info, Bob
Dear Bob
Great thanks for your amazing website full of usefull info.
My son and 2 of his friends are 18 and will go to Brisbane in September for a year to study english and work to pay their living….
Will that be difficult for them to rent a flat (considering their age?).
Where is it best for them to live, any specific area that will be perfect for them?
Thanks in advance for your advice
Hi Agnès, thanks for the kind words.
I don’t think your son and his friends will have problems renting, plenty of students do and I would advise looking somewhere close to where they will be studying so they can live amongst most of the other students. That will make it easier for them to get to know the others and also to socialise with them.
If they are attending university, there is usually plenty of housing converted specifically for renting out to students close to the campus, so that’s where I would head if I were them.
Hi Bob,
Congratulations on your website. It is really helpful.
We are a Spanish family of 5 moving to Brisbane next July. I will be working at Princess Alexandra Hospital and would like to know about good neighbourhoods to live in. We are looking for a house in a well connected place as I’d rather commute to the hospital easily, not very far from CBD, if possible. I would greatly appreciate it if you could help us out.
Regards,
Thanks Portu, glad you like my site.
I don’t really know all of the surrounding suburbs well enough, but I have been to Woolloongabba, Hawthorne and Bulimba and they are all very nice suburbs. On the other side of the river, New Farm, Teneriffe and Newstead are also good.
For the record, Hamilton is be the most sought after and affluent suburb in Brisbane. So that would be good, but very expensive. It’s probably fair to say that all of a suburbs I have mentioned here are quite expensive, but that’s the price you pay if you want to be close to the city. Hope that helps, Bob
Thanks for your time, Bob. Very kind of you.
Hi Portu,
Depending on the age of the children in your family, you may like Coorparoo and Camp Hill. We have a young family and find there’s a lot of great parks, outdoor pools and shopping centres with play areas around here. The cost of houses is also a little cheaper than Bulimba, Hawthorne and certainly Hamilton. Commuting to your hospital would also be very easy from Coorparoo with regular buses or easy driving access taking around 5-10 minutes.
Bulimba and Hawthorne have a little more going on for teenagers. There’s Oxford Street which has a great eating, drinking, cafe culture, as well as parks, a cinema and so on. It’s a little further away on the bus to work for you, but you may find the area is worth it.
Bulimba ferry also goes to New Farm in around 20 minutes where there’s another great park and an easy walk into the shops and restaurants of James Street.
Good luck.
Alan
Hi bob,
Thank you so much for all of the information you have provided.
I’ve some few randoms questions for you. They might sound a little silly, but i cant seem to find my answers anywhere! That being said, I’ll really appreciate your opinion. 🙂
Would you say Brisbane is a pet friendly city? I’m planning on taking my dog with me. What can you tell me about green areas? How hard do you think it would be like to find a pet friendly place to live in? And, about the weather. I’m curious. All i’ve ever known are the beaches down in the Pacific and the Caribbean Coast (Latin American beaches – mexicans are my absolute favorites). I love that tropical kind of weather. I know Brisbane is only an hour or so from the beach. How would you describe Australian beaches? Can you get a tan in Brisbane or/and at the beach? (this is really bugging me cause like??? why is it so hard to find an answer for such an easy question?? haha) What about humidity? Would you mind telling me some of the differences between American vs Australian beaches? i also lived for a while in British Columbia, Canada and, ah… around canadian beaches. Can’t (and wont) say I’m a big fan. I just dont really appreciate cold weather.
THANKS!!
Well, if I can be frank, I’m astonished you cannot find the answers to these questions because they are all here on this very website. I’ve written about dog parks, I’ve written about how green it is around Brisbane and elsewhere in Australia, I’ve written tons of posts about the weather and even on this page, towards the top, there is a link to a post about the beaches in and surrounding Brisbane.
I even have a weather chart describing Brisbane’s weather in glorious colour on this very page. It’s all here, you just need to look, or use the search box towards the top right hand side of every page. Good luck, Bob
We are moving to brisbane in the summer from the UK. Not sure where to move to. Hubby will be working in Forestlake. I’ve been reading about Springfield Lakes, Forest Lake, Sunnybank hills….not sure how to decide but want to try and get to right as don’t want to move the young kids school too often. We are looking to rent for 6 months then buy. We want an easy place to live and commute to St Lucia…..let’s say max 45 minutes. Any advice???
Well, I don’t really know what any of the places you mention I like to actually live in, but I can tell you that Sunnybank has very much a Chinese/Asian feel about it, and Springfield Lakes is a very new development that is rapidly expanding.
I think they are both decent enough places to live in, but they would leave you with quite a commute to St Lucia. It might be worth you looking at Jindalee, Mount Ommaney and Middle Park areas, they are quite nice. I know nothing much about Forest Lake, but hopefully someone who does will see your comment and help out on that and maybe some of the other areas you are looking at.
Hi bob!
Thanks so much for all of your tips, your website has been so helpful!
My boyfriend and I (both 26) are planning to move from Canada to Australia in January/18. We had our eye on Brisbane and I was wondering if you could suggest a few areas to live in that aren’t crazy expensive, but near the CBD (I believe where a lot of jobs are?)
We won’t have a car so somewhere that is easily commutable, which brings me to my second question- is the public transit decent in Brisbane?? Even if you’re looking to take trips to places such as the Gold Coast?
It also looks like there are several beaches around the Brisbane area like in redcliffe-are these beaches swimmable?
Thanks for all of your help!
Jess
Hi Jess
Yes, I suspect it’s true to say that there are more jobs available in the CBD than surrounds, but I’m not sure it can be described as ‘a lot of jobs’. The job market here isn’t fantastic at the moment, but there are jobs about.
Brisbane housing costs are very reasonable though, and being as it is just the two of you, you may want to consider renting an apartment close to the city centre, maybe somewhere like New Farm, Teneriffe or Newstead. All are young and trendy suburbs and close to the nightlife.
If you want to live further out to bring the costs down, may I suggest you Google the ‘Brisbane railway map’, as getting the train into town would always be much easier than jumping on a bus.
You can research house prices on my page Cost of Buying or Renting a House in Australia.
Gold Coast isn’t easy to get to by public transport, I think it can take up to 3 hours by train and bus, which kind of takes the fun out of it. To take a tour around Brisbane’s beaches, please click on the link towards the top of the above article.
Hi Bob,
I am an Indian presently in Singapore. Both myself and hubby are in to IT field. First of all making decision to mov to Australia from the safety and tc benefits of Singapore was difficult. On top my Husband has job offer from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. My kid has eczema and asthma. May I know your opinion which city will be better. We are not party people. Rather spend time as family. And one more thing is the skin cancer issue is more in Queensland rather than NSWand Victoria.
If you Google it, I think you will find that Melbourne was recently found to be the allergy capital of the world. That may not help with your kids eczema and asthma. Housing in Melbourne and Sydney is extraordinary expensive, so if you’re husband is likely to earn about the same money in Brisbane as he would in the other two cities, then I can assure you your lifestyle will be much better if you choose to come to Queensland.
As for skin cancer, it’s only an issue if you allow it to be and I’m not really certain there is any difference between the three states. Just use the correct protection, a hat, long sleeves, use a safe sunscreen, or just don’t hang out in the sun for too long and you’ll all be fine.
Brisbane is a great place to bring up children, and as you are not party people, that’s where I would choose out of the three if I were you.
Hi Bob,
Thank you. Really appreciate the time you are taking to help by replying.
Hi Bob,
I just graduated from college in the United States with a degree in Aviation Management. Since I was young, I have always wanted to work for an airline and I have had a passion for geography and travel for as long as I can remember. I’m looking for a new adventure by moving to Australia. I have always admired it. Anyways, I have a job offer from Qantas in Sydney, and from Virgin in Brisbane. I am torn between the two options and don’t know the area well enough to confidently decide. Which city do you think would be better to live in for a newcomer to Australia?
Thanks
Well, I live in Brisbane, not Sydney, and I love it here so I am naturally biased. If you’re going to be earning the same kind of money from each job, financially you will definitely be better off in Brisbane. It’s a much cheaper city to live in, housing costs in Sydney have got quite out of control.
If you like your city to be a little bit more laid-back and sprawling with hot summers and warm winters, again, Brisbane wins.
If you want your city to be busy and a little more crowded, and you want four seasons. Then maybe Sydney his for you. I think it will be worth you reading my page A Quick Guide to Choosing a City in Australia and reading the sections on both Brisbane and Sydney before making your mind up.
Hope that helps and good luck whichever city you decide to move to.
Thanks, that does help a lot and I would virtually be making the same salary at each company. I was unaware of the living costs differences, and that is a large factor. Again, Thanks
Hi myself, husband and 3 kids are considering emigrating to Brisbane. I am a nurse, he’s in IT. We have been on a reccy trip to Melbourne which we liked but it’s not very different from UK and not v. warm. I have seen that you recommend Brisbane – could you give us an idea of good suburbs – we need links to city but don’t want to be right in the middle. Thanks, Fiona
Well, I can assure you that Brisbane is every different from the UK and v. warm, you won’t be disappointed. We have lots of suburbs with close links to the city, so you will need to give me more information about what you want from where you live for me to be able to answer.
Parks, open spaces, nightlife, shops, quiet, expensive, cheap? Do you know which hospital you will be working at?
Hi Bob,
Thanks for all the time and effort you have put into this. Very good procrastination material.
No doubt you are tired of answering these types of questions but ask I shall 🙂
We are comsidering a move to Brisbane. I’m trying to convince the better half, whom is happy in London, as we live quite comfortably, in a great area. However, as I was born in Africa I have fond memories of the lifestyle warm weather can provide. The better half, however, is not influenced by weather. In fact the only time she mentions it is when it’s too hot. So that’s is a problem I need to find a solution to as I’m not sure she will be happy in the sweltering heat.
I’m en devouring to put forward a good case. And my case will use the children, of which we have two. There is the obvious lifestyle benefits for them. However what I am trying to ascertain is whether a £150k salary will allow us to rent a nice 4 bedroom house in the best area and allow us to send the kids to private school. I know it will be tight, but if it is possible then I think I’m onto a winner. The £150k is just what i expect to earn (before tax). Not taking into consideration her salary. She is a qualified accountant, so I assume she could get something decent. However the hope would be that she doesn’t have to work whilst we settle in for the first year or two.
Thanks in advance.
Ak
PS The reason why we choose Brisbane is because we have family there.
Difficult to answer this one, as you say, I think it will be tight. When you say rent in the ‘best’ area, do you mean the most expensive? For example, the suburb of Hamilton which overlooks the river close to the city is probably one of our most expensive, but I’m not sure it would be best for you. Living in the heart of the city is not always the best place to be for children.
On the other hand, suburbs like Pullenvale and those that surround it offer wide open spaces, lots of green grass, massive houses with swimming pools, it is also a very affluent area and rents are not cheap, but I think they would be cheaper than Hamilton.
May I suggest you check houses and rental costs on my page Cost of Buying or Renting a House in Australia?
As for private education, again, costs can vary wildly, I wrote about it reasonably recently in this post…
https://www.bobinoz.com/blog/20508/cost-of-private-school-education-australia-and-the-uk-compared/
Prices also vary depending on the age of your children, roughly speaking you can pay anything from around $7000 to probably $20,000+ depending on the school. No matter how much you pay for rent or education though, you won’t be able to do anything about the weather here; it’s gonna be hot.
Good luck convincing your other half about that 🙂