Question for Brisbaneites

[kissfan]

Hi all.

Just after some opinions, and I will take on board that that is all any comments are, just opinions.

Have mentioned a few times that eventually I intend on moving to Qld to settle, and already have a couple of I/P's in Redland Bay, one of which was possibly going to be the house we (my wife and self) were intending of moving into.

Still love Redland Bay and other parts of the Redland Shire but we also like arond the Wynnum/Manly area and also the Scarborough (just up from Redcliffe) area.

What I'd like to know is if anyone can point out any points that we (as visitors) may have overlooked in regards to the above areas, e.g one of those areas has a lot of louts that we may have not seen, gets too crowded at certain time of year, floods etc, you get the drift.

The reason I ask is because our next investment is hopefully going to buy in one of these areas with the intention of renting it out until the time is right to move.

I know this a broad sort of question (and a bit long winded) and at the end of the day the decision will ultimately be ours but thought I may be able to draw on the wisdom of someone more local.

Regards
Marty

 

[kissfan]

Hi all.

No advice yet .

I'll even settle for opinions from people not necessarily living in these areas but know them fairly well .

Or, even opinions of other areas that people may be able to talk me into

Preferably near water.

Regards
Marty

 

[Bear924]

Not a local so my info may be a little vague however according to the father in law to be; the Shorncliffe area near Sandgate once would generally flood yearly... most people kept a boat under their home. Not sure how much of a problem it was up and down the coast.

 

[Garry K]

Hi kf

In the absence of any local comment, I thought I'd throw in my 20c worth.


I'm not sure where you are living now, but I'm in Melbourne. We too bought an IP in Redland, Victoria Point, in late 2003, with a view that one day we might move there (perhaps 5-10 years away).

Originally we were looking at Northern NSW Tweed (eg Ocean Shores), but found the employment opportunities limited.
VP is more a part of Brisbane, so from an IP sense, the future looked like providing more infrastrucure growth etc.

In terms of a place to live, we really like VP, it doesn't have beaches, but we are past swimming in the surf anyway. It does appear to offer other water sports though, which is appealing. Redland has that coastal outlook without being too touristy or having the surf scene.

Sitting here in Melb today with a temp of about 12c, anywhere north is good though.

GarryK

 

[liverpoolharryk]

I really like the bay area Cleveland, Ormiston, Victoria point and Redland Bay, it has a really good sense of community out that way. You are only a hop, skip and jum to go either up or down the coast and the shopping centres have come along strong in the last 2 years, meaning you don't now have to travel into capalaba or Cleveland to do your shopping.

Being out by the Bay also means those lovely Bay breezes and cooler temps in summer. Not a real lot of rif raf in those areas either as for the most part they are newer estates. Up the Shorncliff way although still ok you still have the stigma of Bracken ridge and Redcliff as being a more working class suburbs (just my opinion).

I manage quite a few properties out in the redlands and every time I drive out there I like it more each time!

 

[markpatric]

I have had a bit to do with all those areas over a long period of time, all are great areas but Redcliffe and surrounding areas Vic Point etc have had a bit of a hoon/unemployment issue in the past, but those days seem to be fading fast, all great areas.
Scarborough itself has never had any issues at all that I have ever heard of.

 

[craigc]

I dont think you can go to far wrong with bayside Brisbane be it north or south. I think south has seen more growth and upmarket residential housing developments over the last few years, but the north side is playing catch up.
Redcliffe and surrounds have been more working class but this is changing rapidly. Those old beachside fibro cottages are being demolished and replaced with luxury housing. Lots of high rise developments as well, I think these developers know an emerging area when they see one.
Both have waterfront but only the north offer beaches with sand that you can actually swim at.
All in all I feel Brisbane bayside is still vastly undervalued in comparison with waterside suburbs in other capitals.

 

[shazza]

I lived in Redcliffe for 4 years and now live in the Wynnum/Manly area so from our experience its mainly a concern of where you work. It can easily take an hour to get from the Redcliffe peninsula to the Brisbane CBD and doing that every day takes a chunk of your week. It takes an hour by train from Cleveland to Brisbane and half hour from W/M by train - the train line is good.

Redcliffe used to be very quiet when we moved up but is now really busy and
Scarborough is definately transforming into a cosmo centre - there a quite a few apartment complexes going up - the council a couple of years ago was very development minded (they've since been thrown out of office).

We personally like W/M area because its bayside but close to everything - straight onto the Gateway and actually quite central. And its pretty quiet around here but then we're pretty boring.

Scarborough and Manly are probabably about on par as far as prestige goes because they both have boat harbours and good restaurants, $Million dollar houses. Scarborough can have great views of the Glasshouse mountains but Manly has Moreton Island.

Biggest difference of the 3 locations is distance from Brisbane CBD and how important that is to you.
cheers Sharyn

 

[kissfan]

A big thank you to all that have responded so far (hope to hear more).

Whilst I realize we will have to spend a bit more of our time researching what suits us in regards to these areas, it is fantastic to have this "local knowledge" to draw upon.

Thanks again, much appreciated
Marty

 

[Dos]

kissfan,

Unfortunately if you are waiting to hear some potential "bad points" about the areas, I can only agree with the opinions put forward to date. My only other point would be that there are a lot of older places on large blocks in some of those areas. Therefore, I see potential for these blocks to be developed in the future should the areas continue to be popular. Some don't like that effect, on the other hand it could be a bonus if you want to develop in the future!!

Dos

 

[Gemini]

I grew up in the Shorncliffe & Sandgate suburbs and can agree with most of the comments to date. Shorncliffe has some lower areas down around the river but most of it is quite to very high. I used to live on Allpass Pde which is the top of the cliffs overlooking the bay, we used to watch the start of the Bne - Gladstone yacht race from the park across the road. I also lived at Sandgate (parents had blocks of flats in both locations) again on the waterfront on the corner of 7th Ave. The only downside to Sandgate, tho' named as such, when the tide goes out, it's actually "mudflat", and doesn't look so attractive then. When the tide's in its beautiful, like all waterfront. Occasionally there used to be a seaweed wash up that caused unpleasant odours there too. But, generally both great areas, quite well serviced by trains & busses.

I also lived many years later in Victoria Point, at Pt Halloran, and that was lovely too. A little more isolated perhaps, but as someone suggested, always beautiful bay breezes which make summer soooooo much more bearable. The air near the water always smells fresh & clean. Vic Point has gone ahead rapidly in the past few years too with shopping centres etc. Vic Pt has lovely water activities with the boating aspect of the area. The ferry ride to Coochimudlo was a popular weekend excursion for me just to walk along the beach, sunbake ( ), etc. I had horses and used to horseride around the area too. There's not so much vacant land now though.

I know when I moved back into Brisbane inner east from there I couldn't believe how quickly I could drive to the city (5 mins non peak time) as opposed to being used to travelling 45 mins from the bayside suburbs.

Just depends whether you'll need to travel to Bris city every day, and if you do, do the benefits of living the bayside lifestyle outweigh the inconvenience for you. I now live near the river and still enjoy cool breezes from it, but have the convenience of city life with cinemas, coffee shops, restaurants, book shops, etc a short walk away.

I've only spent time on the Redcliffe Peninsula visiting friends and working so am not so familiar with these areas. Like most areas, there are good & not so good parts of suburbs. Scarborough particularly has really come ahead in the last few years. For me the draw back of Redcliffe is the Hornibrook H'way bridge being the only access to that end of the peninsula. For years the Govt has argued about putting the rail across which would be good for the workers needing to commute to Bris city.

I believe anywhere near the water, be it river or sea, cannot be a bad investment for the future.

 

[natmarie73]

Kissfan,

From a different point of view...
I used to live in Thorneside (redlands) many years ago and the only drawback I can think of, and it may not be a drawback for you, is that after about 8.30pm there is not much to do once you're sick of going to the local. What I mean is, if you want a night out in the City, expect to fork out at least $40.00 to $50.00 for the cab ride back. Of course finding a cab is another thing - expect to cue for at least an hour at peak times ie between 1.00am and 4.00am...

There are no busses running late at night and there are no trains after about midnight either so unless you want to drive and not drink (boring!), or get a hotel for the night in the city (expensive!) expect major inconvenience come the wee hours. Oh, and the busses are not Brisbane transport from memory but a private company.

Other than that, both areas are attractive in that coastal fishing village cum tourist town sort of way. Very suitable for families or oldies but maybe not so for singles under 35 due to distance and transport issues at night.

Cheers
Nat

 

[craigc]

Kissfan,

From a different point of view...
I used to live in Thorneside (redlands) many years ago and the only drawback I can think of, and it may not be a drawback for you, is that after about 8.30pm there is not much to do once you're sick of going to the local. What I mean is, if you want a night out in the City, expect to fork out at least $40.00 to $50.00 for the cab ride back. Of course finding a cab is another thing - expect to cue for at least an hour at peak times ie between 1.00am and 4.00am...
Cheers
Nat

How much does it cost to get a cab from the city to Sydney's Northern beaches, say Whale or Palm ? And what are the prices like there ?

Craig.