Possible move- Syd/Bris- Advise needed

[number21]

I know there's a similiar thread but didn't want to hijack someone elses.

Thinking of making a permanant move to Brisbane, currently living in Sans Souci in Sydneys south which we like but sick of renting and can't afford what we want. Also my partner has family on Bribie Island and work connections in Brisbane CBD. So ideally we are looking at the northern suburbs, possibily Redcliffe area, in between Bribie and the CBD.

We have two young kids so we want to find a nice suburb for them to grow up and go to school in. We love being in an area where theres parks, beaches, cafes etc in walking distance, but also not too far from the city via public transport.

At the moment I love having the Royal National Park an hours ride away, is there any decent and relatively safe 3-4 hour hilly rides in the area. I play ice hockey in the winter so being within 40 minutes of Boondall would be also handy.

Also I'm looking at getting into some racing so if anyone knows a good club or two around that vicinity that would be a bonus.

If anyone has any suggestions or advice on places to put on a shortlist or suburbs to be wary of I'd appreicate it.

Thanks for listening!

[Comedian]

Hi. Sandgate and Shorncliffe are very lovely places. Red Liffey is nice too but is a little bogan infested in some areas.

Where will you be working? If you are going to work in the cbd I wouldn't go to Redcliffe. Sandgate/Shorncliffe have a train service. Also, the bike commute from out there is doable but not for the feint hearted.

If cyclo-commuting is a consideration then go either west or south as all the bike infrastructure goes there.

You might consider wynnum too.

[marinmomma]

Hey

If you end up on the Northside, there are hilly rides out to Samford/Mt Glorious/Mt Mee, as well as the closer ride around Mt Coot-tha and the River Loop.

As far as clubs go there's Hamilton Pine Rivers Wheelers based at Nundah at the criterium track, but there are regular races out at Lakeside.

The Sandgate/Brighton area is nice, trains connect into the CBD, I'm not too familiar with Redcliffe, some bogan areas, but due to it being close to the beach and CBD it's probably undergoing some regeneration....

hth

[mcarrigg]

number21,

I live in a relatively new estate called "warner lakes" in Warner. It is a nice suburb and development. The only requirements that it doesnt pass of yours is within walking distance of the beach, or a multitude of cafe's around. http://www.warnerlakes.com.au. The suburb is a 10 min drive or 15 min ride away from a couple of caboolture line train stations and is the same distance from a westfield shopping centre.

There is a cycling and recreation club based in North Lakes with a shop attached aswell. Fantastic club who last year won the 2010 Cycling Queensland Club of the Year and just recently won the cycling awards "retalier of the year". They are a fairly new club but rapidly growing.

http://www.duttoncycles.com.au shop
http://www.duttoncycles.org.au club

Just my bit on the area in which I live

[lethoso]

possibily Redcliffe area, in between Bribie and the CBD.

also not too far from the city via public transport.

lol, no. Might be good in 10 years if they ever end up extending the train out there.

is there any decent and relatively safe 3-4 hour hilly rides in the area

plenty of good hilly riding in the samford valley area (well, not in the actual valley itself, around it), which is very accessible from the northside. If you end up on the southside of brisbane, not so much.

suburbs to be wary of I'd appreicate it.

Redcliffe is bogan central. Half the times I've been riding out there I've had run-ins with the local commodore drivers...

As comedian/MM suggested, sandgate/shorncliffe are on the train line so you can get to the city easily, and they're probably the closest not-awful suburbs to Bribie. If you ditch the 'close to Bribie' criteria that opens up a lot more options - and from most of the northside suburbs it's fairly quick to get onto the highway out there anyway.

Disclaimer: I'm an inner city suburb resident and my low opinion of Redcliffe should be taken with a small grain of salt.

[elantra]

I know there's a similiar thread but didn't want to hijack someone elses........

We have two young kids so we want to find a nice suburb for them to grow up and go to school in. We love being in an area where theres parks, beaches, cafes etc in walking distance, but also not too far from the city via public transport.

At the moment I love having the Royal National Park an hours ride away, is there any decent and relatively safe 3-4 hour hilly rides in the area. I play ice hockey in the winter so being within 40 minutes distance to Boondall.....!

Such a suburb does exist in Brisbane, except for the beach.
It is called Wilston.
Even if it is out of your price range to buy, start with a rental in Wilston.
Lots of places for sale all over Brisbane so don't rush into a purchase anywhere.
Steve.

[lethoso]

Such a suburb does exist in Brisbane, except for the beach.
It is called Wilston.

sick of renting and can't afford what we want

I don't think moving to Wilston is going to help

[Max]

Such a suburb does exist in Brisbane, except for the beach.
It is called Wilston.

sick of renting and can't afford what we want

I don't think moving to Wilston is going to help

Indeed! Lots of nice inner North suburbs which are more affordable. I live in Mitchelton, and love it here. Don't be discouraged by Comedian's complaints about lack of dedicated cycling infrastructure for commuters. It's not as bad as he makes out IMO, and there is, of course, the Kedron Brook Bikeway, which meets the Moreton Bay Cycleway, which goes all the way out to Redcliffe. Riding into town from inner Northern suburbs is pretty straight-forward. But as Comedian says, much further out and it's a challenge. That said.. I'm a Northside girl and always will be. It's a great place to live.

Redcliffe is quite some distance out, and I concur that it is bogan central. It's going through a bit of a revival; lots of places for sale and affluent yuppies are moving in. That said, it will always have a boganesque feel to it.. at least until the current generation of bogans moves away. Shorncliffe/Sandgate are probably better in this respect. But they are also some distance out. If for whatever reason you can't ride or catch public transport in, you've got quite a drive ahead of you to get to the city. Assuming you work in the CBD of course.

Samford is a nice, hilly area. Also within riding distance of the Northside is Mt Coot-Tha, if you're into suffering, and Mt Nebo (prolonged suffering).


Max

[Comedian]

Can I just set the record straight here... The bike infrastructure is adequate for a dedicated cyclist. It's not adequate for families or new cyclists.

Taking my 7 year old down Kedron brook road on a bike would put me firmly in the irresponsible parent category. However I manage it everyday myself.

Even when she gets to say early/mid teens - kids just don't have the street smarts to anticipate phsycho motorists.

Oh yes, I concur wilston is lovely.

[Le Velo]

Forest lake in the western suburbs is a good place to live and only about 17km to the CBD
We have a train station in richlands which is only a few mintues away and a new bikeways that takes you directly to the city ....about a 45min commute each way.
Population is about 21,000 and affordable in terms or rentals or buying in comparison to other suburbs closer to the city
Easy access to major motorways and a 45 min drive to the gold coast (for the beach kick) but there is always the artificial beach in south bank
Some good rides around here and it makes the popular ones like the bay or redcliffe a bit more of a distance if you enjoy doing the ks

All the best in finding your new home

[waynohh]

Commuting from Sandgate to the valley takes:
Bike: 50min (this is 90% on road)
Car: 60min
Train: 30min + walking. It's one of the more crowded lines.

You can rule out train from Redcliffe. If you go by car the gateway is about 10km/hr from Nudgee to somewhere north of Deagon.

You're going to have to rent somewhere anyway while you look at houses.

Deagon and Boondall are about 50k cheaper than Ferny and Mitchelton and the houses are generally in better condition. Boondall is built on a swamp. You can get a new 3.5 br house in Deagon for about 400k at the moment, cheaper than they want for rubbish qlders, etc.

Don't ride up Nebo, Glorious unless you have a death wish.

[goneriding]

Don't ride up Nebo, Glorious unless you have a death wish.

Coming from Sydney the challenge with Nebo/Glorious (personal favourite Bris ride) is the distance not the danger. That said I didn't find Coro Drive particularly dangerous after riding in Sydney. The area that N21 lives down here has much more challenging/busy roads than Bris so he'll be fine!

Being close to Samford you'll have access to Mt O'Reilly's Rd. 400m (AT) 20% avg grade followed by a little less evil climbing (>10%) for another ~1km. Great for repeats as in one on Saturday and another one on Sunday

The HPRW (Hamilton Pine River Wheelers) are the main club in the North and there is (I believe) a hard Sunday ride that goes from Zupps car dealership out to Redcliffe and back.

One of the main rides in Bris is the River Loop which is anywhere between 40 and 60 km's - ish depending on what additions you do. Nice ride with plenty of Coffee Shops and bunches.

Can't comment much on the Northside of Bris as we lived in Chelmer/Sherwood which is well and truely out of the area you are looking at.

Best of luck with the move.

[lethoso]

Don't ride up Nebo, Glorious unless you have a death wish.

?

Being close to Samford you'll have access to Mt O'Reilly's Rd. 400m (AT) 20% avg grade followed by a little less evil climbing (>10%) for another ~1km.

Been meaning to try that one! Went up clear mtn. last weekend but the hardest section of that was only 250m at 17%

[Purt]

Been meaning to try that one! Went up clear mtn. last weekend but the hardest section of that was only 250m at 17%

Which side? I'm pretty sure the north side on that last pinch gets over 20%.

Tip: Don't go to the south side, they are bad lands.

[lethoso]

Which side? I'm pretty sure the north side on that last pinch gets over 20%.

Tip: Don't go to the south side, they are bad lands.

north. the last pinch is signed at 20% but it isn't the hardest bit (imo) - it's short enough to sprint through. I found the 17% section harder - If you can sprint 250m at 17% then your initials are probably A.C.

Bombing down the south was fun as hell, hard to gauge how long/hard it'd be to climb when you're flying down it, but I think the second steep section (on the way down) would be a real killer.

[marinmomma]

Tip: Don't go to the south side, they are bad lands.

Rubbish, southside is where it all happens! According to Comedian we have all the best cycling infastructure

Good luck to the OP, we moved to Adelaide 10 years ago, didn't know a soul there and it was difficult choosing where to live. We rented for 9-10 months first before buying, we had the time to explore and get a feel for what area was going to suit us....schools can be a good thing to work around, alot of the better public schools are now zoned and unless you have a child with expectional talents they can be difficult to get into if you're out of the zone...learnt this from experience...the hard way! (2 hundred meters makes a huge difference, apparently )

[Comedian]

Tip: Don't go to the south side, they are bad lands.

Rubbish, southside is where it all happens! According to Comedian we have all the best cycling infastructure

Maybe not the best but virtually the only cycling infrastructure in Brisbane!

[marinmomma]

Tip: Don't go to the south side, they are bad lands.

Rubbish, southside is where it all happens! According to Comedian we have all the best cycling infastructure

Maybe not the best but virtually the only cycling infrastructure in Brisbane!

Have you ever ridden on the V1 further than Buranda?????

Sure, it is fantastic from Southbank to Buranda...all 3-4k's of it....and then it turns into cr*p until one gets to Gaza Rd!

Two good pieces of infastructure on the southside are the Busway out to 8 Mile Plains...and the Freeway, until you get to 8 Mile Plains which is where I live

[number21]

Wow! Thanks for all the comments, obviously got lots to consider and research.

Definitely don't want to go to a boganish area so the tip offs are gold!!

Looks like theres plenty of riding options out there, plenty of the sadisitic variety by the sound of it also. That area north east of the city (sandgate etc) is looking promising at the moment.

We rented for 9-10 months first before buying, we had the time to explore and get a feel for what area was going to suit us....

That sounds like a sensible idea, thinking of looking to rent something up there during the summer holidays at the moment to get the vibe of the area/s we decide fit best for us.

Great work, cheers everyone!

[Jester]

hey Number 21, i grew up in Caringbah, and now live in Newport which is in the Redcliffe area, Newport and Scarborough are way not bogan.

plenty of great rides around here, a bit flat though around Redclife and Sandgate, a bit like the Kurnell loop. penty of hills not far away and some great clubs with club rides Saturday, sundays and during the week.

also the Caboolture velodrome is only 30 mins away.

great for training kids, my 9yo son rides road now and there are wide open roads, riding along the waterfront is like Brighton Le Sands, but without the traffic.

ive been up here 9 years now, and as much as i miss the Shire, its a great area.

Good luck.

Chris.

[dclnmurray]

Have you ever ridden on the V1 further than Buranda?????

Sure, it is fantastic from Southbank to Buranda...all 3-4k's of it....and then it turns into cr*p until one gets to Gaza Rd!

Two good pieces of infrastructure on the south side are the Busway out to 8 Mile Plains...and the Freeway, until you get to 8 Mile Plains which is where I live

From Buranda to Gaza Road is not that crap if you are commuting, however trying to sustain a 30kph average, forget it. Pathways are okay and keeps us off the busy roads.

Tip: Don't go to the south side, they are bad lands.

For Purt, everywhere has their sections bad lands so don't generalize please just because of certain areas. I live at 8MP's and love it there.

cheers

Dave

[number21]

Whats the general concensus in regards to Kedron and surrounding suburbs and the eastern suburbs such as Wynnun, Alexandria Hills and down to Cleveland etc? Sorry to be so broad but I think we're starting to get to a good starting point (if that makes sense!). All the comments are very helpful.

hey Number 21, i grew up in Caringbah, and now live in Newport which is in the Redcliffe area, Newport and Scarborough are way not bogan.

plenty of great rides around here, a bit flat though around Redclife and Sandgate, a bit like the Kurnell loop. penty of hills not far away and some great clubs with club rides Saturday, sundays and during the week.

also the Caboolture velodrome is only 30 mins away.

great for training kids, my 9yo son rides road now and there are wide open roads, riding along the waterfront is like Brighton Le Sands, but without the traffic.

ive been up here 9 years now, and as much as i miss the Shire, its a great area.

Good luck.

Chris.

Thanks Chris, Caringbah!? Thats basically where I grew up too, Dolans Bay to be exact. Nice comparisons, cheers.

[Comedian]

I grew up in Kedron and it's the adjacent suburb to where I live now. It's nice. The avenues are nice but older homes. Many have been updated now. The Kedron brook bikepath goes right through the middle which is handy. It's close to the CBD and most things you could want.

[Max]

I lived in the Kedron avenues for a while. A really nice place, and very handy to the KBB. It's an area that's in high demand, unsurprisingly. As for adjacent suburbs, most are very nice. Stafford, Stafford Heights, Chermside, Everton Park, Alderley, Mitchelton, Enoggera etc. I've lived in Stafford Heights, Mitchelton and Enoggera and they're all lovely. Parts of Enoggera (off South Pine Road) back onto the bike path that eventually becomes the KBB. Everton Park, Alderley, Mitchelton are all in very close proximity to the path as well. I'm not sure about Chermside's access to off-road bikeways.

Max

[elantra]

Mine is another vote for the NORTHSIDE, especially if you will be going to Bribie island to visit relatives.
Shornecliffe is wonderful but probably expensive and my not be convenient enough to the city.

Boondall is built on a swamp. You can get a new 3.5 br house in Deagon for about 400k at the moment, cheaper than they want for rubbish qlders, etc.

Deagon is close to Shornecliffe and probably much more affordable.
Wynumn is a nice suburb, almost as nice as Shornecliffe but also relatively expensive.
Cleveland is not as nice, only suitable if you like fishing and mudflats.
Alex Hills is not as nice as Cleveland, and quite a distance from the train line.

Brisbane is not like Sydney.
Here if you want nice water panoramas you try to live near the river, not the beach.
The only half-decent beaches reasonably close to brisbane would be Shornecliffe/Sandgate, Nudgee beach and perhaps Wynumn.
And the only beach that you can actually swim at is Shorncliffe/Sangate.