Moving to Australia for a year, where is the best place to live with the most to do?
I’m moving to Australia fro a year but before I do so I’m doing a little research. I’m looking for the best place to live in Australia that fits the given criteria.
-Hiking
-Surfing
-Casual nightlife entertainment (bars, movies, things to do)
-I do not need nightlife such as dance clubs and those sort of things.
-A place with a younger population (20-30′s)
Right now I’m looking at Gold Coast in Queensland but an Australian told me that’s like the Las Vegas of Australia which turns me off a bit. Anyone have any good suggestions or would care to set me straight on the Gold Coast impression that I have?
Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve been to and I’ve seen a lot. So much to do and see. The bay is great as are the beaches nearby. It’s a bit touristy but big enough to absorb it.
Gold coast would be the go for what you want, it’s nothing like
Las Vegas and the gold coast is pretty big Try Coolangatta it’s a cool place
Gold coast. If a place had all the things you were looking for, it would be the most populated place on earth. Sydney really is a working city, most people can’t afford to live close to the city for employment while still going beaches, surfing, hiking, activities, etc.
So go to queensland.. its not like las vegas at all. It’s a relaxed town with beautiful beaches.. probably no hiking, you’d have to go inland for that. And lots of bars.
Australia has an aging population, so there are retirees everywhere. You’d be better off going to the Greek part islands lol =
It depends what kind of budget you’re on.
Sydney and Melbourne are both great cities. I live in Melbourne so I can give you more information about that than Sydney, although I do know that both have good surfing.
From Melbourne, if you go down either peninsula (the Bellarine Peninsula or the Mornington Peninsula (or even to Phillip Island) you can get some great surfing. Jan Juc, Bells Beach, Torquay, Gunnamatta, Portsea back beach and most of Phillip Island’s beaches)you’ll get decent surf.
From Melbourne you can get to the Alps (Mt Feathertop, Mt Loch, Mt Bogong, Mt Howitt just to name a few) that have great hiking, as well as other smaller ones like the Cathedral ranges. Basically anywhere at least an hour North East from Melbourne will have some good hiking somewhere. You can also ski at Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham. Melbourne definitely has good nightlife for what youre looking for, there are some great bars in the city and I know that the inner eastern suburbs (until Canterbury/Camberwell) definitely have good bars/restaurants/cinemas etc. I’m sure that other areas also do have good nightlife but I can’t personally say that I know any of it.
Gold Coast probably isn’t that great, you get a lot of family holidayers, it gets very busy in September and then again from November/December to February with school holidays.
If you’re looking for something a bit quieter than Melbourne or Sydney then the next option I would suggest is Brisbane.
i have lived on the gold coast for years. i would never compare it to vegas-and yes i have been to the real las vegas. it only has one casino. its a great city with youthful vibe, many nice pubs and surf clubs to drink at. also the hinterland with its national parks is a great place or bushwalks and less than hour away, awesome beaches too-good for surfing.
The gold coast is a lovely place, the best thing about it for you is that the housing is a narrow band near the ocean, which you drive inland there are some great absolutely fantastic hiking in the rain forrests, so you would be fairly close to both in the picked the right place to live. Don’t stay in the middle of surfers paradise, its small and very touristy, stay a bit further down the coast.
This website has hiking advice australia wide
http://www.hikingaustralia.com.au/
A few places to look at for hiking in qld
http://www.adventuregc.com/rainforest.asp?pageId=3
I’d go for Adelaide, coastal, relaxed nightlife.
http://blog.globalvisas.com/moving-to-australia.html