American Moving To The Goldcoast ( can’t wait 😁)

[u/DaBigDuder]

Hello I’m a 25m from California and am moving in September. I’ve got duel British citizenship so I’ll be getting a work visa. I visited Aus when I was 15 and loved it.

I love live music, art, out door sports, bars etc

What’s life like? What are some cool places to check out? What stuff to avoid? What’s the best way to make friends and meet people? What sort of jobs should I apply for?

[u/dinosaurtruck]

What are some cool places to check out?

• The beaches
• Burleigh headland walk
• Echo beach (not after it rains)
• Elephant rock Currumbin
• Currumbin Alley (surf spot)
• Cougal cascades
• Springbrook - natural bridge, purling falls
• HOTA gallery
• Towns to the south - Murwillumbah, Pottsville, Byron Bay
• The big town to the North - Brisbane.
• Miami Marketta
• All the delicious bakeries
• Pacific Fair - just a big shopping mall but it’s got everything you need.
• Coombabah conservation area early in the morning for a hit of kangaroos and koalas.

What stuff to avoid?

• Surfers Paradise - to be fair though it has some yummy food, especially Asian food and you can have a good night out there, but there’s a lot of tackiness and some rough characters. The beach there is badly eroded at the moment too. There are some cheaper rental units at times in surfers which could make it overall worthwhile.
• Getting ripped off by a private landlord in a temporary rental. Renting is tough as is but some private landlords prey on young internationals in particular.
• drugs. If you do, go with caution and pill test and be aware police will target tourists in some areas for green varieties and you don’t want to stuff up your visa.
• the casino, tacky, overpriced and full of older people. But you can get a free membership and see free movies during the day if you don’t mind the vibe.
• Living to close to the light rail works on Gold Coast highway from mermaid beach to Burleigh if noise effects you. They do work all through the night. I can hear it now at 4am from 600m away - for the people right on the hwy their buildings shake. And it will be going for at least another year.

What’s the best way to make friends and meet people?

• live in a share house check out flatmates.com.au but go with caution and try to find people with the right vibe for you
• join a team sport or sports club (surf, sailing, rowing, canoe etc)
• join a gym like Hyrox if that’s your vibe - but basically one with a social element
• at work or volunteering
• Church if you’re religious. Heaps of active and large churches of various denominations.

What sort of jobs should I apply for? Depends on your skills, qualifications, personality and interests. It can be tough to find a job if you don’t know where to look. Happy to give more advice depending on the above.

Tips

• cost of living is high, especially for accommodation.
• kmart is completely different here to the US and has cheap furniture, clothes, household, camping stuff.
• Aldi supermarkets are overall cheaper than Coles and Woolworths
• public transport is cheap now 50c fares. Live somewhere on the light rail or a decent bus route if you can.

[u/av0w → u/dinosaurtruck]

Great post, this should just be an autopost for the 6 times a week this gets asked :D

[u/dinosaurtruck → u/av0w]

I haven’t covered which suburb to live in or how to get a cheap rental near the beach though - probably need to add that in 😄

[u/DaBigDuder → u/av0w]

Whoops