From its majestic mountains and lush rainforests to its stunning beaches, the Sunshine Coast is truly a great place to live. While some may think of it as a tourist hub, there is still plenty of room for both tourists and residents to enjoy all that the Sunshine Coast has to offer. It's an ideal place to raise children, so if you're looking for a new home, you should definitely consider the Sunshine Coast. Caloundra is one of the three main cities on the Sunshine Coast and it's probably the most affordable when it comes to property prices.
The further north you go, the higher the prices will be. When my family and I moved to the Sunshine Coast, we had just sold our business in Sydney. We wanted to find a place where we could move and raise our children that wasn't as busy as Sydney had been. So, we flew to Coolangatta, rented a car and started driving.We looked at Tweed Heads first, but it wasn't quite what we were looking for.
We drove along the coast, stopping in Manly and Redcliffe before heading north. We eventually stopped in Buderim and it was the first suburb that caught our attention. It was very green with lots of trees and hills that changed up the landscape a bit. We drove along Buderim Avenue which takes you directly to the ocean and realized we were in Mooloolaba.
We were so taken by the view of the water that we decided right then and there that this was where we wanted to live.We rented an apartment in North Cliff, Maroochydore for a week while we looked for a house in Buderim. We didn't even bother looking at any other suburbs because we knew this was where we wanted to be. You can read more about our experience in my detailed article here.When we first moved here, I wasn't used to the humidity. I would get in my car, set the air conditioning to 18 degrees, then get out and my glasses would fog up.
My wife Kath and I would lie in bed with a fan on and say “Oh my God, what have we done?” But after more than 15 years of living on the Sunshine Coast, I think I've finally adapted.Summers are longer now and the humidity lasts until March but I've learned how to manage this time of year. It does rain a lot here which can lead to flash floods but it doesn't happen very often and it's still hot.Walk through Sunshine Coast Plaza and you'll notice that everyone is dressed as if they were on vacation. Compare that to Sydney's Miranda Westfield Fair where people dress much more seriously or even Brisbane's Westfield Chermside where people dress more casually. The relaxed holiday atmosphere here really suits me but some places don't open too late so you can't eat after 8 p.m.The food here has improved a lot over the years but there is still room for improvement.
There are some great places like Pari Bar & Grill in Mooloolaba which serves excellent seafood. There are also plenty of activities you can do here like horseback riding, waterskiing, sailing, fishing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding or even taking a seaplane ride. You can also go mountain biking through state forests or dive in shipwrecks or watch whales.Two weeks ago Kath and I got surprise tickets from our children to see Elton John perform here on the coast! When I saw them I had to ask “Is this really Elton John or is this a tribute?”When it comes to schools there are plenty of options on the Sunshine Coast too. Chancellor State School has a great reputation as does Mountain Creek State School and Buderim State Elementary School.
For private schools there's St Andrews at Peregian Beach, Suncoast Christian College in Woombye which my children attended, Matthew Flinders in Buderim and Sunshine Grammar in Forest Glen.My youngest daughter Jasmine left her daycare center in Sydney which was all made of concrete and moved to Milford Lodge in Buderim which is an old Queenslander on about 1 acre with vegetable gardens and two horses that the children ride! What an incredible experience for her.I was told I wouldn't make as much money on the Sunshine Coast as I did in Sydney but it turns out that wasn't true at all! For several reasons but mainly because I didn't move here for money but for lifestyle reasons so that my family could have a better life.It also helps that Youi established their national headquarters here which employs lots of people who are paid well. There are also high-paying jobs available in hospitals, city council, tourism and construction.When we leave here one day I know we'll realize how lucky we were to have lived on such an amazing coast with so much beauty and opportunity.
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