Where would you retire?

[charleville]

I wonder if we all had the chance to travel more would we think the same thing.

I spent most of my 41 year career traveling. I retired with more frequent flyer points than I could ever use but now when I go to an airport to drop off or pick up my kids, I actually feel nauseous just being there. People think that the jet setting life is wonderful but you don't want to do it each and every week of the working year.

Seeing other places and enjoying their culture is fun but the novelty of their culture really does wear off if you are not brought up on it.


For instance, looking at Aussie capital cities...

Melbourne - a city of spectators, extremely conservative both in dress ( more often than not black) and attitude. Very parochial about suburban Aussie Rules teams and just about everything else. An ugly city from the air but very nice parks and gardens on the ground.

Sydney - a magnificent city from the air but extremely ugly at ground level with horrific traffic issues. A wonderfully aggressive, arrogant attitude to doing business and most other things but so many of them cannot afford to live in the city which means that the long commutes to work kill any social activity with work mates. All that cafe society stuff that you see around Darling Harbour is mostly populated by interstate business travellers.

Perth - Lovely city, great restaurants in places like Northbridge. Inner CBD is ugly but step 50 metres beyond that towards the Swan River and it is georgeous. The locals have a great "can do" attitude but they do have a big chip on their collective shoulder about the people "over east."

Adelaide - Well, if I wanted to live in a country town, I would have stayed in Charleville.

Hobart - awesome river and scenery, awesome seafood, lots of history. Bloody cold!


Within Queensland ...

Hervey Bay - lovely place but very very quiet - drives a city boy nuts after a couple of years.

Gold Coast - Town planning gone mad - unbelievably busy traffic - unbelievably busy everything - drives a country boy nuts after a couple of years.

Townsville - hot, hot, hot, dry, dry, dry.

Toowoomba - lovely city with lots of culture but it is a long way to the boat ramp at Manly.

Charleville - Hot, hot, hot and cold, cold, cold. Pilchards bait is too expensive there. No water restrictions, though.

[PinHead]

I spent most of my 41 year career traveling. I retired with more frequent flyer points than I could ever use but now when I go to an airport to drop off or pick up my kids, I actually feel nauseous just being there. People think that the jet setting life is wonderful but you don't want to do it each and every week of the working year.

Seeing other places and enjoying their culture is fun but the novelty of their culture really does wear off if you are not brought up on it.


For instance, looking at Aussie capital cities...

Melbourne - a city of spectators, extremely conservative both in dress ( more often than not black) and attitude. Very parochial about suburban Aussie Rules teams and just about everything else. An ugly city from the air but very nice parks and gardens on the ground.

Sydney - a magnificent city from the air but extremely ugly at ground level with horrific traffic issues. A wonderfully aggressive, arrogant attitude to doing business and most other things but so many of them cannot afford to live in the city which means that the long commutes to work kill any social activity with work mates. All that cafe society stuff that you see around Darling Harbour is mostly populated by interstate business travellers.

Perth - Lovely city, great restaurants in places like Northbridge. Inner CBD is ugly but step 50 metres beyond that towards the Swan River and it is georgeous. The locals have a great "can do" attitude but they do have a big chip on their collective shoulder about the people "over east."

Adelaide - Well, if I wanted to live in a country town, I would have stayed in Charleville.

Hobart - awesome river and scenery, awesome seafood, lots of history. Bloody cold!


Within Queensland ...

Hervey Bay - lovely place but very very quiet - drives a city boy nuts after a couple of years.

Gold Coast - Town planning gone mad - unbelievably busy traffic - unbelievably busy everything - drives a country boy nuts after a couple of years.

Townsville - hot, hot, hot, dry, dry, dry.

Toowoomba - lovely city with lots of culture but it is a long way to the boat ramp at Manly.

Charleville - Hot, hot, hot and cold, cold, cold. Pilchards bait is too expensive there. No water restrictions, though.

I bet they want water restrictions there now..restrict the stuff from flowing through town..I must admit..Charleville is not one of my favorite places.

I have not travelled overseas..does not interest me..have travelled from Adelaide to Cairns and everywhere from Mt isa to Quiplie and Thargomindah...I have not found anywhere else I would rather live than Brisbane...will be staying here for good..PLUS...gotta see the grandkids often.

[Maxg]

Somewhere close to Onslow in WA. You are a stones throw to the Mackerel Islands, not too far from Exmouth Gulf, the Ashburton river close handy and a couple of other rivers north. Dampier a short drive away and you woud be living in an aquarium, with not a lot of fishing maniacs around.
Those Qld spots are too expensive for retirees, and you get your backcast mixed up with the fly floggers an arms length away.
Isolation and lotsafish is the go. You even get TV, Foxtel Yet.
Max

[bugman]

GDay Volvo,

I'm based in Hobart at the minute but it's fair to say I wouldn't make this my base long term.

Taipan has picked a nice spot - Nubeena... Aboriginal for crayfish although you do have to travel a little further than that now.

In reality you are only 3 hours drive from doing anything in Tassie at the most. It probably dosn't really matter where you are.... other than the wind that is.

Brett

[Tropicaltrout]

I would like a little piece of land up in the Gin Gin area, just enough for a few animals and a good shed that should keep the kids comming home to visit plenty with thier kids. For me i could fish for barra every other day.

TT

[alleycat]

Charleville, you didnt give much info on brisbane!, i think brisbane must have close to the worst traffic in the country, i live at loganholme and the traffic to the city banks back to here, when i come home from mud island i see the gateway motorway at 8.30 am, and i feel so sorry for those people, every day its banked back from the bridge back to the pacific highway, i used to bag old joh but the mob that replaced him have done so little to important infrastructure, and northern nsw for me for retirement.

[mad_pierre06]

Not too sure yet, maybe outskirts of Brissie, Bribie maybe. What will be important to me is that as I am currently in the process of moving into the area of work where I will be using the excessive difficulties of my younger years to help those who most need it - I am looking to become a school chaplain. So my intention is to work for as long as I can and see where I end up.

The beliefs which I hold dear mean that whilst I should have financial prudence at whenever my current point in time may be, I don't need to worry about what the future may hold for me financially as I know absolutely that all my and my family's needs will be met. God always has, and always will continue to provide.

As long as I am able to wet a line, hit a golf ball, and be able to be around to help those I can, I will be content.

As long as I don't have to move back to St. George, only yellow belly and cod out there.

[gogetter]

It is amazing how many people think the best place in the world is the place they're in right now.

I wonder if we all had the chance to travel more would we think the same thing.

Hopefully (fingers crossed) retirement for me will be not working 9 to 5 for someone else but managing my own interests in my own time. I've got 6 years left in my 10 year plan.

For what it's worth, I love Tassie for all it has to offer in terms of natural beauty and resources but also because I have connections here with family and access to places many others wouldn't. I'll always have a connection here which will mean splitting time here (summer) with a place on the mainland.

At the moment we're looking towards Mooloolabah because of its deep water access to the sea and its proximity to great fishing grounds of all sorts. I'll need waterfront access of course for my big boat

Spending time with family and friends wherever the hell it may be is surely what you want to do when you've got time on your hands.

Brett

brett,

i don't live at dingo beach.. just visited and it is a top spot. you ever been there?

no deep water access though thats back at airlie..... but ya can moore it off tha beach..

chow.

shane

[mad_pierre06]

Hey Charlie, I see in the paper yesterday that no insurance company has offered home insurance in Charleville since 1990, after the floods there. That's bloody rude, mate.

[castlemaine]

A mate of mine dropped in one Saturday when my father-in-law and I were out the back having a beer. He asked my f-i-l "How's retirement down the Gold Coast?"
The reply went on and on about all the things he does every day and night, all week. Bowls, snooker, golf, raffle nights, dancing, dinners (discounted of course), fishing, trips away, etc..
But what surprised my mate and I was at the end of the speel of how busy he was all week he said, " I'm getting a bit bored lately".
It occured to my mate and I, that we work all week and some weekends, then once a year we look forward to a holiday. But my f-i-l's life was one big holiday and therefore he never has a break, year-in year-out. That's why he's bored.
My mate and I discussed later, that the best retirement would be doing a part-time job and take time off for other recreational activities. You can get too much of a good thing.
Cheers

[CHAPPY]

Re where to retire,

We have just done that at Cooloola Cove . It is on the Tin Can Bay inlet half way between Tin Can and Rainbow Beach in Queensland.

Access to Fraser Island, The Great Sandy Straits, Tin Can, Carrie Creek and only 2 hours from Monduran. Only 45 min. from Gympie or Maryborough.

Similar climate to Hervey Bay but less tourists. Tin Can and Rainbow get rather crowded during the holidays. We are close enough yet far enough.

Fantastic Country Club. Golf and Bowls . Great meals and atmosphere.

We took 3 years to decide and are extremely happy. Financially, good houses can still be had for 300K.

Country markets ensure cheap healthy food and the soil here will grow anything.

But think it through as going back, is expensive.

But above all, DO IT.

[boodo]

iluka definately best of both worlds, awesome outside fishing and top river fishing
absolutley love the place !!!!!!!!!

[charleville]

Charleville, you didnt give much info on brisbane!, i think brisbane must have close to the worst traffic in the country, i live at loganholme and the traffic to the city banks back to here, when i come home from mud island i see the gateway motorway at 8.30 am, and i feel so sorry for those people, every day its banked back from the bridge back to the pacific highway, i used to bag old joh but the mob that replaced him have done so little to important infrastructure, and northern nsw for me for retirement.

I agree completely. Infrastructure planning of all sorts in this state is appalling.

Brissy's traffic is not as bad as any of Sydney's and not as bad as parts of Melbourne (eg Punt Road) but it is not that far short of Melbourne's.

I will offend half the readership here but I have to say that I have never understood the attraction of the western suburbs in Brissy - eg Kenmore, Jindalee etc. They are all too bloody far from the Bay, boat ramps, and cooling sea breezes for me. I have always been a south/eastern suburbs man.

Traffic worries me a bit in Brisbane because I don't think that the politicians are taking a broad enough perspective on addressing the root causes of the traffic. There is too much of a willingness instead to fix the symptoms.

eg the Lord Mayor is an engineer by profession (as I am) so he seems to see the solution always in engineering terms - eg build another tunnel or bridge. (Remember the old saying that if the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail)

I think that Brissy could do well by trying to keep the cars off the road in the first place. eg run the world's best practice public transport and then make it free so that it becomes just too attractive for maybe 20 - 40% of car owners to ever want to drive into town or whatever. The cost of free transport must surely be hugely offset by not having to build tunnels and more roads and bridges plus future heath care costs to save our lungs and brains from smog.

Anyway - I could waffle on for ages about this topic. You know the problem in raising issues like this with us retired guys - we know everything and have all day to tell you.

[charleville]

Hey Charlie, I see in the paper yesterday that no insurance company has offered home insurance in Charleville since 1990, after the floods there. That's bloody rude, mate.

Yeah - Charleville has a long history of flooding.

Yet the airport is an all weather airport and that is why it was a major base for US forces in WW2.

So theoretically, much of the town could be relocated to higher ground.

[Petere]

Ok i am still 28 years away from retirement at this stage, but I live on an acre just 10 mins from Bribie 2 mins from the local creek ( plenty of mud crab if you know where and great fish). Simply put we moved here for the kids, deep ocean access is only 10 mins away with out having to cross a br and this is my lot until i die.

Ningi is aboriginal for shell fish and bugger me if mud crab doesnt come in a shell.