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When Louisa and Robert Dawdy sold their property and business in the UK and made the life-changing move to the Gold Coast with their three children, they did not expect the challenges that lay ahead. Almost 18 months after migrating, Ms Dawdy said the move had been the hardest thing the family had ever done: “we expected to pick up where we had left off – we sold up everything we had in England and took it for granted that everything would fall into place over here”. “It hasn’t – and we’ve come close to moving back many times,” Ms Dawdy said. It is the biggest problem facing the 250,000 migrating to Australia each year: ‘where and how do we live in a country we know almost nothing about? As Australia’s only guide to major property markets, Where to Live Guides is answering this question for anyone new to a city or just relocating across town.  Where to Live Guides publisher Chantal Dunbar said people were quick to rely on guidebooks when travelling, “but when making the largest financial commitment of our lives, until now a single source of information simply hasn’t been available”.

“When undertaken from interstate or overseas, the obstacles are overwhelmingly greater!” 

The first edition of the Gold Coast guide sold out around the world in just over five months of release – and with the highly-anticipated second edition released this month, Ms Dunbar is expecting in influx of phone calls.

“We had a massive response – about 5% of people who bought the guide contacted us to share stories and let us know the difference the guide had made in making such important decisions,” Ms Dunbar said.

“We have heard so many sad stories of people failing when they relocated to the Gold Coast because they didn’t have knowledge of the area.”

“Some of these people face financial ruin, divorce and just return back to their homeland thinking Australia wasn’t for them – when really they just moved into an area that didn’t facilitate the lifestyle they wanted to lead,” Ms Dunbar said.

Unfortunately, the Dawdy family came across the Where to Live Guides too late to save them from a traumatic experience settling into their new country.

“There are some things you can’t learn until you get over here – like licenses, schools and what different areas offer – the guide is so accurate, it would have helped us to address these before we got here,” Ms Dawdy said.

“There was nothing to guide us through the process – what area suited us best, what education considerations we should make and what impact the move would have on my husband’s career.

“Although Rob owned a successful plumbing business in the UK, he has had to go back to college so he can work here, so financially it has been really hard going.”

As Australia’s sixth largest city and biggest tourist resort, the Gold Coast attracts thousands of people seeking warmer climates every year.

But while 25,000 New Zealanders relocated to Australia last year, 13,500 returned to their homeland.

Sue and Marty Johnson were two of the 480 Kiwis following the long white cloud across the ditch to Australia’s warmer climes every week, in search of better career prospects and improved lifestyle for their children. 

Mr Johnson said his family settled into life on the Gold Coast “without a hiccup” thanks to the advice and guidance provided by Where to Live Guides.

"My wife and I had holidayed here a few times over the years and thought we knew the Gold Coast pretty well – the fact is, we didn't have a clue!” Mr Johnson said.

Mr Johnson obtained a copy of the book while still in New Zealand and – after speaking to Ms Dunbar – decided to come to Australia alone for a month to assess the cost of living first-hand and apply for jobs using a Queensland address. 

“It was probably the wisest decision as it gave prospective employers a sense of commitment from me and offered me first-hand insight into what we'd experience after the move,” Mr Johnson said.

Mr Johnson said those four weeks adjusted his expectations to a realistic level, realising “I couldn’t leave a country where I’d spent my entire adult life building a career and then have it instantly replicated in a totally different country”.

“In New Zealand getting a job simply comes down to the skills you have - in Australia, it’s all about who you know, not what you know – the guide helped me look at the areas and way I could build that network.”

“What might have otherwise been the most stressful tasks were taken care of, allowing us to concentrate on job-hunting,” Mr Johnson said. 

And although the Dawdy family are finally settling in – renting close to their children’s’ school while building a home at Burleigh – Ms Dawdy wishes they had read the guide before making the move.

“The local knowledge would have made us immensely informed and comfortable with the difficult decisions we were making,” Ms Dawdy said.

Each book in the series of Where to Live Guides was created in consultation with local City Councils, merging the knowledge of hundreds of community key stake holders with market research and government statistics. 

Loaded with deep and accurate information, the guide includes suburb-specific profiles, demographics, property trends and developments, key employers, legislative considerations, smart buys, best streets and details for private, state and special schools. 

“Even if you are just moving across town, the guide provides information about the suburb next door that most people don’t know about,” Ms Dunbar said. 

Where to Live Guides are available through all good book stores, partner companies and the Where to Live Guides website:www.where2live.info

The Brisbane and Logan Where to Live Guides will be available early next year, with Melbourne and Sydney guides following soon after.

To learn more about Where To Live Guides contact Liz Sharp by Clicking Here
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