Moving to Brisbane

Information and inspiration to help you make the big move.
Brisbane city

If you are moving to Brisbane soon – welcome! Thousands of people move here each year in search of better jobs, more opportunities and a relaxed lifestyle.

Why is Brisbane a great place to live? Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a difference…such as a fellow commuter saying hello to you on the train, it’s knowing your home is near a safe, clean park, it could be being greeted by sunshine most days of the year, having fantastic theatre, restaurants, markets and more at reach but still enjoying a laidback feeling in the city. ‘Friendly’, ‘inclusive’ and ‘relaxed’ are words that spring to mind when we try and describe our city.

So, if you are thinking of moving here, we'll connect you to the information you need and the assistance of professionals.

Quick lesson in geography

Never explored the greater Brisbane region? Well, just outside the Brisbane City Council boundary are the cities of Logan, Redcliffe and Ipswich. An hour or two from Brisbane, you can head south to the Gold Coast, north to the Sunshine Coast and west to Toowoomba. Brisbane is part of the thriving and growing South East Queensland region which offers many work opportunities and lifestyle choices. The city, riverfront, beaches, Moreton Bay, mountains are all here…

About Brisbane’s suburbs

Get a good understanding of the different suburbs in Brisbane . Research how close they are to the city, what type of facilities and services are available and get a feel for where you might like to live and work.

Buying a home

For general information about buying a house in Brisbane, use our buying guide. It gives you an understanding of what influences Brisbane property prices, an insight into the city’s architecture and connects you to businesses to help with legals.

Search for a home to buy.

Renting a home

When you first move, it’s likely that you will need to rent a property. Our guide to renting in Brisbane gives you tips from locals and connects you to real estate agents and tenancy advice.

Perhaps you will need to stay in short term accommodation, until you know where you are working or until you’ve gotten a feel for a few different areas.

Search for homes for rent.

If you want to look for share accommodation, you can search for this too. And read our suggestions for choosing a harmonious share house.

Jobs and employment

Search for Brisbane jobs with our job search partner, CareerOne.

Driver’s licence

If you are moving to Brisbane from somewhere other than Queensland, you need to transfer your driver’s licence. The Department of Transport answers the questions about transferring your licence.

And if you are moving from within Queensland, you need to ensure your address details are current. You can do this online at the Department of Transport website.

Moving tips

Moving house, especially if you are moving cities as well, takes a lot of organisation. Our moving tips provide a practical countdown to the tasks before moving day. Plus, we'll connect you to Brisbane-based services that can help.

Other links

For more information that’s helpful to movers, take a look at:

Did you know?

  • It is illegal to keep a rabbit or hamster as a pet in Queensland. Read about other prohibited pets
  • Brisbane doesn’t have a surf beach (although there are plenty of sand beaches which fringe Moreton Bay). If you want to find some waves you can head to the Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast.

The oubrisbane.com site is packed full of information you can use to learn about life in our city:

Worth a click…

Comments

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Alex from Brisbane says:
2

WHY? Why are hamster's illegal? I understand rabbits, yes we have a MAJOR rabbit problem. But hamsters?? Please tell me where we have a mass hamster infestation? Cause I've looked all over and I can't find any information on this.

We have more RAT and MOUSE infestations. I've never even seen a hamster! And yet we're allowed rats as pets and not hamsters?

Please someone explain this to me. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.

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rachel from tasmania says:
2

ALEX,

pretty simple answer, like rabbits, hampsters also attract snakes.

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Esther from Redcliffe, Brisbane says:
2

But mice are not illegal and snakes love them. And snakes eat guinea pigs. How many youtube videos show snakes eating a guinea pig?! And yet I've had guinea pigs in brisbane for 10 years and never seen a snake in my life. Yes I do think, maybe people should have to be over 18 and prove to be sensible before being sold a rabbit, but its unfair that it's illegal in qld, if the exact same risks (or higher) are present also in nsw and vic.

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Allan from Brisbane says:
2

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good, resonably priced Brisbane moving company for a local move.

Thanks
Allan

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Deno from City says:

Alan,
I have moved 3 times with North Lakes Removalists and they were great. Arrived on time, and were very careful. Happy to suggest them to people.

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trevena from perth says:

Hi we are looking at moving to QLD (brisbane) from perth mid 2010..We ideally want small acreage lifestyle property but still within commuting distance to brisbane for my husbands work (wynnum). Can anyone please help me out with suburbs that we should look at. We have been looking at greenbank, samford etc....we have two young children so schooling is also a consideration. I'd appreciate any help you can give! Oh yeah we are aussies!

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Hi Trevena

Congratulations on your decision to move to Brisbane. If you're looking for an acreage lifestyle property within commuting distance to Wynnum, you could search for your dream property in the below suburbs:

Best of luck with your property search and move!

Kind regards,

Danielle, from the ourbrisbane.com team

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Beth and John from Brisbane says:

Great article with some useful links and tips!

TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE CONSIDERING MOVING TO BRISBANE, HERE ARE SOME PROS AND CONS FROM A FEW OF US WHO HAVE DONE IT, WHICH WILL HELP YOU MAKING AN INFORMED DECISION:

PROS:

* The weather, although humid, is pleasant and warm and there is a lot of sunshine, which makes it a great place.
* Lots of nature around, even within the city centre, which makes for some lovely and relaxing walks
* Magnificent views of the river and city lights from the CAT at night
* The city is pretty and has some interesting old buildings

CONS (ensure that you are well prepared...!):

* Clean? Not really. Some areas are quite dirty and public transport is far from being clean.

* Customer service is way below that in other cities

* The cheaper food options (small eating places, food courts etc) are actually overpriced by world standards, and the food is often stale and not of a good quality. The only fresher and affordable option is sushi, but other food types are usually overpriced and way below world standards and there is not much variety...

* Relaxed and friendly? Not so much anymore...

Due to Brisabne becoming very expensive (rents, public transport, food, groceries,and overall living costs), while wages for most people going down, it has lost the relaxed feel - those who are not on executive wages need to work very hard and long hours to be able to afford living here....this, in turn, makes them (unfortunately) less relaxed and less friendly...

* Libraries - don't expect the same amount and variety as in the other cities... because all libraries here belong to the city's council (unlike the other cities, where each council has a few libraries, and there are many councils around..) the books are limited and the opening hours in some libraries are geared towards the unemployed.

* Pulic transport has become very expensive but is still way, way behind in quality, frequency and cleanliness...

Trains run every 30 minutes, they are often very late (sometimes without any announcements), and frequently very dirty, too. Train stations are often dirty and not very safe.

Buses - some routes are good but other routes run every hour or every two hours.... if you rely on public transport, make your research and ensure that you live next to the reliable buses' routes...

The river CAT is lovely, if you can afford living close by...

Be also aware of the incredible number of zones, which mean that often if you live just slightly further, you end up paying MUCH more.

* The relaxed living? - Again, due to overpriced properties and rents, there were a lot of sub-divisions happening, a lot of properties have their windows facing their neighbours', there is a lot of sub-letting over here due to rental prices which means a lot of people are squeezed together....unfortunately, the life style has been greatly compromised as a result of greed...

* Be also aware that Brisbane is very much a 'day city' - markets, shops, activities etc are open early and close early. There is not much in the evening - so if you are used to the overseas' life style with the evening life, you will find it hard to adjust - the only evening life over here is pubs and resaurants.

All in all it is a nice city with a great weather, but we thought that it will help you to make an informed decision if you are aware of the cons, too (it would have helped us, at the time!)

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Chantal from Perth says:

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone can help me out but suggesting some good, safe and family orientated suburbs. (I know there will be no perfect suburb but a decent one would be great)

I am thinking of moving in a year or so from Perth so any advice would be great.

Thanks

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Mjor from melbourne says:

Thanks Beth & John.... love your none sense analysis. Would have loved to read more about the social and political climate ;-)

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