STEELER - Thanks for the insight about the teenagers/ thursday nights issue - much appreciated! Really glad to see someone else that thinks North Lakes has a low crime rate.

LOOBY - Thanks for your response again. Geez if our house was already sold & we could move, I would so ask you what street you're in! That would have been great It has really helped getting personal accounts of the area, but I am trying not to let the negative experiences affect me, as altough they have been a little off-putting, when we visited the area we absolutely fell in love with it & felt it was safe (checked it out at night etc).

COPPYS - Lovely to hear another positive perspective of North Lakes! Great that you're from Sydney so you know where I'm coming from! Thanks for all the info - I really appreciate it. It helps to hear it all As of course, it is pretty nerve wrecking moving somewhere you know no one/ nothing about!

Hi Danni,
i'm sure you have a great idea how good north lakes is, just thought i would add my opinion as well!! I to have lived here for many years, at my parents house for a couple of year. Then when i was looking for a house to buy with my partner as we were expecting our 1st baby, i didn't want to buy in nth lakes, mainly due to land size, so we bought in Mango hill, as land size was a bit bigger. Mango hill is lovely, i could walk to the shops no problems at all etc.

Since then, i have bought back in north lakes, and love it! I bought in crestwood (older section) as the land size is bigger than the newer sections. Its close to walk to shops, closer to schools etc. I have never had any problems, apart from the odd car egging when living on Copeland Dr (street running along golf course)

I work up at north lakes, shop there, kids go to day care in North Lakes etc. I have many friends that live in here (most in newer sections) and have never heard of any problems. We all have younger children as well, and have all meet mainly through daycare.

My kids will defientley not be going to the public school, will hopefully be going to St Benedicts, which I have only heard great things about!! Very hard to get into though, defientley have to be Catholic, or no chance from what I hear! 150 applicant for 75 places for next year, with 25 spots going to siblings of current students!

As far as thrusday nights go , Ii quite often head up to the shops with my 2 & 4yo, we normally sit in the playground for dinner and a play. Was quite shocked couple weeks ago when there were only 2 lots of little kids playing, and approx 100 teenagers gathering with many more coming!! I could hear some young girls threatening to bash some others for something silly!! The teenagers were on the slide, and my little 1's couldn't use it, but i just went over and put them on it!! at the end of the day, there teenagers, we all were once, treat them right, and they'll be fine!!
I saw the DJ setting up, and went and asked the security what was happening. He told me all about the dancing and painting classes. He said all ages were welcome. They are trying to get the kids out of the shops, as people are afraid to go shopping with them hanging around, good idea i guess!!

So for the next hour, my 2 boys danced their little hearts out on the dance floor!! Crowds were forming, and just before the dance comp started, they introduced all the little kids, got their names and the crowd (of mostly teenagers, few parents and old people) gave them all a huge applause!! was quite funny!! they loved it!! so i think i will end up being quite a family friendly event!! (might add there was a older boy who did get punched, and the police were questioning people, i didn't see it)

The market is also nice to go to on a Sunday morning. The lake also host movies nights, and carols at xmas time!

Anyways, i would say maybe rent in here for 6months, see how you find it and go from there!!

Good luck with your new addition!!

MANAAKISMAMA - Thank you soo much for your great & informative post! Has helped Hubby & I feel so much more at ease about the move, considering how happy you are with young children! Aww.. the market, movie nights & carols have us sold LOL!
I REALLY appreciate what you have told me about the Catholic School - as that is the one that I'm already considering for my little one hehe! Wow the waiting lists are insanely long - appreciate the heads up! Loved hearing your story about your Thursday night trip - lol good on you. Sounds like your babies had fun after all
I am doing exactly what you've said... taking the risk & renting for a while & seeing how we go. By the sounds of it, I'm sure we'll love it
We maybe catch up when I get up there? Well, feel free to keep me informed on what's going on if you like... I'd love some other Mummies to interact with!
Thanks again... & take care.

Hi.
My hubby just started working at NL and from what I gather it's a pretty nice place.
I was surprised at how big it was and by all the amenties.
From my short visit there recently I thought that the people that I met seemed very friendly

We live at Bribie Island ( just bit nth of NL) and he commutes to there everyday.
We dont have any intentions of moving down though, because it's so beautiiful here.

The water, great schools and friendly locals are too good to leave.
It's super safe too. We leave our doors unlocked at night and I have no fears of letting the kids walk to their friends houses by themselves. Everyone knows everyone and look after eachother.

Hope your move to NL and new baby go well!

I want to express my opinion here, but probably don't need to for two reasons. One, I already detailed my opinion of North Lakes on a similarly themed thread started by an American who is considering moving here. The second reason is because it would be a duplicate of Looby's post above! I can pretty much say ditto to everything she said. And she doesn't live too far from me here in the Bridgehaven section of North Lakes.

It was interesting to read Slipperyfox's run-down of North Lakes. They live in one of the older sections so as stated have more teenagers than we would up here in Bridgehaven. I wonder: what will Bridgehaven be like in 10 years when all the cute little 3-9 years olds are teenagers...

I think everyone is forgetting that NL is not alone in having a small teenage problem. The other estates built in SE Qld over the last 10 years will have the same problem. All those kids who were under 5 when they first moved to these estates are now in their teens and are doing what every other teenage is doing around Australia.

People complain that teenagers are hanging out at the shopping centre on Thursday nights, well guess what it's ocurring at every other shopping centre in Australia. The local paper had an article about the programe that is run for teenagers at the shopping centre on Thrusday nights and how it has reduced teenage crime in the area by 40% and Westfields are now looking extending the programme to their other shopping centres in Australia.

I would agree that things could have been put in place sooner for the teens, but things are comming such as the roller skating ring and Westfields will have a cinema complex within the next 5 to 10 years and if Translink would provide a proper bus service then the older teens would have further options rather than hanging out in NL.

There is nowhere in the world that doesn't have teenager problems. Hopefully with new amenities things will improve though. It's often down to the teenagers being bored.