’No longer a helicopter parent’: Why this family moved to QLD

Like many interstate movers, the Wilson family made the move from the big smoke to regional Queensland and are now “living their best life”. Here’s why.

Affordability and a better lifestyle were among the many reasons why the Wilson family decided to ditch Melbourne for the Sunshine Coast.

They had endured lockdowns, “nightmare” traffic and unpredictable weather for long enough, and now the family, Belinda, Ben, Isaac, 8, and Charlotte, 2, call the Harmony estate at Palmview on the Sunshine Coast home.

An aerial image of the Sunshine Coast.

But it was when Belinda had a stroke that they found the motivation to make the move.

“We were living such busy and stressful lives and we wanted to give our kids the childhood we had,” she said.

“The traffic was a nightmare and we couldn’t afford to buy where we wanted to live.

“We endured lockdowns, which wasn’t a bad thing as I was pregnant and we were able to pretty much keep that quiet.

“Everyone couldn’t believe it when we posted a photo of Charlotte.”

MORE: Great migration to Qld continues but slows due to housing shortage

The family were sick of the traffic congestion in Melbourne. Picture: Tony Gough

And the dreary weather. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

Unable to buy in Melbourne, the family bought an investment property in Port Douglas, and fell in love with the lifestyle and weather in Queensland.

They began looking into relocating to the Sunshine Coast, and flew up to see if the location was a good fit.

“We bought a block of land at Harmony and the it was like the stars aligned a s job opportunity came up with my employer,” she said.

“We just looked at each other and said, let’s do this.

“We are the happiest we have been in a very long time.”

Belinda and Ben Wilson and their kids Ben, Iaasc, 8, and Charlotte, 2, moved to the Sunny Coast from Melbourne. Picture: Patrick Woods.

As for the kids, Belinda said “they are living their best life”.

“Isaac rides to school and has so many friends in our neighbourhood who just knock on our door to play,” Belinda said.

“Here, I am happy for him to ride to his friends places or to the park.

“In Melbourne, I wouldn’t let them out the front door.

“You don’t have to be helicopter parent here.”

Belinda said Charlotte had also made lots of “little friends” at daycare.

And the family now spend their weekends outdoors, at the beach, the playgrounds or the skate park.

“It’s lovely. The bigger kids at the skate park look after the little kids on their scooters,” she said. “The community vibe is just amazing.

“There is just so much about living here on the Sunshine Coast, and Queensland for that matter, that just takes me back to my own childhood.

“You get to enjoy the outdoors all year here, rather than a few months in Melbourne.

“It is home, which was just so important to us.”

Regional Queensland continues to attract the lion’s share of Australia’s internal movers despite a lack of housing slowing down the great migration from capital cities, the latest Regional Movers Index by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) and the Commonwealth Bank revealed.

The Sunshine Coast (17%) and Gold Coast (9%) recorded the biggest share of net internal migration during the 12 months to June, but both recorded a drop compared to the same period a year ago.

The Gold Coast has been a magnet for people leaving Sydney. Source: realestate.com.au

The Fraser Coast also continues to attract new residents from both the cities and other regions with 6 per cent of movers relocating there.Four per cent of people migrating are heading to Bundaberg, while 3 per cent are shifting to Toowoomba and Mackay.

Meanwhile, two per cent are relocating to Cairns, Townsville, South Burnett, Livingstone, Gladstone.

“Although not explicit in the data, the lack of regional housing is likely to be playing a role in the decline in the total number of movers this quarter, with the number of capital to regional movers also down,” the report said.

Queensland proved the most attractive place for city dwellers moving to the regions, accounting for 41 per cent of net capital outflows in the 12 months to June 2023 – up from 33 per cent the previous year.

“Sydney remained the largest population shedder, accounting for 94 per cent of capital city net outflows in the 12 month period to June 2023, up from 66 per cent a year ago,” the report said.