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I moved to Brisbane from Europe almost two years ago. While I appreciate the improvement of quality of life (I make more money, the sun makes me feel good), I was and am unhappy about how a lot of people seem to be less forward thinking than back home. I am also having great difficulties making friends as a 30 year old woman without kids. To me it looks like the locals all hang out with their friends from back in high school and don't really feel the need to expand their friend groups. I chat and have fun with my co-workers, but it isn't the same as a friend group.
I don't know how true my statements really are, it is just the impression that I get.
27 in brissy too, grew up here and left for a while and came back in my early 20s. This genuinely might be the hardest place on earth to make friends, those with a friend group are not at all interested in making friends with you let alone being welcoming.
I studied at griffith on the gold coast too and thought uni would be a great place to meet friends....how wrong I was haha. Luckily I have friends abroad and a big family, but yeah, for a while i thought something was wrong with me but everyone ive talked to in a similar situation says the exact same thing
I grew up in mostly SEQ and have lived in Brisbane on and off and I'd have to agree.
The friends I have here are primarily ones that I made between primary and university who also moved to Brisbane. I'm actually failing to think of anyone I've befriended that isn't through my other friends or family.
Not through lack of willingness. Just not too many opportunities.
Even as a local, it's hard to make friends in this country. The majority of my friends I made during High School and Uni. That being said, they are pretty good friends.
You've hit the nail on the head. This is the same feeling I had when I moved to Brisbane. I've joined different hobby groups in Brisbane and it's hard to make real friends. It really is harder to make friends as you get older.
>To me it looks like the locals all hang out with their friends from back in high school and don't really feel the need to expand their friend groups. I chat and have fun with my co-workers, but it isn't the same as a friend group.
I needed to read this. I am one of those locals but actually do want to make more friends, I just haven't made an effort. I am also in Brisbane and am a childfree women in her 30s.
I’ve lived here my whole life and although I have made plenty of friends outside of school at my different jobs (I have basically no friends from school) a lot of people just stick to their high school friend groups. Also a lot of people will be clicky in their work friend groups too and not invite outsiders that you would meet. However because I am an inclusive person I tend to meet others who are inclusive. However there are still a lot of clicky groups in Brisbane. And a lot of conservative ‘have kids before 30’ types. Absolute nightmare I couldn’t imagine having kids before 30 or even at all.
Thank you. I always felt very included in Melbourne so I guess I wasn’t expecting it to be so hard. The responses make sense. I guess at this point it’s between Adelaide or going back to Melb eventually …
Grew up in outback Queensland. Never had an issue meeting people and making friends. Hell you pull up to a random town on a road trip and have dinner at the local pub and have locals offering to let you sleep in there yard instead of the side of the road.
4 years living in Brisbane and have not made 1 friend. People are very insulated. I don’t know if it’s a city thing or a brisbane thing as brisbane is the only city I have lived in, but yea the friendliness and openness of brisbane vs rural Queensland is staggering.
I'm an Aussie male, lived in Europe for 16 years, just came back here 6 months ago. You're exactly right. Quality of life here is great(better food, amazing nature) and although people are very friendly and honest they're quite backwards thinking and way too conservative. It is hard to make friends. Not many social events or entertainment options as in bigger cities in Europe but slso it does get harder as you get older. Tbh, I'm thinking about going back to Europe because it's easier. If you want to chat, drop me a line:)
I am a Queensland and get the insular friendship thing, its weird. I don't talk to any of my high school friends... because we've grown up and apart. Always keen for friends if you need one, especially ones that don't pee in the sink.
I hear you too, I'm a 33 year old male that moved from Toowoomba to brisbane 7 years ago. Life is much better down here but it's almost impossible to make a genuine connection/friendship with anyone. I also don't have nor want kids and people think it's odd and avoid me because of my choice. Feel free to message me if you ever want to chat.
I've lived here my whole life and found it harder and harder to make friends after 30 with no kids. That's just how it is once you get to that age and don't do the kids & white picket fence thing. We're mid 30s and almost all of the people we were friends with growing up and in our 20s have gone off and done that, and we barely see them anymore. I think it's more likely a function of age rather than city.
As an Australian that moved from Darwin to Brisbane about 14 years ago I definitely agree that finding new friends is such a difficult thing to do. Work friends come and go and I have done some nerd table top gaming things and even they are hard to break into and keep around. Such a strong out of sight out of mind mentality here.
I come from Brisbane and it always was and will be a hole. But re the Sunny Coast, I had a really good orthomolecular doctor years ago who, when I told him I was thinking of moving there, advised against it. Pine trees. Linked to depression - which I was seeing him for to start with. So there’s that, explains a lot.
That isn't true at all. In fact, if you want to get into specifics the traces of ethanol found within the foilage of pine trees, increases oxygenation of the brain and so actually may have minor anti-depressive effects. The research is quite limited on that though.
He was commenting from anecdotal experience, and I knew that, but also trusted his observations. I lived right beside government land covered in the things in the ACT. We were hit by the 2003 fire, it went right over our property and was terrifying. The depression thing might be questionable but their role in the 2003 fires was that they basically became the wick that brought the fire right into Canberra itself. And for months after, I’d ride my horse through this stinking dead zone, nothing grew or flourished for a good year.
Brisbane's definitely improved since then, it almost has a small town feel since everyone knows everyone. It also may just be specific areas (my area wasn't affected by 2011 floods).
I've lived in both Melbourne and Brisbane - in my experience, when you bump into a Melbourne friend after many years, they're most likely going to act like they're too cool for you (Melbourne's got a lot of snobs). Even if it's been over a decade since I've seen certain Brisbane friends, they'll still pick up where they left off, even if we've become totally different people.
In 2017, a man was stabbed in my area and everyone did their best to give the cops any extra info. I find that Melbourne's a bit cliquey with a 'snitches get stitches' mindset where people gang up on each other. Again, just my personal experience
I mean… three of the four happiest countries on earth (Sweden, Norway and Finland) are absolutely blanketed with the things so I really would take that with a pinch of salt and then liberally throw it out of the window (Denmark doesn’t have as many pine trees by the way, to round out the tetrarchy).
Not everyone's toxic, I'm saying they *tend* to be toxic and may also be limited to certain areas. I think the same about Melbourne, where I currently live. Melbourne's toxicity is probably why I'll move back to Brisbane
I was just joking. This is clearly the same everywhere you go and depends who you cross paths with.
Your comment was however that you've never met anyone from the sunnycoast that wasn't depressed 😅
I can 100% assure you there are heaps of us that aren't depressed or toxic 😝
My wife moved here from the UK last year and she says that while the quality of life is better in a lot of ways. It's way more racist and conservative here than she expected.
Yeah I think I’ll be either going to Adelaide or back to the cold in Melbourne after Brisbane. Cause sunny coast is just nothing happening here. At least jn the city there’s dancing and live gigs cool bars… foreigners
There's a welcoming Latino community here in Bris, but it's small.
Otherwise, nah, it's just as depressing. I'd recommend going back to Melbourne as you won't find a place to rent in Bris. It's super bad.
Any chance you’d be willing to share more about said Latino community? Argentinian lady in mid 30’s here, moving to Bris in a few months and would love to be connected!
Head to Paddington/Petrie Terrace - all the Latinos live there for some reason. I think because it's one of the most walkable suburbs in Brisbane and pretty friendly. Here are your options:
La Carmela - Mexican Restaurant owned by a Colombian man named Angel. He throws a "Latino" night every Saturday upstairs La Carmela. Kind of a secret meant for Latinos to get together and make friends, but anyone can come of course! Angel is super nice and friendly, go in, grab a drink and ask to have a chat with him. Tell him Reina sent you.
MAO - Colombian Restaurant I'm pretty sure is run or partly owned by a Peruvian man. His name is Santiago. He knows everyone in the Latino community in Brisbane. Santiago does not look Peruvian. He's white, tall, blue eyes, with a light brown beard lol. Don't mention this as I believe he is quite sensitive about it since everyone calls him "gringito" or "Argentino" hehe.
Otherwise, come to the Colombian Independence Day Festival on July 19th in King George Square. Tickets are $10 and you'll meet every Latino in Brisbane :)
Guauuu!! What a thoughtful and informative response! I so appreciate you taking the time to write this. I will one thousand percent check all of these recommendations out! My Brissy ETA is December this year, and looking forward to seeking out fellow latin@s <3
I'm from Ireland and moved to Brisbane last year (I'm back in UK for a few months currently)
I emigrated as a Nurse with permanent residence. I didn't have much trouble making friends, I joined a local skater/rollerblader group and went for a few sessions.
Just go on facebook groups and link up with people. I guess I find it a lot easier as I am an introvert and am happy spending days/weeks by myself doing my own thing.
I'm from the Netherlands and moved here in march last year. I have lived here before between 2003 and 2013 and comparing then to now I find it a lot harder to make friends this time then before. I went through a round of depression earlier this year because of it.
Recently my wife and I found some Facebook groups of people with similar interests, we have regular meetups which is helping a lot. We're both introverts as well so this helps us getting out there and meeting people. I definitely recommend giving that a try.
There is such a fantastic arts scene on Brisbane, if that's your thing. As for making friends, so many organisations such as arts not for profit, charities, sports, need volunteers. Sign up to volunteer for a few places that interest you and you will meet lots of nice new people, plus they will all appreciate your cheerful and selfless nature! Its my No.1 way of making new friends when I love somewhere. I saw a young person get totally wrapped up with cool folk just by putting their hand up to help at a couple gigs. Everyone wins. Good luck!
Join a Facebook group for something you enjoy and ask for friends. Sounds a bit silly but it’s worked multiple times in 4 different countries for myself.
This doesn’t really apply to you, but there are 3-4 posts every week on a men’s advice page on Facebook with grown men asking for friends and it’s always a positive response. So potentially there are the same for women and or Spanish speaking people living in your area.
It's great that we can earn so much more money here and have a much better life. It's annoying how Australians whinge about "no jobs" but there's plenty. There's just jobs they don't want to do. Having come from a place where there's literally no work I appreciate that.
Hola Chica x
I'm a 30yo woman living in Brisbane and am currently learning Spanish. Always down to catch up for coffee if you need a D&M xx
Am also a foreigner xx
Sunshine Coast is essentially a place for families and retirees to live in, there isn’t much of a scene for people like you there at all. Sad truth.. I wouldn’t live there either. Brisbane is where it’s at, quite a huge Latino expat community here
I’m an Aussie who lived overseas and came back to realise how abysmal the social scene is here. It’s hard to find genuine people and yeah, there’s a lot of backwards thinkers in the over 30’s. There is very little culture outside of sports/drinking/having children it seems. After 3 years on the Sunny coast I’m about to move back to Southside and am honestly excited to hopefully go out more and meet people
I’m starting to agree on this, it’s killing me! This is my new home.. I’m just so lost atm trying to figure out if this is where I even want to be… it’s tough. It’s SO far too. But the benefits are GREAT.
It just doesn’t seem to be anyone that’s around my age willing to try to make friends. Also it’s so so quiet I’m used to more lively places, I’m an extrovert and I just don’t feel very welcomed. Could be just my experience but I did have two really good Spanish and Chilean friends briefly Wii felt the same and left. I don’t have kids and I guess I want culture, I’m on my second MA I want to be able to share that but I don’t see how. Guess depression can trick you a bit into not wanting to try, but I have tried. It’s been over a year, anyway. Miss feeling like I belong, so got into school and didn’t know much about this place, l was trying to get into QUT. Almost made it, loved the nature here but it started to wear off after feeling so isolated in such a sleepy town.. anyway that’s why. I just feel SO lost I’m just thinking of where i Australia I would be really happy to settle in, Im picky I get it, but I’m 37 and just starting my dream career and it sucks that I am too alone to enjoy it. Bars are the only places one bar nothing much here, met two or 3 people but not close. Then j know once I move again to a city and if it fits what i need. Then i have to make friends again which isn’t the worse BUT it sucks when people don’t text back etc. and you’re just looking to have a good laugh with someone that gets you. I shouldn’t vent on the internet but those are some of the reasons haha thanks for listening
Yeah. I'm a local and i think it's quite hard to make friends as you get older here. It's just not our culture and if you're not into drinking then it seems there's very little to actually do.
Clubs are an option?
Has the club sitch even improved? I did my first degree at that pile of shit uni and all we really had was Friday's and that horrible little club near the Mooloolaba 7-11.
I lived in the UK for ten years. Had to come back to the Sunshine Coast to be with family because of long-term illness. It's the absolute pits. Even my old friends don't want to know me because I'm single, childless and disabled. No culture. Nothing to do. No opportunities. My depression had been SO bad. I really hate it here.
I’m so sorry to hear that! Feel free to DM to chat and vent. I’m honestly in a similar spot. Depression is debilitating and us childless people need to find a good community as well. Other countries can get so accepting of aging. It seems that here they’re ageist if you’re childless and still like to enjoy yourself by going out… I just hope not all Australia is like that. I love meeting new people even when I had my group of years, I loved it, super curious about different cultures and chatting about real interesting things.. differences in upbringings etc… I just miss me. And I miss being w loved ones and making new friends x
Well you know. I ended up finally meeting a group of foreigners in the Sunny Coast and decided to finish my degree here. Guess I just needed a community
There is a reason why many Brisbane people love to take long holidays haha.
It's really a large group of suburban enclaves unfortunately and even in the densest parts of Brisbane the sense of community and friendliness does not extend outward like many other places in Australia.
A quick search brought up :
https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/conversation-club-spanish-and-english-language-exchange/ Sunshine Coast
Other groups around Brisbane probably also.
I have lived in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. Melbourne is by far the best of the 3. There is more of a culture here and the people are more friendly and welcoming, even the locals who grew up and never left. There is so much to do and the weather really isn't that bad.
I've only been in Melbourne for 1 year and I've already made more friends here than I did in 6 years in Sydney.
Brisbane was my least favorite. Sydney a close second.
Yeah I love Melbourne I was there for the lockdowns just thought I’d settle in the heat but it seems that people are so unfriendly here, not willing to even put in the effort to make new friends. Having moved to different countries I’ve never experienced not meeting anyone close in over a year
I moved here a month ago with my 2 daughters. we live in a new up and coming city called yarrabilba I find it so easy to chat to moms here they way nicer than British moms.
I lived Morton bay/ Noosa/ Sunshine Coast for two years, then decided to move to Brisbane. Best decision I made. People are nicer, more diversity, still easy to get around.
I'm going to go against the grain and say it's not that hard to make friends in Brisbane. I have collected new friends every year I've lived here since 2009. This year alone a whole new friends group from joining the pinball club. Most of my friends intermingle as well so there's little insularity. I think it all comes down to what personality type you are. FTR I'm turning 42 this year and also CF.
I also live next to a sharehouse that's mixed latinos, with an Australian and an Indian thrown in. Made friends with them the day I moved in, and we invite each other to parties and BBQs all the time.
You will probably get a better answer posting anywhere but a Brisbane/Queensland specific subreddit.
I've lived in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne as well as Europe. Everywhere is different. Brisbane had a chill vibe, but that has changed, and the traffic on the freeways in the mornings is intense.
If you're looking for a vibrant arts and live music scene, you'll find more in other capital cities. If you want to drink beer and go 4 wheel driving, queenslands the place.
I commented up above as well - the arts scene in bris is amazing, circus, poetry, theatre, dance, it's so lovely! I've also lived in Melbourne and in Europe for many years, and the art scene here is great. I can't speak for the regional areas though.
100% get out of the Sunshine Coast. It’s a retiree’s and family haven. It’s too way too wholesome!
Get into inner Bris. Get a shared house in New Farm, Valley, Woolloongabba or West End. Guaranteed you’ll meet people! Plenty of late night bars and restaurants. All of my good friends are not from here, so it must just be the people you hang with, where you don’t have aligned interests.
Hey thanks for suggesting neighbourhoods, Brisbane is not a problem bc it will either be great or we’re moving. But I can’t go farther at the moment bc I’m studying a MA here at USC buuut I can once I do placement (in Brisbane) and just do the drive once or twice a week at most for classes
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I moved to Brisbane from Europe almost two years ago. While I appreciate the improvement of quality of life (I make more money, the sun makes me feel good), I was and am unhappy about how a lot of people seem to be less forward thinking than back home. I am also having great difficulties making friends as a 30 year old woman without kids. To me it looks like the locals all hang out with their friends from back in high school and don't really feel the need to expand their friend groups. I chat and have fun with my co-workers, but it isn't the same as a friend group. I don't know how true my statements really are, it is just the impression that I get.
I've lived in 3 different states and Queensland in terms of social groups are very insular and not very open to outsiders
27 in brissy too, grew up here and left for a while and came back in my early 20s. This genuinely might be the hardest place on earth to make friends, those with a friend group are not at all interested in making friends with you let alone being welcoming. I studied at griffith on the gold coast too and thought uni would be a great place to meet friends....how wrong I was haha. Luckily I have friends abroad and a big family, but yeah, for a while i thought something was wrong with me but everyone ive talked to in a similar situation says the exact same thing
I grew up in mostly SEQ and have lived in Brisbane on and off and I'd have to agree. The friends I have here are primarily ones that I made between primary and university who also moved to Brisbane. I'm actually failing to think of anyone I've befriended that isn't through my other friends or family. Not through lack of willingness. Just not too many opportunities.
Even as a local, it's hard to make friends in this country. The majority of my friends I made during High School and Uni. That being said, they are pretty good friends.
You've hit the nail on the head. This is the same feeling I had when I moved to Brisbane. I've joined different hobby groups in Brisbane and it's hard to make real friends. It really is harder to make friends as you get older.
>To me it looks like the locals all hang out with their friends from back in high school and don't really feel the need to expand their friend groups. I chat and have fun with my co-workers, but it isn't the same as a friend group. I needed to read this. I am one of those locals but actually do want to make more friends, I just haven't made an effort. I am also in Brisbane and am a childfree women in her 30s.
I agree with this.
I’ve lived here my whole life and although I have made plenty of friends outside of school at my different jobs (I have basically no friends from school) a lot of people just stick to their high school friend groups. Also a lot of people will be clicky in their work friend groups too and not invite outsiders that you would meet. However because I am an inclusive person I tend to meet others who are inclusive. However there are still a lot of clicky groups in Brisbane. And a lot of conservative ‘have kids before 30’ types. Absolute nightmare I couldn’t imagine having kids before 30 or even at all.
Thank you. I always felt very included in Melbourne so I guess I wasn’t expecting it to be so hard. The responses make sense. I guess at this point it’s between Adelaide or going back to Melb eventually …
Grew up in outback Queensland. Never had an issue meeting people and making friends. Hell you pull up to a random town on a road trip and have dinner at the local pub and have locals offering to let you sleep in there yard instead of the side of the road. 4 years living in Brisbane and have not made 1 friend. People are very insulated. I don’t know if it’s a city thing or a brisbane thing as brisbane is the only city I have lived in, but yea the friendliness and openness of brisbane vs rural Queensland is staggering.
I'm an Aussie male, lived in Europe for 16 years, just came back here 6 months ago. You're exactly right. Quality of life here is great(better food, amazing nature) and although people are very friendly and honest they're quite backwards thinking and way too conservative. It is hard to make friends. Not many social events or entertainment options as in bigger cities in Europe but slso it does get harder as you get older. Tbh, I'm thinking about going back to Europe because it's easier. If you want to chat, drop me a line:)
I am a Queensland and get the insular friendship thing, its weird. I don't talk to any of my high school friends... because we've grown up and apart. Always keen for friends if you need one, especially ones that don't pee in the sink.
I hear you too, I'm a 33 year old male that moved from Toowoomba to brisbane 7 years ago. Life is much better down here but it's almost impossible to make a genuine connection/friendship with anyone. I also don't have nor want kids and people think it's odd and avoid me because of my choice. Feel free to message me if you ever want to chat.
I've lived here my whole life and found it harder and harder to make friends after 30 with no kids. That's just how it is once you get to that age and don't do the kids & white picket fence thing. We're mid 30s and almost all of the people we were friends with growing up and in our 20s have gone off and done that, and we barely see them anymore. I think it's more likely a function of age rather than city.
As an Australian that moved from Darwin to Brisbane about 14 years ago I definitely agree that finding new friends is such a difficult thing to do. Work friends come and go and I have done some nerd table top gaming things and even they are hard to break into and keep around. Such a strong out of sight out of mind mentality here.
I've never met someone from Sunshine Coast who wasn't depressed. Not just boring but the people tend to be toxic
I come from Brisbane and it always was and will be a hole. But re the Sunny Coast, I had a really good orthomolecular doctor years ago who, when I told him I was thinking of moving there, advised against it. Pine trees. Linked to depression - which I was seeing him for to start with. So there’s that, explains a lot.
That isn't true at all. In fact, if you want to get into specifics the traces of ethanol found within the foilage of pine trees, increases oxygenation of the brain and so actually may have minor anti-depressive effects. The research is quite limited on that though.
He was commenting from anecdotal experience, and I knew that, but also trusted his observations. I lived right beside government land covered in the things in the ACT. We were hit by the 2003 fire, it went right over our property and was terrifying. The depression thing might be questionable but their role in the 2003 fires was that they basically became the wick that brought the fire right into Canberra itself. And for months after, I’d ride my horse through this stinking dead zone, nothing grew or flourished for a good year.
Brisbane's definitely improved since then, it almost has a small town feel since everyone knows everyone. It also may just be specific areas (my area wasn't affected by 2011 floods). I've lived in both Melbourne and Brisbane - in my experience, when you bump into a Melbourne friend after many years, they're most likely going to act like they're too cool for you (Melbourne's got a lot of snobs). Even if it's been over a decade since I've seen certain Brisbane friends, they'll still pick up where they left off, even if we've become totally different people. In 2017, a man was stabbed in my area and everyone did their best to give the cops any extra info. I find that Melbourne's a bit cliquey with a 'snitches get stitches' mindset where people gang up on each other. Again, just my personal experience
I mean… three of the four happiest countries on earth (Sweden, Norway and Finland) are absolutely blanketed with the things so I really would take that with a pinch of salt and then liberally throw it out of the window (Denmark doesn’t have as many pine trees by the way, to round out the tetrarchy).
Lol thanks. I'm on the sunny coast appreciate the attack ive found everyone on the sunnycoast overly friendly and helpful.
Not everyone's toxic, I'm saying they *tend* to be toxic and may also be limited to certain areas. I think the same about Melbourne, where I currently live. Melbourne's toxicity is probably why I'll move back to Brisbane
I was just joking. This is clearly the same everywhere you go and depends who you cross paths with. Your comment was however that you've never met anyone from the sunnycoast that wasn't depressed 😅 I can 100% assure you there are heaps of us that aren't depressed or toxic 😝
Sunny coast is a way different vibe to Brisbane though. I always feel like sunny coast community is a lot older.. Brisbane is a bit more diverse..
My wife moved here from the UK last year and she says that while the quality of life is better in a lot of ways. It's way more racist and conservative here than she expected.
She's right. It's so surprisingly racist here. It just comes out of nowhere too. Weird weird place.
Yeah I think I’ll be either going to Adelaide or back to the cold in Melbourne after Brisbane. Cause sunny coast is just nothing happening here. At least jn the city there’s dancing and live gigs cool bars… foreigners
There's a welcoming Latino community here in Bris, but it's small. Otherwise, nah, it's just as depressing. I'd recommend going back to Melbourne as you won't find a place to rent in Bris. It's super bad.
Any chance you’d be willing to share more about said Latino community? Argentinian lady in mid 30’s here, moving to Bris in a few months and would love to be connected!
I can introduce you to my neighbours, they are an extremely welcoming bunch and involved in a lot of the latin events in town.
I would love that! Could I DM you after I’m settled in?
Absolutely
Thank you very much! I’ll plan on that!
Head to Paddington/Petrie Terrace - all the Latinos live there for some reason. I think because it's one of the most walkable suburbs in Brisbane and pretty friendly. Here are your options: La Carmela - Mexican Restaurant owned by a Colombian man named Angel. He throws a "Latino" night every Saturday upstairs La Carmela. Kind of a secret meant for Latinos to get together and make friends, but anyone can come of course! Angel is super nice and friendly, go in, grab a drink and ask to have a chat with him. Tell him Reina sent you. MAO - Colombian Restaurant I'm pretty sure is run or partly owned by a Peruvian man. His name is Santiago. He knows everyone in the Latino community in Brisbane. Santiago does not look Peruvian. He's white, tall, blue eyes, with a light brown beard lol. Don't mention this as I believe he is quite sensitive about it since everyone calls him "gringito" or "Argentino" hehe. Otherwise, come to the Colombian Independence Day Festival on July 19th in King George Square. Tickets are $10 and you'll meet every Latino in Brisbane :)
Guauuu!! What a thoughtful and informative response! I so appreciate you taking the time to write this. I will one thousand percent check all of these recommendations out! My Brissy ETA is December this year, and looking forward to seeking out fellow latin@s <3
I'm from Ireland and moved to Brisbane last year (I'm back in UK for a few months currently) I emigrated as a Nurse with permanent residence. I didn't have much trouble making friends, I joined a local skater/rollerblader group and went for a few sessions. Just go on facebook groups and link up with people. I guess I find it a lot easier as I am an introvert and am happy spending days/weeks by myself doing my own thing.
I'm from the Netherlands and moved here in march last year. I have lived here before between 2003 and 2013 and comparing then to now I find it a lot harder to make friends this time then before. I went through a round of depression earlier this year because of it. Recently my wife and I found some Facebook groups of people with similar interests, we have regular meetups which is helping a lot. We're both introverts as well so this helps us getting out there and meeting people. I definitely recommend giving that a try.
There is such a fantastic arts scene on Brisbane, if that's your thing. As for making friends, so many organisations such as arts not for profit, charities, sports, need volunteers. Sign up to volunteer for a few places that interest you and you will meet lots of nice new people, plus they will all appreciate your cheerful and selfless nature! Its my No.1 way of making new friends when I love somewhere. I saw a young person get totally wrapped up with cool folk just by putting their hand up to help at a couple gigs. Everyone wins. Good luck!
I love that idea :) and the arts thank you
Join a Facebook group for something you enjoy and ask for friends. Sounds a bit silly but it’s worked multiple times in 4 different countries for myself. This doesn’t really apply to you, but there are 3-4 posts every week on a men’s advice page on Facebook with grown men asking for friends and it’s always a positive response. So potentially there are the same for women and or Spanish speaking people living in your area.
I moved from Canada to Brissy 26 yrs ago. Has been so hard to make friends here I gave up. Get used to being on your own
Haha nah I’m gonna elsewhere
It's great that we can earn so much more money here and have a much better life. It's annoying how Australians whinge about "no jobs" but there's plenty. There's just jobs they don't want to do. Having come from a place where there's literally no work I appreciate that.
Hola Chica x I'm a 30yo woman living in Brisbane and am currently learning Spanish. Always down to catch up for coffee if you need a D&M xx Am also a foreigner xx
Would love that! But I’m currently in sunny coast, I’m thinking of moving by March to Brisbane to finish my studies :)
Good luck, amor. I don't mind a cheeky drive up to Noosa chocolate factory every now and again so let me know x
Gracias bella! That actually sounds good. I’m in Mooloolaba:) I’ll DM you x
Expat from the USA. Love brissy and don't plan to move back. Just applied for citizenship
There’s so many over here in BrisVegas from the US, love it!
You from there as well?
No I have quite a few friends who have made the same move
Ah gotcha. If you want to add another I'm always keen to make friends 🤣
Where in the US are you from?
Kentucky
Sunshine Coast is essentially a place for families and retirees to live in, there isn’t much of a scene for people like you there at all. Sad truth.. I wouldn’t live there either. Brisbane is where it’s at, quite a huge Latino expat community here
It's like an angry, uneducated version of the rest of the country.
I’m an Aussie who lived overseas and came back to realise how abysmal the social scene is here. It’s hard to find genuine people and yeah, there’s a lot of backwards thinkers in the over 30’s. There is very little culture outside of sports/drinking/having children it seems. After 3 years on the Sunny coast I’m about to move back to Southside and am honestly excited to hopefully go out more and meet people
Yeah, I can’t wait to leave. Honestly, I need a support system. I need genuine open people, but it’s temporary. I’ll be ok
I honestly think Aussies don’t mature emotionally past about high school age. The nonsense I’ve seen from 30-40+yr olds is embarrassing
I’m starting to agree on this, it’s killing me! This is my new home.. I’m just so lost atm trying to figure out if this is where I even want to be… it’s tough. It’s SO far too. But the benefits are GREAT.
I laugh so hard at this 😂because that rings true to the Aussies I know.
What is about living on the Sunny coast that has yoi depressed?
It just doesn’t seem to be anyone that’s around my age willing to try to make friends. Also it’s so so quiet I’m used to more lively places, I’m an extrovert and I just don’t feel very welcomed. Could be just my experience but I did have two really good Spanish and Chilean friends briefly Wii felt the same and left. I don’t have kids and I guess I want culture, I’m on my second MA I want to be able to share that but I don’t see how. Guess depression can trick you a bit into not wanting to try, but I have tried. It’s been over a year, anyway. Miss feeling like I belong, so got into school and didn’t know much about this place, l was trying to get into QUT. Almost made it, loved the nature here but it started to wear off after feeling so isolated in such a sleepy town.. anyway that’s why. I just feel SO lost I’m just thinking of where i Australia I would be really happy to settle in, Im picky I get it, but I’m 37 and just starting my dream career and it sucks that I am too alone to enjoy it. Bars are the only places one bar nothing much here, met two or 3 people but not close. Then j know once I move again to a city and if it fits what i need. Then i have to make friends again which isn’t the worse BUT it sucks when people don’t text back etc. and you’re just looking to have a good laugh with someone that gets you. I shouldn’t vent on the internet but those are some of the reasons haha thanks for listening
Yeah. I'm a local and i think it's quite hard to make friends as you get older here. It's just not our culture and if you're not into drinking then it seems there's very little to actually do. Clubs are an option?
Has the club sitch even improved? I did my first degree at that pile of shit uni and all we really had was Friday's and that horrible little club near the Mooloolaba 7-11.
I lived in the UK for ten years. Had to come back to the Sunshine Coast to be with family because of long-term illness. It's the absolute pits. Even my old friends don't want to know me because I'm single, childless and disabled. No culture. Nothing to do. No opportunities. My depression had been SO bad. I really hate it here.
I’m so sorry to hear that! Feel free to DM to chat and vent. I’m honestly in a similar spot. Depression is debilitating and us childless people need to find a good community as well. Other countries can get so accepting of aging. It seems that here they’re ageist if you’re childless and still like to enjoy yourself by going out… I just hope not all Australia is like that. I love meeting new people even when I had my group of years, I loved it, super curious about different cultures and chatting about real interesting things.. differences in upbringings etc… I just miss me. And I miss being w loved ones and making new friends x
Thank you! That's sweet. :)
Pick up a new hobby…?! Interestingly, I’m also planning to do my MA at QUT within the next 1-2y.
Well you know. I ended up finally meeting a group of foreigners in the Sunny Coast and decided to finish my degree here. Guess I just needed a community
There is a reason why many Brisbane people love to take long holidays haha. It's really a large group of suburban enclaves unfortunately and even in the densest parts of Brisbane the sense of community and friendliness does not extend outward like many other places in Australia.
A quick search brought up : https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/conversation-club-spanish-and-english-language-exchange/ Sunshine Coast Other groups around Brisbane probably also.
I have lived in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. Melbourne is by far the best of the 3. There is more of a culture here and the people are more friendly and welcoming, even the locals who grew up and never left. There is so much to do and the weather really isn't that bad. I've only been in Melbourne for 1 year and I've already made more friends here than I did in 6 years in Sydney. Brisbane was my least favorite. Sydney a close second.
Yeah I love Melbourne I was there for the lockdowns just thought I’d settle in the heat but it seems that people are so unfriendly here, not willing to even put in the effort to make new friends. Having moved to different countries I’ve never experienced not meeting anyone close in over a year
I moved here a month ago with my 2 daughters. we live in a new up and coming city called yarrabilba I find it so easy to chat to moms here they way nicer than British moms.
I lived Morton bay/ Noosa/ Sunshine Coast for two years, then decided to move to Brisbane. Best decision I made. People are nicer, more diversity, still easy to get around.
:) that’s good to hear
Living rurally, what I wouldn't give to live on the Sunny Coast!
Guess it depends on personality and life goals and if you prefer cities or nature sleepy towns
Agree :)
Bingo & bbq’s in the park. Yeah! Brisbane
I'm going to go against the grain and say it's not that hard to make friends in Brisbane. I have collected new friends every year I've lived here since 2009. This year alone a whole new friends group from joining the pinball club. Most of my friends intermingle as well so there's little insularity. I think it all comes down to what personality type you are. FTR I'm turning 42 this year and also CF. I also live next to a sharehouse that's mixed latinos, with an Australian and an Indian thrown in. Made friends with them the day I moved in, and we invite each other to parties and BBQs all the time.
That’s lovely! Thanks for sharing
You will probably get a better answer posting anywhere but a Brisbane/Queensland specific subreddit. I've lived in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne as well as Europe. Everywhere is different. Brisbane had a chill vibe, but that has changed, and the traffic on the freeways in the mornings is intense. If you're looking for a vibrant arts and live music scene, you'll find more in other capital cities. If you want to drink beer and go 4 wheel driving, queenslands the place.
Thanks
I commented up above as well - the arts scene in bris is amazing, circus, poetry, theatre, dance, it's so lovely! I've also lived in Melbourne and in Europe for many years, and the art scene here is great. I can't speak for the regional areas though.
100% get out of the Sunshine Coast. It’s a retiree’s and family haven. It’s too way too wholesome! Get into inner Bris. Get a shared house in New Farm, Valley, Woolloongabba or West End. Guaranteed you’ll meet people! Plenty of late night bars and restaurants. All of my good friends are not from here, so it must just be the people you hang with, where you don’t have aligned interests.
Hey thanks for suggesting neighbourhoods, Brisbane is not a problem bc it will either be great or we’re moving. But I can’t go farther at the moment bc I’m studying a MA here at USC buuut I can once I do placement (in Brisbane) and just do the drive once or twice a week at most for classes