Look beneath the surface, this is no longer paradise

SO many people dream of living on the Gold Coast. They see it as a “cruisy/laid-back” lifestyle. Sadly, this is not the reality. When people move here from the southern states or regional areas, they have a dream, a dream that their lives will be stress-free and full of fun! I mean, it’s the Gold Coast right!

What people don’t realise is that unless you have a job lined up before you arrive, or you can work from home, it will be a struggle to find work, especially full-time, unless you are in the hospitality industry (maybe, if you’re lucky).

It then becomes a reality that you have to commute up to Brisbane for work, which is on a par with living and working in Melbourne and other capital cities.

People then become frustrated and angry that the dream they had for living on the Gold Coast has been taken away.

I believe this is one of the reasons that there is so much road rage, and angry/unhappy people on the Gold Coast.

It comes down to people’s dreams of living in an “ideal” place that was going to give them less stress and time to enjoy the beach and the many benefits this part of the world has to offer.

Unfortunately, this is not the reality.

Just in this last week, I have had several conversations with different people who have all said, “I’m tired”, “I’m stressed”, “I’m over it!”, “I need to get away”.

Living on the Gold Coast is stressful, the traffic, lack of infrastructure, too many “events” that shut down roads so that residents can’t use the beach facilities on various weekends, that they pay expensive rates for.

The Gold Coast has homeless, it has poverty, it has definite lack of culture, and it is over-populated, and is does not have a soul.

The glitz and glamour on the surface hides a sad, angry, frustrated population with problems like drugs and domestic violence.

The Gold Coast was a wonderful place to live 20-30 years ago.

Sadly that “laid-back” vibe has disappeared.