GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND ON THE COAST
OPPORTUNITY brought the Notley family from Sydney to the Gold Coast.
And as parents Brian and Hayley look to their future from their Mount Nathan home, they hope those opportunities continue to grow, especially for their children.
The family of five packed up their Kings Langley home to cross the border in February, when the stars aligned for their life stage and their careers.
“We were always going to move out of Sydney,” said Mrs Notley, but Covid lockdowns threw their plans out the window.
“We wanted to find that right lifestyle balance with work, we wanted the kids to have space to grow up, and for us to join community sports and things.”
Then Brian was offered a job in the Brisbane, the borders opened, and there was a window to leave before their son Lewis started school.
The Notleys called the move a “no brainer”.
“This is not just for now, it’s longterm for us,” Mr Notley said.
“It was a lifestyle play ... in terms of expectations we wanted to be able to go to the beach, have space for a pool, to be able to go camping on the weekend.”
And it is that relaxed regional lifestyle that the family have “embraced fully” in their immediately tight-knit community.
“We’ve hit the jackpot here,” Mrs Notley said of their Mount Nathan home. “It feels like we’ve always been here, it’s as though we’ve been locals the whole time.
“I know plenty of people complain about the northern migration, and people get mad about people coming to the regions, but the fact is: we bring a lot with us.”
And the fact is the Gold Coast population is expected to boom in the coming decades; whether authorities are prepared for its growth or not.
According to data obtained by the Bulletin, Surfers Paradise’s population will have nearly doubled (to just under 86,000) by 2041, Southport’s population will have doubled to more than 80,000, and the Coomera area population will triple (to almost 76,000). In the Nerang area, where the Notley’s live, the population will grow from 23,478 in 2021, to 32,331 in 2041.
And Mr Notley hopes the city’s infrastructure can keep up.
“As the population grows you need the roads and transport, everything to grow so you’re not, in 20 years, going to take an hour to get somewhere it should only take 20 (minutes),” he said.
“I hope there is more opportunity, too, to make sure there are jobs up here for the future.”
That includes bringing more businesses and professionals to the region, which Mr Notley says could be more achievable with the increased flexibility afforded to workers post-Covid.
“More (professionals) are coming up and bringing more opportunities for locals, and people need employment,” he said, not just pointing to service industries, but opportunities in manufacturing, too.
But as practical as they are about what the city needs for the future – more and closer schools, medical services, shopping centres – they hope much stays the same.
Specifically, Mr Notley said the “community vibe” that made them love the Gold Coast in the first place.
“We’ve been completely embraced by our neighbours, everyone,” Mrs Notley added.
“We feel completely part of the community, which is pretty special.”