People often assume I moved from Adelaide to Queensland purely for work, but the truth is a bit more personal. I’m a painter by trade, but a surfer at heart. After years of juggling my job with the short, chilly surf windows in South Australia, I eventually realised I wanted a life where I could be on a board far more often. Queensland offered that in spades — and, as it turned out, plenty of painting work too.
Growing Up in Adelaide: A Painter Who Couldn’t Stay Out of the Water
I started painting in Adelaide, learning the trade on houses and small commercial buildings. Like most apprentices in those days, I spent more time sanding, scraping and cleaning than actually painting, but I didn’t mind it. What really kept me going, though, was surfing.
Adelaide isn’t the first place people think of when you mention surf, but there are pockets of good surfing beaches if you’re willing to make the drives and brave the colder water. My weekends revolved around checking the wind, loading the car and making the most of whatever swells rolled in. It was a good life, but it wasn’t always reliable.
Between work, weather, and shorter summers, surfing down south was something I had to chase.
Why Queensland Kept Calling
On a trip to Queensland in my younger years, I got a taste of warm water and more consistent waves, and it stuck with me. I remember thinking, “Imagine being able to surf before work most days without freezing.”
Every time I visited, the idea grew stronger. The coastline, the climate, the community around the beaches — all of it appealed to me. And the painters I spoke to up there said the demand was steady, especially in the Gold Coast and Brisbane areas.
At some point it became clear: if there was ever a place where I could build a life around both painting and surfing, Queensland was it.
Making the Move: A Big Step, but the Right One
Moving states isn’t something you do on a whim. I weighed it up carefully — the cost of relocating, whether I’d find enough painting work, and how I’d build a network from scratch. But the pull was strong enough that I backed myself.
I didn’t move straight to the coast. Instead, I landed in southern Brisbane. It gave me access to both the city and the Gold Coast, which was important because I wasn’t sure where my work would come from at first. It turned out to be the perfect starting point.
Life in Southern Brisbane: A Foot in Each World
From southern Brisbane, I could reach Gold Coast beaches in about 40 minutes on a good run. I’d often wake early, check the swell online, and head down for a morning surf before quoting jobs or prepping for the day.
Painting work came through fairly quickly — a mix of domestic painting and some early roof projects. Builders and homeowners in the area were friendly and open to giving someone new a go. As the months passed, I found myself spending more and more time on the Gold Coast, both for waves and for work.
The drive became part of my routine — wetsuit hanging in the back of the ute, paint gear stacked neatly beside it.
Discovering the Gold Coast Rhythm
There’s something addictive about the pace of life on the Gold Coast. The mornings start early, the water is warm and clear, and the whole town feels built around daylight. It didn’t take long for me to feel at home.
I’d surf at sunrise, get on the tools by mid-morning, and sometimes sneak in a quick paddle again before dark. I also noticed that there was a huge demand for both house painting and roof work across the coastal suburbs. The combination of salty air, humidity and strong UV meant roofs needed far more care than many people realised.
Before long, I was getting more painting calls from Gold Coast locals than from Brisbane.
Becoming a Gold Coast Local
The shift happened gradually. At first it was one or two big jobs on the Coast. Then it became steady work — enough that the commute began feeling unnecessary. The more time I spent there, the more it made sense to live closer to the beaches I loved and the clients who were filling my schedule.
Eventually I moved down permanently. It didn’t feel like a risky leap — it felt like settling into the place I’d been aiming for all along.
Now my days start the same way:
- Sunrise surf if the swell allows
- A full day of painting or roof work
- Sometimes another quick session in the afternoon if the wind swings the right way
It’s a routine that keeps me fit, focused and clear-headed. Painting can be hard work, especially roof painting, but having the ocean nearby balances everything out.
Balancing Work, Waves and a New Way of Living
One thing I learned from the move is that lifestyle can shape your work just as much as work shapes your lifestyle. In Adelaide, painting was what I did, and surfing was something I squeezed in. In Queensland, the two sit side by side.
The warmer weather means I can work at a steady pace year-round. The surfing keeps me sharp and energised on the job. And the jobs themselves — especially roofs — make me appreciate the environment in a new way. Coastal weather, salty air and big summer storms all influence how I work and what products I recommend.
Living in a surfing town also made me more aware of the relationship between buildings and the climate around them. Roofs here need tougher coatings, better preparation and more regular maintenance than many southern homeowners realise.
What This Move Means
My journey from Adelaide to Brisbane and then to the Gold Coast shaped how I see roofs, weather, materials and maintenance. The differences between the two states taught me that roofs behave differently depending on where they are.
It’s one of the reasons I started writing — to share the things you only learn from being up on roofs in different climates and living close to the elements every day. Surfing may have brought me to Queensland, but painting kept me here. And together, both parts of life taught me more about buildings, weather and the coastal environment than I ever expected.