I've read most of the thread, and you'd have to ask yourself a couple of questions, some are; - do I need a base to be near? ie, have you got family or ties to Melbourne, or any other city. - how far would you want to be from that 'base'? - what areas out of the shortlist have adequate health facilities? remember with ageing comes other 'twilight' requirements. Now for my recommendation. Firstly, I'll break the east coast into portions, they are Coffs Harbour and up to the top of Qld, next is Newcastle to Port Macquarie, next is Nowra to Central Coast (commuterville), next, and my pick is Lakes Entrance to Kiama. Sorry to Qld'ers but the Coffs to top is too bl00dy hot, although much to do and see. Newcastle to Port- although still hot, would be my second pick. Nowra to Central Coast- although it affords the greatest luxuries and services for the aged, would be, in my opinion, the worst place to retire but great place to work. Now for my choice, Lakes Entrance to Kiama. Firstly, the temperature is almost devoid of humidity, and you won't need the A/C going year round. As there's no train line to these areas, they haven't got the resultant problems that parallel lines bring to a region. Breaking the areas down even further, the ideal locations would be Mollymook, Batemans Bay, Moruya, & Merimbula. Basically, these four locations were selected because they each have a hospital very close at hand, although any town/city within the area is ideallic for retirement.
