Welcome to Sandgate, one of the Queensland’s best-kept secrets for retirees! Nestled into Moreton Bay, Sandgate is a favourite spot for day-trippers from Brisbane and tourists eager to escape the city hustle. But it’s more than just a getaway. It’s a haven for retirees who are looking for a laidback lifestyle, serene natural beauty, stunning architecture and a quaint, peaceful community vibe.
If you’re a retiree looking for somewhere to settle into the latter years of your life, Sandgate has it all. We’ve developed this guide to give you an idea of what life in Sandgate is like and we look forward to having you join us in Sandgate in your twilight years.
Retiring in Sandgate
We get it! When you retire, you want to kick back and relax and not worry about too much. That’s why retiring in Sandgate is perfect! Whether it’s the easy access to sunny beaches, a long walk on the historic Shorncliffe Pier, or a trip downtown to quaint cafes like Myrtle and Blossom.
If getting outside into nature is your thing, easy walking trails like the Sandgate Heritage Trail cover a short three kilometres and are perfect for a leisurely afternoon stroll. Or, enjoy a walk along the Sandgate-Brighton Foreshore, a promenade along the oceanside.
Sandgate has so much to offer to all ages, but its laidback, easy-going atmosphere and natural beauty make it the perfect place to retire to. There’s a mix of housing options available. If you want minimalism in your latter years, you’ll find apartments and townhouses galore. If you prefer a big garden and space for the grandies to visit, you’ll also find a range of detached homes. Average housing prices are pretty reasonable for waterside properties, with houses in Sandgate going for about $1.2M, while apartments are an average of $770,000.
If you like being part of a small community, Sandgate has plenty of that to offer, too! Its many retirement villages are the perfect option for those who may need a little extra support or want to feel as though they’re part of a community of those of advancing age. Many of Sandgate’s retirement villages feature exercise centres (not that the gym is particularly far away in Sandgate!) and easy access to shopping centres and medical facilities. Additional retirement village services can include recreational and social events geared towards bringing people together for fun outings!
Things to See and Do in Retirement in Sandgate
Sandgate is full of things to see and do for retirees! Whether you enjoy just putting your feet up and enjoying a quiet coffee with friends, or being out and about in nature, Sandgate has plenty of options. There are also social clubs and community centres, bus tours, easily walkable nature trails and a host of fitness and wellness programs designed to keep you healthy and happy long into your retirement. Many of Sandgate’s attractions are accessible for those in wheelchairs or who make use of other mobility aids.
Let’s break down what’s available for senior citizens to see and do in Sandgate!
Health and Wellness
Maintaining your health and wellness into your senior years is critical. Sandgate communities understand this and have made health and wellness a key focus in the broader Sandgate community.
Table Tennis Sandgate: If table tennis is your thing, then Sandgate has a table tennis club that meets regularly!
Senior Fitness Sandgate: Staying active in your senior years is easy in Sandgate. Senior Fitness classes are held by the Police-Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) in Sandgate regularly and offer a whole-body approach to physical fitness.
Jazzercise Sandgate: If you like music and moving, then Jazzercise Sandgate is your jam! Mixing jazz music with exercise is both fun and challenging, getting your muscles moving to the swinging sound of jazz.
Aqua Aerobics Sandgate: If you love the water, but you aren’t keen on big ocean swims, Aqua Aerobics at The Bay Health Club (located inside the Sandgate Aquatic Centre) is perfect for you. It’s a low-impact exercise class that focuses on improving heart health, reducing stress and encouraging muscle growth. Because you’re in the water, it’s not such a strain on joints and muscles, despite the water providing gentle resistance.
Socialisation for Sandgate Seniors
One of the keys to a happy retirement is having circles of friends. Sandgate makes socialisation for seniors easy! Alongside your social options in town, with cafes and bars aplenty, Sandgate has a Senior Citizens Club, which is a community hub for socialising, hosting multiple social events from luncheons to live music!
The Senior Citizens Club is near another busy social club called The Sands Social, this bustling club is the perfect place to meet new people and socialise over coffee or tea and a snack.
Another option is the Sandgate & District Senior Citizens Centre, which hosts multiple seniors events every month. Table tennis is a firm favourite, refreshments are served every Wednesday and Saturdays are jam-packed with a concert and bingo! Bus trips are organised by the centre every second month.
Exciting Day Trips and Tours
If you love getting out and about with others, Sandgate offers plenty of opportunities to explore the area with coveted day trips and bus tours to different localities and even the City of Brisbane.
Cross Country Bus Tours for Seniors: Operating out of Queensland, Cross Country Bus Tours offers senior citizens the perfect opportunity to get out and explore the surrounding area, or take off on a cross-country trip with everything organised for you! Whether you want to travel far or stay nearby, Cross Country Bus Tours provides it.
Bus Trips for Seniors: The Sandgate & District Senior Citizens Centre hosts bus tours every second month to a new location in the Moreton Bay region, sometimes going to the City of Brisbane or taking seniors on a new tour to somewhere different. These tours are well-organised and are perfect for those who want to spend a day or two outside of the Sandgate area but in the familiar company of friends and staff at the Sandgate & District Senior Citizens Centre.
Cross Country Day Trips: Unlike their multi-day exercise, Cross Country Bus Tours also offers shorter day trips to nearby areas for seniors who want to stay close to home. Travel alone, with a group of friends, or visiting family members! These day trips are typically an out-and-back trip, spending a few hours at the destination. The tours leave from Brisbane, so you’ll need to make the thirty-minute car ride into the City to catch these busses.
Leisure, Entertainment & Learning
If you’re a senior who loves live music or other leisurely activities, Sandgate will have you spoiled for choice! Our calendar is packed with options!
High Tea Sandgate: If you love tea and socialising, then High Tea Sunday at the Sandgate Post Office Hotel is the perfect option. Served in a traditional English style with teapots, scones and other English-inspired treats, high tea is the talk of the town on Sundays! Taking place in the evenings from 8:30 PM till 11 PM, it’s the perfect way to round off a Sunday that could be filled with church and then lawn bowling at The Sands Bowlo.
Bingo in Sandgate: Bingo is everyone’s favourite pastime in Sandgate! Put together by Northside Bingo at The Sands Social every Wednesday from 11 AM to 12:30 PM, everyone you know is there, along with friends you’ve yet to make! Another option is Nudgee College Bingo for those who can’t make the Wednesday mornings at The Sands.
Educational Opportunities: You can never have too much learning and Sandgate region has fantastic options if you want to expand your knowledge and skills. Amaci House in Bracken Ridge has activities and services for seniors often, including yoga, art classes, women’s groups, technology classes, even Latin dancing! You can also check with the local library – the Sandgate Library has one-on-one tech help classes regularly, and U3A in Redcliffe isn’t far to go if you really want to expand your knowledge. The University of the 3rd Age offers classes in everything from arts and crafts to languages and music.
Shopping and Dining
If you love to get out, shop and dine on the town, the Sandgate has excellent options for both! Deagon Village is the perfect place to shop and dine with senior’s discounts in effect for most stores and restaurants! Even if you don’t live there, but have friends that do, you can enjoy the benefits of being a senior!
Fine dining and a senior discount are also available at the Sandgate Post Office Hotel, or the gorgeously located Matthew Thomas Cafe. Another option is Wes’ Brighton, a popular cafe on Ward Street, across from Flinders Parade.
We have more detailed information on the best:
Recreational Clubs
There are a few recreational clubs in Sandgate offering excellent activities for seniors.
Sandgate Bowls Club: Located next to the Sands Bowlo (we wrote about it here), the Bowls Club offers a fantastic opportunity to socialise with other seniors and friendly lawn bowling.
Sandgate Yacht Club: You do not have to be a sailor to make the Sandgate Yacht Club your home in the Sandgate area! However, they do offer the opportunity to experience sailing or even stand-up paddleboarding if you are keen!. They also have a great restaurant and beautiful views over the water.
Sandgate Golf Club: Dust off your clubs and head down to the Sandgate Golf Club for a round or two. First established in 1921, the Sandgate Golf Club has been providing a beautiful setting for golfing seniors in Sandgate for over a century.
Community Services and Care
Sandgate is a community that understands that sometimes our senior citizens need a little extra support. The community is committed to providing these supports in a variety of ways, including:
Meals on Wheels: Managed by Regis Care, Sandgate’s Meals on Wheels program helps seniors who may struggle to cook for themselves by providing high-quality, fresh food whenever requested.
Volunteer Opportunities for Retirees: There are many volunteer opportunities available for senior citizens, whether that’s working with Meals on Wheels, or just being a mate to a fellow senior. There’s nothing quite like giving back to your community.
Sandgate Aged Care Pharmacy: For those with complex pharmaceutical needs, Sandgate’s Aged Care Pharmacy on Wakefield Street offers specialised services for senior citizens to help with organising medication schedules, adjusting medications when necessary and many more services, specifically tailored for the needs of aged care patients.
Regis Sandgate: Regis is a full-service senior-citizens living complex promoting independent living and home-care services through three complexes with individual housing units in the Sandgate area. Their adaptive, patient-first approach to independent living makes them one of the best options for those seeking independence in their latter years, while still enjoying the beauty of the Sandgate region.
Getting There and Around
Sandgate is so well serviced for transport options. We are just a stones throw from the Gateway motorway and our public transports links are awesome too. Did you know? Seniors get free public transport off peak!
To Brisbane CBD
The train trip from Sandgate to Central Station takes 35 minutes. There are also buses which take around 37 minutes. If you prefer to drive, you would be looking at between 30 minutes to an hour in peak traffic.
To Redcliffe
Redcliffe is an easy 10-minute drive over the bridge. There are also buses from Sandgate to Redcliffe. If you prefer pedal power, there is bike track all the way and it will take you around half an hour – or longer if you decide to stop for a coffee or a treat!
To the Sunshine Coast
The Bruce Highway is very easy to access from Sandgate. It will take you around an hour to drive up the highway to the coast (unless you stop at Australia Zoo on the way!). The perfect distance for a lovely day trip! Some of our favourite beaches are Kings Beach, Mooloolaba and Noosa.
To the Gold Coast
Another advantage of living in Sandgate is the ease of getting onto the Pacific Motorway which takes you over the Gateway Bridge and down to the Gold Coast. The drive will take you around an hour to an hour and a half, depending on which part of the beautiful Gold Coast you are visiting.
Exploring Nearby
If you decide to retire in Sandgate, you don’t need to look far for other communities to integrate with and explore by car, on foot or by bus. Sandgate’s many nearby suburbs have a charm of their own.
Shorncliffe: The small suburb of Shorncliffe lies right on the ocean and is home to the gorgeous Shorncliffe Pier and the Sandgate Golf Club.
Boondall: Boondall is where you’ll go if you want nature! Home to the Boondall Wetlands Environmental Centre, Boondall is the perfect place for a stroll in the natural beauty of the wetlands.
Bracken Ridge: Bracken Ridge is where you can explore the bustling suburbia of a college town; home to the TAFE Queensland Campus, but also home to many libraries, parks and is bordered on one side by the Tinchi Tamba Wetlands Reserve.
Brighton: Just up the road from the Shorncliffe Pier and is a beautiful suburb surrounded by ocean on one side and the Tinchi Tamba Wetlands Reserve on the other. It’s also got all your health needs covered with the Brighton Health Campus.
Deagon: Between Sandgate and Boondall, Deagon is the home of everything thrifty in the Sandgate area. A large shopping centre, walkable parks, senior-discounted restaurants and bars, Deagon has plenty to offer the seniors looking to save.
Retire in Sandgate!
Sandgate truly is a retiree’s paradise with plenty of activities to keep you fit and active, socialisation options to help you make new friends, and travel opportunities with bus day tours. Not to mention all the shopping and fine dining (at a discount, no less) than you could wish for!
Sandgate provides natural beauty abound, the fresh air of an ocean breeze at all times and the peaceful quiet serenity wherever you choose to get lost: the beach or the woods. Sandgate has it’s resident’s backs: with Meals on Wheels, socialisation assistance or complicated medical needs, Sandgate has it all. And it’s all waiting for you. We can’t wait to see you here!
Looking for Accommodation in or Near Sandgate?
Take a look at these options:
- Affordable: Cottage on the Bay or The Brighton Hotel
- Mid-range: Brighton Retreat or Modern Pool Oasis
- Luxury: Mon Komo
