Senior Dating in Brisbane and the Coasts

A lot of people move to South East Queensland later in life for the sunshine, the beaches and a slower way of living. What they sometimes leave behind is a circle of friends. If that sounds familiar, or you are a Brisbane local whose social life has thinned out since retiring, this is a good place to start again. You can search from Caboolture down to Coolangatta in a single sweep and see who is around.

Good news for men over 60 in Brisbane

Queensland is one of the places where women clearly outnumber men on our site. In Brisbane itself there are roughly twice as many women as men, and most of those women are 65 or over. The Gold Coast adds a further group, again mostly women over 65. Across the state the over-65s are the biggest band.

So a man in his sixties or seventies has a good choice of women his own age. And for women, the upside is that you will be among plenty of others in the same position, often with similar interests: walking groups, grandchildren, a bit of travel, a garden that needs company.

One search, three very different places

Meeting by the water, before the heat

The single best tip for a Queensland first date: go early. From November to March, a nine o'clock coffee is far more pleasant than a two o'clock one, and you will both be fresher for it.

In Brisbane, South Bank is the obvious choice, with shady paths, the lagoon and plenty of seats along the river. Ride a CityCat ferry together for an easy half hour on the water, or meet at the City Botanic Gardens and follow the river path round towards the cliffs at Kangaroo Point. Mount Coot-tha lookout is a lovely second date if you want a view. On the Gold Coast, the Burleigh headland walk and the beachfront paths at Broadbeach work beautifully. Up north, the Mooloolaba esplanade or the coastal track in Noosa National Park are hard to beat. For more, see our first date ideas for seniors.

Getting between Brisbane and the coasts

Trains run from Brisbane down to the Gold Coast and up the Sunshine Coast line towards Nambour, and the Gold Coast has a light rail along the beachfront, so you do not always need the car. Seniors get concession fares across the network. If you drive, allow for the M1 at busy times: Brisbane to Broadbeach can be an hour, or a good deal more on a Friday afternoon. Brisbane to Noosa is closer to two. That is why many couples who live at opposite ends start by meeting somewhere in the middle.

Setting your distance across South East Queensland

The distance you choose decides who turns up in your searches and in the matches the site suggests each day. A sensible way to use it here:

1. Start with your own city or coast, at about twenty-five kilometres.
2. If you are happy to take the train or a longer drive now and then, widen it to eighty or a hundred so Brisbane and one of the coasts appear together.
3. Use the other filters, such as age and what someone is looking for, to keep the list to people you would really like to meet.

You can adjust it at any time. Our guide to dating over 60 has more on writing a profile that gets replies.