Hi
We live in Halls Head, we arrived 4 months ago. We're living in Old Halls Head and our children go to Halls head Primary. They have settled in well and love going to school. We're we live is nice & quiet. Lots of parks and not far from the beach. Shopping centre near by. I don't work at the moment (hope soon) so can't say about commuting to CBD, Hubby drives over an hour for work, but that is his choice. There are good and bad parts in every area and depends what type of house you want, new build no garden, or older house great garden. I like living here and hope to buy eventually. You can only try it, but if your children settle in a school, would you want to move them if you don't like an area.
Good luck with what you decide.