ok, i've done a bit of research into this (well, the property side of it anyway) since posting this thread - i have found some areas/type of property that look okay....
For example, 1 bedroom studios/units on the gold coast (In Surfers Paradise itself, or very close-by, generally right near the water as well) go for somewhere between $100k and $200k, most of them are fully furnished, and the tenancy rates would be fairly high (most of them are in hotels/resorts etc) - did a search of what these are worth, to rent, and it seems that, assuming i had a tenant in there constantly, i would only be out of pocket between $50 and $100/week... do units/apartments hold or appreciate their value over time, such as we've seen houses and land do over the last few years? (That's ignoring the fact that what a few people have said that the housing market is dead at the moment)