Move to Perth pros and cons?

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barefoot angel

perth is an awesome place and i reckon you'll love it.

pros:
almost always sunny
beaches - city, scarborough, cottesloe
kings park - beautiful areas for picnics, playgrounds, cafes
matilda bay - park, restaurants, cycling/walking/rollerblading, etc.
fremantle - shops, restaurants, cafes
friendly
not too big, not too small
the river and the area around it is really nice
dad started cycling every morning about 5 years ago and loves it
places to go on holiday close to it - rottnest, margaret river, mandurah, swan valley, etc.

cons:
it's not very exciting - beautiful, yes. exciting, no. it has everything you could need and want - shops, cafes, parks, beaches, good weather - but it doesn't have any main tourist attractions or anything like that.

visit this website for more info - http://www.perthtourism.com.au/

hope you choose to come here :)

-brassmonkey-

I love Perth - it's a great city, but I live in Sydney because I have relatives here that I was apart from for 20 years...

But if I wasn't in Sydney, I'd be in Perth, and here's why:
- beaches are great: Indian Ocean, so nice and warm in the water! Great sunsets too, of course.
- driving there is a breeze: the mining boom has meant tax dollars for a great road infrastructure. Shame about public transport, but the new state government is working on that...
- generally more laid back than the east coast
- some great wineries in the Margaret River
- some amazing "natural wonders" within a couple of days' drive, such as the Pinnacles, Wave Rock, Fitzgerald National Park, the tall trees of the Manjimup area
- Heaps of national parks for outdoors-y types.
- Kings Park - great views across the Swan and the city
- only 7 hours ahead of Europe (most of the time) instead of 10 or 11 on the east coast.

Downsides:
- five hours flying to get to the east coast :o(
- Limited job market
- they've had problems in the past with racism in the police force and other public services
- house prices have shot up due to the resources boom

My cousin lives in Perth and he takes his kids camping and walking all the time. They love it.

Pros/cons of Australia:
- homesickness is horrid and will be with you for about 2 to 3 years. Don't go back to your home country for at least 2 years, is my advice.
- You think it's like Britain in the sun, but it ain't. Laws, customs, etiquette, etc. are different. It's a culture shock.
- Driving. I'm saying nothing more on that one.
- Television, media, news... Jeeeez... ::bites tongue::
- Supermarkets...

However - heaps of good things which far outweigh the negatives. A sense of social responsibility (mostly) in many Australians, good schools, hospitals, public services in general. People are generally very welcoming... Plus the country itself is beautiful.

Best of luck - I hope you make the right choice for you both!

Nikita

My sister moved there after growing up in South Africa, spending time in England and then Malaysia and Thailand and loves it. She is a real girly-girl who loves shopping and restaurants and she finds it all there - not as great shopping wise as the UK but still fantastic quality of life and very safe. She loves the climate, quite cold in winter and very hot in the height of summer. Perfect for snorkelling and the beaches are stunning from what you've said about being an outdoor person I think Perth is made for you. Go for it!

WC Eagles '86

Hey!

I think you would love Perth, beach at your doorstep, very friendly vocals, sunniest capital city in the world. It sounds like what your looking for!

I have lived here my whole life, and grown up here and never felt isolated or bored, everything you need plus more. We are only isolated is you compare as to the other capital cities in Australia. Perth is closer to Jakarta than it is to Sydney, but that's why so many people love it and you would never notice how far away we were untill you looked at a map. so much to see and do, with a 12,000 km coast line. I'm glad our little clean city is not well know or famous but it is now the fastest growing city in Australia - now that's got to mean something.

There is nothing i don't like about Perth it is a absolatly amazing city and i wouldn't want to live anywhere else. They was a survay and perth residents are the friendlest in the country. Living in Perth is great, its one of Australia's best kept secrets even from Australia itself. Great education system and great opportunities. The vibe is great in the city and the suburbs are very kid friendly, with lots of things to do. The weather is absolutly beautiful, with nice warn summer days!

Worst: House prices are expensive. Shopping hours are stupid and most shops are not open sundays - although this is very easy to get use too, and can be a good thing because it gives you a day to do other things and spend time with family and friends plus you always know it's coming.

Places to go:

- Matilda Bay at Crawley has its own special magic. The distinctive Mediterranean style buildings of the University of Western Australia provide an outstanding backdrop. The long sweep of beach is popular all summer long for family picnics, swimming, sunbaking and for boating activities.

- Hillarys Boat Harbour has been a premier recreational destination for Perth locals and visitors. In addition to boat pens, the Harbour offers a wide range of restaurants, attractions, activities, shops, and services catering to fishermen, boaters, beach goers, tourists and local residents.

- Cottesloe, One of Perth's best kept secrets, Cottesloe Beach is only a 15 minute drive from the centre of Perth. Free parking is available but it can get quite busy. Regular Transperth bus services run to Cottesloe or it's only about a 600 metre walk from the Cottesloe Train Station on the Perth to Fremantle line.

- BBQ: Thereâ€™s barbies all over the place particulary along the river. If you want to avoid going to restaurants all the time. You can also go to Burswood, just north of the Casino, for a similar, more family oriented atmosphere. Many people fish there in the river.

- Beaches: Cottesloe, City Beach, Floreat, and Scarborough beach area the nicest ones.

- Swan River: Walk around the river, in front of the city (about 8km), and watch the sunset on the South Perth foreshore and has a great view.

- Freo is a great option to stop there on your way back from Rotto. Fremantle Prison is lovely as well, if you have $40 do a big tour and they take you underground. The freo markets are lovely, you can get a massage and thereâ€™s loads of food, from many countrys.

Check out this website: http://www.westernaustralia.com/au/Pages/Welcome_to_Western_Australia.aspx

Good Luck, Your making the right decision!
Perth is Beautiful!

Tim S

Perth is a awesome place to live, it will definitely fulfill the requirements you laid out. as a engineer he should not have any problems at all finding employment. not sure what weather your used to but summer in perth will hit over 40 degrees often, with a long dry summer. winters are cool, but not to cold most days between 12 to 18 degrees. the coast is normally fairly windy all year round, however there aren't to many humid days. best beaches in the country as they aren't to crowded like sydney. living near the beach is normally quite expensive, but there are plenty of other places to go. perth is a very spread out city, and suffers from 'urban sprawl', which means it can take a while to get somewhere. it is also the most isolated city in the world apparently. but yeah perth is great

littlerobin76

wow lucky all I can say when I have seen Brits on the telly who have moved there have not regretted it one bit, they love it Hun better way of life definitely for families less stress, better pay and more sunshine I would be off like a shot and so would partner!
And if you love the outdoors well what's not to see I'm sure you will find all of these things and more!

Crikey how exciting x

good luck

suncatcher

Yes Perth is a great life style im English born but lived Perth most of my life. would not trade it for any where else,Iam well travelled but always come back to Perth. Beaches are great , good for raising a family ,clean life style not humid it is a dry heat, it is humid up north or Queensland
if your husband has a good trade there is work here to be had

HOPE

You heard right!!!! Perth is a clean and pretty city. Its not as big as the Eastern states capitals but that is a bonus in my book.

We have miles of pristine beaches and untamed bush. If you are an outdoors couple then this is the perfect place for you.

Our summers can be quite hot. We get temps up to 46C on occasion and winter is cold but nothing like English winters.

Your hubby will have no problems getting a job as an engineer. We have many mining projects and other resource type jobs that would suit your hubby exactly.

You would not regret a move here. If in doubt come over for a holiday. You wont want to leave. Google Western Australia and you will get some idea of what its like here.

MARIE D

I agree with all the other answers, on the whole a wonderful place to live - I spend about six to eight weeks a year there.
But would like to add that you will have to adjust to retail trade closing @ 5ish, but hey that's not a bad thing.
Also adjust to the lack of pubs, and the fact that restauarants close quite early.
The day starts a lot earlier (as soon as the sun is up) and finishes about 9pm or earlier in my experience.
There isn't enough shade (not enough trees etc) to get out of the blazing sun.
You would benefit from being a 'water person' because most activities are water based.
You seriously need to protect yourself from the mossies, unless you are immune.
Lastly, for me, there is not enough motor sport in Perth.
Apart from all that, a fabulous place to live.

SuperSpy

I live in Sydney, but i have heard Perth is pretty good.

They have a brand new underground train service and the commuter trains are all sparkly and new (unlike Sydney's sh**house underground and commuter network).

Good luck in oz!

Â«â™¥Â»

Heyy perth is great, if your outdoorsy it's great because theirs loads to do. There are many walking tracks you can do and camping areas etc.
The weather doesn't get that cold! It rarley gets under 0 degrees C, and the summers are nice and warm, up around 30-40 degrees C, great for the beach and getting lots of sun :D & there are hardly ever any sort of natural diasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and the like. Up north of western autralia there could be the occasional cyclone but not in perth. There are also no severe earthquakes, there was one about a year ago north of perth but it was very minor.
Theirs nothing really that bad about perth, I don't mind that its isolated, you can can still jump on a plane and visit other places. Some places in perth are worse than others but you get that everywhere. I'd recommend living on the northern side of the swan river though, it has better suburbs in my opinion and more safer. There are many job oppurtunities for your husband. Most of us are friendly people and aren't ignorant towards other races, because we are very diversed.
You won't regret moving here =]
xx

Vonnii

As I live in Perth myself I would have to say it's a wonderful place.
As for the weather, people aren't joking when they say it's hot. In summer it gets to 40 degrees celcius! and can get quite humid but it is quite windy and the breeze in the evening (known as the Fremantle doctor) really takes the edge off of the heat though you'll still want an air conditioner. (portables can be bought for about $600)
Pros
White sand beaches
Parks
Warm enough to swim
restaurants
wine/winery's (margaret river is about and hour away)
Lots of bike paths around the swan river
Very relaxed
Little traffic in comparison to most cities

Con's
The hot weather could be a con for some (you can get burned being outside for half an hour, a few more hours and your skin will literally peel and you will be in agony on the couch for 3 or 4 days, ouch! WEAR SUNSCREAN AND A HAT!
The public school system is pretty rubbish they don't give much homework and kids are pretty much allowed to run wild, unless you plan on moving to a really expensive area where the public schools are good you might want to consider private school ( 30% now in private schools), Catholic schools are cheap, $2500 a year for a year 12 student and not to hard to get into if you put your name down on the list early and they don't have any entrance exams. Other religious schools are about $10,000per annum but we don't have any non religious private schools in the whole city unbelievable considering the population.

rugratshd

In additon to the good answer above, please be aware that an average house in or around Perth will set you pack around A$700,000+ and there is a huge shortage of housing. Adelaide the average house is now over A$500,000.
Plus as an engineer, I think your expectations are too high. A good salary in Aus is now anything over A$35,000 and a lot of engineers (except very specialised occupations) will only earn between that and A$50,000 tops!

hey hey

pros: ben cousins lives there
cons: ben cousins lives there

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