edie209

After turning one job offer down I have just had an Interview for another job this time in Kalgoorlie. Now this is not tour destination of choice, however I would like to know what other people think of it.

I have not even been offered the job yet but I had better find something out about Kalgoorlie, as they are offering a good package and upto $10,000 relocation expenses.

I think I may have c#cked up the interview but who knows.

h2oskineil

I've only been once..... It's very hot in the summer!!! (That's all I know)

Good luck.

renth

I used to work there. It's great if you're a single bloke. I'd be reluctant to ask the Mrs and kids to mover there though.

BadgeIsBack

Indeed. I arrived in Kal with a frisson of interest a few years back and it's an edgy town. There are plenty of families there -I saw people in Coles. After awhile the Skimpies might bore unless of course fornication is your main thrust.

Kingseat

Could you do FIFO?

verystormy

I work in mining and i am guessing you do to. Which company? I dont live in Kal, but it was our fly out point and we have a office there and stayed there many a night.

Kal is ok and it is like any smallish mining town. Its fairly friendly and has pretty much all you need.

It does get hot in summer, but hey so does Perth.

The bars can be a bit "different". They are there to service miners and skimpy's are popular - though not in every bar. In fact i dont know if the Exchange is still open after the earth quake?

I know a lot of people who have lived there including some with familes and were happy there.

When i took the job that brought us to Oz i was supposed to be living in Broken Hill, which is similar and was a bit nervous about being out remote and bush land. But knowing what i know now, i wouldnt have been nervous

edie209

Thanks for the replies so far

Could you explain a bit more is it because its a mining town? I have a wife and 4 children.

Excuse the ignorance but what are skimpy's.

BTW I work in IT would this make a difference in your opinions?

bcworld

No more nipples

During their shift the girls also pass around the 'titty-kitty', usually a beer jug, to collect tips from their patrons and will then remove their tops for half an hour. Current rules mean the girls wear stickers to cover their nipples.

Genevieve

'Skimpies' are the female bar staff who work with no top on (and sometimes even less) - hence the nickname, short for 'skimpily clad'. Not all bars have skimpies all the time, they might just have them for say a Friday and/or Saturday plus a Wednesday evening. It's not compulsory for all bars to have skimpies, by any means you just need to pick and choose where you go, and on which evenings, if you're out with the family.

Kalgoorlie is a helluva long way from civilisation, if by civilisation you mean Perth - about a seven hour drive. It's a bit of a frontier, Western-type town - tumbleweeds blowing down the streets, etc. Rich in history (for Australia anyhow) with lots of picturesque original buildings and very wide main streets - they had to be very wide originally so the camel trains (used to cart provisions from the nearest port at Fremantle) could turn around. It revolves around the mining industry and so there are lots of predominantly male workers based there as a result. Also lots of FIFO (fly in fly out) workers - they typically work around six weeks on, two off at the mine sites. It's a large regional centre, so there are still shops etc, just not the same variety that you'd be used to. And it's a loooooong way to the nearest beach!!

One thing to keep in mind - Kal rents are horrendous, due to a chronic shortage of available housing. Check out www.realestate.com.au for an indication. Maybe see if the company will assist towards the cost of rent? And don't even think about renting a place that isn't air conditioned.

edie209

Thanks for that Genevieve I think after reading the replies so far it has made up my mind. I rekon I got the interview because not many people were applying for the the post.

I would be good to land a job before we come back but we still have to sell the house back here so there is no panic yet.

I appreciate all your honest replies its what I needed to here its all to easy to just grab whatever is on offer and think it will be ok.

BadgeIsBack

I have fond memories of the place. The skimpies were fun. (And many were British backpackers.)

I arrived one day, got told by a bloke in a bar to get a truck license (HR) and then to report back. I got on the next train to Perth, did some RTA admin to get a learner's permit - despite what the whingers say - this was done in about an hour including a test - this is what made me feel Australia was NOT the place with excessive red tape - rocked up at a truck school in Mannington - completed the instructon and test in ~5 hours, then got the next train back. I got a job as an off-sider driller at the backpackers that night.

One of the highlights of my first year. A sense of accomplishment, in fact.

Icegirl

I WAS a skimpy and worked in every skimpy pub bar the Exchange (wouldn't go there as it was open latest so I always had somewhere to go after work!)

That's going back ten years but I had a ball, and made a lot of money.

I loved Kal, not that I'd ever have wanted to stay permanently, but it was a fun place for a while. I lived there for about a year, but went out there a few times before that. I did all the other small towns too whilst working for an agency and Kal was one of the best.

I left and came home to the UK when I was pregnant, but I was prepared to stay until my (then unborn) child started school.
My now ex worked in the mines, though as an Electrician he could've worked anywhere, the money was good and rents were cheap then and it would've been no problem for me to go back to work if I'd wanted.

It is a long way from Perth, and lack of shops was an issue, I recall not being able to go shopping as I'd bought everything I liked!, but back then in my young and free days, with a job I could take time off whenever I wanted, and plenty of cash I could fly down to Perth to shop.

I wouldn't live there now, not with an 8yr old and even less so with older kids. Not much to do, a bit rough, though I only ever saw 1 fight the whole time (and I worked plenty of times in the Foundry!!), drugs and hard drinking.

There's a lot of sad cases in Kal, I hate to say it but true. Drink and work is all they have. The cleverest guys are the single ones who go in, make the money and save it for a few years, then get out, which is what we would have done had we not left when we did.

I'd only advise you go if it's really well paying, and then plan to stay for, say 2 years. Use it as a way of getting a foot in, but that's all.