Rosewater

In terms of expense all of the capital cities are fairly closely aligned these days (unless you are planning on buying a house where Sydney and Melbourne would be more expensive). If you are going to come over and rent to start with then I suspect that the cost differential between a decent place in Perth and Sydney is not massively different. It's all a bit academic really....you could rent cheaply in the northern suburbs of Perth but would you want to LIVE there (as a woman on your own in your 30's I can't think it would be ideal) Therefore if you lived in Perth you would be looking at living in a trendier area which will help you live the lifestyle you want (cool coffee shops, boutiques, a bit of a buzz....this would mean living in the more expensive areas like Subiaco, Mt Lawley, Leederville) If you are going to spend money on rent then best to head to the city that is going to align itself more closely to your lifestyle...so despite the expense somewhere like Sydney may be a better fit.
Australia (in general) is a family oriented, suburban, conservative place when it comes to your 30's and 40's. This can make it difficult for lone migrants in their 30's and 40's to find a sense of place, to make new friends and to fit in. In my mind Sydney and Melbourne would be the two places in Australia where being in your mid 30's and not tied down to family life is more common. Also the size of the cities and their position as the cultural hotspots in Australia mean that there is always something going on and more interest groups and clubs to join to help you make friends in similar circumstances.
I'm sure that with determination and persistence you could do the same in Perth or Brisbane but I think it would be harder and the costs only nominally cheaper. Ultimately you have to add up the financial and emotional costs to make the best decision! I wish you luck!

iolande

why is Perth boring . . . let me count the ways . . .

I think it is the isolation - which leads to lack of variety (believe me I lived there for 10 years!!! Never again!).

I agree it is nice - and it does have everything, just not loads of everything. There isn't much alternative. For example, there are a few areas to go for dinner - Leaderville, Freo, Subi, Vic Park, Perth etc. And then choice is there, but limited. It does suffer from small town-ness. Living in Freo I got to witness new cafes being squeezed out of business by the big cafes that dominate South Terrace (and the local council).

It's not cheap to go elsewhere like it is in Europe or the East Coast. And not easy either. At the moment I live in Sussex - east to get to Brighton, Tunbridge Wells or London. I'm 20 mins from Gatwick to get a cheap flight to the continent. Perth is completely different and I think it can be a bit of a cultural shock to be so isolated.

Having said that it can be incredibly lovely and has spectacular natural areas nearby (the forests down south, the desert, Ningaloo reef). A good place for a holiday or 6 months out, but I don't fancy living there again!

Amazulu

I agree but you are wasting your breath on this site dude!

JW Frogen

Perth is soooooooo boring that NASA has directed the Hubble telescope at it in an attempt to find life or see if any light can escape the black hole.

JW Frogen

That is exactly what a boring Perth person would say.

Cheetah7

After my daily commute into Holborn, I find travelling into Perth CBD refreshing.

Its not boring to me, I can usually find something to do.

We all have stuff that we find boring, in the UK I found Oxford Street and Covent Garden boring, although my friend loved it and would go every week - if she asked me I would find excuses not to go.

I like beautiful scenery/wildlife and never tire of it so this ticks my boxes.

Perhaps it might be too quiet for me if I was in my twenties, but Im not and Perth suits where I am in my life at the moment.

We all have our 'same old' that we find boring, personally Mandurah didnt float my boat but I loved going camping in York, yet others I know hated York.

Zenshin

JW Frogen: If you have such a problem with Perth why don't you leave?

Life is what you make of it wherever you are.

Having lived in the UK for 11 years, we initially found the UK to be boring until we settled in a bit, made friends and started exploring the country. Same can be said for Perth.

If immigrants made an effort to make friends and integrate into the community (and I mean not just associating with other immigrants from the same country) then life wold be more interesting. The suburbs to the north of Joondalup are fairly new suburbs where a vast amount of the population out that way are people from the UK. They seem to congregate together because it allows them to keep some of their comfort zone. This is much like you see in the UK where there tends to be pockets of Indian communities. It is understandable but life is more exciting when you step right outside that comfort zone and get to know other people who have had a very different upbringing from your own and have had different life experiences. Isn't that what migrating to another country is all about?

When I first used to go back to Perth for 6 week holidays I used to wonder whether I could cope with the slower pace of life if I moved back. I will miss the UK for its availability of shopping, closeness to Europe, history etc. Nightclubbing and drinking in pubs is not my scene as having experienced that in the Uk it seems to be all about who can pull who for the night. If that is what you call exciting then you are welcome to it.

I am looking forward to exploring Western Australia's southern region when we return to Perth as it has a lot to offer and I also plan to take full advantage of the outdoor lifestyle with scuba diving, surfing, snorkelling, cycling. Between that, working and entertaining our daughter I doubt I will have time to become bored.

kate1973

Thanks again for all the replies! I want to live in a quiet(suburban)neighbourhood as I am taking my dogs and want to have a garden, the important thing to me is that I am not too far from shops, markets and nice places for a coffee. I am not into clubbing anymore so nightlife is not important for me.

Zenshin

Hi Kate1973

There are still some nice places you can go for drinks with friends and still actually be able to have a chat with them. Subiaco and Leederville have a nice trendy feel to them though if you want a quiet life you are probably better to live in the suburbs and then travel in when you want to do that. It is also to cheaper to live a little further out.

If you are taking your dogs there are some great places to take them for walks as there are plenty of parks so you can change the scenery for yourself. I love Kings Park as due to its sheer size you can keep going back. Pretty sure there are a couple of dog beaches too.

Oh and meant to add. There are plenty of large shopping centres usually within a 15 to 20 minute drive from wherever you are. The range of shopping isn't quite as good in Perth as you might find in the UK or Europe but it is perfectly sufficient. There are some markets in Subiaco and also in Fremantle which are decent with lots of varied original products too. I suppose it all depends on what sort of things you are really after.

Merseygirl

Some good points here...especially the description of Australia as a family oriented suburban place when people hit their 30's and 40's. That has been my impression in Adelaide, which I feel is quite similar to Perth in character.
As a childless person, I found it quite hard to find other women in the 30+ age group who don't have children and who like to go out for a drink/meal or coffee. For women with children (especially young ones), life tends to revolve around going to the park/beach/barbecues and constantly talking non stop about their kids. Nothing wrong with that if you fit into that social group but not much fun if you don't.

kate1973

Merseygirl where do you live? And have you been able to find friends in the same situation like you?

kate1973

BTW I find everyone very helpfulTHX for that

the troubadour

No,the isolation is fact and cannot be changed. Now if you are referring to strategies that allows one to cope with that isolation then that is another story.
Same applies to being bored.Take for example being confined in a limited space like a prison,it could be assumed that one takes on interests and tasks as well as developing a mind set to cope in that enviroment and to somewhat nullify the unstimmulating place one finds oneself in...but that it not to say that the person would not prosper better elsewhere.

the troubadour

Brisbane i don't think i would put on a level above Perth and is not the Gold Coast a rather fake, downsized version of a badly designed replica of Disney Land??

jimbo_d

Mate i'm afraid you sound like the stereotypical whinging pom, determined to be miserable wherever you may be. Enjoy your life!