jones777

Hi All,

We are looking at moving to Perth in around a year. We don't really have a choice as I was state sponsored. We've never been there but plan to go on holiday to activate our visa's.
We are a young family of 4 - two boys 3 & 5 yrs old.
I am in the telecoms industry (Fibre Optics & Copper).
We have some friends that were there for 6 weeks absolutely loved it, got there visas and will be moving to Butler in a few months.

I have been finding it hard to read anything positive about Perth, people seem to be constantly moving away to somewhere else in Australia or back to the UK??
Nothing to do too expensive it goes on and on....

Websites tell you what you want to hear, show you all the wonderful places and pictures.

Can anyone give me some positives about Perth or WA as a whole....people who have made the move and are now living there happily...

Thank You
Jones's

Bix

The good thing is that it's an 8 hour flight away from me.

Nah, excuse my jesting Jonesy.
Are you going to experience it for yourself or live it through someone else?

Always look on the bright side of life is something many people are lacking...........never satisfied.

renth

Perth's cool. I like it here. Not sure I'd come here now though - too expensive, unless you are loaded you may end up living next door to bogans.

Weebie

Perth attracts working class migrants (which are in massive demand because the locals won't do the work) Just look up north its all kiwis.

Nothing wrong with the city but it's isolation plays a part having said that Perth has some big things happening to it.

Any young lad who goes to uni and intends to achieve something with their life will leave and never return. One of the to London Hedge fund boys is from Perth.

Essentially as a city people in skilled trade professions do well but professionals have limited opportunities.

jones777

Never thought of it that way...

HelenTD

I feel that Perth is very good for young families and if you can get your kids to a good high school and then into a uni course of their choice, you can spend a considerable amount of time having a fairly good quality family life. Life can be really good if you have a reasonably high income, giving you access to housing/schooling in good suburbs and regular trips outside Perth and WA. At some point, no matter how good you consider the place where you live, your kids or you might want to go and live somewhere else, nothing is guaranteed.

canadaeh

But do you really want your kids to go to school in a state that's known as the Dumbest?

People on here have said before how bad the education system is there, and in the news just this week it was headlined as "WA kids some of the 'dumbest'.

Here: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-...f-the-dumbest/

Not to mention the home burglary rates (honestly every single person I know living in Perth (friends and family there), have all had their houses broken into, several times, and they are all in different areas. Look up the stats online.

And personally, in my own opinion, out of everywhere I have traveled in the world, Perth is always the place I have never felt safe. I also find it the most boring place I have been, and probably the only place I've actually been bored in (and I live in Canberra!).

But, a lot of people love it. Everyone is different. It depends what you are looking for.

aussietobe

Many people come home though when they are ready to 'settle down" with a family....even hedge fund boys.

But Perth is Perth, it is isolated and not a big, huge, world important city.

Plenty to do here though. Perth is bigger than any city in the UK bar london. It helps if you re active and prepared to give it a go. You can't walk out the front door and be in the thick of the action.

HelenTD

I have posted several times about inadequacies in the education system in WA. I also have issues with the health system here. A whole load of things need improvement in WA, but it's not going to happen unless the people who live here protest in huge numbers and put pressure on the national and state governments. Unfortunately people who are long-term West Australians tend to sit on their rears and do nothing and too many good people move away, never come here, or are forced to give up on progress. I think that WA has a lot of potential, but it's hard to get things changed. In the meantime, you can live a city-based, beach lifestyle in a hot climate and that's enough for some.

Dorothy

Does that mean we can look forward to you buggering off soon? Pretty please with sugar on it?

the troubadour

All above comments pretty well state the general opinions with regards to Perth.
There is not much so bad about it to hate and for those seeking a family life with young children it can indeed work.

Perth over the years on BE has been the most debated city in Australia with more negative criticism than all other Australian cities.
To my mind a lot of it is justified. Perth is a city that had the potential but somehow in so many areas has ben passed by.

The city is match box sized,becoming rather narrowly confined to a few blocks and though improvements have been made it remains rather bland and unexciting.

There is so much talk here but things are not followed through.Commitees set up at public expense with some good ideas which more often than not are not followed through.

Perth rests to much on it's laurels which made have worked in the past, but with it being such an expensive city these days the good folks that reside here deserve far better and some may argue are sold short.

There are many issues that require attention from safety to the urban sprawl,road congestion to what type of development is appropiate that will benefit Perth longer term.

Perth has suffered from poor planning in the past with too much being centred around short term thinking making quick money and corrupt business and dubious politics. Perth is cliquey and can be hard to access or be accepted into a rather small but influencial persons of influence.

It's not called the Wild West for nothing. Money has increasingly become the governing factor to much of life here. To be fair it is in general for the moment,at least easier to obtain than UK or even Continental Europe.

It has been a sort of get in make your money and get out sort of place. When this boom subsides in time,as it must all booms do,one does wonder where things will go from there.

It would be nice to think we in WA could finally get out of the boom to bust cycle and develop a more mature economy that would sustain all economic seasons.

Weebie

I grew up in and had a great childhood but back then Perth was cheap and my parents were able to get me in a good area with a good school.

The issue with Perth is that even though the city has greatly improved over the past ten years the reasons for emmigrating here are completely different. Ten years ago Perth was seen as a heap sunny destination and many migrates did well comng out here. Now it's completely opposite!

IF your coming out here because you think England has gone to the dogs and that your children will have a better life out here then think again...this i a very misguided view. Perth is great but you have to WANT to come out and live not just change scenes because this place is very expensive.

Another thing about Perth and more Australia is that good schools are a privilidge and not a right (like the uk) Families here wil lsacrafice significantly in order to get their kids into good schools. Another issue with Perth is that these outer legoland suburbs are just a scam for luring migrants there are reasons why it's a struggle to see locals out there except housing commission. My advice is too perhaps sacrfice size for location and your life in Perth will be much better and this is where many people go wrong.

Perth has some things going for it more so than any other city in Australia but it's expensive and if your doing well in the UK I would see no reason to come here other than you really like the place. IF your struggling in the UK this place could be your ticket to a better life....it's upto you!

Weebie

good post. I wonder how many people on this forum remember 1996-1998 when this city was completely on it;s knees. I think people on this forum also underestiamte how much money is here and how snobby and arrogant Australians can be.

jones777

Thank you for all the posts so far!

Given us allot to think about...

eddie007

just wondering how some one with no experience or knowledge of bringing up kids in the uk OR bringing up kids in perth can possibly comment on parents who believe their kids will have a better childhood and lifestyle here in WA being misguided


perrth is bloody brilliant... Love it or leave it, Fit in or Fluck Off


OK... So thats MY opinion as the parent of four children here in WA... Who also parented in The UK.....

I have never been burgled, neither have any of my friends touch wood..... Not in Australia anyway... In the UK, Yes we were...

perhaps we live in such a Bogan location no one thinks houses round here are worth robbing...?

perth has huge positives ... some one elses cloud is deffo MY silver lining..

It will be to you, OP, what you make it