sylvesterthecat

hi all,
I've been reading this site for a few days with interest as my husband, my baby (9 months) and I moved to Perth in October.. its been tough actually and we are contemplating a move later in '08...
My Husband has the opportunity to work in Dunsborough and I know this is quite touristy but does anyone live there? whats it like?! are we going to feel even more isolated!?
Its either there or possibly Melbourne... (bit different I know!) I think Sydney is gonna be out of our price range really..

look forward to hearing opinions,
thanks all,
L

Santa

We live in Dunsborough and have done for the past 2 years. It's a fantastic area in our opinion and offers a lot more than meets the eye. We have 3 children aged 13, 11 and 6, they all play sport, Aussie Rules, Cricket, Football and Netball. Our daughter was also horse riding, all of these sports are here in Dunsborough. Most opposition comes from Busselton, so you do find yourself driving over there a bit, but it's only 25km !
This morning the children have had swimming lessons at Meelup beach, what a spot that is.
Dunsborough is only a small town of about 4000, but as you mentioned this does swell over the summer holidays, this can cause a headache for for food shopping, so we go to the IGA instead of Coles as nobody seems to know it's their !
We lived in a rurul area of Somerset prior to living in Australia, if you are find rural living a pain then dont bother with this area as it will get you down, if your happy to travel every so often you'll love it
Hope this helps.

sylvesterthecat

thanks so much for your reply santa (!?)

I think it would only be a temporary move - for a year perhaps - so rural wouldn't be a problem temporarily - i lived in deepest devon for 6 years! and husband is from zim originally so he is used to it too..

would there be opportunity to meet people as we have a 9 month old baby?
is the climate a bit cooler than Perth - I do find it pretty hot hot hot here..

We are taking a trip down there in late Jan so we will have to check it out properly.

thanks for your help,
L

Catch

If you think you are isolated in Perth you will feel more isolated in Dunsborough. We live in Bunbury and the drive to Perth takes approx 2 1/2 hrs. Dunsborough is roughly another hour from us, so you will be 3 1/2 from Perth and believe me there aren't shops down here like they are in Perth. There are some advantages living down here, being next to the beach, laid back atmosphere but it all depends what you want. If you lived in a Village in England you'd be ok but if you lived in a City dont do it.

Santa

It is cooler, when it was 40 odd the other day in Perth we had 38c. check out weatherzone.com.au, lots and lots of information.
You certainly dont feel isolated here, but there are times when being closer to Perth would be an advantage. A trip to Perth for some decent shopping means a round trip of 600km, Bunbury is OK for shopping, but could do with a bit more, having said that it's streets ahead of Busselton where about the only 'classy' store seems to be River's cheap outlet shop..... and the bloody town closes at lunchtime on Saturday !
House prices are pretty steep here, $600k would be a fair starting point for Dunsborough, Yallingup and Eagle Bay are much more than that, on the other hand Busselton is a lot less but you really have got to pick your area carefully. If you are going to rent I beleive $350 per week in Dunsborough will get you something comfortable with 4 bedrooms.
Good luck

silverski

Hi there,

We are hoping to move to Dunsborough once we have the green light on our visa.

Have looked into the rentals.

Love the place when we were there end of Feb begining of Mar.

Can't wait.


Regards

Silverski

bridie

had a lovely weekend away in dunsborough last weekend, fantastic area
(we are in australind which is just north of bunbury)
for me: it's lovely to visit but not sure I could live there - but that's mainly becuase i'm settled here now and all my friends are here, cant imagine being 1 1/2 hours away from them!

BUT having said that, if you're thinking of it on a temporary basis then that's different. If I had the chance of six or 12 months down there I'd grab it.

As for meeting other people: best thing would be try and find out who the child health nurses are in that area and ask them about the "first time parents group" - I'm sure they'd have one, we certainly did here and it was a great way to meet other mums. Or try and find out about playgroups as that's another good way to meet people.

renth

Santa, long time no speak. Good to hear from you.

We were down that way a few months back and when I saw Meelup beach for the first time I was blown away, absolutely beautiful. It's a great part of the world around there.

I reckon finding work would be a problem for many though.

steve99

I agree it is stunning around that part but work would be an issue.
Its pretty much tourism or the wine industry.

Definitely an area id like to retire to, seriously considering going in with or 3 others and buying a block of 4 or 5 acres with a rentable property on it, applying immediately to subdivide into a block each plus a spare one to sell on in the future.
Roughly looking at $250K per acre and then hope that in say 10years your in a position to sell the spare acre and recoup some of that and then start building on your own one....

Santa

Hi Renth,
Good to hear from you, I've been off line for a while, we've built a home up in Yallingup and I didn't put the computer in for a while.
Your right about the work, I imagine it's a bit like moving to Cornwall, everyone wants to do it, but what do you do once your their ?
I'm lucky that my better half as you may know is a nurse, I had a 15 year stint in IT which stopped the day I left the UK, so I had to find something different down here. I bought a small business, and that really was about the only way in for me.
Glad you enjoyed Meelup, the beaches further on towards Eagle Bay are beautiful as are the ones around at Yallingup. Did you try any of the wineries ?
Hope your well
Mark

steve99

I love that area, carry on round Meelup Road towards Eagle bay and round past point piquet, those little areas where you can pull off the road on the right into tiny little carparks, fantastic spot, spent Xmas day down there this year, practically deserted.

silverski

HI Santa,

Would you have any recommendations on rental agencies for the Dunsborough area.

Any help would be great.



Regards

Silverski

freckles

Hi there,
we have lived in the Margaret River area for almost three years now. It's a great place to live if you don't mind going without city entertainment like museums, decent shopping centres and major cultural events. Big plus of this area: gorgeous National Parks, beaches, wine and lovely small towns.
It took us a while to slow down and adjust to the country life style, but I think we have got it down pat now!
Any questions just ask!