stm1971

My family and I (oh, dd 12 and ds 9) have been in Perth for nearly 9 years, and while we prefer to live here than the UK we still feel something is “missing”.

We didn’t really research other cities in Australia before we emigrated as OH had relatives in Perth so it just seemed natural to come here. We have since visited other parts of Australia and now realise how isolated and small and insular Perth is. This normally wouldn’t be enough to make us want to move, but we just feel sometimes life is passing us by here.

I don’t want to bag Perth as it is a beautiful city, it just seems to be missing that extra “something”. We have goods jobs, the big house, pool etc. We have family here, (brother, grandparents, cousins etc) so it’s not missing the folks back home as they all followed us out here. (Maybe we are trying to get away from them again LOL).

I think we have always felt it to a certain extent but it never seemed so bad when the kids were young as you are limited to what you can do then anyway, but now they are getting older we are really noticing the limitations that Perth has in respect to local travel opportunities, (once you been to Margaret River and Dunsborough etc 5 or 6 times it does get a bit boring), and days out. We went to Freo at the weekend and I was sad to see how tired it looked. It just seemed really depressing there.

We are thinking Melbourne would be a good place to live. We have visited for a weekend and really liked it the vibrancy. Not sure of areas though, looking at the Bayside area at the moment. If anyone knows these areas can you please advise. We are looking at maybe doing a reccie later on in the year so it would good to get an idea before we go.

I have looked at some old threads and see that this has been debated before. I know that ultimately only we can make the decision but would really like to hear from people who have made the move between cities and what your experiences were. Good or bad.

Thanks.

stm1971

Anyone!

dickchap

We live in Mackay, Queensland and also feel something is missing. That is why we are returning to the UK later this year.

worzel

Just an observation, that people tend to go somewhere "quieter" than suits them rather than the other way if they get it wrong. I have met about half a dozen people that moved to Perth from Adelaide as they found the latter too quiet. I have also heard of a couple of Perth people who decided to go east for the same reason, although one (Julie) came back and another (Dawn) didn't go in the end, so my wife tells me. Both post on here, or used to at least.

A comment on "quieter" too. It depends what turns you on, I guess. If you want pubs and shops then Perth is not the best place in the world. But if you like camping, fishing, boating, diving, off-roading and anything to do with an active outdoors lifestyle then I believe Perth is the best place in the world.

renth

Me too. Can't beat Perth, love it.

ukecadet

We were in Perth for 7years,moved to Melbourne 12 years ago .
It was a very positive experience for us.
Go for it!!

Tambo

Hey we moved from perth to Noosa on the sunshine coast, after 5 years. We have now been here 8 months and love it - far more going on, better beaches which all have lifeguards every day of the week all year.

Lots of places are close enough for a day tirip or long weekend, Sydney is only 10-12 hrs where do you get if you go 10-12 north of perth (carnarvon).

Anyway all im trying to say is far more to do, we have not been bored since we have been here and have almost never done anything twice on the weekends, there is that much.

Of course we are on a honeymoon period but our honeymoon period in perth lasted about 8 weeks.

If you want to move do it, you can always go back, life is too short.

Tambo

stm1971

Thanks for the replys, it's good to know we are not the only ones who find Perth quiet.

It's not that we just want more pubs and shops etc, just find that unless you are into the outdoor lifestyle everyday (we do like that lifestyle, but would also life the choice of other things as well) then there is not much more to do in Perth.

If there is anyone who could recomend some areas in Melbourne I'd be very grateful. We have booked a reccie for later in the year to have a good look around and would like to have an idea before we go. I looked at the Bayside area but it might be a bit pricey for the type of house I'd want , also the Templestowe and Greensborough area's. Any thought's on these would be great.

Thanks again.

kiwinow

You need to look on realestate sites to check where you can afford to live first. Then you need to check whether said areas are nice places to live.
We lived in Glen Waverley when I was young and it was a nice area with good schools, but I just went on google street maps and my childhood house looks like a druggies lair.

Be aware that Melbourne is much more expensive as far as houses and rent, but on the other hand you generally earn more. You may need to commute a fair distance though.

It's all what appeals to you. I liked Perth city and areas south of Perth, but it did seem quiet. I much preferred Queensland, but that probably wouldn't meet your need for entertainment.

SNH

I do know quite a few Australians who feel this way. Just recently I had a cousin move over to Perth for work, only for her to move straight back to the East Coast. She realised that while there's nothing wrong with Perth, there's nothing about it that makes it better than the East - where you have much more variety.

This cousin went back to Sydney because that's where her life is, but I would much prefer a move to Melbourne, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be there by the end of the year.

I say go for it. It's not like you have to go about organising more visas and things. I'm not trying to suggest a move is easy, but coming from someone who is moving across the world every couple of years I say take the opportunity to try something new!



Being half European (not British, but I've lived and worked there) and half Australian, I can understand this. Australia has a lot to offer, but what it has is definitely not what everyone wants.

PoppetUK

Will be following this thread. We've been here nearly 2 years. Husband made a comment today and I could see his point. Perth / WA seems to almost be a country within a country because it seems so different to other places in Australia. We currently think its a really good place to bring up a young family but are thinking ahead to when the kids are say nearer 10. We don't really want to go back to the UK but think we might consider a move interstate in a few years. That could all change so I'd be interested to follow this thread for other experiences. I wouldn't say we are a family that is going to really get into boating, camping etc on a big scales but would like the option for a bit of everything. Mind you I change like the blinking wind sometimes with it all.

Poppet

stm1971

"But if you like camping, fishing, boating, diving, off-roading and anything to do with an active outdoors lifestyle then I believe Perth is the best place in the world"

Yes, I do tend to agree with that, and we have tried it all and had lots of fun doing all that when the kids were young. OH has a very nice 4 x 4 that we got to pull the jet ski that got sold after 1 summer!! . He's now pining to go back to a car. We own a very large tent that has been used twice . OH won't dive anymore after a too close encounter , and it's not really something that can be done as a family. I guess to get the most out of Perth you have to want to do these things every weekend and to be honest we don't. Once a month is enough for us.

Thanks again for the replys, as I said in my OP I do like Perth, and I certainly couldn't see us returning to the UK. Just wish Perth wasn't so isolated, although I realise that's why some of you love it so much.

worzel

I guess so. I am going diving in a minute; my 26th and 27th dives since March last year (usually two dives per trip so about 15 weekends in 45!). We went camping twice before Xmas and have three more trips lined up before the end of the summer. We have trips booked up as far out as July 2010.

ukecadet

That sounds great.I took my wife to work this morning(probs with her car) 25 minutes to the city there and back.Going to take a 5 min walk to the pub have a few beers,then drag myself 1/2 a K down to the Bay and do a bit of fishing.Back to work for a very busy week on Monday.