Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
May 9th 2006, 1:04 pm
#1
Drifting back to earth
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 780
Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Where do I start?
Leaving the uk was a weird experience,, had a big party on the saturday before the tues flight. Our friends were all in tears, I didn't really feel emotional as it all felt so surreal. The morning we left was different, taking the grandparents only grand-daughter away from them was not a nice feeling at all. However once we got to the airport the focus shifted pretty much to what we had ahead of us and just on getting there asap.
Landing at Perth was fantastic (apart from the fact the plane went about 100ft sideways on the runway!) leaving the terminal to meet the same friends we met at the same time last year was fantastic. If you've ever been or you live there you'll know what a beautiful city it reallly is when you see it after a long absence.
We spent the first night on Waikiki beach watching the sunset which was soothing after a long haul.
The first seven days were spent in Safety Bay in a rented unit which was ok, the reasoning behind staying there was that I was looking to find a job anywhere between Perth & Mandurah. It turned out that I managed to get 7 interviews and offers and my first job in the first 6 days!
Having to buy a car in the first week was also on the list, we somehow ended up buying a new one from John Hughes in Vic Park.......the salesmen are pretty tough to get anything out of but do try and you'll get something. We ended up with a Hyundai Tucson which cost us £6000 less than it would in the uk!!! with free stamp duty, rego and tints.
Having made arrangements to start work 3 weeks later, the pressure on the job front was somewhat off. This gave us time to start agonizing over the WA property market,, it has gone bloody bananas over here, the prices are some 30% higher than we looked at when we started our applications. So looking at the price of 4x2s spiralling we were lucky enough to stumble accross a showhome one sunday afternoon and manage to get hold of a house and land package just 19km south of the CBD in Aubin Grove. Just to give you an idea of the rises, the block we bought 3.5 wks ago for $220,000 is worth $240,000 this morning when we spoke to our chap at Remax!
Anybody coming out here in the next six months needs to get their money into the market quick, it will only be a couple of years before this place is on a par with the uk.
In the same week we sorted out a rental in Bedford in the north of the city near Morley, luckily we managed to get a newly built villa which is very swanky and very noisy but you kind of expect that being on one of the main drags in the middle of 1.3 million people
There's 2 things we can recommend doing
1. Make sure you apply for your tax file number as soon as you land or any centrelink payments can't be processed until you have one.
2. Take 3 forms of ID everywhere with you for the first few weeks as you need it to get everything.
Work's great, I'm the Head Chef of one of Perth''s most awarded cafes http://www.millecafe.com.au/ and earning within £500 of what I earned in the UK which is great because my wife can be a mother to our 2yr old for a couple of years.
Without droning on summed up in one sentence
"Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
We're very happy here. there's a lot of same shite different bucket but there are a lot of significant extra positives for us personally.
However I'm acceptant this is not for everyone, take the pom jokes on the chin, laugh with the Aussies, get out there and make of yourself what you want and you'll be fine, WA is a land of fantastic opportunity right now and we're loving it.
Good luck to you all still waiting, and about to leave
Dave
Leaving the uk was a weird experience,, had a big party on the saturday before the tues flight. Our friends were all in tears, I didn't really feel emotional as it all felt so surreal. The morning we left was different, taking the grandparents only grand-daughter away from them was not a nice feeling at all. However once we got to the airport the focus shifted pretty much to what we had ahead of us and just on getting there asap.
Landing at Perth was fantastic (apart from the fact the plane went about 100ft sideways on the runway!) leaving the terminal to meet the same friends we met at the same time last year was fantastic. If you've ever been or you live there you'll know what a beautiful city it reallly is when you see it after a long absence.
We spent the first night on Waikiki beach watching the sunset which was soothing after a long haul.
The first seven days were spent in Safety Bay in a rented unit which was ok, the reasoning behind staying there was that I was looking to find a job anywhere between Perth & Mandurah. It turned out that I managed to get 7 interviews and offers and my first job in the first 6 days!
Having to buy a car in the first week was also on the list, we somehow ended up buying a new one from John Hughes in Vic Park.......the salesmen are pretty tough to get anything out of but do try and you'll get something. We ended up with a Hyundai Tucson which cost us £6000 less than it would in the uk!!! with free stamp duty, rego and tints.
Having made arrangements to start work 3 weeks later, the pressure on the job front was somewhat off. This gave us time to start agonizing over the WA property market,, it has gone bloody bananas over here, the prices are some 30% higher than we looked at when we started our applications. So looking at the price of 4x2s spiralling we were lucky enough to stumble accross a showhome one sunday afternoon and manage to get hold of a house and land package just 19km south of the CBD in Aubin Grove. Just to give you an idea of the rises, the block we bought 3.5 wks ago for $220,000 is worth $240,000 this morning when we spoke to our chap at Remax!
Anybody coming out here in the next six months needs to get their money into the market quick, it will only be a couple of years before this place is on a par with the uk.
In the same week we sorted out a rental in Bedford in the north of the city near Morley, luckily we managed to get a newly built villa which is very swanky and very noisy but you kind of expect that being on one of the main drags in the middle of 1.3 million people
There's 2 things we can recommend doing
1. Make sure you apply for your tax file number as soon as you land or any centrelink payments can't be processed until you have one.
2. Take 3 forms of ID everywhere with you for the first few weeks as you need it to get everything.
Work's great, I'm the Head Chef of one of Perth''s most awarded cafes http://www.millecafe.com.au/ and earning within £500 of what I earned in the UK which is great because my wife can be a mother to our 2yr old for a couple of years.
Without droning on summed up in one sentence
"Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
We're very happy here. there's a lot of same shite different bucket but there are a lot of significant extra positives for us personally.
However I'm acceptant this is not for everyone, take the pom jokes on the chin, laugh with the Aussies, get out there and make of yourself what you want and you'll be fine, WA is a land of fantastic opportunity right now and we're loving it.
Good luck to you all still waiting, and about to leave
Dave
May 9th 2006, 1:08 pm
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: at the bottom of a wine glass
Posts: 28,176
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Nice post mate.
I'm so glad you are settling and that you seem to have found your feet already.
I'm so glad you are settling and that you seem to have found your feet already.
May 9th 2006, 1:16 pm
#3
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,918
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Originally Posted by wavy_davy
Where do I start?
Leaving the uk was a weird experience,, had a big party on the saturday before the tues flight. Our friends were all in tears, I didn't really feel emotional as it all felt so surreal. The morning we left was different, taking the grandparents only grand-daughter away from them was not a nice feeling at all. However once we got to the airport the focus shifted pretty much to what we had ahead of us and just on getting there asap.
Landing at Perth was fantastic (apart from the fact the plane went about 100ft sideways on the runway!) leaving the terminal to meet the same friends we met at the same time last year was fantastic. If you've ever been or you live there you'll know what a beautiful city it reallly is when you see it after a long absence.
We spent the first night on Waikiki beach watching the sunset which was soothing after a long haul.
The first seven days were spent in Safety Bay in a rented unit which was ok, the reasoning behind staying there was that I was looking to find a job anywhere between Perth & Mandurah. It turned out that I managed to get 7 interviews and offers and my first job in the first 6 days!
Having to buy a car in the first week was also on the list, we somehow ended up buying a new one from John Hughes in Vic Park.......the salesmen are pretty tough to get anything out of but do try and you'll get something. We ended up with a Hyundai Tucson which cost us £6000 less than it would in the uk!!! with free stamp duty, rego and tints.
Having made arrangements to start work 3 weeks later, the pressure on the job front was somewhat off. This gave us time to start agonizing over the WA property market,, it has gone bloody bananas over here, the prices are some 30% higher than we looked at when we started our applications. So looking at the price of 4x2s spiralling we were lucky enough to stumble accross a showhome one sunday afternoon and manage to get hold of a house and land package just 19km south of the CBD in Aubin Grove. Just to give you an idea of the rises, the block we bought 3.5 wks ago for $220,000 is worth $240,000 this morning when we spoke to our chap at Remax!
Anybody coming out here in the next six months needs to get their money into the market quick, it will only be a couple of years before this place is on a par with the uk.
In the same week we sorted out a rental in Bedford in the north of the city near Morley, luckily we managed to get a newly built villa which is very swanky and very noisy but you kind of expect that being on one of the main drags in the middle of 1.3 million people
There's 2 things we can recommend doing
1. Make sure you apply for your tax file number as soon as you land or any centrelink payments can't be processed until you have one.
2. Take 3 forms of ID everywhere with you for the first few weeks as you need it to get everything.
Work's great, I'm the Head Chef of one of Perth''s most awarded cafes http://www.millecafe.com.au/ and earning within £500 of what I earned in the UK which is great because my wife can be a mother to our 2yr old for a couple of years.
Without droning on summed up in one sentence
"Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
We're very happy here. there's a lot of same shite different bucket but there are a lot of significant extra positives for us personally.
However I'm acceptant this is not for everyone, take the pom jokes on the chin, laugh with the Aussies, get out there and make of yourself what you want and you'll be fine, WA is a land of fantastic opportunity right now and we're loving it.
Good luck to you all still waiting, and about to leave
Dave
Leaving the uk was a weird experience,, had a big party on the saturday before the tues flight. Our friends were all in tears, I didn't really feel emotional as it all felt so surreal. The morning we left was different, taking the grandparents only grand-daughter away from them was not a nice feeling at all. However once we got to the airport the focus shifted pretty much to what we had ahead of us and just on getting there asap.
Landing at Perth was fantastic (apart from the fact the plane went about 100ft sideways on the runway!) leaving the terminal to meet the same friends we met at the same time last year was fantastic. If you've ever been or you live there you'll know what a beautiful city it reallly is when you see it after a long absence.
We spent the first night on Waikiki beach watching the sunset which was soothing after a long haul.
The first seven days were spent in Safety Bay in a rented unit which was ok, the reasoning behind staying there was that I was looking to find a job anywhere between Perth & Mandurah. It turned out that I managed to get 7 interviews and offers and my first job in the first 6 days!
Having to buy a car in the first week was also on the list, we somehow ended up buying a new one from John Hughes in Vic Park.......the salesmen are pretty tough to get anything out of but do try and you'll get something. We ended up with a Hyundai Tucson which cost us £6000 less than it would in the uk!!! with free stamp duty, rego and tints.
Having made arrangements to start work 3 weeks later, the pressure on the job front was somewhat off. This gave us time to start agonizing over the WA property market,, it has gone bloody bananas over here, the prices are some 30% higher than we looked at when we started our applications. So looking at the price of 4x2s spiralling we were lucky enough to stumble accross a showhome one sunday afternoon and manage to get hold of a house and land package just 19km south of the CBD in Aubin Grove. Just to give you an idea of the rises, the block we bought 3.5 wks ago for $220,000 is worth $240,000 this morning when we spoke to our chap at Remax!
Anybody coming out here in the next six months needs to get their money into the market quick, it will only be a couple of years before this place is on a par with the uk.
In the same week we sorted out a rental in Bedford in the north of the city near Morley, luckily we managed to get a newly built villa which is very swanky and very noisy but you kind of expect that being on one of the main drags in the middle of 1.3 million people
There's 2 things we can recommend doing
1. Make sure you apply for your tax file number as soon as you land or any centrelink payments can't be processed until you have one.
2. Take 3 forms of ID everywhere with you for the first few weeks as you need it to get everything.
Work's great, I'm the Head Chef of one of Perth''s most awarded cafes http://www.millecafe.com.au/ and earning within £500 of what I earned in the UK which is great because my wife can be a mother to our 2yr old for a couple of years.
Without droning on summed up in one sentence
"Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
We're very happy here. there's a lot of same shite different bucket but there are a lot of significant extra positives for us personally.
However I'm acceptant this is not for everyone, take the pom jokes on the chin, laugh with the Aussies, get out there and make of yourself what you want and you'll be fine, WA is a land of fantastic opportunity right now and we're loving it.
Good luck to you all still waiting, and about to leave
Dave
Good honest post.......glad your enjoying it x
May 9th 2006, 1:20 pm
#4
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Whitehaven, Cumbria to Tapping, Perth
Posts: 650
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
I'm sooo pleased your enjoying it...it's bloody great here innit!!!!
Jude xx
Jude xx
May 9th 2006, 1:25 pm
#5
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 4,337
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Good to see your all sorted already , "Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
Don't see it that way myself , i would say its very very diferent to the uk .
Its not realy uk just run better !
Don't try and compare , just take it for what it is , some things are better, some stuff will baffle you as to why its done that way ???? , its just is .
Nice one Wavy
Don't see it that way myself , i would say its very very diferent to the uk .
Its not realy uk just run better !
Don't try and compare , just take it for what it is , some things are better, some stuff will baffle you as to why its done that way ???? , its just is .
Nice one Wavy
May 9th 2006, 1:32 pm
#6
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Hillarys, Perth
Posts: 555
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Brilliant that you're settling so well. We've been here 6 weeks too and are loving it 
!
Tracey
!Tracey
May 9th 2006, 2:16 pm
#7
Drifting back to earth
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 780
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Originally Posted by The Johnstons
Brilliant that you're settling so well. We've been here 6 weeks too and are loving it !
Tracey
!Tracey
May 9th 2006, 2:37 pm
#8
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Limerick-Shropshire- Perth.
Posts: 3,215
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Hi Dave,am very pleased to see that you are settling in well.It sounds great,exactly what we are hoping for.We are moving over in July and my husband is also ahead chef here.I hope that he has as much luck as you getting some work.If you can offer any advice i would really appreciate it.Pm me if you have time.All the best for the future.x 
Irishbloo
Irishbloo
May 9th 2006, 2:43 pm
#9
Drifting back to earth
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 780
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Originally Posted by irishbloo
Hi Dave,am very pleased to see that you are settling in well.It sounds great,exactly what we are hoping for.We are moving over in July and my husband is also ahead chef here.I hope that he has as much luck as you getting some work.If you can offer any advice i would really appreciate it.Pm me if you have time.All the best for the future.x Irishbloo
IrishblooGood luck
Dave
I'll pm you
May 9th 2006, 3:52 pm
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: perth
Posts: 455
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Originally Posted by wavy_davy
Where do I start?
Leaving the uk was a weird experience,, had a big party on the saturday before the tues flight. Our friends were all in tears, I didn't really feel emotional as it all felt so surreal. The morning we left was different, taking the grandparents only grand-daughter away from them was not a nice feeling at all. However once we got to the airport the focus shifted pretty much to what we had ahead of us and just on getting there asap.
Landing at Perth was fantastic (apart from the fact the plane went about 100ft sideways on the runway!) leaving the terminal to meet the same friends we met at the same time last year was fantastic. If you've ever been or you live there you'll know what a beautiful city it reallly is when you see it after a long absence.
We spent the first night on Waikiki beach watching the sunset which was soothing after a long haul.
The first seven days were spent in Safety Bay in a rented unit which was ok, the reasoning behind staying there was that I was looking to find a job anywhere between Perth & Mandurah. It turned out that I managed to get 7 interviews and offers and my first job in the first 6 days!
Having to buy a car in the first week was also on the list, we somehow ended up buying a new one from John Hughes in Vic Park.......the salesmen are pretty tough to get anything out of but do try and you'll get something. We ended up with a Hyundai Tucson which cost us £6000 less than it would in the uk!!! with free stamp duty, rego and tints.
Having made arrangements to start work 3 weeks later, the pressure on the job front was somewhat off. This gave us time to start agonizing over the WA property market,, it has gone bloody bananas over here, the prices are some 30% higher than we looked at when we started our applications. So looking at the price of 4x2s spiralling we were lucky enough to stumble accross a showhome one sunday afternoon and manage to get hold of a house and land package just 19km south of the CBD in Aubin Grove. Just to give you an idea of the rises, the block we bought 3.5 wks ago for $220,000 is worth $240,000 this morning when we spoke to our chap at Remax!
Anybody coming out here in the next six months needs to get their money into the market quick, it will only be a couple of years before this place is on a par with the uk.
In the same week we sorted out a rental in Bedford in the north of the city near Morley, luckily we managed to get a newly built villa which is very swanky and very noisy but you kind of expect that being on one of the main drags in the middle of 1.3 million people
There's 2 things we can recommend doing
1. Make sure you apply for your tax file number as soon as you land or any centrelink payments can't be processed until you have one.
2. Take 3 forms of ID everywhere with you for the first few weeks as you need it to get everything.
Work's great, I'm the Head Chef of one of Perth''s most awarded cafes http://www.millecafe.com.au/ and earning within £500 of what I earned in the UK which is great because my wife can be a mother to our 2yr old for a couple of years.
Without droning on summed up in one sentence
"Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
We're very happy here. there's a lot of same shite different bucket but there are a lot of significant extra positives for us personally.
However I'm acceptant this is not for everyone, take the pom jokes on the chin, laugh with the Aussies, get out there and make of yourself what you want and you'll be fine, WA is a land of fantastic opportunity right now and we're loving it.
Good luck to you all still waiting, and about to leave
Dave
Leaving the uk was a weird experience,, had a big party on the saturday before the tues flight. Our friends were all in tears, I didn't really feel emotional as it all felt so surreal. The morning we left was different, taking the grandparents only grand-daughter away from them was not a nice feeling at all. However once we got to the airport the focus shifted pretty much to what we had ahead of us and just on getting there asap.
Landing at Perth was fantastic (apart from the fact the plane went about 100ft sideways on the runway!) leaving the terminal to meet the same friends we met at the same time last year was fantastic. If you've ever been or you live there you'll know what a beautiful city it reallly is when you see it after a long absence.
We spent the first night on Waikiki beach watching the sunset which was soothing after a long haul.
The first seven days were spent in Safety Bay in a rented unit which was ok, the reasoning behind staying there was that I was looking to find a job anywhere between Perth & Mandurah. It turned out that I managed to get 7 interviews and offers and my first job in the first 6 days!
Having to buy a car in the first week was also on the list, we somehow ended up buying a new one from John Hughes in Vic Park.......the salesmen are pretty tough to get anything out of but do try and you'll get something. We ended up with a Hyundai Tucson which cost us £6000 less than it would in the uk!!! with free stamp duty, rego and tints.
Having made arrangements to start work 3 weeks later, the pressure on the job front was somewhat off. This gave us time to start agonizing over the WA property market,, it has gone bloody bananas over here, the prices are some 30% higher than we looked at when we started our applications. So looking at the price of 4x2s spiralling we were lucky enough to stumble accross a showhome one sunday afternoon and manage to get hold of a house and land package just 19km south of the CBD in Aubin Grove. Just to give you an idea of the rises, the block we bought 3.5 wks ago for $220,000 is worth $240,000 this morning when we spoke to our chap at Remax!
Anybody coming out here in the next six months needs to get their money into the market quick, it will only be a couple of years before this place is on a par with the uk.
In the same week we sorted out a rental in Bedford in the north of the city near Morley, luckily we managed to get a newly built villa which is very swanky and very noisy but you kind of expect that being on one of the main drags in the middle of 1.3 million people
There's 2 things we can recommend doing
1. Make sure you apply for your tax file number as soon as you land or any centrelink payments can't be processed until you have one.
2. Take 3 forms of ID everywhere with you for the first few weeks as you need it to get everything.
Work's great, I'm the Head Chef of one of Perth''s most awarded cafes http://www.millecafe.com.au/ and earning within £500 of what I earned in the UK which is great because my wife can be a mother to our 2yr old for a couple of years.
Without droning on summed up in one sentence
"Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
We're very happy here. there's a lot of same shite different bucket but there are a lot of significant extra positives for us personally.
However I'm acceptant this is not for everyone, take the pom jokes on the chin, laugh with the Aussies, get out there and make of yourself what you want and you'll be fine, WA is a land of fantastic opportunity right now and we're loving it.
Good luck to you all still waiting, and about to leave
Dave
I must admit its the goodbyes here that worry me the most at the moment!
Good luck with the house,
Sharon
May 9th 2006, 4:59 pm
#11
Fighting my corner
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 11,948
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Originally Posted by wavy_davy
Where do I start?
Leaving the uk was a weird experience,, had a big party on the saturday before the tues flight. Our friends were all in tears, I didn't really feel emotional as it all felt so surreal. The morning we left was different, taking the grandparents only grand-daughter away from them was not a nice feeling at all. However once we got to the airport the focus shifted pretty much to what we had ahead of us and just on getting there asap.
Landing at Perth was fantastic (apart from the fact the plane went about 100ft sideways on the runway!) leaving the terminal to meet the same friends we met at the same time last year was fantastic. If you've ever been or you live there you'll know what a beautiful city it reallly is when you see it after a long absence.
We spent the first night on Waikiki beach watching the sunset which was soothing after a long haul.
The first seven days were spent in Safety Bay in a rented unit which was ok, the reasoning behind staying there was that I was looking to find a job anywhere between Perth & Mandurah. It turned out that I managed to get 7 interviews and offers and my first job in the first 6 days!
Having to buy a car in the first week was also on the list, we somehow ended up buying a new one from John Hughes in Vic Park.......the salesmen are pretty tough to get anything out of but do try and you'll get something. We ended up with a Hyundai Tucson which cost us £6000 less than it would in the uk!!! with free stamp duty, rego and tints.
Having made arrangements to start work 3 weeks later, the pressure on the job front was somewhat off. This gave us time to start agonizing over the WA property market,, it has gone bloody bananas over here, the prices are some 30% higher than we looked at when we started our applications. So looking at the price of 4x2s spiralling we were lucky enough to stumble accross a showhome one sunday afternoon and manage to get hold of a house and land package just 19km south of the CBD in Aubin Grove. Just to give you an idea of the rises, the block we bought 3.5 wks ago for $220,000 is worth $240,000 this morning when we spoke to our chap at Remax!
Anybody coming out here in the next six months needs to get their money into the market quick, it will only be a couple of years before this place is on a par with the uk.
In the same week we sorted out a rental in Bedford in the north of the city near Morley, luckily we managed to get a newly built villa which is very swanky and very noisy but you kind of expect that being on one of the main drags in the middle of 1.3 million people
There's 2 things we can recommend doing
1. Make sure you apply for your tax file number as soon as you land or any centrelink payments can't be processed until you have one.
2. Take 3 forms of ID everywhere with you for the first few weeks as you need it to get everything.
Work's great, I'm the Head Chef of one of Perth''s most awarded cafes http://www.millecafe.com.au/ and earning within £500 of what I earned in the UK which is great because my wife can be a mother to our 2yr old for a couple of years.
Without droning on summed up in one sentence
"Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
We're very happy here. there's a lot of same shite different bucket but there are a lot of significant extra positives for us personally.
However I'm acceptant this is not for everyone, take the pom jokes on the chin, laugh with the Aussies, get out there and make of yourself what you want and you'll be fine, WA is a land of fantastic opportunity right now and we're loving it.
Good luck to you all still waiting, and about to leave
Dave
Leaving the uk was a weird experience,, had a big party on the saturday before the tues flight. Our friends were all in tears, I didn't really feel emotional as it all felt so surreal. The morning we left was different, taking the grandparents only grand-daughter away from them was not a nice feeling at all. However once we got to the airport the focus shifted pretty much to what we had ahead of us and just on getting there asap.
Landing at Perth was fantastic (apart from the fact the plane went about 100ft sideways on the runway!) leaving the terminal to meet the same friends we met at the same time last year was fantastic. If you've ever been or you live there you'll know what a beautiful city it reallly is when you see it after a long absence.
We spent the first night on Waikiki beach watching the sunset which was soothing after a long haul.
The first seven days were spent in Safety Bay in a rented unit which was ok, the reasoning behind staying there was that I was looking to find a job anywhere between Perth & Mandurah. It turned out that I managed to get 7 interviews and offers and my first job in the first 6 days!
Having to buy a car in the first week was also on the list, we somehow ended up buying a new one from John Hughes in Vic Park.......the salesmen are pretty tough to get anything out of but do try and you'll get something. We ended up with a Hyundai Tucson which cost us £6000 less than it would in the uk!!! with free stamp duty, rego and tints.
Having made arrangements to start work 3 weeks later, the pressure on the job front was somewhat off. This gave us time to start agonizing over the WA property market,, it has gone bloody bananas over here, the prices are some 30% higher than we looked at when we started our applications. So looking at the price of 4x2s spiralling we were lucky enough to stumble accross a showhome one sunday afternoon and manage to get hold of a house and land package just 19km south of the CBD in Aubin Grove. Just to give you an idea of the rises, the block we bought 3.5 wks ago for $220,000 is worth $240,000 this morning when we spoke to our chap at Remax!
Anybody coming out here in the next six months needs to get their money into the market quick, it will only be a couple of years before this place is on a par with the uk.
In the same week we sorted out a rental in Bedford in the north of the city near Morley, luckily we managed to get a newly built villa which is very swanky and very noisy but you kind of expect that being on one of the main drags in the middle of 1.3 million people
There's 2 things we can recommend doing
1. Make sure you apply for your tax file number as soon as you land or any centrelink payments can't be processed until you have one.
2. Take 3 forms of ID everywhere with you for the first few weeks as you need it to get everything.
Work's great, I'm the Head Chef of one of Perth''s most awarded cafes http://www.millecafe.com.au/ and earning within £500 of what I earned in the UK which is great because my wife can be a mother to our 2yr old for a couple of years.
Without droning on summed up in one sentence
"Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
We're very happy here. there's a lot of same shite different bucket but there are a lot of significant extra positives for us personally.
However I'm acceptant this is not for everyone, take the pom jokes on the chin, laugh with the Aussies, get out there and make of yourself what you want and you'll be fine, WA is a land of fantastic opportunity right now and we're loving it.
Good luck to you all still waiting, and about to leave
Dave
I'm so glad to hear that Perth is everything you expected.
May 9th 2006, 8:18 pm
#12
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: Dianella, Perth, WA
Posts: 104
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Great post and just what I wanted to read - we arriver in Perth on 5th June - our life sounds very similar to yours - my hubby is Head Chef and we have a 2 year old which I hope to take time out and enjoy looking after instead of getting back behind a desk myself for a couple of years 
Not sure which area to live in have looked at Freemantle and Mindarie but they seem a little pricey - are they nice?
Are there plenty of chef jobs around - paying good wages?
If there are any meet ups would love to here about them and join in - would be good to meet some fellow british adventurers !!
Jayne
Not sure which area to live in have looked at Freemantle and Mindarie but they seem a little pricey - are they nice?
Are there plenty of chef jobs around - paying good wages?
If there are any meet ups would love to here about them and join in - would be good to meet some fellow british adventurers !!
Jayne
May 9th 2006, 8:26 pm
#13
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Darwin, NT
Posts: 380
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Originally Posted by wavy_davy
Where do I start?
Leaving the uk was a weird experience,, had a big party on the saturday before the tues flight. Our friends were all in tears, I didn't really feel emotional as it all felt so surreal. The morning we left was different, taking the grandparents only grand-daughter away from them was not a nice feeling at all. However once we got to the airport the focus shifted pretty much to what we had ahead of us and just on getting there asap.
Landing at Perth was fantastic (apart from the fact the plane went about 100ft sideways on the runway!) leaving the terminal to meet the same friends we met at the same time last year was fantastic. If you've ever been or you live there you'll know what a beautiful city it reallly is when you see it after a long absence.
We spent the first night on Waikiki beach watching the sunset which was soothing after a long haul.
The first seven days were spent in Safety Bay in a rented unit which was ok, the reasoning behind staying there was that I was looking to find a job anywhere between Perth & Mandurah. It turned out that I managed to get 7 interviews and offers and my first job in the first 6 days!
Having to buy a car in the first week was also on the list, we somehow ended up buying a new one from John Hughes in Vic Park.......the salesmen are pretty tough to get anything out of but do try and you'll get something. We ended up with a Hyundai Tucson which cost us £6000 less than it would in the uk!!! with free stamp duty, rego and tints.
Having made arrangements to start work 3 weeks later, the pressure on the job front was somewhat off. This gave us time to start agonizing over the WA property market,, it has gone bloody bananas over here, the prices are some 30% higher than we looked at when we started our applications. So looking at the price of 4x2s spiralling we were lucky enough to stumble accross a showhome one sunday afternoon and manage to get hold of a house and land package just 19km south of the CBD in Aubin Grove. Just to give you an idea of the rises, the block we bought 3.5 wks ago for $220,000 is worth $240,000 this morning when we spoke to our chap at Remax!
Anybody coming out here in the next six months needs to get their money into the market quick, it will only be a couple of years before this place is on a par with the uk.
In the same week we sorted out a rental in Bedford in the north of the city near Morley, luckily we managed to get a newly built villa which is very swanky and very noisy but you kind of expect that being on one of the main drags in the middle of 1.3 million people
There's 2 things we can recommend doing
1. Make sure you apply for your tax file number as soon as you land or any centrelink payments can't be processed until you have one.
2. Take 3 forms of ID everywhere with you for the first few weeks as you need it to get everything.
Work's great, I'm the Head Chef of one of Perth''s most awarded cafes http://www.millecafe.com.au/ and earning within £500 of what I earned in the UK which is great because my wife can be a mother to our 2yr old for a couple of years.
Without droning on summed up in one sentence
"Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
We're very happy here. there's a lot of same shite different bucket but there are a lot of significant extra positives for us personally.
However I'm acceptant this is not for everyone, take the pom jokes on the chin, laugh with the Aussies, get out there and make of yourself what you want and you'll be fine, WA is a land of fantastic opportunity right now and we're loving it.
Good luck to you all still waiting, and about to leave
Dave
Leaving the uk was a weird experience,, had a big party on the saturday before the tues flight. Our friends were all in tears, I didn't really feel emotional as it all felt so surreal. The morning we left was different, taking the grandparents only grand-daughter away from them was not a nice feeling at all. However once we got to the airport the focus shifted pretty much to what we had ahead of us and just on getting there asap.
Landing at Perth was fantastic (apart from the fact the plane went about 100ft sideways on the runway!) leaving the terminal to meet the same friends we met at the same time last year was fantastic. If you've ever been or you live there you'll know what a beautiful city it reallly is when you see it after a long absence.
We spent the first night on Waikiki beach watching the sunset which was soothing after a long haul.
The first seven days were spent in Safety Bay in a rented unit which was ok, the reasoning behind staying there was that I was looking to find a job anywhere between Perth & Mandurah. It turned out that I managed to get 7 interviews and offers and my first job in the first 6 days!
Having to buy a car in the first week was also on the list, we somehow ended up buying a new one from John Hughes in Vic Park.......the salesmen are pretty tough to get anything out of but do try and you'll get something. We ended up with a Hyundai Tucson which cost us £6000 less than it would in the uk!!! with free stamp duty, rego and tints.
Having made arrangements to start work 3 weeks later, the pressure on the job front was somewhat off. This gave us time to start agonizing over the WA property market,, it has gone bloody bananas over here, the prices are some 30% higher than we looked at when we started our applications. So looking at the price of 4x2s spiralling we were lucky enough to stumble accross a showhome one sunday afternoon and manage to get hold of a house and land package just 19km south of the CBD in Aubin Grove. Just to give you an idea of the rises, the block we bought 3.5 wks ago for $220,000 is worth $240,000 this morning when we spoke to our chap at Remax!
Anybody coming out here in the next six months needs to get their money into the market quick, it will only be a couple of years before this place is on a par with the uk.
In the same week we sorted out a rental in Bedford in the north of the city near Morley, luckily we managed to get a newly built villa which is very swanky and very noisy but you kind of expect that being on one of the main drags in the middle of 1.3 million people
There's 2 things we can recommend doing
1. Make sure you apply for your tax file number as soon as you land or any centrelink payments can't be processed until you have one.
2. Take 3 forms of ID everywhere with you for the first few weeks as you need it to get everything.
Work's great, I'm the Head Chef of one of Perth''s most awarded cafes http://www.millecafe.com.au/ and earning within £500 of what I earned in the UK which is great because my wife can be a mother to our 2yr old for a couple of years.
Without droning on summed up in one sentence
"Australia is the uk we should have been living in"
We're very happy here. there's a lot of same shite different bucket but there are a lot of significant extra positives for us personally.
However I'm acceptant this is not for everyone, take the pom jokes on the chin, laugh with the Aussies, get out there and make of yourself what you want and you'll be fine, WA is a land of fantastic opportunity right now and we're loving it.
Good luck to you all still waiting, and about to leave
Dave
Great post Dave - best of luck in Perth.
Sue
May 9th 2006, 8:33 pm
#14
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: in a place near the river and the sea where the sun always shines
Posts: 3,155
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Dave[/QUOTE]
wavy, nice to hear from you thanks for a fab post mate i'll save this one!
so glad things are working for you, take care x
wavy, nice to hear from you
thanks for a fab post mate i'll save this one!so glad things are working for you, take care x
May 9th 2006, 9:32 pm
#15
Chocoholic
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Betchworth, Surrey.
Posts: 2,899
Re: Finally back online!...Perth, 6 weeks in......
Glad to hear you're settling in well Dave.
Good Luck for the future
Julie. x
Good Luck for the future
Julie. x