Perth and Brisbane
 

Hello everyone,

Any comment's regarding Perth and Brisbane,

1, Cost of property, it seem less expensive in Western OZ,

2, Where is a nice area to live ''excluding near beach'' NORTH or SOUTH without spending silly money ...

The postings may be of interest to all families and individuals travelling to Perth, it seems many people on the forum talk about these places,

Thank You for your views,

Merry Christmas to all.

Hi there,

Have you managed to look at the website created by one the expats Jeremy Irons. He's in Buderim I think (appologies if I have spelt this wrong) which is near Brisbane. Good informative site.

The web address is http://userweb.caloundra.net/jeremy/

If you've any problems accessing the site try searching for postings from J Irons.

Hope this helps a little.

Ginny

Re: General comments on Perth and Brisbane.
 

I can only answer for Brisbane, never been to Perth (wanted to settle there but hubbie refused!)

1. Personal experiences - Brisbane City is very clean, has much to offer in terms of family-type entertainment, great riverside atmosphere on South Bank - we went there on Friday night for the pre-Christmas celebrations - watched a movie in the park, went on the huge Ferris Wheel (my children tell me the views were great - personally I had my eyes shut throughout!), walked through the market stalls all lit up and very atmospheric, everyone in good spirits, no yobbos to be found. Huge christmas concert taking place in the arena there, watched the fireworks - all this was FREE...

2. Climate - I have yet to experience the humidity at its worst here,
but so far have been very pleasantly surprised at the great weather. OK, its very hot here today, but there's a slight breeze, and a quick dip in the pool chills you down a little. A little too dry I suppose, but it's better than permanent rain...


3. People and community. My biggest bugbear about coming here, I'm afraid. We've met some very friendly people (mostly through the children - i.e. other childrens parents etc.) but the average aussie does seem to lack depth. Not a race reknowned for its sense of humour, love of culture, in-depth thought etc. They are all a bit superficial.

4. Family living - it's FAR better than in the UK - we go out together most Sundays and the countryside is superb, beaches fantastic (only last week the Children were swimming in Tallebudgera Creek with Dolphins less than 10 feet away (Gold Coast),

Cost of living - not much difference between UK and Oz really, apart from cheaper fuel, housing (although it's rapidly rising around here) and clothing.

5. Housing - good and bad areas - well, we live in the Bayside Suburbs, about 25 kms from Brisbane CBD - very nice areas, low crime rates, house prices - depends vastly on the condition of the house, area, whether it has a coastal view etc., but where we are, we have a 4 bedroomed house, with pool on 1.5 acres in a very nice acreage estate, and houses like ours in our area are selling for around $450,000-$800,000. We paid $399,000 when we bought in May, and it's just been valued at $470,000 (we are thinking of buying a two-storey house, as we're not too keen on the lowset).

Difference in price is usually based on a) decorative/structural condition of house, b) state of garden/land, c) area - if you get a good view of the Bay you can expect to spend an extra 20% at least... d) number of bedrooms, e) pool and other facilities, e.g. tennis courts, etc.

You can still pick up quite reasonable houses in the Bayside area for around $300,000, but they would be very unlikely to have a pool or much land (probably a block of around 650sq m)

Generally, there aren't too many areas around Brisbane to be avoided, but some are less desirable than others, I've heard Beenleigh is pretty dire, but apart from that, you'd need input from someone like Dotty or Ceri, who has been here longer than me.

Have a look on realestate.com.au and propertyguide.com.au and domain.com.au for houses, demographic data etc.

Try the Courier Mail for job ads etc.

But remember, estate agents love to "talk up" properties - take ALL the descriptions with a pinch of salt - "Renovators delight" usually means the place needs bulldozing!!!

Hope this helps. If you need any more info. let me know

The northern and western suburbs,areas such as Clayfield, Hamilton, St Lucia and Indooroopilly one will find some of the more expensive real estate in Brisbane. Suburbs around Lutwyche, Kedron, Chermside and Nundah represent value because of their close proximity to the city. Bayside locations in areas such as Manly, Wynnum and Cleveland are becoming more popular because of lifestyle considerations.

In Brisbane, as one moves further south, one moves further from the Brisbane Central Business District, but closer to the Gold Coast consequently, real estate between Brisbane and the Gold Coast is more desirable than it would otherwise be, expanding Brisbane’s desirable geographical base.

For Brisbane consider proximity to the city, proximity to the river (think about taking the CityCat to work, proximity to the Bay (but know that much of the bay has mangroves and mudflats).

With Perth I'd say it's much the same proximity to the City, the Swan and the Indian Ocean.

Re: General comments on Perth and Brisbane.
 

Hello Pommie Sheila,

Thanks for your comments,

Happy Christmas.

Re: General comments on Perth and Brisbane.
 

Hi Scooby

We moved to Perth, 6 months ago.

1. Personal Experiences - I would ignore any feelings you may have during the first few months, we found the move very stressful and could have gone home easily during the first few months. Things are getting better although I still have the odd 'homesick' day. We've made a few friends now and that helps, it took us time, I would rather have fewer friends that I feel comfortable with but this takes time, we're still working on it!

2. Climate - Perth climate is great - I love it. It's very rarely humid, we had 40c last week and we managed! The heat is a dry, baked heat, like an oven - most of the time there is a breeze. A bit more rain would make it perfect (can't believe I want more rain after the UK!).

3. People/Community - after driving miles around Perth we decided to settle in the Perth Hills - near Kalamunda (25 km from city). Many people opt for the beach / river suburbs but we are glad we settled here, the houses are older but bigger blocks 1/4 - 1/2 acre, most with a pool, some blocks with city views. Can't speak for the beach suburbs, but I feel a sense of community up in the Hills, although it takes a while to settle in and get used to the people / way of life.

4. Family - schools have a good reputation in our area, although the public schools' standards are behind the UK primary, there are private here, some have waiting lists others are very expensive when you are earning $. We've opted for extra private tuition (quite common here). We have 2 young children, they couldn't swim when we got here but are now in the pool every day, they love it here.

5. House prices - visit www.reiwa.com.au - Hills homes vary alot - different constructions, block sizes, landscaping etc.. Some basic homes start as little as $170,000, others with pool, nice kitchen, baths, view etc can go over $500,000.

6. 30/40 miles from city - Most suburbs are within this distance from the city, i.e. 70 kms max then you move into the country / bush. Rockingham / Mandurah are further south - 100 km? Most work is in / around Perth.

7. Areas to avoid. Quite a few suburbs are what I call 'iffy' - Maddington, Thornlie, Midland. I haven't found anywhere (yet) that I feel uncomfortable. Most of the Hills suburbs are good, Gooseberry Hill, Kalamunda, Lesmurdie, Darlington. Good Beach suburbs are Hillarys, Ocean Reef, Carine, Duncraig, Mindarie (north) not sure about south. Good river suburbs, South Perth, Rossmoyne, Shelley, Applecross (although all are expensive). 'Perthhelena' has posted come good information re: suburbs, might be worth doing a search.

Good luck!

Hi guys

Having lived in Rockingham now for a little over 3 months I would have to agree with most of the things Kath says in her post, especially point 1!!

The only other thing I would add is that even the 'nice' suburbs might not be suited to your needs. I have some friends who have moved to one of the 'nice' beachside suburbs and they HATE HATE HATE it! I think you would have a hard time convincing them that it's a good area!! Good job they are only renting and have the option of getting out of there when the lease expires!!

I think it's all down to individual preferences and research research and more research!!

Remember though, if an area doesn't live up to expectations, don't take it out on the whole of Australia (like some on this site!!!)

Good luck guys

love sophia xx

Re: General comments on Perth and Brisbane.
 

Yeah Scooby, I would agree with the gist of most of this and Sophia's post. Some observations of my own.

i. We were less homesick as the UK was not our original home Nonetheless, we arrived in Perth without jobs and not knowing a sole. I think the most important thing is to not arrive and expect everything to be perfect. For the first few weeks/months everything will be 'different' and probably exciting then reality checks in. That is probably the difficult time but by then if you've a few friends it'll help. We found that joining a sports club has helped tremendously and have been to weddings, dinners, parties, etc etc. I don't think it matters what the activity is - get out there and get involved. At first sight Australians appear to be a relatively homogeneous bunch. I think that this is true if you're doing a comparison (average Aus to Average Brit). However like everywhere elsewhere there are big differences and with a bit of effort there is no reason why you can't meet and get to know individuals with personalities/education/attributes that are important to you

ii. Perth is great but anything above 35C is hot (and I grew up in the tropics so I am probably more used to it than you). Although it doesn't get as muggy (humid) here as elsewhere in Aus e.g. Brisbane, I would advise you to get a house with aircon (reverse cycle or similar). This is probably important for winter too because although winters are mild, the houses are not geared up for cold (nights) of which you get a few.

iii. Each to their own. We needed to be close to the CBD (are about 6.5 kms - 10-15mins right to the centre by bus). If you work in the CBD you are unlikely to get parking from your employer (unless you are the employer!). Personally, I'd prefer to be close to one of the beaches e.g. City Beach/Cottesloe but that is currently beyond our budget. The suburbs vary tremendously here and my advice to you would be to rent first and then decide what and where you want. Kalamunda, mentioned above, is lovely, but if you do everything in and around the City you may find it is too far out.

Anyway, good luck and Merry Christmas

dpr

Sully,
There are a few good hospitals in Perth. Depending on where you are looking at living. There is Joondalup Hospital - 30k's north of Perth. There is also a University there. There is a train in to the city from here, takes about 25 mins and I think it costs $2, so it is a fair way out of the city, but no a problem to get in there.
There is also Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital with the Nedlands University just down the road. THat is located about 10 mins SW of City centre, but it is a costly area to live in.

Difficult question(s): Hospitals vary depending on what you want - e.g. severe trauma/A&E go to Royal Perth (in the city centre). Elderly care etc go to 'Charlies' (Sir Charles Gairdner) etc. Judging from the number of adverts/stories in the local rag there is a massive shortage of public hospital staff - try the West Australian online version for job ads - health ads are Wed and Sat but you really only need to look at Sat (don't know the URL off the top of my head but you should find it easily enough on Google..)

UNI's depends on what you want. If it's Law/Business/Medicine I believe the University of Western Aus (UWA) is the place to go both for quality and for the all -important networking. Other things depend on the course. E.g. postgrad physio (for me) Curtin has a far better course, research output/faculty and links to the local profession. Like elsewhere in the world I am certain that there is not a single uni (UWA, Curtin, Murdoch, ECU, other??) that is good across the board so decide on what it is you want to do and go from there. In some instances this may be forced upon you as the course may only be offered at one institution.

Voluntary work? This certainly exists but I doubt that it is as 'large an industry' as in the UK. Nonetheless because of the shortages, in many sectors, I'd be extremely surprised if you came up short on this score.

Finally, a massive number of jobs don't become available (or you won't even hear about them until you get here even though you may have your PR visa). This was the case for both my wife (accountant) and myself

Good luck and Merry Christmas (off to the beach as soon as it gets a bit cooler)

DPR

Re: Perth and Brisbane