natmorris

Hi there can any one help??? My daughter and I, also my best friend, are immigrating to Perth in September 2012, we are looking at the suburb of Rockingham, can anyone tell me if this is a good choice? Also what Primary schools are good in that area or surrounding areas?
Can anyone suggest where to look for childcare, accommodation, job (my friend is a vehicle/receptionist/account assistant administrator and i am a fully qualified female plumber)

Any help would be very much appreciated, as Im very stressed.


kind regards

Natasha

Tuxtrip

Rockingham is considerably south of Perth and much favoured by Brits in the past. There are some fairly rough areas and to be honest, I think Safety Bay is nicer and the rail link to Perth is closer. Coming from Edinburgh, you may be a little daunted by the distances between places. I know I was. Make a good school your priority because if your child settles happily, so will you and life is a lot easier.
Have a look at www.perthpoms.com.au.

Margaret3

Why Perth Natasha??

Japonica

Hi Natasha,

Any reason why the Rockingham area? I know a lot of folks prefer the northern suburbs.

Hmm...some areas of Rockingham are a bit rough. I don't live there, so perhaps Eddie can clue you in. The local papers seem to go on about crime in Cooloongup, Warnbro, etc. but then these are local papers, so they have to write about something. There's also been talk about youth gangs in Secret Harbour. We're in Baldivis, which seems okay for the most part, but also seems to be on an upswing of home break ins. Lovely.

For schools, you'll want to check out the my schools website.

http://www.myschool.edu.au/

You can find out about rentals etc. from http://www.realestate.com.au/rent

Keep in mind the rental market is really tight in Perth right now, like 1% vacancy rate.

If you're working in the CBD, you'll find it's a bit of a commute...about 45 minutes on the train. And the stations are pretty packed by 6:30am, so parking can be tricky.

Good luck.

Dreamy

Hi Natasha,

Can't help you too much with Perth/Rockingham - just want to make sure that before you get too bogged down with the details that both you and your friend have your visas sorted out?

julesandco

Hi Natasha,

We live in Secret Harbour.
Rockingham gets a really bad rap, but there are nice parts and not so nice parts - like everywhere. Chances are the parks, the views and the Indian Ocean on your doorstep will be comparable to (probably even better than) your current home town in the UK.

Where are you planning on working? I think you are VERY brave woman moving to Oz to be a plumber. Australia is a very sexist country! The way I get spoken to by some customers would make your hair curl. We had an issue with a fridge once and the repair man was chatting away to my OH, when he said to me 'pay attention love, this is your part. You need to make sure that the drain valve is kept clean as it might overflow if you don't keep this part checked' and proceded to make sure I was capable of wiping the drain with a tea towel......

There are lots of suburbs that come under 'Rockingham' - do you have any ideas where you want to settle? Have you been to Oz before? You really need to see the suburbs for yourself so you can get a feeling for where you want to be.

It's a daunting decision and I wish you all the best with your move.

Jules x

JBJ14

Yep, Northern suburbs is where it's at!! No shortage of expats, lived up this way for 25 years .... beaches, shops, parks, and not far from the city!

Good Luck

julesandco

Yep, move there. We have none of those

JBJ14

Wasn't suggesting you don't, just pointing out what I like about northern suburbs. Being closer the city may be a sticking point, that extra 20 mins can be pricey in the typical taxi here!

natmorris

Thank you for everyones help it was really kind of everyone to take the time to reply, alittle worried about the sexist part to be honest but im a tough cookie and anyone with that attitude towards me will wish they hadnt.

natmorris

Are the trades men there really that bad??

natmorris

Thank you so very much for the links its was very kind of you:thumbsup

natmorris

Can anyone tell me what Kingsley is like??

Twinsdad

We moved to Perth a couple of months ago (Port Kennedy to be precise). Rockingham is fine - wherever you go in the world you'll find the dodgy places if you look for them. We do our shopping in 'Rocky' and take the kids to the foreshore parks a lot; great facilities for the kids, great beaches, good shopping etc etc. There are lots of suburbs around here nicknamed 'little Britain' because there are so many Brits down this way - my barber is a Jock, her and her husband love it here. I'm an ambo and there have been dozens of us moving to Perth over the last year or so due to the big shake up in the WA ambulance service (St Johns) - pretty much all of us love it out here and are finding a vastly improved quality of life. You'll find an awful lot of negativity on this site.... don't take any notice mate, North or South, Perth is a great place to live and as long as you make an effort to get on with people and take them as you find them, the locals are lovely. Of course you'll find the odd dickhead (Aussie or Brit) - show me any community on earth where you won't. As for being a female plumber, good on ya ! I'm sure once you get to know people you'll be off and running - good luck and enjoy your new life in the 'lucky country'

Tuxtrip

I wouldn't worry too much about the sexism - Aussie men just have a 'blokey' sense of humour. Plenty of women work in construction and mining here and the best way to deal with such blokes is to laugh along with them. My sister was possibly the first qualified female Carpenter in WA and once the guys realised that you could do the job as well as them she was respected. Bring your sense of humour and don't take their 'Who let you outta the kitchen?' comments seriously. You will love working alongside Aussie blokes. Buy yourself a Bonds blue singlet for the summer and they will love working with you too!!!