Divbear

Hi, there, just a quick note. I have sent my TRA forms and just waiting to hear back (fingers crossed). We are finding it really hard to choose an area where we would like to live as we have never been to Perth before. They all sound nice. We quite liked the sound of Ellenbrook. We have 3 young girls and I am a joiner so I would be grateful if anyone could give us some feedback on work and the area. Cheers Divbear

TraceyW

Nightnurse will be up in a bit and she will give you info on the area as she lives there.

I know where it is, and for me it's a bit out in the sticks, but each to their own.

I would suggest you get out here, stay in a holiday place and look around areas for yourself before you commit.

Divbear

Thanks Tracyw any info would be great for us.We dont really know how far out it is we were told about it by a friend.

nightnurse2

You called!
Sorry, was having a lie today, kids finished school yesterday
Ellenbrook is a rapidly expanding suburb, northest of Perth CBD. Many people when I say where I live say it is out in the back of beyond. I'm not sure why they say that because it takes us 30 minutes to drive into Perth CBD, about the same time, I would imagine as many of the more northern suburbs. Ellenbrook is made up of 6 'villages', I live in Morgan Fields. It has a good community atmosphere and yes, it is quiet at night, but most other suburbs are the same, I believe.
It has all the facilities that most other suburbs have (except a tavern which will be built this year).
We moved here because we met up with old friends when we first got here and not knowing anyone, we decided here was a good place as any. Glad we did though, because we have loads of good friends here.
It takes 20 -25 mins to get to the nearest beach and 30 minutes to Perth CBD. The nearest big shopping centres are Joondalup (20 minutes) and Midland (15 minutes).
We are on the dooprstep of the Swan Valley, which is a beautiful area, with plenty of wineries, restaurants, cafes and lovely views of the hills.
We are in the process of buying some land on a new development, a private country estate, in between Ellenbrook and the Vines.
As Tracey says, you can't tell what an area is like from the internet, your best bet is to allow a few weeks, when you get here, to have a good look around. You will get a much better idea. I'm sure that most of the other suburbs around Perth have similar facilities, but we like it here because it feels more rural.
Workwise, there's loads of joinery work in and around Perth. Not sure how they work, but would imagine you move around the suburbs, where the work is, so doesn't really matter where you live
If I can help in any other way, let me know.
Tracey

Divbear

Thanks Tracey for that info it sounds like it would suit us to live there.We have three young girls ages 7,5 and 8 months, could you give us some info on schools for the kids plus my wife is a PA/secretary would she be able to find part-time work locally or would she have to go into the city.

shade8

Hi.
I also live in Ellenbrook and everything Tracy said is true.Ideal place for kids.I live in the bridges which is part of Ellenbrook I also think one of the nicer ones very mederterian lovely lakes.
I can recommend Ellenbrook primary you also have arbour grove,Swan Christian collage {private}
Also look at the Averly which is a private estate next to Ellenbrook some lovely homes for sale there all brand new.
Good luck.

aston man

i looked at ellenbrooke last month,i almost bought a lot ,it was 300k,it is very nice,new and clean..i liked ellenbrooke it was very nice...

i am still toying with it now,or buying an older house on a larger plot that needs a bit of love...

is there still a waiting list for lots?

ast

nightnurse2

My kids go to Ellenbrook primary which is fine as far as schools go. They have just built a new high school which opened last term, will see how it goes - there is always the option of the private school - Ellenbrook Christian College. There is also a R/C primary - St Helenas which I believe is ok too.
Not sure about work as PA / secretary, she could hit lucky, but tbh don't think there would be much in Ellenbrook itself. But nowhere's a big travelling distance - she wouldn't necessary have to work in Perth CDB, there's loads of areas where she could work eg Midland, Morley.

Divbear

Thanks everyone for the info, it is really helpful. My wife has got herself into a bit of a state worrying herself sick about spiders and snakes. Could anyone put her mind at rest, plus our girls are still young and our middle one tends to pick up every insect that she sees including spiders. Is there a problem with them i.e. in your house at night because she says that she will not be able to sleep in a separate room from the kids incase they get bitten. (She is driving me crazy).

Cheers David

fitz

hi there,i live in the vines area of perth,about ten minutes from ellenbrook,
worst mistake i've ever made,lovely area,next to vines resort,but in all honesty you are isolated,as has been said before ellenbrook is lovely and is progressively getting bigger by the day,but be very careful about the travelling times indicated,if you are travelling into the city at peak times,there's no way in a million years it will take half an hour,my wife works in st john of god hospital in subiaco,a 45min drive at night,in the morning it's sometimes taken one and a half hours to get there.the roads are horrendous,so be prepared.i work down at the airport,i start at 9.30am,it should only take 40mins,it actually takes 1hour.

nightnurse2

The times I have given are during the day,not rush hour, so yes, I agree travel time will be longer.
The OP said he's a joiner, wouldn't necessarily be working in the CBD neither would his wife. My OH and I have no reason to go into the CBD, unless we want to sight see etc.
Did you not think of travelling time to your places of work before you bought?

nightnurse2

As with every where in Oz, there are spiders etc. You can get your home barrier sprayed every year which will keep most of them out. I too worried about this before we came, but tbh, don't think about it much now.
The kids are shown pictures of spiders at school and given information about them and more than likely know more than me!
Tell her not to worry too much!

fitz

when giving people an idea of travelling times,you have to be more informative,as a joiner or for that matter,any other job,you may have to work s.o.r.,travelling times are then greatly increased.

nightnurse2

As I've said, I don't travel to the CBD during rush hour, so how can I quote a time?
Yes, he could be working SOR or the CBD at times, but given the work available NOR I think it's more than likely he'll be based there.
He'll probably be working in many different areas and then where he lives doesn't really matter - he was only asking about Ellenbrook as a place to live.
I was giving travelling times so that he'd have an idea where we were in relation to other places.

Divbear

Hi everyone thanks for all your opinions. I know no matter where we choose to live that I will probably have to travel for work. We are just looking for some views on where would be a nice area to live. We are not going to get the chance to come over for a holiday first so it is really difficult to choose a place to base ourselves as so many people have told us that there are lots of nice areas NOR and SOR. Thanks for telling us about the spiders maybe my wife can calm down a bit now.

Divbear