So landed in Perth with our 475 visa in hand last week. Staying with family friends until we can find a job and a house. The initial plan was to move to Mandurah but it looks like my wife (the primary applicant) is finding something in Northam instead.

So done a bit of research and it seems like a nice small town. We do have a 3 year old daughter though and can't find much information on Montessories and playgroups. Any advice and help in this regard would go a long way. Are there good places there? On the 475 can I enroll her in a Perth based Montessori and then commute every day (do I need to be looking that far out of Northam for a decent place)?

Northam is quite reasonable. Do you know that they are building a 600+ bed detention center on the edge of town. It was pushed through by our great government without any local concent as it is built on commonwealth not parish land. Nice one Julia! http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-2...elayed/3859644

Read about the detention center controversy. Can't criticize it too much providing counselling to the detainees is what job we are applying for. Not sure if this will endear us to the locals to much!

Yes, I think Northam residents are unsure too - will house prices go up because of extra demand for workers accomodation (probaly not because people will just drive in from eastern Perth) or down ???

One of the problems with country towns is the usual country wage with a city + price tag on everything, accomodation is usually hard to come by unless supplied with the job
Good luck

John