angela&rob

As we couldn't decide between Perth and Brisbane for our settling place we decided to have a good look at both and then thought we'd have a look at Melbourne as the tennis was (seemed as good a reason as any). Have seen a few Perth v Brisbane debates and so thought I'd add our views for anyone who's interested.

Perth:
We took a 10.30pm night flight from Heathrow which meant we arrived in Perth at 1am which is marvelous as it means you can go to bed and very easily adjust to the time zones. We flew Singapore airlines who are just fab (flew qantas internally and not as good - one of the pilots took off and I thought we were going into space as the plane was at quite an angle - anyway I digress). We stayed in Kings Perth hotel in Hay Street and that was very nice, big rooms and they let us use the room past normal checkout time and stored our bags all free of charge. We went round Perth centre all day and it was really nice. Lots of happy looking people who walk with thier head held high (unlike London where people have their head down and walk really fast and are in 'zombie mode'). City was really clean and although was lots of people it didn't feel crowded and I didn't feel like I was being swept along in a wave of people.

Things that made us ask 'are you serious' were the signs of threats of fines for wearing thongs, j-walking, smoking in the cab etc. Perhaps threatening peoples wallets is what makes people pay attention.

Also lots of jellyfish in the swan river and signs saying its illegal to serve someone who's drunk. (Before you think I'm a beer swilling, fag smoking chav, I'm not - don't smoke or drink, but sure some of you do).

Perth was really hot (38 degrees) and you can really feel the sun picking you out and seeing how hot you can go.

We then went to stay in Illuka which is very nice but still under construction. This means lots of builders dust all over your windows (if that bothers you block out an hour a day to clean windows). We saw a few beaches and they are very picturesque - turquoise seas and white sands. However was really windy and some days the wind was so strong I could feel mysel;f being exfoliated by the sand as I walked along the beach. The breeze/wind does make the heat very nice though and 35 degrees didn't feel like 35 degrees in London. Also when the sun goes down the temperature really drops which means you can get a good nights sleep.

We went to Hillarys which is a very nice part of town and very good for families as nice safe man made beach there.

Petrol was dirt cheap (about 35p a litre) and we didn't encounter a traffic jam (probably more luck than judgement).

We went as far South as Freemantle and weren't very taken with it as was a bit industrial looking for our liking. Lots of cranes etc which must take containers etc of the boats in the dock.

Really liked Perth (can you tell) and it sort of reminds me of Devon. Not a busy hive of people like London/Manchester etc but busy enough and beaches a few minutes away.

Brisbane:
When we arrived in Brisbane the heat wallopped us as we got off the plane as was very humid. Summer (Jan) is also their wet season so it rained (an I mean proper rain) everyday and everything felt a bit damp. Was also very hot throughout the night too. However was very green with lovely mountains and forests.

Brisbane city centre is also very clean and the south bank is just brilliant. A landscaped swimming pool with man made beach, lifeguards and BBQ'a overlooking the river in the middle of the city was just the best idea ever. We were there in the evening and it was all lit up and families were there enjoying the evening.

Gold coast and sunshine coast beaches are among the best I've seen (Even through the rain) but I'm not a fan of high rises and theres a few of them (more on gold coast) so it looks a bit like miami. Also if you can't afford to live in the centre of Brisbane and would live in one of the suburbs then the beaches are an hour in either direction (I'm talking about Sunshine/gold coast). We also looked at Redcliffe as new land sales going on there and it looked really nice but you get more for your money in Perth. Local also told me that as Redcliffe sort of sticks out of east coast there are only two main roads which get you in and out of it so if one is blocked can make journey home a bit of a nightmare. Also more flies in Brisbane and you have to be able to kill a can toad with some medeival looking implement of your choosing.

Melbourne:
It may just have been me but when you arrive in Melbourne you are assigned a fly which has to follow you everywhere you go and drive you nuts. SO not lots of flies, just one little one which did its job well. Melbourne centre has lots of commerce and shopping and seemed to have lots of venues for big events (tennis, open air concerts, olympic stadium etc). Melbourne looks very European in places as has some ornate buildings and fantastic places to eat. The weather varies depending not on season but time of day apparantly as we had blazing sunshine in the morning and storms in evening. Melbourne also has the 'fastest' pace of life it seemed with people busy etc. Brisbane was a bit slower and Perth even slower. But all were much slower than London where you have to accomplish so much in so little time and that's just normal living.

Anyway, hope this is helpful to some. Am sure some of you will disagree with what I've said and some night not but don't base your decisions on what I think. I am interested in what's right for my family as you all would be for yours so Perth is my place of choice.

Happy to answer questions if I know the answer.

Cheers

RAG62

Thanks for your comments A & R. Most interesting for someone that has not been out there before.

We had contemplated Perth but thought it "too remote". We now fancy Brisbane - did you find the Brisbane heat too much?

Richard

markeh

Blimey angela & rob,
what a adventure!

I do agree with your comments about trafic.
When I went last year, Brisbane city Centre trafic was more like trafic on a weekend in the UK, a Sunday at that, than a week day!

Bye
Mark

angela&rob

Brisbane heat was humid when we were there. I think its classed as tropical (and gets more tropical the more north you go) so their summer is also their wet season so it absolutely pelted down and the heat soon had the water evaporating which makes things very humid. We did get used to it after a while but Rob is a carpenter so rarely has the luxury of air conditioned offices so heat was definately a consideration.

We did prefer Perth and the only thing I can liken it to in the UK is somewhere like Devon, stuck on the end of the country but very idyllic and never get the feeling its going to be the next big city like Manchester, Leeds, London etc.

You should definately visit before you emigrate as we were umming and ahhing about whether just to go but you can't imagine what its like until you go and feel the heat, meet the people, get an idea of the size of Australia unless you go I think.

Cheers

brisnick

brisbane is sub-tropical, and it's only jan/feb when the weather is really hot. also, i don't know what you mean about flies. in the whol 3 years i've been here i can't remember ever being bothered by a fly. melbourne was a different thing. at new eyar i had a swarm following me everywhere (you were lucky with just one).

can't comment of perth, never been there. i'd always be worried about it's isolation. it's so easy to get up and down the east coast.

Stormz

I think that fly was supposed to meet you in Perth, but missed you and headed for Melbourne to catch up with you there. Definitely flies in Perth as well

If I had a choice between the three you`ve short-listed, I`d go for Melbourne... alot closer to the `happening` Australia imho, and a better climate.

Brizbound

If I had a choice between the three you`ve short-listed, I`d go for Melbourne... alot closer to the `happening` Australia imho, and a better climate.[/QUOTE]

Never heard anyone saying Melbourne has a better climate than say Perth or Brisbane. More "happening" maybe.

Pollyana

Depends on the meaning of "better" I guess - I'd prefer the Melbourne climate over the Brisbane one anyday.

Brizbound

Fair enough. I've only heard 1 person say blah blah ....!

Foeke Booy

Been a Melbournian I'll choose between Perth and Brisbane.

Perth by a long long long way. If Mellbourne ever blows up, I'll be on the first plane over to the west. Brisbane/SC/GC is by far the most overrated area of Australia in my not so sought after opinion.

Perth have better beaches, better weather and more importantly, better women.

webgum

LOL l've spilt tea into the keyboard - you could have warned me I'd be laughing!
Great post, glad we've chosen Perth as well. Having visited the three you describe, plus Sydney, I'm hopeful we've made the right decision. We know many people in Sydney, having both lived there, but decided it is too big and too expensive for us as a family (we lived there as carefree singles before).

Good luck, and please warn if you are going to cause accidents in future.

worzel

Excellent original post. We did a long loop of of the West half including all the major cities except Perth 2 years ago. We are still trying to decide where we want to go but we are leaning towards Perth (low housing costs but better job prospects than Adelaide / Brisbane) but are a bit worried that is only because we have a rose-tinted view of it from tv and the internet. It is good to hear good reports of Perth and I feel more confident now that when we do our recce visit we will head to Perth on the basis that is the only place to check out. We always have a plan B of getting internal flights elsewhere if our first few days don't match up to expectations.

angela&rob

Great response to the fly debate. ALthough may have it sussed. I washed in Perth so didn't attract any flies, washed sometimes in Brisbane so attracted some flies. In Melbourne I had some perfume on (obviously because I had given up washing) so the fly was dazed and flying around very slowly but mesmerized by my smell.

Rob was reading a book in Melbourne and got so fed up with the flies wanting to see what he was reading that he started to slap himself in the face with the book (I married him for his looks). It was lucky I rescued him when I did otherwise he would have looked like a hot cross bun with raisin like flies embedded into his forehead.

And the other thing I discovered was that there is some funny stuff in eucalyptus leaves which the koalas eat which basically means that they're not asleep fo 19 hours each day - they're stoned!

angela&rob

forgot to add to my theory on flies, brisnick if you had a swarm round you in Melbourne then you must have been wearing Lynx and the flies were female. Probably not quite the Lynx effect you were hoping for but definately a reasonable explanation.

Am assuming you are male if you're not then substitute Lynx for Impulse. If you can't decide then I'm going to step away from the conversation...

Bordy

Our flies just get a bit nosey with new people, once youve been here a year or two they get bored with you & leave you alone.