I agree that Oz driving standars are overall.... not that good, however compared to driving in the UK, it is still a lot easier in Oz. Simply because there is less traffic and less small carparks. The Australian idea of "heavy traffic" really isn't heavy. Especially if you are comparing to the north of Scotland - have dual carriageways actually been invented north of Glasgow-Edinburgh?

The price of cars in Oz is quite annoying though.

If you read the link you will see its a joke. No need to take it seriously. The web site makes fun of all the OZ cities.

" The Australian idea of "heavy traffic" really isn't heavy"

that's what i used to think while sitting on the mitchell freeway every morning

Yes and no. The VW Jetta I have just bought cost virtually the same as it does in the UK - and the Aussie model has a better spec.

2nd hand cars cost more but then you can sell them for more - swings and roundabouts.

Older cars are much more expensive here.

Sorry to hear that LL. Best of luck when you get back to UK.

might be a typo here, or maybe I just don't get what you're saying... Would appreciate it if you could rephrase. Do you mean policing is poor? or over the top?

I'm with you on this. This time next week we'll be on our first full day of being bored

Everyone is welcome to their own opinion but just because one person doesn't like something doesn't mean it's wrong for someone else. We've spent the last few weeks staying with relatives around the UK & I certainly couldn't live where mother-in-law does but she's happy & it suits her so who am I to judge.

Alison x

Bit of both. Tasers shouldn't be compliance tools. They can man up mob handed at any event that will be seen on the media, but you try and get them interested in a house burglary or minor assault.
My wife's friend is an officer in a NOR police station, they won't respond to a call unless it has reached the lights and sirens on stage regardless of whether they have other calls, they did attend one incident where she was instructed by a senior officer to taser a young male and to claim she felt threatened. The police outnumbered the suspects 2 to 1 with the other 3 officers being male.
My opinion...the police here don't deserve any respect or have any credibility.

Apologies for hijacking this thread.

This may or may not be true, however OTT policing can be a worldwide phenomenon and police failing to adequately follow "minor" crimes like break-and-enter can also be a worldwide phenomenon.

Recently a college student heckler has been tasered in a US college, a man walking his dog during a street protest has been hit over the head by police and died in the UK and a mentally unstable guy armed only with a knife has been shot dead while surrounded by police in Sydney, with the police well out of striking range of the knife. Meanwhile you can still find plenty of car theft, house theft and general petty crime even in the UK.

If you leave Perth because of what you feel is inadequate or OTT policing, you may find yourself complaining just as much at your next destination.

I'm not. I'm leaving for a variety of reasons, this just happens to be one of them.

My Jetta will be going on the open market next week - for considerably more than it would be worth second hand in the UK. I've lost far less equity - thats not annoying!

Wow, the guy was armed ONLY with a knife, maybe they should have just asked him nicely to put it down??????? What would you have done? no doubt you have found yourself in that situation many times previously and could give valuable advice

Best of luck , I hope your move is all you imagine it will be .
Perth - Scotland after all that time will be one big culture shock/adjustment .

I used to think that too, until I arrived that it is. The M3 in Brisbane is heavy all the time, not M25 ringroad standstill but not much different to the M6 only the UK motorsways are better maintained(quote from Aussie trucker mag as well as personal observation)

Sorry of topic, Ah yes Perth, well the new trains look nice.

Good stuff. I sold my Golf earlier on this year for about 25% more than the UK market price - and they cost roughly the same new.

LIke I said, swings and roundabouts.