Allymac29

Any advice about Perth- weather, Houses(rental), Education, youth Football for my boy.
Is there a psychiatric/forensic Hospital there?

Dorothy

Weather - ****ing hot or cold and rainy depending on the season. We're currently in too hot to do anything season. We're also in the middle of bushfire season. Right now, about 100 km south of the city centre there is a massive bushfire which has destroyed 3 towns already and is threatening many more homes and lives. Last year there was one about 7 km due east of my house. With the smoke people are advised to not run their evaporative air conditioning (what I had in the rental house) which means either windows open and choke on the smoke or windows shut / air con off and suffer with stifling 35° heat inside.
Houses - That's a bit like saying "tell me about houses in Wales. You realise that Perth stretches from Mandurah in the south to Yanchep in the north - a distance of about 100 km - and inland about 20 km. Where in Perth are you looking? Beachside, inner city, inner suburbs, outer suburbs, river?
Education - Kids start school here at age 5 and go to year 12. Usually when they're 17. There have been literally hundreds of threads over the years on education in WA, so a quick search of the forum will find what you're looking for.
Youth football - Yes, kids here play soccer.
Psychiatric hospital - Yes, there is a psychiatric hospital. However be aware that, as per your other thread, WA Health is cutting hundreds of jobs including nurses. From what I understand the psych hospital is slated to be closed down as well and those patients will be moved to community hospitals or into the community. The hundreds of nurses at Graylands are going to be out looking for work, so you'd be competing with them for jobs.

Alfresco

Enjoy the flies and good luck with your move.

verystormy

Weather. Hot. Then wet - we get twice the rainfall of London.

When it's hot, it is vile. Brits think it would be lovely to live in a hot country. It's not.

Winter is nice. Early spring is nice.

Houses. Although prices are falling, that is because the economy has gone to the dogs. But still expensive.

Football. Limited. It's not a popular sport here.

Bermudashorts

Are you sure about the isolation of Perth? Obviously loads of people are perfectly happy there, but I never fancied it because it felt cut off and a long way from anywhere else. I preferred the East Coast as so many places to visit just an hour or two away (by plane) amd even lots to drive to as well. Very few places to get to an hour or two from Perth.

In my last year in Australia I visited WA a couple of times on holiday and did a fair bit of driving around. North to Ningaloo on one trip and South and round the coast to Esperance on another. I decided that I would like to live (retire maybe) in WA as it was so uncrowded (even Perth) compared to the east coast. However I don't think my OH will ever allow it because of the flies. Outside Perth the flies are just horrendous, after two minutes outside the back of your shirt is covered in them, we had to run between buildings and car. I am not sure if it is something I would get used to.

verystormy

Some thoughts on things you need to consider.

As mentioned, we get flies. Not all the time, but several waves a year. But when they come in, it can be intolerable. Nothing like what you get in the UK - far far worse. In your ears, up your nose in your mouth. All at the same time.

We also get waves of mosquitos. They can carry dengue fever. It won't kill, but will make you pretty ill and can last year's.

People assume we spend our days at the beach. The reality is Australians work the longest hours in the developed world.

People assume we love the heat. Try sitting outside on a 40+ degree day. You will last 10 minutes.

The isolation is something to seriously think about. We are the most isolated major city in the world. This isn't like the UK where you can pop to another city for a day out. The nearest city is a 4 hour flight away. Also, kiss goodbye to all those cheap weekends away in Europe and things. Flights here are expensive - I have been charged $1000 for a 1 hour flight to Kalgoorlie (Quantas are tw@ts).

People think it will be good for their kids. I always ask the question why? We have all the same issues as any other developed world place. Though drug use / addiction is worse and crime is increasing fast. 17% increase last year.

Do some careful research before you spend 50k on a move. (Yes, you are looking at that amount by the time you factor visas, flights, removals, setting up, all the while over a third who do it - and rising - go back).

Dorothy

After 9 1/2 years for me and 30 years here for my partner I'm one of those who's making plans to go home. Australia has been good to me - and to him, but it's time. We can no longer tolerate the extreme heat, the flies, the high cost of everything and the constant threat of one or both of us losing our jobs. I work in the public service and he used to work away in the mines but lost that gig and now works here in Perth for an outfit that's trying to downsize.

Allymac29

Reading some of people's comments they seem very negative and makes me feel that you had bad experiences in Oz. Since I have been looking into emigrating I have been offered 2 jobs one in Brisbane and one in New south Wales both within the Eating Disorders services both private and both with a salary between 83000-98000 dollars. I had a chat with them and was advised that my Degree was transferable and see no reason why our we would not pass the skills assessment. Any view on both places I have been reading about these online but it's seems more honest within this site

Bermudashorts

You know I thought it might come across that way and have just said so on your other thread. But no bad experiences for me, well not majorly anyway, overall I have positive memories, but there are negatives about anywhere. Sometimes people think the is nothing negative about Australia and that the weather is the bees knees and people just want to help set realistic expectations.

Regarding NSW and Brisbane, well where in NSW? You could drive for 15 hours in a straight line and not leave NSW.

I lived in Sydney but worked in Brisbane for an average of one week every month so know that quite well too. I would choose to live in Brisbane ahead of Sydney, not because i think it is a nicer city (I think Sydney is nicer) but Brisbane is just more affordable. After five years we were still renting in Sydney and we were on what most people would consider very high salaries, but housing is insane there. That is why you need to clarify what you mean by NSW.

Allymac29

Noosa not far from sunset beach

Tr1boy

I'm not sure which question you are answering, but Noosa is in Qld, 3hrs(?) north of Brisbane.

Pollyana

Some of us have been disillusioned with the place from day one, though we do try and give realistic rather than negative responses.
But one thing I've noticed in the last couple of years is that a large number of posters who have had really good experiences here are now looking at going back. They all cite the same basic reasons, work drying up, conditions at work not as good as the Uk, everything is rising in price at a horrific rate, etc - I won't go on, you can read them in the individual posts.
Some of those people are posters who always looked like they'd be here for life, long-term residents like Dorothy who posted above. Australia has changed and its no longer the country most of us moved to, or the one pictured on TV and talked about in the UK. If you want to see how its changed, go back through the BE posts from 5-6-7 years ago and you'll see a different world!

If you can take all that on board and realise that people here are just trying to ensure you come with eyes open, good for you and I hope you have good experiences here

BadgeIsBack

Polly, I think we have to be careful when we talk about 'the place'. For example, we have to also realise that the OP is talking about Perth and that location has always divided opinion even before the last major boom peaked in Perth in the mid 000s. SE Qld has also divided opinion, and has some of the same issues. The mining boom started to wind down a few years back, I was lucky to get a piece of the action - from Melbourne at the tail end of it. Melbourne and Sydney seem to divide opinion a lot less - for good reason. Australia is an expensive place live - essentially it started to catch up with the UK around the turn of the century, so no longer a cheap destination, for expats, and FX rates hurted migrant's dreams. What has been the biggest issue perhaps is no sign of cheap house prices anywhere. There is still a future in Australia but for people with very niche demands which can be fulfilled and for many that is for people well established or are pursuing very well paid careers and opportunities who knew exactly what they are doing. Like Mike Smith, CEO of ANZ...!!!

Beoz

Welcome to the Negative British Expats website. I think Perth is nice on many levels but a bit quiet. Still haven't found anything worth living in Brisbane for except a rock climbing wall and mountain bike trail near the city. Sydney is the best city by far but some people seem to think its costly if purchasing a house is your thing. Just rent and you will have a ball

Bermudashorts

That wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement either.

No seriously, I think some, including me, have been a little bit too gloomy with this poster and I have tried to rebalance that a touch. But I still think all the comments were realistic ones.