suzanne7575

basicallt i have been offered nursing jobs in both these cities and I'm having a hsrd time choosing which on to go for

both jobs are the same and have similar packages although I might be able to get PR visa from the start for WA but most likley 457 with Pr after 3 months.

we have spent a lot of time researching the areas and the schools and the house prices/rental prices, temperatures, things to do etc. My hubby's line of work is currently retail management, but he also has experience in business development management and his degree is in environmental resource management (basically a mix of geography, geology, environmentla issues etc). I'm beginning to think Perth will offer more i the way of work for him being a bigger city.

One thing my husband has commented on is that looking at street views on google, Cairns looks quite old and almost a bit third worldy (obvioulsy i know it's not but he kind of likened it to places in the carribean in the look of the buildings etc.) but on the other hand Perth looks very new and clean and modern with lots of new houses etc. which is what my husband likes. I also think the climate might suit better in Perth

any opinions please as i need to decide which job i'm going to take

29palms

Amazingly two completly different cities:

Perth: - Obviously a much bigger city with sprawling suburbs, Very good beaches, CBD pretty quiet and boring! Hot dry climate, plenty of sunny days, Its also isolated from the rest of australia and quite expensive to get to the other major areas copmpared to living on the east coast. There will be more job oppurtunities in Perth, To me I am not sure I could live there personally, as there is nothing much happening compared to where I live now!.

Cairns - Now you are in the humid tropics. Cairns is very small compared to the capital cities and is noticibly a lot more of a tourists which is very noticable, especially backpackers and access to the Great Barrier Reef. Warm to hot all year round with very humid weather for a big part of that and you will have to contend with the rainy season for around 3-4 months, where I believe the pace comes to a virtual standstill due to high temps and humidity. Cairns is not really that old a place and there are not going to be as many work oppurtunities as Perth no doubt. But around Cairns is beautiful the coastline up and down is sensational with fantastic beaches and communities! One other thing you have to contend with which I find tourture, is not been able to swim in the see when the stinger season comes!

But all comes down to what type of lifestyle you enjoy and I would personally try and visit both places if you can and get a feel for them!

Personally I reckon If i had the choice I would choose Cairns over Perth!

wanderingwombat

Cairns is smaller than Perth, the population is only 135,000. The smaller pop means less traffic and it's easier to get around.

Yes parts of Cairns are old because they havent been demolished to build shiny new highrise office towers. It's called character.

There are tourists, both the organised tour type and backpacker. The tourists in Cairns add to the daily variety and dont interfer with or inconvenience the daily life of residents. I've had to stop walking around the CBD at luchtime due to eye strain from studying all the eyecandy.

Cairns Base Hospital is on The Esplanade which overlooks the Coral Sea (Google Street view it) .

Yes, the wet season is wet and hot. Most houses are air conded, as are cars and indoor work places. You dont acclimatise to summer, you just adjust the lifestyle to suit.

Winters are really tough. Shorts and sleeve shirts are the usual wear. Fleeces, jumpers, etc are almost unheard of. The chain stores display them but sell much as they are not needed.

Have a search of the forum on Cairns. There are a number of nurses in Cairns on here who could help you.

WW

Grayling

Unless there are floods of course

wanderingwombat

You've got that confused with Brownsville's recent minor flooding. Brown when it doesnt rain the brown when it floods. Why would anyone want the live in Townsville?

I have to be in Townsville on a regular basis and enjoy the drive back to Cairns. The flat canefields are a contrast to the dramatic green rainforest mountain range behind.

WW

Grayling

I once climbed out of my car in Townsville whilst on the way to Cairns../....it was like stepping into a furnace

I went into a mall and it reminded me of that pub in the original 'Star Wars' movie....I got back in my car without looking round and have never been back since.

G

suzanne7575

thanks everyone so far

my heart is saying Cairns, I am not a big city person and just everything i read about Cairns seems to fit the lifestlye my family like. The older buildings don't bother me but my husband unfortunatly likes all things new and clean and i think thats why Perth appeals to him

Honestly when we move over i will be the one working and hubby will really just have to find something to occupy him and to bring in a bit extra cash and i think he would be happy doing pretty much anything.

although i like the look of Perth and yes i do like modern buildings and new houses too but there is something that bothers me about it, and i think that is the amount of peopl who do not like it, the worry about getting good schools, the crime.

Think i will work on hubby and think about going to Cairns

wanderingwombat

PM the Cairns Godfather Bix to get it all sorted

WW

moneypenny20

There are new suburbs in and around Cairns, so don't assume it's old and 'caribbean' like. The buildings tend to built for the climate so Queenslanders etc etc are ideal for catching breezes - they're not necessarily old though.

emelems

wannabauzzienurse

I've never been to Perth so can't really comment although from what I've seen it always looks a bit 'sterile'...too shiny and new and rather remote.

Cairns has some lovely old buildings although they are becoming fewer by the day, maybe the powers that be will hopefully understand the value of 'heritage' before all of them are gone

Can't really say which you should choose we are all different and appreciate different things but can say the base hospital is a nice place to work and people very friendly and welcoming, plenty of new houses and buildings around if queenslanders aren't your cup of tea and lots to see and do. No water restrictions is also a bonus, international airport gives easy access to the rest of australia and beyond....

wardy2

Hi suzanne

This is the same problem we had, it became a joke in the end. It was one day Perth other day cairns my heart was with cairns and that has won, we arrive 8th january.

We were in Perth in May and for me its just to big. I live in Newcastle in the UK and I am looking to get away from the sprawling city life and tailbacks, we loved and enjoyed our stay in perth and met some fantastic lovely people, but its cairns for us.

People acclimatise to the humidity in a realtively short space of time and if you cant swim in the sea because of stingers then they go to the swimming holes or the lagoon, theres always an answer to problems lol.

I would have thought for your hubby and his qualifications in enviromental issues and geography, cairns would be a good option.

As for you as a nurse as someone else said there are quite a few nurses who are at the cairns base hospital on here who could help you.

good luck

kaye

Bix

Mmmmmmm..........difficult choice.........Paradise or Perth.
Well, they both begin with P.

I am like Manuel "I know nothing"...about Perth that is.
I do know a little about Cairns and thats all I need.

To suggest the housing stock is old is to suggest more research is needed. New houses are available by the bucket load.

The majority of the older houses are in the inner city burbs actually surrounding the city. You probably wouldn't want to live there anyway as they are "undesirable".

suzanne7575

thanks guys again

I know that there are lots and lots of new suburbs and lots of new houses, a simple look on any of the real estate sites shows that, and they certainly seem to be on bigger lots than Perth's equivalents it was the CBD area that seemed to be a bit old looking but i'm sure it's not really

wannabauzzienurse

The CBD is definately not the best feature of Cairns, it's a mish mash of different architecture and in need of a face lift in my opinion.