RachP

Hi all,

I haven't really posted on here before so please bear with me. I am just looking for some advice on what people think of Secret Harbour? I have read enough posts/threads on here to know I can count on you all to be completely honest
Basically, husband and I have been in Oz for 1 year, lived in Hamilton Hill the whole time. Haven't really enjoyed it here as have found it difficult to make friends (I dont have a job). We are both from a small town in Scotland and both feel we would prefer to live in area that had a small town feel i.e bit more of community spirit-get to know your neighbours type thing. Also fairly recently found out Im pregnant (yay!) so we would like to live somewhere with a nice family vibe.
To cut this long (probably very boring) story short, I am just wondering if anyone who lives in or near Secret Harbour could tell me if they think it fits the bill? Is there an active friendly community there? Do they have mother and baby clubs etc?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers, Rach

deb68

Congrats on the pup, thats the key you needed to get out and meet others, kids are great talking points. As for secret harbour, anywhere - you just need to get out and about and mingle with the locals a bit more

RachP

Thanks! Yeah thats what Im hoping too-Im a bit shy so thinking that maybe the prenatal classes and then baby groups will help to get me out and mingling!

eddie007

You might find SH a bit new and comuterish.... There are more established
PlAces like shocko, warnbro, evevn PK, I've got mates in SH (no, not JUST you DAVO)..... Who have kids and find it a bit quiet during the day .... But their kids are scool age... Might be more for pre schoolers...

RachP

Thanks for the feedback. Hopefully I will have my hands full for the next couple of years with the baby to keep me busy through the day! I can see your point about it being a commuter town though so will definitely keep that in mind. Thanks again

eddie007

My 21 year old is just pregnant.... But she had an active social life before .... Its just a bit different for her now...

RachP

To be honest our social life has changed a lot anyway since we have moved to Oz. Not in a bad way just we dont really tend to go out to pubs/clubs anymore. Instead we go out for dinner or round to friends house's. I guess that will still change with the arrival of a baby but it might not be as big as an adjustment as your daughter will have. I remember my social life at 21-I was never in! Still it will be worth it in the end for me (and your daughter!) Congrats on becoming a granny Is this your first grandchild?

Japonica

Congrats Eddie. Please don't tell me you're the same age as I am though or else you'll make me feel over the hill.

Rach: We're in Baldivis but have met three families from Secret Harbour and they all love it there. I find our area fairly family friendly, but then I'm biased. The key is, with pre-school aged kids, to go to playgroups or other mom and tot type activities: mom and bub swimming lessons, toddler gym, that type of thing. Local recreation centres run these types of classes. Playgroup WA should have playgroup listings for any area.

Good luck! If you move down to this area, send me a PM and we could meet for coffee. I'd suggest a playdate but by the time your LO arrives, my youngest will be off to school--he starts Kindy next Feb.

RachP

Thanks Japonica thats the type of activities Im gonna look for. Baby's not due till march so Im still very early (1st time so Im a bit over excited!) but at least this way I will have plenty of time to figure out the area and any groups they have there. Would love to meet up if/when we get down there, will definitely let you know. Thanks for the help

HelenTD

RachP - you can meet other mums or mums-to-be while you're pregnant. This might be during exercise classes that are run for pregnant women, either at the maternity hospital or private ones, or at a local pool. There are also parenting classes at the hospital. Have a look at local noticeboards at shopping centres or similar, or put up your own notice. One women at the exercise class I went to at the local hospital turned up one week with a note for everyone, asking who wanted to set up a mums' group - 5 of us ended up in this group and we took turns meeting at each other's house. There are various other websites to try, such as www.bubhub.com.au or www.essentialbaby.com.au, and Gumtree might also be worth a look. Good luck over the next few months.

RachP

Thanks HelenTD, Im really hoping to meet some other mums-to-be. Since I dont have any family here (other than husband) it would be nice to meet people in the same boat as me! I go to the gym fairly regularly just now but must admit Im a bit worried that the exercise Im doing isn't really suitable while pregnant (mostly its weights and high level aerobic classes) so I do want to find some classes designed for prego's I was sort of relying on prenatal classes at the hospital to meet people, I never thought to check notice boards etc so will have a look and see what I can find! Really appreciate the help

HelenTD

Rach, you do need to be careful exercising when pregnant, especially the aerobic stuff - have you been checked out by a GP and/or seen a physio?

Here's a couple of organisations you might find useful:
Community Midwives Fremantle http://www.cmwa.net.au/ - they have workshops and usually you can just drop in and find out what they can offer.
Fremantle Womens Health Centre Inc (A Service For All Women)
Address: 114 South Street Fremantle 6160
Contact:, 08 9431 0500
A not-for-profit, community health centre for women of all ages and cultural backgrounds that provides low cost services delivered by women staff.

RachP

Yeah been to the docs, she said Im ok as long as I don't over do it. Just feels strange not going for it properly in classes-makes me feel weak! Thats why I think I would like to try some exercises that are designed with pregnancy in mind. Think Il probably start swimming too, if I can bear the thought of being seen in a swimming costume! That website is great, lots of info and looks like they organise events/meetings too so will be able to go along.
Thanks again for the help, Im a bit rubbish with knowing where to look for these things so the websites you have suggested are really useful and will keep me busy Im sure!

HelenTD

You will need to adapt to doing different types of exercise, that's all. There are special Pilates, yoga and aqua classes for pregnancy, plus swimming and walking are always great to do. I can remember wearing a heart monitor (one of those Polar devices) and had to make sure that my heart rate wasn't getting too high (this was much later in pregnancy than where you are now), even though I felt that I could walk faster. You might get more specialised information from someone else other than a GP, especially if they haven't got obstetric qualifications. Don't know where you will be having the baby, but I found this link via Fremantle Hospital to Kaleeya Hospital, it has some sessions conducted by a physio, eg there's one next week http://www.fhhs.health.wa.gov.au/Uti...yIDValue=17622.

RachP

That looks great, lots of information workshops which is exactly what I will need! Thats the hospital I was hoping to use but if we end up moving down to Secret Harbour Im not sure if I would need to use a different hospital? Maybe one thats a bit closer?Will be asking my doctor at my next appointment. Cheers for the links though-they are brilliant