kips

Need help to decide if we should stay near Coffs Harbour or move to WA after hubby offered job yesterday- out of the blue - in Perth and employer wants him to start asap. Me,OH and our 8-year-old son would be moving. We emigrated to Oz 8 years ago and have only ever lived in NSW so WA is an unknown quantity for me, especially as I have never been to Perth. Worried about cost of living after looking at house prices. Couldn't afford to live close to Perth city. What suburbs would people recommend with good schools within easy reach of Perth ? We currently live in a quiet coastal village 35km north of Coffs Harbour, less than a 10-minute walk from the beach in a house we had built 2 years ago on a 770sq mtr block - all for less than $450,000. Doubt could do that in Perth. The coastline here is stunning and it's very green and lush. Job offer is tempting as struggling financially since OH left his job last May to set up own media and PR business and my job is only part time and non-ongoing. Australia has become a lot more expensive than when we moved here in 2003. Living off savings at present and they are dwindling fast. Not sure if we should stay put and hope work picks up for OH or go to Perth ? Also decision is made tougher as our son has lots of friends and is very happy at the small village school.

Vegemite Kids

Hi Kips,

I'm a Grafton girl currently living in Perth so can understand your dilemma.

If you're 35Kms north of Coffs that must put you near Corindi Beach, Yes? Its a super area around there. I love that beach.

Perth is very very different from the Grafton / Coffs area and it does take some adjustment but for me personally it fits exactly what I need right now work-wise and family-wise. There's absolutely no jobs for my skills around the Grafton area, so I have no choice but to live elsewhere. Would love to move back across one day though.

What about moving over here for a few years, taking advantage of the higher wages in Perth, save like crazy to build the savings back up and then head back to Coffs in time for your son to start highschool over there? would that be an option?

It is possible to live cheaply in Perth despite what a lot of people on this board say, but to do so you do have to sacrifice certain 'desirables' and luxuries.

Location wise what would be harder for your family to give up - the green lush forests or the fabby beaches?

VK

sharonm5

Hi Kips,

I am in the process of moving from Syd to Perth, exactly the same thing, but its a little promotion for me in my company.

I actually fell in love with perth as I landed. I have found a lovely rental in a place called Mindarie - I am over city living and as I will be working away from home a tad I want a quiet(er) life style and Mindarie is North of the city, right near the last stop on the train line!

I have offered a chap in Syd a jon in Perth too, but what I advised him is to do a few months of FIFO before he moves his family across...

If you need any help or need me to do anything let me know... I was meant to be all packed up and moved today but I delayed it to next week, so its flying back to Perth and back on Thurs to Syd to pack up home... pick keys up for new rental this week... but it takes 2 weeks for the train with all my goodies to arrive!

Might just get a blow up mattress, a bar fridge/wine back up fridge so I can be in my new home and at least have my fur babies with me!

Better get packing...aaargh!

SM

kips

Clever woman. Yes live in Corindi Beach. The beach is the reason we moved here. It is gorgeous. Go to Grafton for the Jacaranda Festival and for shopping when we get sick of Coffs and OH wants to stock up from Dan Murphy's.But like you say this area is not good for jobs, especially for hubby who is a journalist. I work for Medicare but on temporary contract so might be jobless in five months. Thanks for your great response by the way

Dorothy

Why not give it a go for a couple of years? You could keep your house where you are and rent it out while renting something here. That way if you decide you're not happy you'll have your home back in NSW to go back to.

As for building on a 770 block for less than $450 it can be done. We did it less than 2 years ago. We're a 5 minute drive to the beach, train station is going to be 3 blocks from our house (building rail line now - expected to be running in 2013), great neighbours and less than 45 minutes to the CBD during rush hour on the train.

Perthine

Surely you can build a house for $450,000 35km out of Perth as well on a probably similar size of block if not bigger. The further out of a city you go the cheaper it gets. Also real estate prices in Perth are declining. Good luck with the move.

Vegemite Kids

LOL, love the jacaranda festival. I was a raindrop one year (I think I was 6 at the time) and a jacaranda petal another year (I was about 8 then if I remember rightly). Never did make it all the way up to Jacaranda queen LOL. Got bored of the whole thing - teenager - what can I say?

I'm currently trying to convince hubby we should go over for this years festival, so if you dont move to Perth and stay in Coffs I might see you there.

A friend of a friend is a journalist with The West Australian newspaper so if you need any info about journalism in WA let me know.

HelenTD

Hi kips

It looks like you have limited options there and it's not good that you have to use your savings for day-to-day living costs. Here in Perth, there are negatives, but there are positives too, just like anywhere, and the job situation is a lot better here. As others have said, why not give it a whirl for a couple of years?

Schools here are used to kids joining throughout the year, so your son would make friends, although he would be sad leaving his current friends behind. Renting out your house there lets him know that you might return one day.

Perth is certainly not green and lush (you'd have to go south for that), but there are lots of great beaches, parks and the river for all sorts of leisure activities. If you decide to rent here, it opens up the options for choice of suburbs. High schools are more of an issue than primary schools as to where you live, but you have a few years up your sleeve before you have to decide on that.

THR

Perth is an extremely isolated city even by Australian standards. Unless isolation is exactly what you are looking for I'd advice you to stay in NSW. You can easily find isolation there as well if that is how you are feeling but getting back to people will be shorter when that yearning for isolation is satisfied.

the troubadour

Indeed i would say the same. WA is very isolated, very expensive and parochial.

Perth is rather overrated for what it is. Unless a move is based soley on economic grounds and who knows how long the boom may continue,then i would have thought NSW a better option.

Perthine

At least we have the jobs to pay for it

JAJ

Are you telling us your OH used to have good employment in the area? Can't he find another job of the same nature without moving to WA?

Also, presumably you are both ok to abandon the business - is it not working out?

jimbo_d

Never felt isolated once, it's so close to Asia for a quick getaway, and about 4 hours closer to the UK if you need to fly back.

verystormy

We were in Sydney and my job was looking very shaky due to the GFC. As we are on sponsored visas - 457 i couldnt afford to just lose my job so had to find one asap. Perth being the centre for my industry it was inevitable.

We found property in Perth to be VERY expensive and our budget would have got us a pretty crap small appartment in the city, so started looking further afield.

The result was we found a place in an area called Dawesville which is a sleepy beach suburb south of Mandurah.

Mandurah has everything you need and is a popular sea side / holiday town with a very pretty foreshore.

Dawesville has some great beaches and is also reasonably close to Margaret River and Bunbury, but close enough to Perth to commute and the house costs are a fraction of what Perth are. We rent and pay about $300 a week for a large 3 bedroom house in a gated complex with pool, spa and opposite a great beach. The area is famous for golf, fishing and water sports and of course dolphins.

The area has a sprinkling of shops and things and the trip to Perth involves a short drive to the station where there is free parking and a 48 min train ride which costs about $13 a day.

jimbo_d

Property in Sydney is way more expensive than Perth though. You don't necessarily need to live out of the city to stick to a budget either, we rented a 3x1 with garden in Osborne Park 7km from city for $330 per week until we moved a couple of weeks ago. The whole cost issue of Perth gets blown out of proportion and things are available cheaply if you know where to go.