roganu

Hi, just thought I'd pass on my thoughts after having lived in Perth for a few months, apologies if I ramble:

Its a brilliant place to have a dog, nice long beaches and dog beaches with heaps of people taking them for walks.

Its very easy for a nurse to get a job here at the moment, all the hospitals are short... lots of casual stuff through agencies is possible to, tends to pay higher but might not be good if you need permanent stuff for a visa.

If you're gay it might not be the best place. Its isolated and I find living in WA society a bit like living in the 80's. Sure the economy is booming, house prices have eclipsed Sydney prices and there are a lot of migrants here, but unless you're married with kids and willing to hang out in the suburbs, you will probably feel out of place. People here are quite cliquey also, that is mostly the locals born and bred here.

Sydney, is a much larger, more vibrant city but for me I feel it is a nicer place to visit than live in.

I recently went to Melbourne for the first time and instantly liked it. I was surprised but found the people friendlier than in Perth (thought the opposite would hold being a larger city). It was also nice to have high streets again rather than suburban shopping strip malls being the only viable place to go.

Adelaide/Brisbane from what I've heard are similar to Perth.

So really I guess it depends if you prefer larger or smaller cities, but if you like the big city, and you would rather find a place that more multi-cultural, more open-minded with more of a bohemian feeling then choose Melbourne, thats why I'm moving there soon

feefeefairy

Melbourne sounds more my cup of tea from what im hearing..Thanks for the advice! everyone here is so nice and helpful
Fee xx

feefeefairy

P.s Good luck with the move

roganu

Thanks! I'm a bit nervous about it actually, more so than when I first moved to Australia but I think it will pay off long term

feefeefairy

Wow i didnt think anything could be more nerveracking than the original move! im bricking it and ive only just started!!!, how long have u been in aus?
Fee xx

roganu

Did the move about a year ago. I chose Perth because I had some family here and had visited and really liked the place.

Unfortunately I haven't quite settled here, some people absolutely love the place, my family do and can't understand why I would want to move to Melbourne but I think its just the small town vs city lifestyle preference thing. I will miss the 10 min walk to the beach but to be honest most days I went there it was too hot to walk on the sand and very very windy! Plus I had issues with the local jellyfish

crocodileseamus

Hi,

Having never been to Oz before the Mrs and I hope to immigrate to Victoria, our main reason is we want seasons. It is all fair and well saying oh the heat would be great, but if you have lived most of your life with a bit of wet and a bit of cold, I reckon you may miss it.

I wouldn't worry about where to move on account of you being gay, cos life as we all know it has prejudice no matter where you go. I feel prejudice as a parent if my children are noisy in a restaurant!

There are good hearted people everywhere who will accept you for you not matter what. On the otherhand you may move next door to a dog hater, imagine that!!!!!

The luck of the Irish to you,

Crocodileseamus

feefeefairy

LOL croc, very true, it is more likely that my boys will create more predjudice than me! Thanks for the irish luck, am hoping that my irish heritage will continue to provide me with good luck in this life
When r u planning to go?
I have been looking at the return to the uk forum to try and get a balance to my excitement, trying to keep it real lol!
Fee xx

Bertrum

Gday All,

Ive toured Australia twice in the last 2 years, firstly during a year trip around the world and more recently watching the Ashes so have formed my opinon by visiting and spending time in the major cities.

Im now living in Sydney and really would not consider living anywhere else, but before anyone gets on my back, everyone has their opinons and this is just mine.

Now everyone always mentions Sydney is expensive but me and my partner eat out every fri in the eastern suburbs and our bills average around $60. From what i remember you cannot eat out in the UK for £25 when eating a 2 course meal plus drinking a bottle of wine!?!! We regulary go out to the pubs/bars in Sydney and we never spend as much as we would have in the Uk.

We rent a 2 bed unit in Randwick for $360 and want for nothing. We are a 10 min walk to the beach, a 20 min bus ride into a beautiful city and for the last 6 months have spent our wkds exploring. Food and drink is generally cheaper than the Uk as is petrol although the price goes up and down like a yo yo. Ive noticed they increase the price on the wkds, sometimes by up to 10c per litre.

We were in melbourne over Xmas and its was the coldest Xmas eve on record. I love melbourne but the lack of city beach comparable to Sydney puts me off as does the variable weather, the sea would be pretty cold to!!! Although i think they have the best transport network. Brisbane would probably be to hot for me, is not coastal and is alot quieter than Sydney so would perhaps suit families more? Property is certainly a lot cheaper there, a 'Queenslander' home in a nice suburb 20 mins from the CBD would be around $400k.Although if you wanted a coastal lifestyle the gold coast and sunshine coast do offer the chance to live near the sea and still work in brissie. Perth is to isolated for me and a little quiet, once you have explored the CBD and smaller suburbs you have to get on a plane to go anywhere else. Although i do appreciate wherever you are the distances to get anywhere can be huge! However, I know 2 families who moved there in 2003 and are very happy.

Adelaide seemed a lot quiter and a little old fashioned although alot cheaper in terms of real estate. However, in the papers of late they are reporting that this may change due to $millions if not billions being poured into the state in the mining industry.

But for my circumstances, Sydney is the only choice. Great suburbs, probably the best climate in Oz (Not to warm, not to cold although its a little fresh currently), nice sea temp, plenty of gorgeous beaches, good night life, and areas to explore north and south of the city. The only negative are the house prices in the inner city and eastern/northern suburbs close to the water, but you can still buy a 3 bed house for around $500 - 600k and live in a good area not far from the beach. But like anywhere there are rougher places to live if you venture west, so its justa case of exploring the city/country and finding whats best for you.

These are my opinons, dont wish to upset anyone moving/living elsewhere, whats right for me is not right for everyone.

Good luck.

Rob

birdynumnum

Melbournes the most diverse, varied, cultured, interesting, accepting city in Oz by far - IMHO.

Pippilongstocking

Melbourne (my town) is a great place to live. It is very european with great cafes and restaurants, fabulous museums and galleries (for rainy days if you like that sort of thing), good public transport, lots of parks and beaches for walking (although you do have to go out of town for surf and I must admit Sydneys innercity beaches are much better than here) and a good multicultural mix.
I used to live in Albert Park which is pricey but a great suburb close to the beach and parks for the dogs. It has a large gay population but is quietly gay friendly if you know what I mean. There are lots of bohemian suburbs here which are very tollerant of all lifestyles but you will struggle to get a big garden there if thats one of the things you want.
I do love to visit Sydney but don't think I could live there. It's a lot busier than Melbourne. But if you are moving for the weather then you might want to try further north, its cold, wet and windy here today very like a yorkshire winters day.

birdynumnum

Good choice Victoria Croc......
Re: not worrying where in Oz if you're gay, I think it could make a huge difference.
Out of the ciites, apart from a few places, theres definately less open mindedness regarding alot of things. Yes good hearts are evrywhere, I agree totally, BUT theres definately alot of more racism, homphobia, sexism etc out of the cities here.
Best o luck with moving to Vic
x

feefeefairy

Thanksall,y appreciate the advice
Fee xx

Geelong Gent

Melbourne for you then Fee

Dog loving community

Open minded community

feefeefairy

that way GG
Thanks
Fee xx