perfectpaula

We have lived in South Brisbane for 6 years, originally from Essex England. Looking to move to WA, South Perth. Any tips etc will be appreciated. x

chris955

I haven't lived in WA but currently live in SE Queensland, from a personal viewpoint I couldn't handle the isolation in WA. Some seem to like it. There are a few on here that will tell you that Perth is wonderful though

livvyg

oooh, im actually really interested in anyone's views regarding this too, I currently live in regional Queensland, im a stay at home with a 2 & nearly 4 year old and a husband who works away Sunday - Friday in the mining industry. To say I get bored and lonely is an understatement! I have struggled here from the start (we emigrated nearly 7 years ago), but have soldiered on. I have made a few friends but most of those have now moved on to new places, Hervey Bay seems like such a transient place.

My situation is probably a bit different in that I have a brother, sister their spouses and my nieces and nephews over there in the Port Kennedy area so I would have a great support network.

My fear is that my partner will hate it because the lifestyle seems so different and that I wont be able to continue with my uni course over there and also the cost of moving all our stuff is so expensive.

Has anyone made a similar move and regretted it/not regretted it?

perfectpaula

I love Queensland but we want the lifestyle we came to Australia to get, beach, water sports etc. Think we have more chance of getting that in WA than in QLD. We would love to live within walking distance of the beach.
We have no family here, just us so no ties to anywhere.

perfectpaula

Have you been to Port Kennedy and if so did you like it? This is one of the areas we are looking at.

Mike-T

You will definitely get the beach/water sports lifestyle here more so than Brisbane area. We have visited Brisbane/Gold Coast many times, as we have good mates there. After 8 years in Perth, there is no way I could live over Qld.

Last time we were there, (end of Jan) it never stopped raining the whole time we were there.............once again. It seems every time we visit, it's raining.............I HATE rain!!

You simply cannot put a price on Perth's weather. We get 7 long months of glorious summer weather that is virtually guaranteed to be rain free (more or less). Winter can be a bit drab, but nothing like Qld rain.

Perth is also more modern, better laid out (great metropolitan train service) just so much easier to live here. IMHO!!

Good Luck in your decision

livvyg

Hi Paula, yes ive been to Port Kennedy a few times to visit the rellies, my sister has lived there for about 4 years and she loves it, and my brother and family live in Secret Harbour which seems a nice, but bit more expensive area.

They seem like nice quiet suburbs that are well kept with lots of parks and access to beaches and shops etc. Rockingham shopping centre isnt too far away which (I think, coming from regional Queensland) has a great selection of shops. Its about a 50 min drive/train journey from Perth CBD, which my sister and brother in law travel to each day for work.

I think they do surfing lessons at Secret Harbour, I seem to remember my nephew having a few lessons down there.

The only thing that puts my partner off is the cost of housing. We currently live in a 5 bed new house on 1/2 acre in town, there is no way whatsoever we could afford that over there, which doesnt bother me but he likes his space! Its also tends to be a bit dry and brown, which is a bit of a shock coming from lovely green Queensland.

However I think that the work opportunities for my oh would be better over there (he's a boilermaker/sheet metal worker). What do you/your partner do? Im currently studying at uni, so im also a bit cautious about transferring uni's but its something i need to look into.

My other problem is the cost of transporting all our stuff over there, its gonna cost between 5-10k depending on whether we pack a container ourselves or get a removals company to do it. Aaah so many decisions!

Kim67

I grew up in Perth and moved to Brisbane in 1997 and have been back to Perth to live twice since (for about nine months each time, last time being 2008). Perth is pretty if you have the money to live in a a decent suburb by the river or beach. But I find there's a greater divide in the suburbs. The weather in Brisbane is much milder, sure you get rain in summer, but it's warm when it rains and the temps in summer are much lower than Perth and in winter it's much warmer than Perth. Last time I was in Perth it rained for weeks and it was so freezing. I remember the July school holidays having to drive from our home in Como to Mandurah every day for a week for a dance festival and at the end I was so over rain and cold, we set up a camp in front of the heater in the lounge room, stocked the fridge and didn't leave the house for three days.

For quality of life and opportunities for our kids, Brisbane wins hands down.

perfectpaula

I'm a registered nurse and my hubby is an engineer.
We live in a big house on about 1 1/2 acres, but we want to downsize. Want a smaller house and garden that is easier and quicker to maintain , so we have more time to spend on the beach etc etc.
We have been looking at Gold Coast to move to, but the crime is getting worse there. Not sure we can get within walking distance of the beach there either. Looking at houses on realestate.com , the houses are cheaper for closer to the beach. there also seems to be a lot of work there.

Kim67

It's all relative - cheaper housing on the beach means less desirable suburb way out of the city. If you're looking at a beachside suburb in Perth itself, expect to pay in seven figures.

perfectpaula

We don't want to live in a city or that close to one.

Amazulu

If that's the case then the SW of WA (1.5-5 hours from Perth) would be perfect for you. Nice country, great beaches, some lovely towns, lot's of economic activity.

Kelli28

Stay in Qld, I've lived both in Brisbane, regional qld and now Perth and IMO it's a bit crap in comparison to Qld

perfectpaula

Amazulu - can you tell me any areas you recommend. So far we like the sound of Rockingham, Safety Bay, Port Kennedy. Can you tell me any more?? Thank you x

Amazulu

I personally don't like any of those areas - but that's just my opinion. All are fairly close, and commutable, to Perth (good train line). I was thinking more like Bunbury, Australind and further south.