What we thought of Perth
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:10 am
#1
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Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Whitehaven, Cumbria to Tapping, Perth
Posts: 650
What we thought of Perth
To whom ever wishes to read our experience...... may be a bit long though.
Flew from Glasgow via Dubai on June 5th and arrived in Perth June 6th and thought we were landing back in Glasgow!!...same weather even the ariel view looked the same. Yes you can all blame us for being the ones who brought the weather with them!!!
Couldn't fault Emirates airline, they even give you a 'night kit' which includes an eye mask, earplugs, bed socks and compact toothbrush..so don't bother buying any of them, although the flight back from Dubai to Glasgow was delayed for an hour and a half. I fell asleep as soon as we boarded only to wake up, look out of the window and see tarmac, with amazement I turned to my husband and said "God have we landed!!" "no" he replied "we haven't took off yet". What a sickener!!
Anyway, we find our hire car (Drivewest- Scarborough, No credit card needed and endorsements accepted) and they have left a map with detailed instructions and our route highlighted to our Hotel (Joondalup Resort, Connolly), so getting there was a breeze.
Hotel is lovely ..TWO Queen size beds...so that's both of us sleeping like starfish for the next two weeks.
We're up at 4am wide awake stuffing our faces with crisps, chocolate.. tele on, full of energy waiting to get out and see Perth as we've been researching for so long were dying to see the reality.
The sun is shining, the crows... are well...how can explain...LOUD.
We always said this was not a holiday it was a research trip so we tried to be as boring as possible and spent the first week driving around suburb after suburb and shopping mall after shopping mall..god, the coffee over there is lovely...flat white is heaven!! averages about $3 for a cup.
Coming from West Cumbria and I suppose this does make an incredible difference to whether you will settle or not, we do not have much of anything apart from hills and rain, it's at least a 2 1/2 hour trip to an airport, shops are pretty crap, 30 mins to nearest cinema.. you get the idea. So to us the amenities in Perth are fantastic!! If hubby or the kids don't want to trail around shopping with you send them to the cinemas, just about every shopping mall has one, Andrew was quite happy watching Star Wars while I spent his dollars.
Joondalup has the Lakeside Shopping Centre which is right next to the bus and train station..we thought it was weird when we first saw a train whizz past in the middle of the mitchell freeway..it costs $7.50 for an all day return for a max of 2 adults and up to 5 kids, They are only valid on weekdays and public holidays as we found out when we got kicked off at Edgewater for not purchasing two tickets during the week!! It just so happened that on that day another couple had just landed from the UK and didn't know how to work the ticket system so clever ar*e here says "Oh you only need one ticket for $7.50 and you can use it all day and even use it for the ferry over to zoo" only for them to get kicked off as well..didn't catch there names but if you're reading this...sorry!!
Hillary's Harbour looked great even in the rain ...when it rains over there it rains.. not the typical drizzle that you get in the UK that lasts all day, there it comes down like a bucket load, your wipers can't go fast enough, then it just stops and the sun comes out!! a bit like Florida weather in fact Perth was very much like a cross between Cumbria (there winter weather is our summer weather) and Florida (extremely flat) I think we got lost up the only hill in Perth near the Darling Range National Park. Which reminds me, purchase a UBD street map of Perth and you can't go wrong. Varies from $19 - $30 from most newsagents.
We met up with some relatives of Andy's work colleague and they were absolutely brilliant!! They lived in Waikiki near Rockingham and couldn't do enough for us they took us into Northbridge for a meal to meet some of there friends, had a party for us to meet other Expats and showed us around Rockingham and Freemantle.. the Pickled Fairy is first on our list for our 2 year olds party (www.pickledfairy.com.au). Another lady whom we met at the meal met up with us in Perth and showed us around Kings Park...just beautiful, Subiaco...full of cafes, and then took us back to her house for tea.
I've made more friends in 2 weeks in Perth than I have in 32 years in the UK. Your friends are your family over there.
God, I've just eaten a full packet of Rolo's and not realised it!!
I must admit I preferred the Northern suburbs, Hillary's was just lovely, Iluka was also beautiful with it's houses looking over a man made lake with fountains. The show houses on Delgado Parade were great to look around. We could afford to rent but probably not to buy in these area's. I think we would probably like to settle in Carramar, Banksia Grove or Tapping as these areas were much more affordable. I would give Wanneroo a miss, and although some eastern suburbs in Canning Vale were nice the difference between.. now I don't mean to sound snobbish.. the northern train line passengers and the southern train line passengers.. were how can I put it, southern passengers are more varied, I wouldn't let my daughters go on after dark even though the trains all have cameras and guards, in fact coming to think off it even through the day, but that's coming from West Cumbria again,we've led a sheltered life.
South of the River the Rivergums and Settlers Hills Estates in Baldivis were nice with a lot of British Expats but these areas have less amenities than the north and have yet to have a train line til' next year.
Hubby was offered at the first place he showed his CV, they had even rang his employer for references before we got back, so they must have been keen, he's a welder and at the moment they are having to source workers from South Africa they are so desperate.
So to sum Perth up before you all die a death of boredom, here is a summary of what we thought..
Weather..... Don't chuck any of your winter clothes away - take everything.
Snakes, Spiders and Flies........ we didn't see any apart from in the Zoo If you don't walk in the bush, go sticking your fingers underneath fence panels you are highly unlikely to get bitten. The only flies I met were hanging out at the post box in Floreat Forum.
Driving.... Most of the roads are at least dual carriage way and they will overtake on the left or right but I didn't find any problems, if anything I thought it was easier cos' you don't get stuck behind tractors or parked cars and there aren't the annoying winding roads.
Food.... Australian bacon has a certain taste and smell that you carry with you for 24 hours but there are specialist british food shops that cater for most foods that you could miss.
Clothes....They do seem to be a bit behind in the fashion stakes but only a season or so.
Music and TV... The radio that we heard was pretty terrible from what we are used to and the Tv programmes included all of the most annoying programmes we have here like Ready Steady Cook and Bargain Hunt but I'm not going to have time to watch TV cos' I'm going to be living outdoors as much as possible.
Scenery... The views from Kings Park were breathtaking, bearing in mind that we visited in winter everywhere was lush and green.. we expected it to be sandy and dusty for some reason..in summer the grass does go brown. What we call a wood or forest they call the bush.
Renting....Rent at first til' you get an idea of the suburbs you like. Depending on the amount of capital you take over, you can pay for your rent off the interest you make so you're not losing anything.
Oh and yes we loved it all!!!!!
If I haven't covered anything please ask and I'll try and answer.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Judith
Flew from Glasgow via Dubai on June 5th and arrived in Perth June 6th and thought we were landing back in Glasgow!!...same weather even the ariel view looked the same. Yes you can all blame us for being the ones who brought the weather with them!!!
Couldn't fault Emirates airline, they even give you a 'night kit' which includes an eye mask, earplugs, bed socks and compact toothbrush..so don't bother buying any of them, although the flight back from Dubai to Glasgow was delayed for an hour and a half. I fell asleep as soon as we boarded only to wake up, look out of the window and see tarmac, with amazement I turned to my husband and said "God have we landed!!" "no" he replied "we haven't took off yet". What a sickener!!
Anyway, we find our hire car (Drivewest- Scarborough, No credit card needed and endorsements accepted) and they have left a map with detailed instructions and our route highlighted to our Hotel (Joondalup Resort, Connolly), so getting there was a breeze.
Hotel is lovely ..TWO Queen size beds...so that's both of us sleeping like starfish for the next two weeks.
We're up at 4am wide awake stuffing our faces with crisps, chocolate.. tele on, full of energy waiting to get out and see Perth as we've been researching for so long were dying to see the reality.
The sun is shining, the crows... are well...how can explain...LOUD.
We always said this was not a holiday it was a research trip so we tried to be as boring as possible and spent the first week driving around suburb after suburb and shopping mall after shopping mall..god, the coffee over there is lovely...flat white is heaven!! averages about $3 for a cup.
Coming from West Cumbria and I suppose this does make an incredible difference to whether you will settle or not, we do not have much of anything apart from hills and rain, it's at least a 2 1/2 hour trip to an airport, shops are pretty crap, 30 mins to nearest cinema.. you get the idea. So to us the amenities in Perth are fantastic!! If hubby or the kids don't want to trail around shopping with you send them to the cinemas, just about every shopping mall has one, Andrew was quite happy watching Star Wars while I spent his dollars.
Joondalup has the Lakeside Shopping Centre which is right next to the bus and train station..we thought it was weird when we first saw a train whizz past in the middle of the mitchell freeway..it costs $7.50 for an all day return for a max of 2 adults and up to 5 kids, They are only valid on weekdays and public holidays as we found out when we got kicked off at Edgewater for not purchasing two tickets during the week!! It just so happened that on that day another couple had just landed from the UK and didn't know how to work the ticket system so clever ar*e here says "Oh you only need one ticket for $7.50 and you can use it all day and even use it for the ferry over to zoo" only for them to get kicked off as well..didn't catch there names but if you're reading this...sorry!!
Hillary's Harbour looked great even in the rain ...when it rains over there it rains.. not the typical drizzle that you get in the UK that lasts all day, there it comes down like a bucket load, your wipers can't go fast enough, then it just stops and the sun comes out!! a bit like Florida weather in fact Perth was very much like a cross between Cumbria (there winter weather is our summer weather) and Florida (extremely flat) I think we got lost up the only hill in Perth near the Darling Range National Park. Which reminds me, purchase a UBD street map of Perth and you can't go wrong. Varies from $19 - $30 from most newsagents.
We met up with some relatives of Andy's work colleague and they were absolutely brilliant!! They lived in Waikiki near Rockingham and couldn't do enough for us they took us into Northbridge for a meal to meet some of there friends, had a party for us to meet other Expats and showed us around Rockingham and Freemantle.. the Pickled Fairy is first on our list for our 2 year olds party (www.pickledfairy.com.au). Another lady whom we met at the meal met up with us in Perth and showed us around Kings Park...just beautiful, Subiaco...full of cafes, and then took us back to her house for tea.
I've made more friends in 2 weeks in Perth than I have in 32 years in the UK. Your friends are your family over there.
God, I've just eaten a full packet of Rolo's and not realised it!!
I must admit I preferred the Northern suburbs, Hillary's was just lovely, Iluka was also beautiful with it's houses looking over a man made lake with fountains. The show houses on Delgado Parade were great to look around. We could afford to rent but probably not to buy in these area's. I think we would probably like to settle in Carramar, Banksia Grove or Tapping as these areas were much more affordable. I would give Wanneroo a miss, and although some eastern suburbs in Canning Vale were nice the difference between.. now I don't mean to sound snobbish.. the northern train line passengers and the southern train line passengers.. were how can I put it, southern passengers are more varied, I wouldn't let my daughters go on after dark even though the trains all have cameras and guards, in fact coming to think off it even through the day, but that's coming from West Cumbria again,we've led a sheltered life.
South of the River the Rivergums and Settlers Hills Estates in Baldivis were nice with a lot of British Expats but these areas have less amenities than the north and have yet to have a train line til' next year.
Hubby was offered at the first place he showed his CV, they had even rang his employer for references before we got back, so they must have been keen, he's a welder and at the moment they are having to source workers from South Africa they are so desperate.
So to sum Perth up before you all die a death of boredom, here is a summary of what we thought..
Weather..... Don't chuck any of your winter clothes away - take everything.
Snakes, Spiders and Flies........ we didn't see any apart from in the Zoo If you don't walk in the bush, go sticking your fingers underneath fence panels you are highly unlikely to get bitten. The only flies I met were hanging out at the post box in Floreat Forum.
Driving.... Most of the roads are at least dual carriage way and they will overtake on the left or right but I didn't find any problems, if anything I thought it was easier cos' you don't get stuck behind tractors or parked cars and there aren't the annoying winding roads.
Food.... Australian bacon has a certain taste and smell that you carry with you for 24 hours but there are specialist british food shops that cater for most foods that you could miss.
Clothes....They do seem to be a bit behind in the fashion stakes but only a season or so.
Music and TV... The radio that we heard was pretty terrible from what we are used to and the Tv programmes included all of the most annoying programmes we have here like Ready Steady Cook and Bargain Hunt but I'm not going to have time to watch TV cos' I'm going to be living outdoors as much as possible.
Scenery... The views from Kings Park were breathtaking, bearing in mind that we visited in winter everywhere was lush and green.. we expected it to be sandy and dusty for some reason..in summer the grass does go brown. What we call a wood or forest they call the bush.
Renting....Rent at first til' you get an idea of the suburbs you like. Depending on the amount of capital you take over, you can pay for your rent off the interest you make so you're not losing anything.
Oh and yes we loved it all!!!!!
If I haven't covered anything please ask and I'll try and answer.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Judith
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:17 am
#2
Keeping it fairly real
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: In the sun
Posts: 32,863
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by Xgeminix
To whom ever wishes to read our experience...... may be a bit long though.
Flew from Glasgow via Dubai on June 5th and arrived in Perth June 6th and thought we were landing back in Glasgow!!...same weather even the ariel view looked the same. Yes you can all blame us for being the ones who brought the weather with them!!!
Couldn't fault Emirates airline, they even give you a 'night kit' which includes an eye mask, earplugs, bed socks and compact toothbrush..so don't bother buying any of them, although the flight back from Dubai to Glasgow was delayed for an hour and a half. I fell asleep as soon as we boarded only to wake up, look out of the window and see tarmac, with amazement I turned to my husband and said "God have we landed!!" "no" he replied "we haven't took off yet". What a sickener!!
Anyway, we find our hire car (Drivewest- Scarborough, No credit card needed and endorsements accepted) and they have left a map with detailed instructions and our route highlighted to our Hotel (Joondalup Resort, Connolly), so getting there was a breeze.
Hotel is lovely ..TWO Queen size beds...so that's both of us sleeping like starfish for the next two weeks.
We're up at 4am wide awake stuffing our faces with crisps, chocolate.. tele on, full of energy waiting to get out and see Perth as we've been researching for so long were dying to see the reality.
The sun is shining, the crows... are well...how can explain...LOUD.
We always said this was not a holiday it was a research trip so we tried to be as boring as possible and spent the first week driving around suburb after suburb and shopping mall after shopping mall..god, the coffee over there is lovely...flat white is heaven!! averages about $3 for a cup.
Coming from West Cumbria and I suppose this does make an incredible difference to whether you will settle or not, we do not have much of anything apart from hills and rain, it's at least a 2 1/2 hour trip to an airport, shops are pretty crap, 30 mins to nearest cinema.. you get the idea. So to us the amenities in Perth are fantastic!! If hubby or the kids don't want to trail around shopping with you send them to the cinemas, just about every shopping mall has one, Andrew was quite happy watching Star Wars while I spent his dollars.
Joondalup has the Lakeside Shopping Centre which is right next to the bus and train station..we thought it was weird when we first saw a train whizz past in the middle of the mitchell freeway..it costs $7.50 for an all day return for a max of 2 adults and up to 5 kids, They are only valid on weekdays and public holidays as we found out when we got kicked off at Edgewater for not purchasing two tickets during the week!! It just so happened that on that day another couple had just landed from the UK and didn't know how to work the ticket system so clever ar*e here says "Oh you only need one ticket for $7.50 and you can use it all day and even use it for the ferry over to zoo" only for them to get kicked off as well..didn't catch there names but if you're reading this...sorry!!
Hillary's Harbour looked great even in the rain ...when it rains over there it rains.. not the typical drizzle that you get in the UK that lasts all day, there it comes down like a bucket load, your wipers can't go fast enough, then it just stops and the sun comes out!! a bit like Florida weather in fact Perth was very much like a cross between Cumbria (there winter weather is our summer weather) and Florida (extremely flat) I think we got lost up the only hill in Perth near the Darling Range National Park. Which reminds me, purchase a UBD street map of Perth and you can't go wrong. Varies from $19 - $30 from most newsagents.
We met up with some relatives of Andy's work colleague and they were absolutely brilliant!! They lived in Waikiki near Rockingham and couldn't do enough for us they took us into Northbridge for a meal to meet some of there friends, had a party for us to meet other Expats and showed us around Rockingham and Freemantle.. the Pickled Fairy is first on our list for our 2 year olds party (www.pickledfairy.com.au). Another lady whom we met at the meal met up with us in Perth and showed us around Kings Park...just beautiful, Subiaco...full of cafes, and then took us back to her house for tea.
I've made more friends in 2 weeks in Perth than I have in 32 years in the UK. Your friends are your family over there.
God, I've just eaten a full packet of Rolo's and not realised it!!
I must admit I preferred the Northern suburbs, Hillary's was just lovely, Iluka was also beautiful with it's houses looking over a man made lake with fountains. The show houses on Delgado Parade were great to look around. We could afford to rent but probably not to buy in these area's. I think we would probably like to settle in Carramar, Banksia Grove or Tapping as these areas were much more affordable. I would give Wanneroo a miss, and although some eastern suburbs in Canning Vale were nice the difference between.. now I don't mean to sound snobbish.. the northern train line passengers and the southern train line passengers.. were how can I put it, southern passengers are more varied, I wouldn't let my daughters go on after dark even though the trains all have cameras and guards, in fact coming to think off it even through the day, but that's coming from West Cumbria again,we've led a sheltered life.
South of the River the Rivergums and Settlers Hills Estates in Baldivis were nice with a lot of British Expats but these areas have less amenities than the north and have yet to have a train line til' next year.
Hubby was offered at the first place he showed his CV, they had even rang his employer for references before we got back, so they must have been keen, he's a welder and at the moment they are having to source workers from South Africa they are so desperate.
So to sum Perth up before you all die a death of boredom, here is a summary of what we thought..
Weather..... Don't chuck any of your winter clothes away - take everything.
Snakes, Spiders and Flies........ we didn't see any apart from in the Zoo If you don't walk in the bush, go sticking your fingers underneath fence panels you are highly unlikely to get bitten. The only flies I met were hanging out at the post box in Floreat Forum.
Driving.... Most of the roads are at least dual carriage way and they will overtake on the left or right but I didn't find any problems, if anything I thought it was easier cos' you don't get stuck behind tractors or parked cars and there aren't the annoying winding roads.
Food.... Australian bacon has a certain taste and smell that you carry with you for 24 hours but there are specialist british food shops that cater for most foods that you could miss.
Clothes....They do seem to be a bit behind in the fashion stakes but only a season or so.
Music and TV... The radio that we heard was pretty terrible from what we are used to and the Tv programmes included all of the most annoying programmes we have here like Ready Steady Cook and Bargain Hunt but I'm not going to have time to watch TV cos' I'm going to be living outdoors as much as possible.
Scenery... The views from Kings Park were breathtaking, bearing in mind that we visited in winter everywhere was lush and green.. we expected it to be sandy and dusty for some reason..in summer the grass does go brown. What we call a wood or forest they call the bush.
Renting....Rent at first til' you get an idea of the suburbs you like. Depending on the amount of capital you take over, you can pay for your rent off the interest you make so you're not losing anything.
Oh and yes we loved it all!!!!!
If I haven't covered anything please ask and I'll try and answer.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Judith
Flew from Glasgow via Dubai on June 5th and arrived in Perth June 6th and thought we were landing back in Glasgow!!...same weather even the ariel view looked the same. Yes you can all blame us for being the ones who brought the weather with them!!!
Couldn't fault Emirates airline, they even give you a 'night kit' which includes an eye mask, earplugs, bed socks and compact toothbrush..so don't bother buying any of them, although the flight back from Dubai to Glasgow was delayed for an hour and a half. I fell asleep as soon as we boarded only to wake up, look out of the window and see tarmac, with amazement I turned to my husband and said "God have we landed!!" "no" he replied "we haven't took off yet". What a sickener!!
Anyway, we find our hire car (Drivewest- Scarborough, No credit card needed and endorsements accepted) and they have left a map with detailed instructions and our route highlighted to our Hotel (Joondalup Resort, Connolly), so getting there was a breeze.
Hotel is lovely ..TWO Queen size beds...so that's both of us sleeping like starfish for the next two weeks.
We're up at 4am wide awake stuffing our faces with crisps, chocolate.. tele on, full of energy waiting to get out and see Perth as we've been researching for so long were dying to see the reality.
The sun is shining, the crows... are well...how can explain...LOUD.
We always said this was not a holiday it was a research trip so we tried to be as boring as possible and spent the first week driving around suburb after suburb and shopping mall after shopping mall..god, the coffee over there is lovely...flat white is heaven!! averages about $3 for a cup.
Coming from West Cumbria and I suppose this does make an incredible difference to whether you will settle or not, we do not have much of anything apart from hills and rain, it's at least a 2 1/2 hour trip to an airport, shops are pretty crap, 30 mins to nearest cinema.. you get the idea. So to us the amenities in Perth are fantastic!! If hubby or the kids don't want to trail around shopping with you send them to the cinemas, just about every shopping mall has one, Andrew was quite happy watching Star Wars while I spent his dollars.
Joondalup has the Lakeside Shopping Centre which is right next to the bus and train station..we thought it was weird when we first saw a train whizz past in the middle of the mitchell freeway..it costs $7.50 for an all day return for a max of 2 adults and up to 5 kids, They are only valid on weekdays and public holidays as we found out when we got kicked off at Edgewater for not purchasing two tickets during the week!! It just so happened that on that day another couple had just landed from the UK and didn't know how to work the ticket system so clever ar*e here says "Oh you only need one ticket for $7.50 and you can use it all day and even use it for the ferry over to zoo" only for them to get kicked off as well..didn't catch there names but if you're reading this...sorry!!
Hillary's Harbour looked great even in the rain ...when it rains over there it rains.. not the typical drizzle that you get in the UK that lasts all day, there it comes down like a bucket load, your wipers can't go fast enough, then it just stops and the sun comes out!! a bit like Florida weather in fact Perth was very much like a cross between Cumbria (there winter weather is our summer weather) and Florida (extremely flat) I think we got lost up the only hill in Perth near the Darling Range National Park. Which reminds me, purchase a UBD street map of Perth and you can't go wrong. Varies from $19 - $30 from most newsagents.
We met up with some relatives of Andy's work colleague and they were absolutely brilliant!! They lived in Waikiki near Rockingham and couldn't do enough for us they took us into Northbridge for a meal to meet some of there friends, had a party for us to meet other Expats and showed us around Rockingham and Freemantle.. the Pickled Fairy is first on our list for our 2 year olds party (www.pickledfairy.com.au). Another lady whom we met at the meal met up with us in Perth and showed us around Kings Park...just beautiful, Subiaco...full of cafes, and then took us back to her house for tea.
I've made more friends in 2 weeks in Perth than I have in 32 years in the UK. Your friends are your family over there.
God, I've just eaten a full packet of Rolo's and not realised it!!
I must admit I preferred the Northern suburbs, Hillary's was just lovely, Iluka was also beautiful with it's houses looking over a man made lake with fountains. The show houses on Delgado Parade were great to look around. We could afford to rent but probably not to buy in these area's. I think we would probably like to settle in Carramar, Banksia Grove or Tapping as these areas were much more affordable. I would give Wanneroo a miss, and although some eastern suburbs in Canning Vale were nice the difference between.. now I don't mean to sound snobbish.. the northern train line passengers and the southern train line passengers.. were how can I put it, southern passengers are more varied, I wouldn't let my daughters go on after dark even though the trains all have cameras and guards, in fact coming to think off it even through the day, but that's coming from West Cumbria again,we've led a sheltered life.
South of the River the Rivergums and Settlers Hills Estates in Baldivis were nice with a lot of British Expats but these areas have less amenities than the north and have yet to have a train line til' next year.
Hubby was offered at the first place he showed his CV, they had even rang his employer for references before we got back, so they must have been keen, he's a welder and at the moment they are having to source workers from South Africa they are so desperate.
So to sum Perth up before you all die a death of boredom, here is a summary of what we thought..
Weather..... Don't chuck any of your winter clothes away - take everything.
Snakes, Spiders and Flies........ we didn't see any apart from in the Zoo If you don't walk in the bush, go sticking your fingers underneath fence panels you are highly unlikely to get bitten. The only flies I met were hanging out at the post box in Floreat Forum.
Driving.... Most of the roads are at least dual carriage way and they will overtake on the left or right but I didn't find any problems, if anything I thought it was easier cos' you don't get stuck behind tractors or parked cars and there aren't the annoying winding roads.
Food.... Australian bacon has a certain taste and smell that you carry with you for 24 hours but there are specialist british food shops that cater for most foods that you could miss.
Clothes....They do seem to be a bit behind in the fashion stakes but only a season or so.
Music and TV... The radio that we heard was pretty terrible from what we are used to and the Tv programmes included all of the most annoying programmes we have here like Ready Steady Cook and Bargain Hunt but I'm not going to have time to watch TV cos' I'm going to be living outdoors as much as possible.
Scenery... The views from Kings Park were breathtaking, bearing in mind that we visited in winter everywhere was lush and green.. we expected it to be sandy and dusty for some reason..in summer the grass does go brown. What we call a wood or forest they call the bush.
Renting....Rent at first til' you get an idea of the suburbs you like. Depending on the amount of capital you take over, you can pay for your rent off the interest you make so you're not losing anything.
Oh and yes we loved it all!!!!!
If I haven't covered anything please ask and I'll try and answer.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Judith
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:19 am
#3
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Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Whitehaven, Cumbria to Tapping, Perth
Posts: 650
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by walla1
I've just died of boredom...
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:20 am
#4
Keeping it fairly real
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: In the sun
Posts: 32,863
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by Xgeminix
I didn't know the dead could type.... lol
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:22 am
#5
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Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by walla1
I'm alive and well in the southern suburbs...
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:23 am
#6
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,172
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by Xgeminix
To whom ever wishes to read our experience...... may be a bit long though.
Flew from Glasgow via Dubai on June 5th and arrived in Perth June 6th and thought we were landing back in Glasgow!!...same weather even the ariel view looked the same. Yes you can all blame us for being the ones who brought the weather with them!!!
Couldn't fault Emirates airline, they even give you a 'night kit' which includes an eye mask, earplugs, bed socks and compact toothbrush..so don't bother buying any of them, although the flight back from Dubai to Glasgow was delayed for an hour and a half. I fell asleep as soon as we boarded only to wake up, look out of the window and see tarmac, with amazement I turned to my husband and said "God have we landed!!" "no" he replied "we haven't took off yet". What a sickener!!
Anyway, we find our hire car (Drivewest- Scarborough, No credit card needed and endorsements accepted) and they have left a map with detailed instructions and our route highlighted to our Hotel (Joondalup Resort, Connolly), so getting there was a breeze.
Hotel is lovely ..TWO Queen size beds...so that's both of us sleeping like starfish for the next two weeks.
We're up at 4am wide awake stuffing our faces with crisps, chocolate.. tele on, full of energy waiting to get out and see Perth as we've been researching for so long were dying to see the reality.
The sun is shining, the crows... are well...how can explain...LOUD.
We always said this was not a holiday it was a research trip so we tried to be as boring as possible and spent the first week driving around suburb after suburb and shopping mall after shopping mall..god, the coffee over there is lovely...flat white is heaven!! averages about $3 for a cup.
Coming from West Cumbria and I suppose this does make an incredible difference to whether you will settle or not, we do not have much of anything apart from hills and rain, it's at least a 2 1/2 hour trip to an airport, shops are pretty crap, 30 mins to nearest cinema.. you get the idea. So to us the amenities in Perth are fantastic!! If hubby or the kids don't want to trail around shopping with you send them to the cinemas, just about every shopping mall has one, Andrew was quite happy watching Star Wars while I spent his dollars.
Joondalup has the Lakeside Shopping Centre which is right next to the bus and train station..we thought it was weird when we first saw a train whizz past in the middle of the mitchell freeway..it costs $7.50 for an all day return for a max of 2 adults and up to 5 kids, They are only valid on weekdays and public holidays as we found out when we got kicked off at Edgewater for not purchasing two tickets during the week!! It just so happened that on that day another couple had just landed from the UK and didn't know how to work the ticket system so clever ar*e here says "Oh you only need one ticket for $7.50 and you can use it all day and even use it for the ferry over to zoo" only for them to get kicked off as well..didn't catch there names but if you're reading this...sorry!!
Hillary's Harbour looked great even in the rain ...when it rains over there it rains.. not the typical drizzle that you get in the UK that lasts all day, there it comes down like a bucket load, your wipers can't go fast enough, then it just stops and the sun comes out!! a bit like Florida weather in fact Perth was very much like a cross between Cumbria (there winter weather is our summer weather) and Florida (extremely flat) I think we got lost up the only hill in Perth near the Darling Range National Park. Which reminds me, purchase a UBD street map of Perth and you can't go wrong. Varies from $19 - $30 from most newsagents.
We met up with some relatives of Andy's work colleague and they were absolutely brilliant!! They lived in Waikiki near Rockingham and couldn't do enough for us they took us into Northbridge for a meal to meet some of there friends, had a party for us to meet other Expats and showed us around Rockingham and Freemantle.. the Pickled Fairy is first on our list for our 2 year olds party (www.pickledfairy.com.au). Another lady whom we met at the meal met up with us in Perth and showed us around Kings Park...just beautiful, Subiaco...full of cafes, and then took us back to her house for tea.
I've made more friends in 2 weeks in Perth than I have in 32 years in the UK. Your friends are your family over there.
God, I've just eaten a full packet of Rolo's and not realised it!!
I must admit I preferred the Northern suburbs, Hillary's was just lovely, Iluka was also beautiful with it's houses looking over a man made lake with fountains. The show houses on Delgado Parade were great to look around. We could afford to rent but probably not to buy in these area's. I think we would probably like to settle in Carramar, Banksia Grove or Tapping as these areas were much more affordable. I would give Wanneroo a miss, and although some eastern suburbs in Canning Vale were nice the difference between.. now I don't mean to sound snobbish.. the northern train line passengers and the southern train line passengers.. were how can I put it, southern passengers are more varied, I wouldn't let my daughters go on after dark even though the trains all have cameras and guards, in fact coming to think off it even through the day, but that's coming from West Cumbria again,we've led a sheltered life.
South of the River the Rivergums and Settlers Hills Estates in Baldivis were nice with a lot of British Expats but these areas have less amenities than the north and have yet to have a train line til' next year.
Hubby was offered at the first place he showed his CV, they had even rang his employer for references before we got back, so they must have been keen, he's a welder and at the moment they are having to source workers from South Africa they are so desperate.
So to sum Perth up before you all die a death of boredom, here is a summary of what we thought..
Weather..... Don't chuck any of your winter clothes away - take everything.
Snakes, Spiders and Flies........ we didn't see any apart from in the Zoo If you don't walk in the bush, go sticking your fingers underneath fence panels you are highly unlikely to get bitten. The only flies I met were hanging out at the post box in Floreat Forum.
Driving.... Most of the roads are at least dual carriage way and they will overtake on the left or right but I didn't find any problems, if anything I thought it was easier cos' you don't get stuck behind tractors or parked cars and there aren't the annoying winding roads.
Food.... Australian bacon has a certain taste and smell that you carry with you for 24 hours but there are specialist british food shops that cater for most foods that you could miss.
Clothes....They do seem to be a bit behind in the fashion stakes but only a season or so.
Music and TV... The radio that we heard was pretty terrible from what we are used to and the Tv programmes included all of the most annoying programmes we have here like Ready Steady Cook and Bargain Hunt but I'm not going to have time to watch TV cos' I'm going to be living outdoors as much as possible.
Scenery... The views from Kings Park were breathtaking, bearing in mind that we visited in winter everywhere was lush and green.. we expected it to be sandy and dusty for some reason..in summer the grass does go brown. What we call a wood or forest they call the bush.
Renting....Rent at first til' you get an idea of the suburbs you like. Depending on the amount of capital you take over, you can pay for your rent off the interest you make so you're not losing anything.
Oh and yes we loved it all!!!!!
If I haven't covered anything please ask and I'll try and answer.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Judith
Flew from Glasgow via Dubai on June 5th and arrived in Perth June 6th and thought we were landing back in Glasgow!!...same weather even the ariel view looked the same. Yes you can all blame us for being the ones who brought the weather with them!!!
Couldn't fault Emirates airline, they even give you a 'night kit' which includes an eye mask, earplugs, bed socks and compact toothbrush..so don't bother buying any of them, although the flight back from Dubai to Glasgow was delayed for an hour and a half. I fell asleep as soon as we boarded only to wake up, look out of the window and see tarmac, with amazement I turned to my husband and said "God have we landed!!" "no" he replied "we haven't took off yet". What a sickener!!
Anyway, we find our hire car (Drivewest- Scarborough, No credit card needed and endorsements accepted) and they have left a map with detailed instructions and our route highlighted to our Hotel (Joondalup Resort, Connolly), so getting there was a breeze.
Hotel is lovely ..TWO Queen size beds...so that's both of us sleeping like starfish for the next two weeks.
We're up at 4am wide awake stuffing our faces with crisps, chocolate.. tele on, full of energy waiting to get out and see Perth as we've been researching for so long were dying to see the reality.
The sun is shining, the crows... are well...how can explain...LOUD.
We always said this was not a holiday it was a research trip so we tried to be as boring as possible and spent the first week driving around suburb after suburb and shopping mall after shopping mall..god, the coffee over there is lovely...flat white is heaven!! averages about $3 for a cup.
Coming from West Cumbria and I suppose this does make an incredible difference to whether you will settle or not, we do not have much of anything apart from hills and rain, it's at least a 2 1/2 hour trip to an airport, shops are pretty crap, 30 mins to nearest cinema.. you get the idea. So to us the amenities in Perth are fantastic!! If hubby or the kids don't want to trail around shopping with you send them to the cinemas, just about every shopping mall has one, Andrew was quite happy watching Star Wars while I spent his dollars.
Joondalup has the Lakeside Shopping Centre which is right next to the bus and train station..we thought it was weird when we first saw a train whizz past in the middle of the mitchell freeway..it costs $7.50 for an all day return for a max of 2 adults and up to 5 kids, They are only valid on weekdays and public holidays as we found out when we got kicked off at Edgewater for not purchasing two tickets during the week!! It just so happened that on that day another couple had just landed from the UK and didn't know how to work the ticket system so clever ar*e here says "Oh you only need one ticket for $7.50 and you can use it all day and even use it for the ferry over to zoo" only for them to get kicked off as well..didn't catch there names but if you're reading this...sorry!!
Hillary's Harbour looked great even in the rain ...when it rains over there it rains.. not the typical drizzle that you get in the UK that lasts all day, there it comes down like a bucket load, your wipers can't go fast enough, then it just stops and the sun comes out!! a bit like Florida weather in fact Perth was very much like a cross between Cumbria (there winter weather is our summer weather) and Florida (extremely flat) I think we got lost up the only hill in Perth near the Darling Range National Park. Which reminds me, purchase a UBD street map of Perth and you can't go wrong. Varies from $19 - $30 from most newsagents.
We met up with some relatives of Andy's work colleague and they were absolutely brilliant!! They lived in Waikiki near Rockingham and couldn't do enough for us they took us into Northbridge for a meal to meet some of there friends, had a party for us to meet other Expats and showed us around Rockingham and Freemantle.. the Pickled Fairy is first on our list for our 2 year olds party (www.pickledfairy.com.au). Another lady whom we met at the meal met up with us in Perth and showed us around Kings Park...just beautiful, Subiaco...full of cafes, and then took us back to her house for tea.
I've made more friends in 2 weeks in Perth than I have in 32 years in the UK. Your friends are your family over there.
God, I've just eaten a full packet of Rolo's and not realised it!!
I must admit I preferred the Northern suburbs, Hillary's was just lovely, Iluka was also beautiful with it's houses looking over a man made lake with fountains. The show houses on Delgado Parade were great to look around. We could afford to rent but probably not to buy in these area's. I think we would probably like to settle in Carramar, Banksia Grove or Tapping as these areas were much more affordable. I would give Wanneroo a miss, and although some eastern suburbs in Canning Vale were nice the difference between.. now I don't mean to sound snobbish.. the northern train line passengers and the southern train line passengers.. were how can I put it, southern passengers are more varied, I wouldn't let my daughters go on after dark even though the trains all have cameras and guards, in fact coming to think off it even through the day, but that's coming from West Cumbria again,we've led a sheltered life.
South of the River the Rivergums and Settlers Hills Estates in Baldivis were nice with a lot of British Expats but these areas have less amenities than the north and have yet to have a train line til' next year.
Hubby was offered at the first place he showed his CV, they had even rang his employer for references before we got back, so they must have been keen, he's a welder and at the moment they are having to source workers from South Africa they are so desperate.
So to sum Perth up before you all die a death of boredom, here is a summary of what we thought..
Weather..... Don't chuck any of your winter clothes away - take everything.
Snakes, Spiders and Flies........ we didn't see any apart from in the Zoo If you don't walk in the bush, go sticking your fingers underneath fence panels you are highly unlikely to get bitten. The only flies I met were hanging out at the post box in Floreat Forum.
Driving.... Most of the roads are at least dual carriage way and they will overtake on the left or right but I didn't find any problems, if anything I thought it was easier cos' you don't get stuck behind tractors or parked cars and there aren't the annoying winding roads.
Food.... Australian bacon has a certain taste and smell that you carry with you for 24 hours but there are specialist british food shops that cater for most foods that you could miss.
Clothes....They do seem to be a bit behind in the fashion stakes but only a season or so.
Music and TV... The radio that we heard was pretty terrible from what we are used to and the Tv programmes included all of the most annoying programmes we have here like Ready Steady Cook and Bargain Hunt but I'm not going to have time to watch TV cos' I'm going to be living outdoors as much as possible.
Scenery... The views from Kings Park were breathtaking, bearing in mind that we visited in winter everywhere was lush and green.. we expected it to be sandy and dusty for some reason..in summer the grass does go brown. What we call a wood or forest they call the bush.
Renting....Rent at first til' you get an idea of the suburbs you like. Depending on the amount of capital you take over, you can pay for your rent off the interest you make so you're not losing anything.
Oh and yes we loved it all!!!!!
If I haven't covered anything please ask and I'll try and answer.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Judith
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:24 am
#7
da Bonehead
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Lion in da jungle
Posts: 22,767
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by walla1
I've just died of boredom...
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:25 am
#8
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Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Whitehaven, Cumbria to Tapping, Perth
Posts: 650
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by Rooksie
Fan-bloody-tastic post. thanks for taking the time! K sent.
Cheers Rooksie
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:26 am
#9
Keeping it fairly real
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: In the sun
Posts: 32,863
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by Xgeminix
Ooops you dont use the train do you?
and I get stuck in them every day into my way to work north of the city.
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:28 am
#10
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Joined: May 2005
Location: Rochdale, then Toronto, then Preston now Tampa, Florida.
Posts: 903
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by walla1
I've just died of boredom...
Why read all of it then?
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:31 am
#11
da Bonehead
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Lion in da jungle
Posts: 22,767
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by wildmark
Why read all of it then?
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:32 am
#12
Keeping it fairly real
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: In the sun
Posts: 32,863
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by wildmark
Why read all of it then?
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:32 am
#13
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Joined: May 2005
Location: Rochdale, then Toronto, then Preston now Tampa, Florida.
Posts: 903
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by Bix
It was Wallas tongue in cheek humour....nothing serious meant
I know
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:33 am
#14
Keeping it fairly real
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: In the sun
Posts: 32,863
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by Bix
It was Wallas tongue in cheek humour....nothing serious meant
Jun 22nd 2005, 11:33 am
#15
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Location: Whitehaven, Cumbria to Tapping, Perth
Posts: 650
Re: What we thought of Perth
Originally Posted by walla1
well you may have noticed in your drive down south that we haven't got the train line in yet just a pile of roadworks preparing for it....
and I get stuck in them every day into my way to work north of the city.
and I get stuck in them every day into my way to work north of the city.