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Why so much negativity about Perth???

Why so much negativity about Perth???

Old Jun 11th 2011, 2:52 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

There are plenty people who are more than happy with Perth and their life here (including the edcation their kids get) they just can`t be arsed arguing the toss all the time with people who seem to think that just because it doesn`t work for them, then if you say you are happy here you obviously must be:
A. Stupid
B. Telling porkie pies to justify your choice
C. A bogan
D. Come from a really poor northern town in the UK and not know any better
or
E. All of the above.

Last edited by gobbyjock; Jun 11th 2011 at 3:31 pm. Reason: sausage fingers can`t type
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Old Jun 11th 2011, 3:15 pm
  #17  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

Ok so we've not quite been here a year yet so I guess time will tell but from what I've seen of my kids school so far I am really impressed. Having 5 kids I've seen a lot of UK schooling & have to say that at the level my youngest 2 are at at the moment it is way better here than the 2 UK schools my kids have attended. My 2 kids here are thriving & they are in a state school with a not to great reputation. But it is only a reputation & like a lot of other things if you don't see it for yourself then you don't really know the truth do you?

As for Perth in general, yes I think a lot of stuff is expensive but then there are other areas that make our lives easier. We are certainly more comfortable here than we were in the UK.

We are here with 2 young children (6 & 4) & for us it is working well. I guess it depends what you want out of life but it suits us well here & we intend to be here for a while. I also think that if my teenagers came over they wouldn't want to leave either.

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Old Jun 11th 2011, 3:22 pm
  #18  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

[QUOTE=gobbyjock;9425919]There are plenty people who are more than happy with Perth and their life here (including the edcation their kids get) they just can`t be arsed arguing the toss all the time with people who seem to think that just because it doesn`t it doesn`t work for them then if you say you are happy here you obviously must be:
A. Stupid
B. Telling porkie pies to justify your choice
C. A bogan
D. come from a really poor northern town in the UK and not know any better
or
E. All of the above.[/QUOTE ]
2 thumbs up from me
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Old Jun 11th 2011, 3:25 pm
  #19  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

Originally Posted by gobbyjock
There are plenty people who are more than happy with Perth and their life here (including the edcation their kids get) they just can`t be arsed arguing the toss all the time with people who seem to think that just because it doesn`t it doesn`t work for them then if you say you are happy here you obviously must be:
A. Stupid
B. Telling porkie pies to justify your choice
C. A bogan
D. come from a really poor northern town in the UK and not know any better
or
E. All of the above.
Ditto mate... Bloodywell ditto
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Old Jun 11th 2011, 3:55 pm
  #20  
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Smile Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

Don't know why folks are so down on Perth - we love it! Its sometimes called Dullsville but believe me compared to Stoke on Trent - it ain't!
We came out for 5 years in the early 90s and were unlucky to move with work to Mandurah and Rockingham where we felt the isolation despite the beauty of the coast. But we always intended to make this place our final home so we returned here in 2005 after 10 years back in the UK. We had two teenaged daughters when we came back so it was a bit tough for them initially but they have loved living here and are now both studying at UWA. Our eldest is just finishing a one semester exchange with a uni in the US organised by UWA and we have just come back from a three week trip to the US East Coast. We were very glad to get back home to Oz despite having had a fantastic holiday. Yes Perth is expensive - yes the service in your local cafe can be slow but compared to life in a provincial UK city life here is fantastic! We deliberately chose to spend more on our block to build in Joondanna which is not trendy but is only 6 kms from the CBD so that we can take advantage of what the city has to offer. Its a personal choice but I wouldn't want a bigger block up in Mindarie. Yes we work hard - both of us harder than we have ever worked in our lives!! Unless you have a nest egg behind you Perth is an expensive place to buy into but there are so many work opportunities here if you are prepared to work hard that I think it must benefit anyone lucky enough to come here. Added to that we go out more to the cinema, restaurants and concerts (both pop and classical) than we ever did in the UK so we get more out of our weekends. Jonesy make the leap but don't follow the herd and you will have a great life here. Oh! and we have never been burgled.

Go the Dockers!
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Old Jun 12th 2011, 12:10 am
  #21  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

Originally Posted by the troubadour
All above comments pretty well state the general opinions with regards to Perth.
There is not much so bad about it to hate and for those seeking a family life with young children it can indeed work.

Perth over the years on BE has been the most debated city in Australia with more negative criticism than all other Australian cities.
To my mind a lot of it is justified. Perth is a city that had the potential but somehow in so many areas has ben passed by.

The city is match box sized,becoming rather narrowly confined to a few blocks and though improvements have been made it remains rather bland and unexciting.

There is so much talk here but things are not followed through.Commitees set up at public expense with some good ideas which more often than not are not followed through.

Perth rests to much on it's laurels which made have worked in the past, but with it being such an expensive city these days the good folks that reside here deserve far better and some may argue are sold short.

There are many issues that require attention from safety to the urban sprawl,road congestion to what type of development is appropiate that will benefit Perth longer term.

Perth has suffered from poor planning in the past with too much being centred around short term thinking making quick money and corrupt business and dubious politics. Perth is cliquey and can be hard to access or be accepted into a rather small but influencial persons of influence.

It's not called the Wild West for nothing. Money has increasingly become the governing factor to much of life here. To be fair it is in general for the moment,at least easier to obtain than UK or even Continental Europe.

It has been a sort of get in make your money and get out sort of place. When this boom subsides in time,as it must all booms do,one does wonder where things will go from there.

It would be nice to think we in WA could finally get out of the boom to bust cycle and develop a more mature economy that would sustain all economic seasons.
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Old Jun 12th 2011, 12:18 am
  #22  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

Originally Posted by gobbyjock
There are plenty people who are more than happy with Perth and their life here (including the edcation their kids get) they just can`t be arsed arguing the toss all the time with people who seem to think that just because it doesn`t work for them, then if you say you are happy here you obviously must be:
A. Stupid
B. Telling porkie pies to justify your choice
C. A bogan
D. Come from a really poor northern town in the UK and not know any better
or
E. All of the above.
Karmatastic. The silent, content, minority is factor to be considered.
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Old Jun 12th 2011, 1:39 am
  #23  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

As mentioned earlier, there's quite a few people on here who like Perth fine (you can find some of them in the updates forum) but they aren't on the main forum all the time arguing about it.

We'll have been here two years in August. We have young children. Our life here suits us. We don't regret moving here. Hubby loves his work. Our daughter adores her school (and it's a decent school). We've moved into our new house and our new neighborhood is a better fit for us. And gasp, it's in the outer suburbs--how shocking! Not been burgled, don't have lousy neighbors. Actually, it's a much nicer area than the one we were renting in that was only 15 minutes from the CBD. I wouldn't have bought a house there if someone paid me.

I think part of it is unrealistic expectations. Some people come here and expect way too much of the place...like it's supposed to be the answer to all their prayers, all of their dreams have come true. Guess what, it's expensive, it's isolated, it's not the cultural mecca of the world. If you can look at what the place realistically has to offer and adjust your expectations, you might find that you actually like it here. Many do.

Last edited by Japonica; Jun 12th 2011 at 1:43 am.
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Old Jun 12th 2011, 1:40 am
  #24  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

Originally Posted by DockersFan
Don't know why folks are so down on Perth - we love it! Its sometimes called Dullsville but believe me compared to Stoke on Trent - it ain't!
We came out for 5 years in the early 90s and were unlucky to move with work to Mandurah and Rockingham where we felt the isolation despite the beauty of the coast. But we always intended to make this place our final home so we returned here in 2005 after 10 years back in the UK. We had two teenaged daughters when we came back so it was a bit tough for them initially but they have loved living here and are now both studying at UWA. Our eldest is just finishing a one semester exchange with a uni in the US organised by UWA and we have just come back from a three week trip to the US East Coast. We were very glad to get back home to Oz despite having had a fantastic holiday. Yes Perth is expensive - yes the service in your local cafe can be slow but compared to life in a provincial UK city life here is fantastic! We deliberately chose to spend more on our block to build in Joondanna which is not trendy but is only 6 kms from the CBD so that we can take advantage of what the city has to offer. Its a personal choice but I wouldn't want a bigger block up in Mindarie. Yes we work hard - both of us harder than we have ever worked in our lives!! Unless you have a nest egg behind you Perth is an expensive place to buy into but there are so many work opportunities here if you are prepared to work hard that I think it must benefit anyone lucky enough to come here. Added to that we go out more to the cinema, restaurants and concerts (both pop and classical) than we ever did in the UK so we get more out of our weekends. Jonesy make the leap but don't follow the herd and you will have a great life here. Oh! and we have never been burgled.

Go the Dockers!
Excelent post I completely agree, I come from the north east of Scotland we didnt have a bad Life before we came to Perth 3 years ago, We have lived in Subiaco Asby and Butler we realy enjoy Butler, It has an excelent family atmosphere and my oldest son loves his School, Perth is Expensive but if u are prepared to work you can have a great lifestyle, The parks are great the Beaches are fab the climate is excelent there is some fabulous restaurants and cafes in perth and there is alot of entertainment on everywhere you can also plan to have a bbq most days and its usualy a good day. I also have not been burgled and neither has any of my friends but I wasnt in the UK either.
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Old Jun 12th 2011, 3:39 am
  #25  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

Good on the folk whom live here in Perth uncritcial in acceptance and in bliss with their environs. Seriously, the path to least resistance is the way to profit from Perth and there is a lot of things to be thankful for.

My concern to a point though is that every time a criticism is made with regards to Perth so many folk feel the need to aggressively defend their lifestyle here dismissing other points of view and concerns which is something I don't recall expressed so strongly in other places lived in overseas.

Some folk wonder why are others so defensive. They have the right to remain in bliss as much as those whom would advocate change or critique aspects of how they see the life here.

Society would be all the poorer if we didn't have folk prepared to speak up and at times become unpopular for doing so.
Granted sometimes it can be a whinge in place of constructered criticism but we all do that at times and to my reckoning few things are worse than blind acceptance or passitivity.

On a personal level something that I like or enjoy I feel no need to justify why I like whatever it is I may be doing and certainly would not expect all or even most to appreciate or see it in the same light as me.Why should it matter in the slightest?

At the end of the day Perth works better for some than others. Some who love it at the moment may and do change their views in time while others come around to liking or accepting it while initially finding the going hard.
All is good and all is relivant. All sides are needed to be aired to allow the full picture. Perth has experienced a massive rise in breakins in recent times.That is fact.Figures are in yesterdays newspaper. . Not to say all will experience that but potential need to know that crime is an issue here as well.Perth has become far more stratified in terms of wealth distrubtion in a rather short period of time. It is harder by far these days to achieve the same result as a dozen years ago. I suspect we are all poorer off for that.

Perth will become a far better and mature place to be when a divergence of views can be aired without an overly defensive posture used against those looking perhaps from a different perspective or even larger picture.

Last edited by the troubadour; Jun 12th 2011 at 3:48 am.
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Old Jun 12th 2011, 3:40 am
  #26  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

Because it's the most boring place on the planet.
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Old Jun 12th 2011, 3:56 am
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

Originally Posted by aussietobe
Perth is bigger than any city in the UK bar london.
What a load of rubbish. Perth, that is Perth greater metropolitan area has a population of 1.6 million. Manchester's greater metro area has a population of 2.6 million. Birmingham is 3.6 million.

Geographically, the CBD of Perth is smaller than all the UK cities I can think of. I am not talking the greater metro area here as obviously Perth would win hands down but the greater metro area is not the city.
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Old Jun 12th 2011, 4:00 am
  #28  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

I'm a born and bred Western Australian with the majority of my life spent in Perth. It's a lovely city and I enjoy going back there, but I get a bit stir crazy if I have to stay there for too long. My kids love it and would move back there tomorrow. The weather is more extreme than Brisbane (hotter in Summer, colder in winter) and that's a minus for me - mild weather for me. I found the divide between suburbs is much more evident in Perth than it is here in Brisbane and more so that when I was growing up there I think. I was pretty content in Perth for the eight months we were there again in 2008 if I didn't stray too far from my comfort zone of South Perth and it's surrounds - if I had to go visit in-laws in Forrestfield and stop in at the shopping centre, I was always apprehensive and checking out who was sniffing petrol or smoking a joint in the carpark and there were times I simply chose to drive to another suburb rather than get my three small kids out of the car. Perth is a great place if you're in a nice suburb and can get out of it for holidays regularly.
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Old Jun 12th 2011, 4:12 am
  #29  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

If you like restuarants, bars, culture then essentially Perth is not for you. You don't see smart professionals from London moving to Perth it's always working class from the North.

Life here would be comfortable but boring. A old lad at my work has done 35 years in Perth and has regretted it..he's heading back to the UK in a month.

Last edited by Weebie; Jun 12th 2011 at 4:16 am.
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Old Jun 12th 2011, 4:41 am
  #30  
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Default Re: Why so much negativity about Perth???

Originally Posted by Weebie
If you like restuarants, bars, culture then essentially Perth is not for you. You don't see smart professionals from London moving to Perth it's always working class from the North.

Life here would be comfortable but boring. A old lad at my work has done 35 years in Perth and has regretted it..he's heading back to the UK in a month.
One problem perhaps for the fellow heading back after such a long stint working here in Perth is that I assume he must be approacing retirement age?

He will not qualify to receive an Australian pension in UK(but can in other European countries) as I assume like most of us he wouldn't have enough in super to support his retirement nor will he have likely paid enough in Ni payments to get anything like a decent UK pension.

Result possibly being having to work until 67? Something I have definately have no intention on doing which in my case being almost twenty years out of the UK workforce does suggest retirement would be preferable in another country.
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