perth bound

hello all, we have sold our house and hoping to make the move to Perth end of November 09. I have been following posts about Perth for a long time but recently it seems there has been some negative posts, particularly about schools and one about gangs hanging around shopping centres, macdonalds etc..

I have to say that when we visited last year we didn't see gangs hanging around, did we just not notice it?

I would love to read more positive posts because the negative ones plant the seeds of doubt, are we doing the right thing.

I have 3 boys 6, 9 & 12

We are heading NOR.

If this post could generate some more views on life NOR good or bad it would really help me.

Thank you in advance

mecheng

It's been a few years since I lived in Perth but I rarely, if ever, came across any gangs. Like every city, if you're sensible and don't go looking for trouble, you'll be fine. Kids have always hung around McDonalds since McDonalds probably first came to Australia. Unfortunately, you won't get 100% positive views about any location but ignore any of the negativity. Easier said than done but the positives must outweigh any of the negatives, otherwise you wouldn't be going. Good luck and don't worry.

northernbird

I live near Joondalup and have done for over 4 years. Thursday nights at Lakeside Shopping Centre there are usually groups of kids hanging about. I am told that McDonalds in Currambine is another place kids hang out in the evenings. I am sure there are more. I have seen this but never seen trouble or encountered any myself. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen though, lot of people have seen trouble or indeed had their kids involved in it. Shit happens the world over, Perth is no different.

Schools, well there is a subject close to my heart. My girls aged 11 and 7 go to the most fantastic little primary school. When we moved here 4 years ago I put my eldest daughters name down at 2 private schools. No chance with the first one, I was 156th on a list where they were only inviting the first 100 to apply. For the past 4 years I have worried about where my child would go and finally 2 weeks ago I was offered a place at my 1st choice school. My local catchment high school is one of the worst schools in the northern suburbs. The one that I am just out of boundary for isn't a huge deal better. Unless you can afford to live in catchment for somewhere like Churchlands SHS or Shenton College then the next best state alternatives are Duncraig SHS and Carine SHS. Head further north and your choices are Kinross College, Wanneroo SHS and Clarkson SHS. I have no first hand experience of these schools but they do not enjoy the best of reputations. A few BE members send their kids to these schools and are very happy with them so you have to decide which bits you want to listen to. Don't worry too much about Primary level, most I have seen are very good and my own is awesome and it's a shame my girls have to leave there ultimately.

Having said all of the above, Perth is my home and there is nowhere in the world I would rather live and raise my daughters. Any other questions fire away.

La Vida loca

Perth... ask that question and you get a torrid of replies and abuse, as for some reason we are an emotional lot on the west coast....

How far North do you intend going? I will be truthful here, the further north you go, the less there is to do and you will more than likely live in a pommie suburb.... but... you get a nice 4x2 in a sleepy suburb.......

As for the kids, yes you get this, but dont you get this everywhere, graffeti is a problem so is opportunistic robbery. ALot of bad press comes from RE agents up North as they push you onto one side of Marmion... mainly to keep the house price high....... and it seems to work.

Also will you be working, and your other half? what do they do, the further North you go its a complete nightmare to get into Perth as thats where the main industry is, but then again you may not need to. Perth CBD by car is 45mins to an hour from Currambine most mornings, go by train and its usually sardines...

Schools, unfortunately its a pommy snobbery thing, most of the good posh private schools have their own problems, so wouldnt worry too much, and the other state schools are good, but depends on your child, plenty around here sent their kids to private school for nothing, still ended up buff heads.

Thats bits around working and schools.

Everything else is good.... beaches, people, summer, wkends...


My only advice... do not jump straight into buying a property, look absolutely everywhere even South of the river before you committ, not all is as good as it seems after living here for a while, the novelty wheres off and you need reality in your life for the better things in Perth.

Amazulu

A word of advice, use this site to gather information but do not use it to make decisions about emigration - opinions are like assholes etc.
This website has a major anti-Perth bias. The only way you are going to find out if you would like it here is to come and find out for yourself.

renth

What she said.

mohogony

Every city in the world has gangs and crime, l guess the only way to advoid it would be to live somewhere, boring and remote in country OZ, But l would imagine the gangs in Perth would be no where near as bad as in the USA or London.

Lord_Farquar

There aren't enough people in Perth who are awake past 6pm to form a gang.

mohogony

It seems the main complaint people have about perth on this forum is that its boring, l have'nt read many posts complaining about crime but l guess it depends what suburb you live in some would be worse then others.

Lord_Farquar

I suppose it depends what you want from life. If you have kids it's probably a great place. If you are young and single or a professional couple (with no kids) I would think it could be a little boring.

Beachband

Wouldn't everywhere be boring, if you allowed it to be?
Everywhere is what you make of it, you can only do so much research on any place to live, sure the opinions on here are great, they're invaluable, but after all you still gotta go live it, it either works out in that area or not, but it won't be from not trying, it has to be also based on your own judgement though.
Don't let a few opinions put you off, you still got to find out for yourself.
I'm going to Perth myself and would love to know WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE/NOT TOO EXPENSIVE/ ETC ETC TO LIVE, and obviously I would love to hear back exact answers to that question, and I have asked on here, got some good reply's in the right direction, and this is my point, the rest is for me to find out, taking negatives with positives together from the opinions I have received here, that is what its all about.
You could find a place at home around the corner to live and it could turn out to be a nightmare, for someone else it could be the bees knees.

Sometimes a personal experience of a situation that happened in an area of living etc that might put a person off that area for good, does not mean its the mass of the situation as a whole for someone else living there.

Lord_Farquar

I agree, it was only my opinion. Personally I would choose Melbourne or Sydney over Perth, but each to their own.

Beachband

This was more towards the original thread, in other words, opinions are great, what is classed as fun to one person can be boring to someone else, everyone is different, but as the thread shows, the OP is already coming to Perth, so maybe putting in reasons for an individuals boredom in a city, is greater than just saying its boring, I could understand how that could put someone off, but the reasons for boredom might actually not.
Obviously one boring fact is the shopping hours in Perth, everywhere shuts down early, to someone else this could be a good thing, again it depends on what your looking for.
I have been on sun holidays where some people sit around all day getting a tan and don't leave their sun loungers, to someone else on that holiday, that would be boring, they would check out what the place has to offer.

So come people give us the boring FACTS about Perth, since its seems to have that label(no comparisons to the the EAST by the way)

Three Legs

I'm shipping out but don't let that put you off

Lord_Farquar

Is it because you can't deal with the excitement any longer?