Simon3000

Hi,
I'm a 32 year old doctor from England and will working for a limited 1
year period at the Royal Perth hospital starting January 10th 2005.
I'll be coming with my pregnant wife.

I'll be working hard and would like to have a nice time outside of
work and enjoy Australia as I'll only be there for a year.

Can anyone give me advice on:

1. where/how to find 2 or 3 bedroom accomodation for a year within a
reasonable driving distance of the Royal Perth hospital (maximum
budget AUS$550/week but preferably cheaper)

2. which is the best area to live - i've heard that Cotteslowe and
Subiaco might be good options for me. I'd quite like to be near the
beach (as we rarely see the sea in England) and live somewhere with
some night-life but i don't want to have to travel too long to get to
work (i may have to go in frequently for emergencies at
nights/weekends as well)

3. I'd prefer to rent furnished accomodation so that i don't have to
buy any but i've heard that furnished accomodation is a lot more
common/readily available/cheaper - is this true and would it be more
advisable to rent unfurnished and buy some cheap furniture?


4. Where can i get a cheap but decent car for the year

5. How/where to get a bank account - are there anu UK banks with
branches in Perth

6. any tax related things i should know?

7. do i need to pack any warm clothing for winter?

8. Where (countries/cities/sites) should I plan to visit (I believe I
will have 4-6 weeks annual leave in total for the year)?

9. As my wife will be giving birth, is the public health system good
for maternity care or is the private system much better (if so, how
much would it cost for maternity care?)

10. My wife is very sociable and gets bored easily - she won't be
working - will it be easy for her to make friends?

11. Where can i get a good deal on 1 year return flights from London
to Perth?

12. What sort of recreational activities are suitable in Perth?

13. I'm planning on only packing a large suitcase with
clotehs/essential documents and laptop computer for the year

14. Where/how can my wife find a casual job in Perth?

15. I've hear that getting a broadband internet connection in Perth is
v.expensive - is this so and how much does it cost?

16. Any advice on mobile phone networks/deals - I don't know anyone in
Perth so will probably only want a mobile phone to receive calls and
won't need to make many calls

17. Anything else I should know or ask about?

Thanks for any advice anyone can give.

Simon

steve99

Hi Simon,

Blimey thats a whole heap of questions youve got there,!
Here's some (not all im afraid) answers

check out the following website for rental property's
www.realestate.com.au
www.aussiehome.com
www.reiwa.com.au

The areas you mention Cottesloe and subiaco are both good areas, both have train line access to Perth/Fremantle. both have a failry high percentage of rental propertys but are probably in the top 5/6 most expensive
I rented in Cottesloe when I first came over for a year, unfurnished 3bed 1 bath, pool cost $400pw this had problably gone up a bit as it was 2 years ago, but I think youd get something easily for $550Pw
subiaco has a lot more apartments so your more likely to get something furnished if thats the route you choose.
We didnt buy a car until we decided to stay permanently, the train line was good for getting in and out of Perth/Freo and if we needed to travel anywhere specific or go away on hol etc we just hired one
www.bayswatercarrental.com.au
this worked out much cheaper than buying one, on insurance to pay, road license, servicing, repairs and you dont get left with a vehicle youve got to try and sell.
I guess your travel times might be more erratic so this may not be suitable, there are plenty of new/used dealers around which you can go to when you get, same set up as in the UK, also the west australian news paper has a motor section on saturday.

I think there are a few banks that have affiliations with UK ones but you wont get any branches out here, try your current bank and see if they have any ties with any Australian ones.

Winter isnt cold by UK standards, but compared to the summer heat it feels cold, nights can get very cold 2-3degrees isnt uncommon, so yes a few warm items might be wise although you can easily buy that sort of stuff out here once you get to winter. especially as your only bringing one case.

Margaret River Wine region is a lovely area to visit, about 3-4 hrs south of Perth, Noth of Perth, Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef etc are about 10hrs drive (i think) other than that your on a plane over East really, if youve not been to Sydney Id go there for a trip, where you go depends what you like really...

for flights, one of the best I know of is Lees Travel , www.leestravel.co.uk

For Jobs check out local press.

Broadband prices seem to be around $29.95 a month at the moment, depends specifically what you want.
check out www.bigpond.com for some details

Sort the mobile out when you get here, plenty of companies/shops around selling them,
check out www.bdigital.com.au

Hope this has been of some help
Im sure you'll love Perth when you get here,

good luck
steve

claire edwards

I lived in Fremantle and Cottesloe - Fremantle is near lots of shops, so if your wife if pregnant and bores easily, it might be worth considering living somewhere like that for accessibility. The trains in Perth from Freo are very reliable, almost to the second, so the commute won't be a problem. The train journey is very picturesque (My partner did this commute on a daily basis into Perth). Cottesloe is a great place too, a few cafes and the beach is great - not a great deal of shops though (I sound like a shopaholic!).

Casual work? I suppose that depends what your wife is willing to do. Working in a coffee shop or administrative? There are loads of places in Freo, Perth etc where she can look. Alternatively there are an abundance of Agencies on St Georges Terrace, Perth that she can apply to. Good opportunity to meet people through work.

Recreational activities - I used to go to yacht clubs, scuba dive off Rottenest Island (Small Island of the coast), play volley ball, BBQ's, loads of water sports. They do a twilight boat race every week which is great fun and a good place to meet people.

There are many places to visit in WA - Margaret River and all down the west coast basically. We hired a camper van and travelled all around - There's plenty to do and loads of great van yards with great wine.

Yes it does get pretty chilly through winter months, nothing in comparison to the UK, but you will need warm clothes and a fleece.

You will need to get a tax file number from Perth. There are plenty of banks there, we went with Westpac, it was easy to open the account.

We rented a fully furnished house just outside Fremantle in a place called White Gum Valley and acquired this out of the local paper. Alternatively, if you want to secure something before you go, I do believe there is a website called pomsinperth where you can secure acc b4 you get there.

Good Luck and have lots of fun!

Claire

The Druid

Try pomsinperth.com should answer most of your q's