British Expats - 6 months in perth

Ok we haven’t posted for a while, and as it’s nearly 6 months that we have been in Perth I thought I share MY VIEWS of what we have experienced, so please feel free to comment but for the criticism post hunters out there please respect my opinions

Xmas and New Year

Our first Christmas was a funny one really, we spent xmas day at the beach having a bbq, typical Australian day I suppose, it was a great day and we spent it with some new Australian friends so they baby sat us really, it is weird sat in 35’c heat in the Indian ocean then going home for a few drinks as normal. New year was ACE, we went to Joondalup country club, I play golf here so I thought what the hell, we booked a room for the night and enjoyed a 4 course meal, free drinks, and a band with crap dancing all night, loads and loads of fun, met some great people on our table and all for $155.00. Christmas was a funny one for me and Jo, but we loved every minute and can’t wait for 2007’s

Housing / renting

Ok this is a funny one at the moment, the house prices and land prices are through the roof and my opinion of that is the estate agents just got too greedy, knowing that migrants were getting a good exchange rate, therefore pushing house and land prices up. For example we looked at a piece of land at Christmas and the owner wanted offers around $375.000 for a quick sale, so we put in an offer off $365.000. Two days later the agent came back to us and told us that the wanted $450.000. Great eh.
So we are waiting for the arse to fall out of the market here, and some people we met at New Year are agents told us that sales are slowing down so much so he was getting worried. It’s all over the papers and on the news about Perth’s Housing crisis.
Anyway renting aint gonna be fun for people entering Perth as there aren’t many rentals, not so I feel, you have just got to spend a bit of time looking as me a Jo did. I recommend this as some are very bad and messy. We bought a Sat Nav and that was and still is a life saver. All in all there is land and house at reasonable Prices but you have to look at different suburbs and we aint compromising on that,we know where we are gonna live and that’s that.

Driving and getting about!!!

Ok Mad Max was filmed here and rightly so, most people here still think they are extras from the film, I have never ever seen such terrible driving skills from people in all the country I have ever visited, I thought Rhodes, Greece was bad but this is frightening. I don’t care what people say, someone dies most days on WA roads and it’s due to driving 3 cm from your back bumper, just too fast everywhere. When it rains, well its carnge.but generally sticks to the speed limits and you will be ok. There are speed cameras everywhere and if you drive like a cock you will get caught.
Trains are excellent always there and run like clockwork, remember change for the machines and to get a day pass as it gets you further and some zones you can use the river ferries. Buses are pretty much the same, dam good services
If you like getting about on a bike ( peddle ) not a motorbike as most people on sports bikes here just wear thongs, shorts and vests !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its scary to see them on the roads, and ive come off at speed on a bike and if wasn’t for leathers I would have much skin left……anyway push bikes, loads of routes up and down the coast and most major roads have a bike lane.

Working

This will be a touchy one for some as the only thing I can say is, when you get here you have to work not sit on your lazy arse thinking that now that you have emigrated you have a easy life now, a lot of people get a slap in the face when they see the wages and the working differences. For example I am a qualified roof Slater and tiller, lead and copper dresser and thus got our visa on that. I now am a reticulation and landscape gardener, lol bit of a difference eh but it’s my own company called “Design Oasis” and I love it, I have got a contract with a company and in the morning I install your reticulation at the front of your house that you get as part of the land package. And in the afternoon I do my own work normally installing the back garden “retic” and lawn and garden beds ECT.
Now this is the fun part, I start around 6 – 6-30 am and if ive got my own work and my contract I normally finish around 6 or 8pm…..yep im the only tradie on site past 3.30pm but I have got my head around that I need to work hard or it seems harder here and this is what im happy with. All im saying is you might have to change your ideas and look at different things because it aint the UK this and it’s your new home so adjust. The heat isn’t too much of a problem, I keep hydrated all day (3 – 5 liters) a day when it’s hot, but im digging and stuck out in the sun all day. Keep covered up and plenty of factor 30, seriously you don’t want to rip your shirt off at the first sight of the sun, that aint good for you.
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Keeping busy

As everything is so spread out you have to drive to most places or catch a train or bus if you want to have a drink. But generally there are plenty of things to do. Loads of wildlife parks and the zoo’s pretty good. We bought a year pass for Yanchep National Park and this is for 2 cars all for $30. The pub, Yanchep Inn is a must for a Sunday roast, it looks like a crappy pub for a bite to eat but don’t let that fool you, worth a visit. Moore river is a must and a good day out, the best thing to do as me and jo generally do is grab the UBD and look for places and just pack some water, towels, foldy chairs and go. The councils ( shires) hold free concerts in parks and that’s a great night out, we have seen Bjorn Again and bohemian rhapsody ( Queen tribute act ) and both we fantastic, nothing better than sitting in a park at 8pm with a beer in my hand food, warm weather and a free concert.
Eating outs a bit of a lucky dip, the best seafood places are generally down new the marinas but just look around, everyone food tastes are different, The Five Rivers, Woodvale is a good curry, the Witches Cauldron in Subiaco is great for garlic prawns, and Hungry Jacks double Whopper no tomato, extra pickle fixes a Saturday afternoon hunger pang !!!
On the other hand you could just pack a towel and go to the beach, I play a lot of golf here and the are some great course and some not so great, im not keep on the ones full of beer drinking idiots that drive the carts on the greens, but that’s what you get when you pay $20 for a round, if you’re a keen golfer stick to Joondalup, Collier park, Vines, Wembley, Burswood, Araluen, ect.
Ok I also dive and there are plenty of dives sites, some great and some just seaweed and rocks, I enjoy rock lobster fishing, but there tricky buggers and aint caught many. Ive dived at rottenest and it’s pretty good, well if the swell isn’t up over 1.5m or its just bad visibility, the further north you go the better, but that’s not Perth.

General stuff

We love it hear and have been caught up in setting into our new lifestyles, I have lost weight feel great, Jo’s happy and we are so pleased we made the move. It hasn’t been easy and we have just arrived really, we have argued more than we did in the UK, but both have made sacrifices and changed things we did and have never been so happy anywhere in the world together. This is the key, Adapt to Australia and stop comparing back to the Uk this is your new home, get out more and meet people, don’t become a whining pome just sit back relax a little and remember this is WA (wait a-while) stop wearing England football shirts and buy a aussie one, where here to become Australian citizens after all.
Personally I think the TV here’s brilliant, the news readers and hosts would be fired and the would be public outrage at the thinks they say sometimes, what I mean is I never normally laugh at the news reader funny comments about stories. Radio here’s pretty good loads of stations to choose and no Fat Moyes to bore you to death. Food shopping is no different to the UK, but I think the meats and veg are a better quality, Woollies, IGA, Coles are all ok but it’s up to you.

So that’s my personal opinions, and here’s a link to some of our pics
I have probably missed stuff out but hey! No Worries im off to do burn outs in my Ute, grab Coffee Chill and chill down the beach and maybe work a bit in the week.

Ta Chris & Jo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northern-Monkey (Post 4417468)

Excellent post and will have to agree with just about everything you have mentioned, I don't play golf or dive but have heard about the excellent courses and dive sites.

John