A whirlwind 2 weeks in Perth and Adelaide

[M1cha3la]

Hey everyone,

 

So we are back in the UK after our reccie (but not really a reccie) trip. We got back Sunday afternoon and I have been fighting a chest infection ever since, so bare with me I am drugged up to the eyeballs, hopefully my post is coherent :twitcy:

 

 

As I am sure most of you will know, we did a week in Perth and a week in Adelaide. We flew with Emirates via Dubai, who were ok. Our internal flight was with Quantas who are absolutely brilliant.

 

Perth; We arrived on at 1am on the Saturday morning. We got straight through immigration with no problems grabbed our bags and dived in a taxi in less than 20 mins (I appreciate the airport is quiet at that time of night lol). The taxi only cost $35 dollars which was a pleasant surprise as I had read to allow about $60. Due to the ridiculous time we landed, we booked in a hotel on Adelaide Terrace conveniently next to the car hire place. The rest of the week stayed in Victoria Park in an apartment which had amazing views of the city.

 

As I have mentioned in previous posts this was not a full reccie as we just wanted to get general feelings for the place (work is work where ever you are) so we mainly did recreational things and we managed to cram a load in, yet I feel we have barely scratched the surface. There was so much more we had hoped to do and I had even hoped to catch up with a POM member to say hi, but we simply ran out of time.

 

We visited: Perth City, Kings Park, City Beach, Burns Beach, Sorrento and Hilarys Boat Harbor, Yanchep, Caversham Wildlife Park, Claisebrook, Fremantle, Coogee Beach, Rockingham, Swan Valley (on a wine tour), Lesmurdie Falls, Mundaring Weir.

 

I could talk and talk about how each place was amazing and what we loved about it, but to keep the post a reasonable length I will just summarise what we liked about Perth overall: We loved how there are little parks everywhere you go with picnic areas and BBQ's. The public transport when we used it was spotless and reliable. The city its self was spotless and had a great vibe to it. We loved how clean and modern it was. I love how it’s a city, but it’s not crowded or over bearing. We loved how with a 30 minute drive you could be somewhere like Lesmurdie Falls and have a complete different feel.

 

Prices, I was genuinely surprised at the prices. I had worked myself up quite a bit prior to going about prices after reading on line about how expensive Perth is, but we did not find it to be expensive. Now don't get me wrong, it’s by no means cheap but I guess it’s just what you are used to. We found ourselves in a strange position as we wanted to try to look at prices in $'s as if we were living and spending $'s, but we inevitably ended up comparing back to £'s. As we were only on holiday I guess it’s no biggie this time, so some of the comparisons we found where; the cost for 2 drinks (glass of wine and a pint) was $19-$23. We pay about £15 a round in Birmingham where we drink. A meal out generally cost us $60. We pay that in £'s in the UK. We popped in a few furniture/electrical stores and nothing screamed overly expensive and the food shop we did for the week/supermarket prices did not scare us either. Cars seem dirt cheap. Houses are expensive, but that's the same in any city. We have been looking online at properties further out, which are more reasonably priced.

 

 

Adelaide; We stayed in a great spot in Henley Beach with amazing views over the beach (we even got dolphins one evening!). However we arrived on the Sunday afternoon and it was just crazy busy. There also seemed to be a lot of boy racers around. It was lovely and sunny that afternoon, but the rest of the week was overcast and quite chilly (we had to buy coats). We had only hired a car for the last 3 days in Adelaide so we relied on public transport the first 3. The buses were reliable, but old and run down. The city just felt a bit old and tired to us, though there are some beautiful old buildings dotted round. We wandered around the botanical park, which was stunning but it has a very English feel to it.

 

My DH fell in love with the big central market and we lost a whole morning in there while he longingly stared at all the items we could not buy, it’s the one thing he felt Perth was missing (or we didn’t find). We hopped on the Tram down to Glenelg and had a lovely afternoon there. It was probably our favorite spot in Adelaide. Once we had a car we drove down to Victor Harbor and up to Mount Lofty both of which are very pretty, the views where somewhat scuppered though as it was very misty/cloudy. Still beautiful places though.

 

I felt like we struggled for things to do really in Adelaide and apart from the previously mentioned and a wine tour, there is nothing else of note that we did. I am sure/hope there is a ton of things to do in Adelaide and we just didn’t find them. We had specifically booked a late flight home on the Sunday to give the maximum amount of time to explore yet we could have happily gone earlier. Though while killing time we stumbled across a huge Westfield Shopping centre in Marion which was fab and had some brilliant stores.

 

Prices in Adelaide where definitely cheaper in some areas, 2 drinks usually cost around $13. But meals came in at $60 again. Taxi from the airport cost $28 (I felt was expensive given how close it is to Henley Beach). Food shopping, we didn't notice a difference and there was only $10 difference in the overall bill.

 

Ultimately, 1 week in each city was never going to be enough to get a full view and I am sure both have so much more to offer. But overall, Perth came out on top for us and for now is where we are planning on heading. So for now for us it’s time to knuckle down, save that last chunk of money and get over there.

 

I must also admit there is a downside to doing a reccie, or there has been for me at least. I honestly didn’t want to come back to the UK. I could have happily just carried on there in Oz. Started job hunting a cracked on. Since we have got back (albeit that its less than a week), I feel like life is on hold until we get there and this next year of saving is just a waste of time/our lives. It’s not a healthy head space to be in and I am putting it down as a combination of jetlag and being ill. My DH had pre-empted that I would feel like this (something to do with me being impatient....) I am allowing myself this week to mope around but then will need a slap .:wub:

 

Ok wow, this turned into a long post. I will stop waffling and post some pics

 

(ps @Dom Churchill, sorry sweet I was not ignoring you when you asked what did we learn, I knew it would be a book so waited for this post. Hope you are ok :hug: )

Edited October 2, 2014 by M1cha3la
Spelling as usual >:(

[bell123321]

Fantastic post thank you. I have only visited Perth and Sydney but had always wondered about Adelaide so was interesting to read your comments. How long now till you think you can move over there? We have family in Perth and keep going back to visit and always seem to find things to do. You managed to do loads in that one week in Perth! Was really shocked by the wine and beer prices both in Perth and in Birmingham! When we go out for a wine and beer it costs us £5-£8. We didn't really drink out in restaurants in Perth or Sydney as we went to the liquor store on a few occasions and brought a bottle of wine, which we felt was a tad more then UK but when you work it out relatively to wages didn't seem to bad. I imagine its hard not to compare to UK prices until your earning over there.

 

Hope you dont have to much longer to save :-) Best of luck on your move exciting times !!

[Guest51810]

Glad you had a great time! Sounds like you managed to do loads. Like bell I'm a bit shocked at both drink prices. We definitely don't pay they in most places in Scotland.. Maybe why we have a drink problem lol :laugh: I think I'll have to stick to goon when I'm over there!

 

Best of luck with the rest of your plans and you'll be over there soon!

[shellyk666]

Wow, that sounds like a complete whirlwind! What a great snap shot of your visit, thanks for taking the time to post your opinions on both Adelaide and Perth. I hope we love Perth as much as you did when we fly out in 3 weeks. In the grand scheme of things saving for another year isn't the end of the world and maybe the visit will spur you on.

 

Ps. Hope you're feeling better soon!

[M1cha3la]

Fantastic post thank you. I have only visited Perth and Sydney but had always wondered about Adelaide so was interesting to read your comments. How long now till you think you can move over there? We have family in Perth and keep going back to visit and always seem to find things to do. You managed to do loads in that one week in Perth! Was really shocked by the wine and beer prices both in Perth and in Birmingham! When we go out for a wine and beer it costs us £5-£8. We didn't really drink out in restaurants in Perth or Sydney as we went to the liquor store on a few occasions and brought a bottle of wine, which we felt was a tad more then UK but when you work it out relatively to wages didn't seem to bad. I imagine its hard not to compare to UK prices until your earning over there.

 

Hope you dont have to much longer to save :-) Best of luck on your move exciting times !!

 

Thanks :wubclub: It was a crazy crazy week in Perth but we loved every minute of it.

 

If we go down our local village pub a couple of drinks usually only cost around £8 too. We go into Birmingham every month though (not all bars in Birmingham cost that much, depends where you go lol), so the prices do not shock us much. I can totally see how people would find it expensive though.

 

I feel like I have given Adelaide a bit of a hard time really, which is a shame as I am sure it has much more to offer than we found. It has a lot a history to it which you can see in the buildings and surrounds (I will pop some of the pictures up once my laptop wakes up lol). It just felt a bit too much like England to me. The weather didn't help :laugh: And as we like new and modern, Perth just suits us better.

 

We are aiming to move within 12 months, we are just saving and saving and deciding how much is enough, which is the how long is a piece of string question. :laugh: When are you next heading over there? xx

Edited October 2, 2014 by M1cha3la

[Gbye grey sky]

Interesting recce that and a great report. Because you were trying to contrast what two completely different cities might have to offer outside of work it was somewhat different to the one we recently did but interesting nonetheless.

 

I have always thought Perth is a place where I would love to have a long visit and your post reinforces that.

 

In Brisbane we looked at schools, houses, neighbourhoods, local activities and shops and only left ourselves a half day in Brisbane CBD and a day out at Australia Zoo. We also stayed in a small house so tried to immerse ourselves in the experience of day-to-day living (as far as you can without work). All very worthy but we came away feeling like we needed a holiday.

 

We too are in the saving up and waiting game now though our daughter finishing year 6 is a prime factor also. Life is a little on hold but there is still a lot to sort out between now and then and work is busy so I expect it will come around soon enough.

[M1cha3la]

A few snaps from Perth

 

[M1cha3la]

A few snaps from Adelaide

 

 

[M1cha3la]

Glad you had a great time! Sounds like you managed to do loads. Like bell I'm a bit shocked at both drink prices. We definitely don't pay they in most places in Scotland.. Maybe why we have a drink problem lol :laugh: I think I'll have to stick to goon when I'm over there!

 

Best of luck with the rest of your plans and you'll be over there soon!

 

Wow, that sounds like a complete whirlwind! What a great snap shot of your visit, thanks for taking the time to post your opinions on both Adelaide and Perth. I hope we love Perth as much as you did when we fly out in 3 weeks. In the grand scheme of things saving for another year isn't the end of the world and maybe the visit will spur you on.

 

Ps. Hope you're feeling better soon!

 

Thanks both :wubclub:

[bell123321]

Those pictures are giving me itchy feet to get over there again! I love the views from Kings Park over the city. When you move over there you must make a trip to Rottnest Island one of my favourite places no cars, cute quokkas and amazing beaches. I am off over to Sydney in April to see a friend who recently had a baby. First time I haven't gone over to Perth whilst visiting Australia. OH family live in Perth so we will be back over again in maybe 18 months (Unless immigrating looks close at that point then we will hold off and save the pounds for Visa's etc). The next 12 months will fly by!

[Guest51810]

The beaches and park areas look really nice!

[M1cha3la]

Interesting recce that and a great report. Because you were trying to contrast what two completely different cities might have to offer outside of work it was somewhat different to the one we recently did but interesting nonetheless.

 

I have always thought Perth is a place where I would love to have a long visit and your post reinforces that.

 

In Brisbane we looked at schools, houses, neighbourhoods, local activities and shops and only left ourselves a half day in Brisbane CBD and a day out at Australia Zoo. We also stayed in a small house so tried to immerse ourselves in the experience of day-to-day living (as far as you can without work). All very worthy but we came away feeling like we needed a holiday.

 

We too are in the saving up and waiting game now though our daughter finishing year 6 is a prime factor also. Life is a little on hold but there is still a lot to sort out between now and then and work is busy so I expect it will come around soon enough.

 

 

Yea, we went completely against the grain of what a reccie is meant to be really. We rented an apartment to do the shopping and day to day stuff too and that was a good call. We figured work is work and no matter where you are you still have to do the washing up and put the bins out ect, so we thought we would look at what the cities have to offer us outside of the day to day grudge, because that time is important to us too. As we don't have children yet suburbs based on schools don't matter too much yet. We both drive so can travel to shops and amenities ect. But mainly because we are not moving yet and a lot can change in a year with a place, i.e we fall in love with a suburb/area now that in a year has gone up in price and is out of our reach ect. We are planning on renting for a while when we get there so that's when we will buckle down and do the serious stuff. Its only the two of us though, we may of taken a different approach if we had kids.

 

Good luck with your move :wubclub:

Edited October 2, 2014 by M1cha3la

[Jacaranda]

Nice pics!Brummie prices for drinks sound expensive?Same as Oz!I live in the Sth West and we spend no more than £8 for two drinks.Adelaide for drinks is not as expensive as Perth but I guess it depends where you drink.Great update and here's to a great future and successful savings!lol

[M1cha3la]

Nice pics!Brummie prices for drinks sound expensive?Same as Oz!I live in the Sth West and we spend no more than £8 for two drinks.Adelaide for drinks is not as expensive as Perth but I guess it depends where you drink.Great update and here's to a great future and successful savings!lol

 

Thanks :wubclub: Not all of Birmingham is that expensive lol, I think the Weatherspoons ect are cheaper. We like the wine bars though and it's usually £7 - £8 for 1 glass of wine or cocktail. Which is why prices in Perth were not a total shock to us. Its like anywhere I guess it can be made as cheap or expensive as you like. All that been said we usually drink at home anyway and only go out to B'ham once a month :laugh:

Edited October 2, 2014 by M1cha3la

[Jacaranda]

I can remember about 5 yrs ago,we went to London.Stayed in The Strand Hotel.Two drinks in the hotel costs us nearly £20!We went to the pub across the road and they were less than half that price!

[Guest51810]

I'd have to sit and sip that so slowly if I spent that on a glass of wine lol. I'll spend that on a cocktail but that's it! Drinks on herm were £3.60 which took me a little while to get used to because I'm a cheapo and where I live the drinks are usually around £2.40 or £2.50 for a vodka etc

[MovingtoTasmania]

Being selfish @M1cha3la, I'm glad it's Perth that you chose, because that's where I'll be :biggrin: xx

[Guest51810]

Being selfish @M1cha3la, I'm glad it's Perth that you chose, because that's where I'll be :biggrin: xx

 

She'll be moving to Alice springs now just to get away from you lol :tongue:

[M1cha3la]

Being selfish @M1cha3la, I'm glad it's Perth that you chose, because that's where I'll be :biggrin: xx

 

Well I am not saying it influenced our decision, but, I couldn't bare the thought of not being near you @MovingtoTasmania :hug: So now we are coming to Perth how do you feel about a house share? :cute: We could be one big happy family :wub: Xx

Edited October 2, 2014 by M1cha3la

[jac2011]

Lovely post thanks for that! Iv just had an invitation for an interview in Perth when we were set on QLD so its lovely to hear such a positive review. Perth was the city I first fell in love with watching WDU all those years ago (2004 ish) and my obsession with Australia began.

[M1cha3la]

Lovely post thanks for that! Iv just had an invitation for an interview in Perth when we were set on QLD so its lovely to hear such a positive review. Perth was the city I first fell in love with watching WDU all those years ago (2004 ish) and my obsession with Australia began.

 

 

Good luck for your interview xx

[jac2011]

Thankyou but it wont be till next year as i need to get AHPRA and my Visa sorted first.

 

Lovely lady though who basically said she would have or find me a job!

[Guest51810]

Thankyou but it wont be till next year as i need to get AHPRA and my Visa sorted first.

 

Lovely lady though who basically said she would have or find me a job!

 

Your another person I'll be annoying in perth then! :tongue:

[MovingtoTasmania]

Well I am not saying it influenced our decision, but, I couldn't bare the thought of not being near you @MovingtoTasmania :hug: So now we are coming to Perth how do you feel about a house share? :cute: We could be one big happy family :wub: Xx

 

What a brilliant idea @M1cha3la, you can go to work and I will stay home, looking after the homestead and the children and cooking :biglaugh::hug:. Err, you do eat curry I hope......

[NicF]

I think Adelaide is very bad at selling itself and things to do. You should have got on Poms in Adelaide for ideas of places to go and things to see. I think you would have still preferred Perth (seems to suit you more) but at least you would have had a more interesting time while you were here. Hope you feel better soon.