Pros and Cons of living in Perth?

[stamples]

Hi everyone,

 

I would love to hear your views on the pros and cons of living in Perth. It's not a city I've researched before, but now have a possible opportunity in Perth and so want to find out more.

 

We have no children, so don't need to hear about schools etc. but most other aspects will be of interest.

 

Thanks in advance for your comments!

[Guest hels]

Hiya

Ive been living in perth just over 2 years now -

Pros - clean, good transport links, not heaps of traffic like the uk, people are on the whole friendly and helpful, potential to earn really decent money, more oppertunities than the uk, houses are bigger but gardens smaller, native wildlife

Cons - very expensive, customer service varies wildly, the driving standard is awful, they party hard and often, drink driving is very common, no insulation/heating in houses makes winter chillllllly

the list can go on and on really

[flag of convenience]

This subject has been widely discussed on these Forums. My first thought would be why decide on Perth? Being a couple sans kids would Melbourne or elsewhere suite you better?

Why not check out a few places before deciding? Stay in backpackers if need be but get a feel of perhaps where you may feel more at home.

 

Perth has for it very predictable weather, even today for example the first month of winter and the sun is out and warm. Winter is short only a couple of months, but nights can get cold. Some prefer the full seasons.....

Isolation, may be a factor. Nowhere is close so escape can be costly. Parochial to a degree, you get the picture ideal for some others hate it.

Oh,it is expensive. Have a Sydney friend staying at the moment and she finds eating out very expensive especially for the quality here. House prices and rents high. Job market is far less robust than a few months ago.

Research your move well would be the best advice to offer.

[Paul1Perth]

I'm a big Perth fan so there will be lots of people disagree.

Pro's:-

Nice clean City

Not too big so easy to get around, free bus service in Perth

Great, cleaan beaches, some of the best in the World. A lot of them uncrowded and free parking.

If you live fairly close to the railway line North or South, or fairly close to a bus link that can take you to a station, public transport is good and fairly cheap. On the downside there are some suburbs that are nigh on impossible to get to if you don't have a car.

The weather is massive thing for me and the family. It's winter here at the moment and the average temp is about 20 degrees during the day at the moment.

Bike paths all over the place.

Great National parks and wineries not very far away.

Good mountain biking trails

If you like any kind of sport there can't be many better places in the world to be. It doesn't have to be expensive to join in either. Great way to meet people is join a club or gym.

Generally friendly people, a lot have been through the emigration process themselves so willing to help or just have a chat.

The blue skies

[newjez]

Big question is where you can get a job - that may determine your location. Most aussie cities are very similar.

[flag of convenience]

Agree with above. Go where the work is. First and foremost concern. Unless you are in an area of high demand don't assume it will be easy to find something. Perth has a limited market compared to East Coast.

[jen85]

Pros - Generally quite clean, more laid back then the east coast, good for families and the retired

Cons - Isolated and sometimes boring with not much to do once you have seen everything, people on a whole are rude especially when driving, customer service not great and very expensive compared to 2 years ago!

[fifi69]

2nd everything that Paul1 has said.

 

If your after a laid back lifestyle, beaches on your doorstep, house with pool, fantastic views, outdoor living then its the place to be.

 

If your looking for cultural, city living then maybe not the place for you.

 

Perth for me is like the kind of place I would go on holiday to, and say to OH "wouldn't it be great to live somewhere like this" and now we do, with the added bonus of having a wage to with it.

 

its slower paced, but has everything you need, just maybe on a smaller scale.

 

it might not be living the dream but its living our dream.

 

cons: isolation maybe, but I've not felt it, and if having to get on a plane to visit somewhere else is the price I have to pay for living here, then it's a small price in my eyes.

 

eating out: there is good deals to be had, but for the spur of the moment meal out, is IMO not very good value for money.

 

On the whole Perth is awesome if you are willing to take it for what it is and embrace it

[gpo1971]

Bored in work so here goes

 

Pros

Clean and tidy

Weather is great – we’ve been here 5 years and it’s never been below 15 in the day. There are usually 4 months of 30+ temps and min mid 20 temps for another 4 months of the year

Beaches are ridiculous, World class. And abundantly non-stop

Superb for families – must be great to be a kid here

Plenty to do – mostly natural amenities

Lots of holiday opportunities – we love going South West. The scenery there is gorgeous

Some great pubs, superb scenery and settings to have a pint in (see cons)

Casual dining is of a good standard, better than in the UK (see cons)

Our house is tremendous

I can walk to the pub, coffee shop & café, general shops and an amazing beach

I am healthier here. I eat better (the food is better), I walk more, I sleep like a 6 month old baby. Mind you, I drink about 3 times as much as I used to (still a pro I reckon)

 

Cons

Everything is spaced out so much it takes ages to get anywhere. Petrol’s half the price here but you’ll be driving twice the distance anyway

Most stuff is over-priced, especially eating out & drinking

You pay more here than the rest of the Country for no other reason than the excuse of ‘isolation’ which doesn’t really exist other than to justify gouging

Wouldn’t live here if we were a young couple, there is a ‘scene’ but it is not like the UK is for that type of thing

Advice – Don’t watch the News if you get wound up easily by corruption, gouging, price-fixing etc., it’s rife here

The Politicians are Neanderthal scumbags; even compared to those in the UK

Commercially, competition is discouraged, retailers are in cartels to simply extract as much of everyone’s money as possible

The Federal Government shaft WA and take all its money to pay for the Eastern States who don’t make any

The drivers are abysmal and dangerous. Drink-driving is rife. It is every young Aussie blokes birth right to be a maniac driver

A lot of the young blokes are dickheads

Crime has got a fair bit worse in the 5 years we have been here

Too many Poms – most are boring, moaning, keep-up-with-the-Jones’, this-isn’t-the-same-as-in-England types. We mixed with a few for 3 months or so then have avoided for the past 4.5 years

 

Am sure there are others, this passed 10 mins tho.

 

Perth is a metro area of nearly 2M people now.

If you live in a large metro area of the UK, some of the cons I have listed will be nowhere near as bad here as they are in the UK e.g. crime. However, some of the pros will be nowhere near as good either e.g. depth of amenities.

 

All in all, we are happy here. We have more money and do tons more things. We still go and watch sunsets once or twice a month and still take photos. It is a great place to live. I think the comment from an earlier poster about coming here on holiday and thinking ‘this is a great place to live’ is a good one, it’s not really something that has ever worn off for us.

[jen85]

I dont think there is an answer to this really, as aussies and poms will have differences in opinion. I think it goes back to the ol grass is greener saying we always like want we don't have.

[Guest]

Pro's

Most have been said but mainly most pro's are due to better weather than anything else.

City is nice and clean

If you live fairly close to transport links it is easy to get about, if you dont its a drive everywhere

People are friendly but I feel this is the same anywhere really

Work is very easy, people just don't work as hard here and there are double the employees taken on to do the job 1 person would do in the UK - you wont suffer work stress

Healthier lifestyle

 

Cons

City spread for miles so to travel across it does take a long time

Just as many A**holes as the UK I'm afraid, only here most are in customer service jobs haha

If you haven't kids you will find it quiet and possibly hard to make friends

Red tape for everything especially at work, also everything takes ages

Wages are lower when considering rent and cost of living and tax

Perth is very small in terms of the job market so a lot less opportunity than in the UK - do not listen to idiots who say otherwise or question where they lived before (a small village)

The economy is heading southwards and is forecast to get a lot worse - already it is very hard to get a job

It may be healthier but at the expense of being a bit boring - I'm early 40's so it doesn't bother me too much now but it would if I was younger

Police and traffic wardens out to get you for fines

 

 

Basically its relaxed and healthier at the expense of things to do, more expensive so you will have less money to spend on holidays etc... take your choice. I like it but I know it isnt forever which helps me like it I guess.

[tonyman]

I will also 2nd everything paul said and also what fifi had to say ............can I just add the roads are so wide for driving and nobody parks on the road outside their house even if you have 4or 5 cars(apart from one idiot in Thornlie who has got to be British)................

[Paul1Perth]

The unemployment and jobs figures are out today and the "experts" were all forecasting a rise in unemployment and less jobs. Totally wrong on both counts. WA unemployment rate down to 4.9% and jobs growth in Australia in general.

[whaleshark]

Hello, new to this site!

 

I am Australian and my missus has just been granted her de facto visa (we live in the U.k) so we plan to move to in Perth in the next 6 months once we'v got all our ducks in a line.

 

How do you mean when you say it's a bit boring? Surely It has cinema, gym, football teams, pubs, clubs etc... just like the U.k right?

 

Also, what is the music scene like? I've lived in the U.k all my life and I'm in a band. I am sorry to be leaving my band and I would very much like to get involved in the band scene again once in Perth. I'm not a youngster either, I'm 36!

 

Thanks

[funkft]

What do you play?

[whaleshark]

Guitars n' voc's mainly, bit of drums and keys too.

[funkft]

good stuff - ive done a fair bit of gigging myself, but not for a few years now

We are hoping to movre over to Perth next year (Visa approval permitting) so hopefully they'll be a good music scene there

[Paul1Perth]

good stuff - ive done a fair bit of gigging myself, but not for a few years now

We are hoping to movre over to Perth next year (Visa approval permitting) so hopefully they'll be a good music scene there

 

You guys will be fine. I know one guy in his 50's who's in a blues band, has lots on nice guitars which he lets me try. My friend has 2 sons who are in a band that are doing pretty well. There are lots of local bands looking for members and some great music shops around that will always put you on to a lead if you want to get to know other musos.

 

There are quite a few live venues around Perth, from local pubs to international acts. The new Perth Arena is a great venue for big bands. Also Perths weather is brilliant for outdoor concerts and there are a lot of free ones on parks during the summer. All sorts of different tastes catered for.

 

Saw one of the best outdoor concerts I've ever been to when I saw Pearl Jam at Subi oval a few years ago.

[VERYSTORMY]

Pros. Weather is generally better

Rosters in my industry are better

It has a nice sleepy feel

 

Cons.

Economy is going down a lot - Paul, the jobs news was regarded as highly negative as it should big falls in full time work.

Houses are crap. Pouring a concrete pad and building on it and adding a tin roof is called a shed. Not a house. Some heating and insolation would be good as well.

It's damned expensive.

The food is crap

The restaurant scene is appalling.

It's Very isolated. No jumping on the train to Paris for a day for a spot of lunch and a gallery. Everywhere is a decent length flight.

[Bibbs]

Posted this before, but here it is again.What is better, for me?

 

 

Having moved from the "Best place in the UK" http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/best-place-live-uk-revealed-104932275.html

To the "9th most livable city in the world" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_most_livable_cities

 

 

Better houses (bigger house, newer, more land)

Better jobs (massive pay increase)

Less commuting (15min train, 10min walk vs at least 45min drive)

More entertainment (comedy shows, concerts, local bands - all closer and easier to get to)

Better weather (allowing more outdoor time)

Roads & Public transport (traffic flows better, trains and busses are cheap)

Proximity to Asia for holidays

Wildlife (I still get a buzz from seeing a wild roo, boating with dolphins or a thorny devil on the road side)

Food (Several top resturants all on our doorstep, with a wide range of 'proper' Thai, Chinese and Indians - not the westernified stuff)

Sport (AFL, cricket, rugby, V8 supercars - and all easier to see live compared with UK equivalents)

Cleanliness (less litter, less fly tipping, less polluting transport, more litter pickers on the streets, clean fresh air)

Medical (can book stuff in so quick compared to the UK. BUPA UK were slower than BUPA Aus)

 

 

The stuff thats worse?

 

 

Miss my friends (have loads here, but it's different from the ones you 'grew up' with)

Cheap cars, cheap flights (but the pay rise covers that)

Internet shopping (have to order it from over East, the US or the UK)

Next day deliveries (just doesn't happen)

Pubs (Aussies perfer more of a 'bar' here, and the 'pubs' are full of poms. But most of my entertaining is at mine or friends houses)

Pay for banking (Which can be easily minimised, and having an okay savings rate combined with getting 10% interest on my super kinda makes up for it)

 

 

Things I couldn't give two s**ts about, that others seem to always mention?

 

 

Sausages (Really? Are they really that important? My butcher makes some of the best sausages I've tasted)

Heat (Just put the AC on, it's not an issue. Just like the cold in the UK, put the heating on)

Remoteness (Erm, it is. Deal with it. Singapore is just a 5 hour flight)

Nightlife (Perth is heaving every time i go out. The CBD is packed full of bars, and Northbridge is great for food before heading to the city for a show)

Bogans (Easily avoided, like the UK chav)

Edited June 17, 2013 by Bibbs
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[Guest]

Whaleshark - its all down to what you like doing to be honest. I would side with this last post from verystormy. I like eating out and going to do stuff as I don't have kids.

.

I think if your a family it would be very good but as a couple it is a bit lacking, I still like the place and plan to stay a while unless the work scene gets even worse (it is very bad right now and is only going to get worse, projects are now built so they dont need all the people any more).

 

I think a lot of it depends on where you are coming from as well. If your used to life up north in the country and having to drive everywhere you will adjust better to perth.

 

If you were living in the South of the UK with everything at your fingertips then I feel it may seem a bit of a come down. There are many positives here though - I just like to give a realistic view

 

Its just a big town in the middle of nowhere and if you want to go to another town then its a 5 hour flight ! This is why it costs more to buy anything i think

 

Knowing what I know now I wouldn't come here due to the economic outlook and the fact Europe etc is coming back up.

 

Australia is small compared with many other countries (in terms of population and economy) so opportunity and competition is much less.