chiara

Yep, pretty much! Although I realise if you're comparing a semi- d with a bungalow here it is of course smaller...I'm talking about a detached house with four or five bedrooms.. (which is what we left behind..)

I don't agree the houses are bigger. From what I've seen they are smaller, certainly smaller than what we're used to in Ireland. They are open plan which means you cook, eat and live in the same room. Some have an extra family room but many are small.

Bob some people need help with looking good, and a well cut, well made garment can make a MASSIVE difference!! Personally I shop online for my clothes, most brands will ship to australia and Next deliver for free!

You learn very quickly where to shop and where not to. Petrol stations here are a shocking rip off so I only shop in them if I'm desperate. Coles is good value in my opinion, IGA is a rip off, but most places constantly do specials so you can always find something to fit the budget. Eating out is scandalous sadly, since I love eating out. My favourite wine is 11.99 in Dan Murphys but 18.99 in my local bottle shop, so shopping around is essential. Rent is another issue though...

Well thanks Bob for a very pragmatic view - of course you are completely right. My daughter has a place in John Curtin in Fremantle for high school, so I'm unconcerned about that aspect of it. SH felt very bland initially which is why I decided against it, but I've realised that since I don't want to settle long term in oz, I have to be realistic about what I want, and it's this: a nice, airy, modern house that I can park my car outside of and bring in the shopping without having to negotiate steps and slopes, that isn't pokey and ugly and old. I want my children to be able to play with their friends without me having to drive them there. I would like ideally if they could cycle to school nearby or at the very least cycle to the shops safely to get milk when I run out. I want to know there are normal people around nearby when I hear a bump in the night. Here in the hills I have never seen my neighbours - they drive their trucks very fast past the house and have sofas outside their front doors (sorry if that sounds snobby...but well there it is..) I want to walk around the local mall without seeing every second person either missing an eye, a limb, shoes (I saw a man yesterday in Midland fully dressed, including coat, but with no shoes just wandering around the mall). I suppose what I'm saying is, if dh has to be away doing fifo, I want to feel safe and content for a while and not overwhelmed by the task of five children on top of me unable to do much more than play out on the back deck.... Laney, will look at Roleystone...

I think some mountain dwelling hermit in outer Mongolia is unaware that I'm struggling to find somewhere to live, but I'm sure he'll get the memo at some stage, so sorry in advance for the constant threads on where to live.... The Kalgoorlie thing doesn't seem to be happening any time soon and I really need to get settled somewhere soon. Finding a suitable house up here in the hills has proven to be impossible - yes it's beautiful up here living among the trees on the side of a hill, but it's totally impractical for the children who want to cycle to their friends or school etc... so inspite of the fact that I hate estate living, I'm going to have to accept it is the only way we can manage, especially with hubby away on fifo most of the time. OK, I"m coming to my question - does anyone live in Secret Harbour, and if so, what do you think? We looked at it initially when we first arrived to Perth, but it felt a little Stepford wives for my liking, but I'm now seeing its appeal - kids can cycle to school, beach right beside etc... I don't like the northern suburbs, they just seem souless to me, so apart from legging it off to Margaret River (which I'm sorely tempted to do) it seems I will have to compromise. Any thoughts? I have four months before the end of the school term to make up my mind on an area...

Four corners, thank so much for that post! We still don't know if its a runner, but if it is, at this point I don't think there is much to think about; as long as I have internet I can shop online, and with 5 small kids our social life is pretty crap anyhow, so it makes no odds. Paying off our Irish mortgage would be lovely. DH is going to talk to his boss on Friday so fingers crossed. I will look you up if I end up there!

Haha, that's funny. Well I do like cultural things and nice restaurants, but with dh away I can't do this stuff anyway. It still comes down to the fact that if my choice is being in perth alone, or being in Kal with my husband, well there is no choice...

Rugby lad, thank you!! What a wonderful post!! I soooo agree with your sentiment - families should be together, and the Australian government really need to consider making these mining towns a possiblility for families. I love the Nairobi story, how exciting and what wonderful stories you have!! I'm not in oz for the long run, I'm here for the experiences and stories - who knows where next - khazakstan - China - I don't care, the point is to live, and living requires each member of our family being present.

OK so the fifo saga continues...but there have been whispers about the possibility of DH being placed permanently in Kalgoorlie as he's made it clear his Mrs ain't diggin' the whole fifo thing. To be honest, I'll live anywhere to be with him (and have! including a dusty city on the UAE/Omani border surrounded by noisy mosques and staring men in pyjamas), but I'd love to hear from any of you who do actually live there already. I've been told it's very red neck with titty bars and all the rest, but are there any redeeming features? Any opinions?:yes:

Oh I'll live half way up a mountain if it means having dh coming home every evening. No amount of civilisation makes being apart ok.

Yes, Kununurra has been mentioned for us, up north, but like that, the rent seems very high...hell I've even considered Kalgoorlie!

I think there are enough statistics to say that children being brought up with one parent don't always do as well as they should. That is no reflection on those who are single parents (hats off to them, its bloody hard), but i do think that there will be problems down the line, particularly in WA where there is such a high percentage of fifo families. I already see the effect it has had on my kids, dad is really not that relevant now and that is not a good thing. I also see the effect on me..

Yes, I suppose although dh's flight is only 2 hours, so not too bad. For me knowing he'd be home each weekend would give me no end of peace... but like someone said, I should be glad it's moving in the right direction...but oh, those lonely weekends!!!

DH has just been offered 10 and 4 (days) which is better. I said couldn't they just half that and make it 5 and 2 but he said nobody does that. Do they? It amounts to the same amount of working hours but far more bearable.

Very stormy, that doesn't surprise me. If you spend that amount of time apart, then human nature dictates that you become distant and less important to each other. And like I said, kids start to care less too!

Saffan, no you're not. It depends what you consider to be 'selfish'. For me, having dh away is hard and doesn't feel 'selfish' from my perspective at all. But then I'm lucky, dh has always earned enough that my 'career' is a bit of a folly. If you have to face leaving your small kids in daycare because you have to work, well that is very different. I can totally understand why someone would opt for fifo if that is their only option. Good luck with it.

Unlike most of my blog posts, I've written a rather serious one about fifo, from the perspective of someone new to Australia. http://www.chroniclesofatrailingspouse.com/2012/07/a-serious-post-about-fifo.html

Will do! Thanks for the advice Fiona!

Actually no! A few magazines and a couple of other local newspapers, but not that one. Up until now I was only interested in freelancing the odd article, but I've realised I need something more regular as I'm going a little bit mad in the house all day!! I will send them some samples... in Dubai it was a case of someone saying to me 'I know that so and so are looking for a columnist' and so I'd contact them, sell myself, job done. I don't know anyone here in the industry and selling myself blindly is difficult (I don't have a huge amount of experience)

Thanks Cal, yes I was beginning to suspect that was the case. I guess I'll have to try a different approach.

Hi I'm a freelance writer, but am trying to find some sort of regular gig her in Perth. I find that often my emails are ignored and I'm starting to feel I'll never find paid work here unless I'm resigned to writing up features and then pitching them around, which can be disheartening. I know from experience that work comes by word of mouth, and wondered if anyone here work in either a newspaper or magazine, and could they give me some tips on which way to approach this. Thanks

PBrady, it is painful!! The last house I applied for, I was advised to include a grovelling letter and photos of our family to assure the landlord we were 'respectable'. When I went into deliver these to the estate agent, there was a massive hamper behind the desk. Needless to say I didn't get the house!!

Koalaclare, the dental bus is for all school going children. It travels from school to school and is currently in Darlington, but I presume there is more than one (I may be wrong). Phone them and they'll tell you everything you need to know. It's an excellent service, and my daughter has had a couple of hundred dollars of work done already, majorly impressed with this service! 0407594254. Good luck!

A friend of ours (who is a single guy) is thinking of doing his fifo to and from Bali. Now I know with a family this is a totally mad idea, but I did wonder have any of you done it and if so, please share. I can't help but think it sounds like fun. Any stories?