p0msd0wnunder

Thank you guys You raised a couple of things that I hadn't even considered. To be honest, I can't help but think the whole thing will be a complete pain in the arse. My wife, on the other hand, thinks we would be mad to sell the house. Who should we talk to to get a better understanding of costs vs return - a property expert, or would any financial advisor be ok? Thanks again.

Hi all, Quick question: are there any Perth Poms that have left WA but kept hold of their property in Perth and are renting it out whilst living interstate or overseas? If so, I'd be really interested in having a chat and hearing about your experience. It is something that we have been discussing for a while - in case we decide to leave Perth/ Australia, and one of us really doesn't want to sell up whilst the other anticipates problems managing the property from afar - particularly if we leave the country. Thanks in advance.

G’day guys! I’m new to this Victoria forum, so thought I’d drop by and say hi. My wife and I (both aged in our early 30s) migrated to Australia from the UK at the end of 2010, and after buying a campervan in Sydney and travelling through Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide, we decided to settle in Perth mid-2011 – initially because we had spent all of our money (a 6-month holiday will do that to you, oops!) and needed to find work, but then because we really liked Perth (great weather, beaches and employment opportunities) and decided to build a house here – out in the Swan Valley. Anyway, we are now exploring alternative options – mainly because the economy in Perth is becoming a little unsettled as the iron ore and oil prices have been falling so dramatically. Sydney and Melbourne are on our radar, but we are leaning more towards Melbourne at this stage as we continually hear so many great things about the city, and we enjoyed the month or two that we spent there in 2011. And life is short, right, so we are keen to try something new – the only thing really keeping us in Perth is our jobs, which may not be all that secure anyway! We are a little concerned about the climate in Melbourne, given that we have grown to love the 11 months of sunshine here in Perth, but coming from the UK we are quite used to cold grey skies and rain! And I hear that the beaches in Melbourne are not quite as beautiful as what we have here, but we rarely go to the beach anyway! I have always worked in internal recruitment roles for large companies, and my wife is a business analyst/ project manager. I am a real foodie (sorry to quote such a cliché) and have dabbled in hospitality, and I spent some time working as a cook a year or so ago. In a perfect world I would be keen to return to that kind of work – maybe in a small café, and maybe training to be a barista. I LOVE food and coffee, which is another tick in the box for Melbourne, and whilst Perth has improved so much in these areas since we moved here, it can still be a real struggle to find what I am looking for sometimes. However, if we find that there is more demand for recruiters in Melbourne, or if I find that I need to continue working in recruitment so that we can afford to live there, so be it – I’m pretty flexible. I expect that we would wait to move until at least one of us had secured a job, and we are now starting to explore the current job market. I have heard through the grapevine that things may also be a little slow over there at the moment, so would appreciate any thoughts or comments on this. We plan on keeping our property in Perth, and renting it out whilst we are gone, as we are not sure whether this move will be a short or long term thing at this stage and would like to keep our options open. In terms of where to live in Melbourne, we really have no idea! I have had a quick look online at some suburb profiles (just discovered the homely website, which looks very helpful!) and rental properties (fully furnished would probably be our preference at this stage), and like the sound of Fitzroy, Carlton, Collingwood, Northcote, Thornbury and Brunswick. We are planning a bit of a recce trip in the next couple of months to take a closer look in person, so please let us know if there is anywhere else that you would recommend. We anticipate living in a small apartment near to the CBD, but are open to all options – things that we would be looking for would include: being close to where we work, and having access to public transport, decent internet, restaurants, cafes and bars. Moving from Perth CBD to the Swan Valley has caused us a few frustrations in terms of there being limited public transport and having a limited choice on places to eat, etc, but I anticipate that these problems may not exist in the suburbs of Melbourne, which would make living further from the city so much more “convenient”… Similarly, I guess that employment opportunities won’t be as restricted to the CBD as they are in Perth. Our commute is currently about a 40 min drive each way, so we would prefer not to have to travel further than that. We do like spending time outdoors – on bikes, kayaks, or going for a picnic or a walk, so these would also be other factors to consider. Living in the hills or countryside is also great in theory, but we have found that we also need to be practical too, which may rule this out. Just putting it out there – a bit of a long shot I suspect, but does anybody know if some kind of document (maybe a map) exists that highlights travel times to the CBD and prices for rental properties for the different suburbs? Presumably prices will decrease (and size of property will increase) the further you are from the CBD, but it would be good to get a clear overview of this. If not, I will continue using Google Maps and the real estate websites to try and figure it out! In terms of time frames, we are probably looking at early 2016, but wouldn’t rule out doing something sooner if all of the planets align in the meantime – in terms of finding jobs and somewhere to live, etc. Wow, I really have rambled on, sorry! I only planned on saying hi, but ended up dumping everything that has been buzzing around inside my head, haha I’m sure that we will both have loads more questions as time progresses, so I look forward to hearing from you and speaking again soon. And, please, if you think we're bloody mad for considering Melbourne, do tell us why. Thanks for listening

Hi, So it seems that the planets have aligned for us this christmas - in that my wife's office is closed and my contract is due to end mid-December - so we thought we might try and get away for a week-ten days. Thinking of going on bit of a road trip, but not sure whether to head north or south... Either way, I realise that we have left it late to start thinking about accommodation, so we might find it difficult to book something and need to get cracking asap. We will probably give Margaret River a miss this time, as we have been there many times before, but we're currently tossing up the idea of Esperance, Kalbarri, Monkey Mia, etc. We have never ventured north of Yanchep / Two Rocks, and are really keen to do so, but we are very conscious of the weather at this time of year - i.e. very hot and cyclone season. Whilst I realise there is no definitive north-south "line" as such, which determines where a cyclone will/ won't hit, but how far north could we go without facing the risk of being wiped out by a cyclone? I guess our plan is to find somewhere very quiet, with a deserted and beautiful beach, and just crash out. Decent weather and beaches, and a lack of people, are really the only things that we are looking for. In terms of accommodation, self catering (cabin, chalet, apartment, etc) would be ideal so that we can take a load of stuff with us to try and keep costs down. We have checked out the itineraries on a couple of the WA tourism sites, and a few trip reports on here, but wondered if anyone had any other suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Wow! Thanks for all of the ideas. As well as most of the above, I'm thinking that we might make a trip down to the Stirling Range, heading back via Albany and Margaret River. Or maybe a trip up north to Karijini, Kalbarri or the Kimberley. Exciting times!

We have family coming over next year, and just wondered what other poms do to entertain their pommy family and friends that visit them. I've had a read of a few "what to do in Perth" threads, but it would be useful to know what are the biggest hits with your visitors. ​Thanks.

G'day! With Jan 26 fast approaching, this will be our first Australia Day in Perth. I’ve seen lots about Skyworks, and I’d like to use the opportunity to get out with my camera and take some shots of the fireworks over the city. I’ve spent the last couple of NYEs with my camera at Sydney Harbour and have spent time trying to find the best vantage point for photos. Does anyone have any recommendations for good vantage points. I’m thinking about going to South Perth and shooting across the river, but is there anything I need to know or take into consideration? Thanks

Hello all, I am keen to get into fishing - in fact, I've bought a road and tackle, but haven’t a clue where to go/what to do from here... :embarrassed: Anyone know if such thing as “fishing lessons” exist in Perth? :err: Thanks

Thanks for the very useful info guys

Hi, Having been living in Perth for about 7-8 months now - and feeling quite settled here - we are now looking into buying a car, and I’m looking for some guidance on the best way to proceed, please. I’m going to buy ‘used’ – either privately or through a dealer, whatever looks like the best bar for the best price – and am looking to spend between $25-30K. I have bought secondhand cars before, just not in WA; nor have I used finance/a car loan to make the purchase. Any tips here would be gratefully appreciated. Are there any particularly good (or bad) companies to speak to about a loan? If I buy privately, how does the finance work – will the loan company provide me with a cheque that I give to the seller? And stamp duty, or any other government fees – what’s the go with those? After I make the purchase, what about registration? Are there any more costs to pay? Will the car need to go over the pits (will be a WA vehicle, and no more than 5 years old)? Is there anything else that I need to consider? Thanks J

Hi, I live in Perth and have used Bayswater car rentals ('No Birds' is their advertising slogan, which may be what Stevie was referring to) a few times. I think they're one of the cheapest too - overall, they provde a good service. Think their cars cost about $38 per day if you upgrade the insurance cover, otherwise it's $33 per day,

I used *********************. Can't sing his praises loud enough. He did what he said he would do for us, and within a suitable time frame too. **Admin note, this company threatened legal action due to negative feedback therefore we can no longer show their name**

Sounds good. Enjoy your christmas guys! We live in the city, and have guests staying with us, so want to do the christmas day beach thing.

As the title says really... We'll probably go to City Beach or Mullaloo On a side note, anyone know if it's ok to take your own small barbie to the beach?

Thanks, I'll check out westafricanfoods

Hey! I was hoping to make some jerk pork over christmas, and I love a bit of jerk chicken on the barbie any day, but I can't find scotch bonnet chillis anywhere. Can't beat saltfish and ackee either but, again, can't find these bits anywhere! Any ideas where I can get this kind of stuff? It has to be available to buy somewhere?! :err: Thanks

Hi, My mother-in-law has just been admitted to hospital back in the UK, and my wife is considering making a trip home. Is there anywhere in particular that we should look for cheap flights? Any special websites, etc? Anything else that we should consider or take into account? This will be our first flight back, so any useful tips would be great! I had a look on webjet.com.au today and was shocked at the price ($2k-2500) for a return flight leaving in a couple of days. Is this the norm? Thanks

Thanks Susie...

Where are you guys renting at the moment? Would you recommend the area? Thanks.

G'day, Last year my wife and I spent NYE on the side of the road in Vaucluse, watching the fireworks from afar. This year, my father-in-law and brother-in-law are coming to stay, and we will be flying back to Sydney for the new year celebrations. Last year we said that the next time we spent NYE in Sydney we would buy tickets to an event in the harbour, rather than fighting the crowds for a decent spot at 9 am in the morning and spending all day waiting for the fireworks. However, with family being with us this year, we are conscious that we can't just book to attend an event where tickets cost $500 each... This obviously rules out any harbour cruises. Does anyone know what other events are on, perhaps at the bars and restaurants in Circular Quay, where tickets don't cost much more than $100pp? Also, I know that my father-in-law will be uncomfortable going to anywhere where there is any sniff of a dress code, so what do you reckon? Many thanks in advance...

G'day, Last year my wife and I spent Christmas down at Jervis Bay, which is south of Sydney. We bought our Christmas lunch (prawns and lobster) from Sydney fish market, before heading south to the pristine beaches. This year, my father-in-law and brother-in-law are coming to stay, and we will be spending Christmas here in Perth, WA. Please can anyone share their experiences of Christmas in Perth, and suggest where we might like to take our family for the big day? Many thanks in advance...

Yes, Hoff, we've found lots of places that fall within out 0-500/wk budget. Just wanted to know how much we "should" be looking at spending on rent in relation to our wages. Thanks windswept - 12 months rental at that price would be roughly 1/3 of my salary, post tax (!!), which would be great. Now my wife needs to find a job and we'll be laughing...

Thanks. We wont be using the freeway, only the train. If we can walk to the train, great. If not, we'll get the bus to the train station.

Hi, We are seriously contemplating renting a property in one of these northern suburbs, however, I am concerned about the commute into the CBD for work? From what I can gather, a bus and train ride into the city will take approx 1 hr, which I have no major worries about. But, I have just been reading an article (not sure how long ago it was written) that said the northern burbs have become too large for the public transport system which results in overcrowded trains heading into Perth. What is the commute really like? One of the draws to the north is that we seem to be able to rent more property for our $$$ there, as opposed to the property that is nearer to the city centre, but a consideration is that if we end up spending those savings on a longer commute to work, is it really worth it? I'd really appreciate some guidance from people that live in these areas and use public transport to make the daily commute into Perth. Thanks, Simon

Hi, I'm sure I've seen an answer to this question somewhere - either on this forum or another - but I can't remember the details... Basically, what i would like to know is whether there is rough guide/suggestion as to what percentage of your total earnings you should spend on rent to ensure a comfortable lifestyle? I know this is a very "woolly" question, but having never rented before we have no idea. Basically, we're looking at spending approx. $500/wk, which equates to $24k/yr. Our joint earnings should be in the region of $150k (I am earning roughly two thirds of that and my wife I likely to earn something similar), so this sounds quite manageable to me. However, after tax, utility bills, commuting to work, etc, I don't really know what to expect to be left with. We're obviously looking for as good a life as possible, but don't want to apply the same pressures that we had in the UK by taking on an overly expensive rental agreement. Talking about utility bills, can anyone give any idea as to what we can expect to pay for those? There's just the two of us and we're currently looking at 2x1 apartments and 3&4x2 houses. Thanks.