Bob1

I'll pick up on flies - only a nuisance for three months of the year (at least in WA) education - research also shown that by age 15, students are above the UK in maths, english and science. air asia flies to Japan, $600 return, probably the same in Melbourne. Presume the Japanese wife would like to keep in touch with her family. UK would take longer and be more expensive. Every time I have been in Mel. the weather has been as you described - I could never live there as a result! Why not try a different State as the weather seems to be a big negative for you.

The film is such a disappointment - so boring. Two friends of mine walked out half way through and I persevered to the end - it is one speech after another, very well acted but not very entertaining.

We're in Perth. My son's english tutor was $80 which is about as expensive as it gets - she could price herself high as she was brilliant and everyone wanted her. maths tutor by a qualified maths teacher was $65 if he came to the house and $60 if we went to his (he lived nearby). My son is a University student with no teaching qualification and charges $35 an hour. I'm going to start tutoring dyslexic kids and was thinking about $65.

One in four people in Secret Harbour just down the road, are British so I'm sure you'll find someone!

Depends what State you are moving to and when his actual birthday is. School year throuhgout Oz though is early Feb to Decmeber. Gcse's mean nothing. Main exams are at the end of Year 12 - Yr 11/12 are a two year programme like A levels. Most kids stay at school until Year 12 to them and not college. If you intend to stay in Oz then may not be worth hanging on for GCSE's but coming over sooner so he can slot into school.

on why so many Brits are leaving Australia permanently compared to a few years' ago. Can you provide the stats for that and where they are from - I'd be interested to know how the numbers have increased.

Willeton, Leeming, Duncraig are all great high schools and the next on the list of results so check out the rents there. Bit cheaper than the likes of Shenton/Churchlands but good schools attract higher rents. Lynwood and Carine better than many in terms of results.

UWA wouldn't be the best choice - try Curtin - their education dept works through the Open University and you could pick up some units while in the UK - I teach on it and have overseas students. Next would be Edith Cowan University (probably education is the only decent course they have!). So if it's a three year degree - get on to Open University/Curtin now!

Seems "Private" is the way to go! Not necessarily - there are some great govt schools in WA and some very ordinary private ones. Do your research!

Taken from the Curriculum Council report on WACE results 2012 Best non selective Govt schools in bold - live within the catchment area to get a place. 1 Perth Modern School Selective Co Ed Govt 2 Methodist Ladies' College private western suburbs 3 St Mary's Anglican Girls' School private NOR 4 Hale School private boys Western suburbs ish 5 Carmel School private coed Jewish NOR 6 Penrhos College private girls SOR 7 Scotch College private boys western suburbs 8 St Hilda's Anglican School For Girls private western suburbs 9 Christ Church Grammar School private boys western suburbs 10 All Saints' College private coed SOR 11 Perth College private girls NOR - kind of! 12 Presbyterian Ladies' College Private Western suburbs 13 Rossmoyne Senior High School govt non selective co ed SOR 14 Churchlands Senior High School govt non selective coed NOR 15 John XXIII College private Catholic co ed western suburbs 16 Shenton College govt non selective co ed western suburbs 17 Willetton Senior High School govt non selective co ed SOR 18 Sacred Heart College catholic private co ed NOR 19 Lake Joondalup Baptist College private co ed NOR 20 Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School private co ed Very SOR!

In mnay ways it's up to you make the outdoor life style and if you weren't into being out doors in the UK then it's not going to happen here. However coming from the highlands of Scotland, there's heaps of things I do here that I can't do there - hanging the washing out for one! My kids cycled to school - not many days they could do that without getting wet and wet playtimes are rare so they run about outside during recess and lunch and stay for after school sport that isn't in the rain. We eat outside most nights - in the winter we light a chiminea. Most of our meals are things cooked on the BBQ and salad so we cook outside too. Every couple of weeks we'll throw something in the car and cook it on a free BBQ in a park. Weekend I went to the open air cinema in Kings park, last week it was Joondalup Pines - outside. Saw the fireworks and opening of Perth festival - for free outside. often go to the free concerts in the park or at Fremantle Arts centre. have an old surf ski we potter around on the river with. I buy the veggies at the local outdoor farmers market. I swim in an outdoor 50 m pool - one of several nearby, or I can use the govt primary school pool out of hours and during the summer. I won;t even start and organised sports and activities you can do outdoors, too many to mention. My partner goes windsrufing - free, and sons surfing at the beach. Give me this outdoor life style any day over wellies, umbrellas, rain jackets and cold and central heating and overly hot stiffing shopping centres any day.

great advice re the bowls of water - or put ant powder round the bottom of each cot leg.

I work with the Open University through Curtin University teaching on the Dip Ed course for primary school teachers. The students are from all over Australia and abroad - mainly Asia, all the teaching is done on line. I am sure there will be Units she could do while in the UK through the Australian OU - and this would increase her credits.

Well this must be good news for all the people counting every penny - they need workers too. http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/16125418/no-frills-supermarkets-for-wa/

my clothes are all to small for me now as I'm getting stronger/bigger but wont buy new clothes. Good Sammy is your friend.

I have been here 15 years and am not sick of it yet. Dockers always seem to be the underdog so get my support!

It's a bit complicated - depends what course she wants to do and where she wants to do it. Some Uni's are more expensive than others and the courses vary in cost. You'd also have to figure in where she is going to live in the Uk if she stays plus plane fares to come and visit, and will she be living with you if she comes? You'll be charged international fees. Best bet is to look at similar courses in the city you are going to in Oz and look up the fees. I work at Curtin Uni in Perth and all the fees are online.

You can do an undergraduate law degree - see Curtin uni for example - http://business.curtin.edu.au/study/law/sample_course_structures.cfm Edith Cowan also do it - http://www.ecu.edu.au/future-students/our-courses/overview?id=K50 These are in WA but the Eastern states probably do them too. You'd need to get a student visa and you'd have to pay up front as you'd be an overseas student and not eligible for HECS ( pay back later scheme). I see Edith Cowan do sn online Law degree (like Open University) so may be you could stay in the UK and do some units from there. Curtin probably do that too.

Here's your choice - I looked up results of NAPLAN (like SATS) on http://www.myschool.edu.au/ This is only a rough guide as there are many factors that make a good education. Looks like Hall Head your best bet. If you type Primary school into http://www.whereis.com/ it comes up with all the ones in the area. 1 Glencoe Primary School Brigadoon Cl, Halls Head below average 2 Halls Head Primary School close to average 29-45 Mahogany Dr, Halls Head 3 Dudley Park Primary School substantially below Gillark St, Dudley Park 4 Mandurah Primary School substantially below 61 Sutton St, Mandurah 5 Greenfields Primary School substantially below 9 Zambesi Dr, Greenfields 6 South Halls Head Primary School Close to average 38 Karon Vst, Halls Head 7 North Mandurah Primary School below average Park Rd, Mandurah 8 Assumption Catholic Primary School mix of average/below average 34 Gordon Rd, Meadow Springs 9 Riverside Primary School below 1 Minilya Pky, Greenfields 10 Falcon Primary School year 3 2011 below average, rest average 40 Ferguson St, Falcon

no it's not - it's a government school but you have to live within the school catchment area to get in.

I just happen to have the lift out of todays paper here where it gives the median score of the Year 12 results - imagine getting a schools A levels results and working out the average (very roughly). Median for Warwick is 62.50 which is pretty dismal. Other high schools in that general area Greenwood - 73.45 Duncraig 76.5 Girrawheen 70.4 Carrine 74.60 Wanneroo 61.40 On these results Duncarig is the best but also I have a friend who works at Duncraig - she's an ed consultant and goes round lots of schools, and speaks very highly of Duncraig so that would be your best bet in that general neck of the woods. Might be a bit more expensive rent wise though as it is nearer the sea. Best Govt school NOR is Churchlands but again, it's nearer the city so will be more expensive again. It's in the top 15 of schools in WA (private as well as govt).

Where is it?

The two things I've noticed when I go back are the amount of shops that have closed. My home down is a mixture of empty shops, charity shops, outdoor clothing and ones selling tarten blankets. When I go into Glasgow Sauchiehall Street use to be a thriving street and it has gone the same way - lots of empty shops and places like Pound Stretchers - because all the decent shops moved in to the shopping centre. The other thing I notice are the amount of people walking down the street smoking. I rarely see that in WA, not saying it doens't happen but I notice it more in Scotland. And before anyone says but you get empty shops in WA too - yes you do - main street in Claremont an example and lots in the city.

When the kids were small we had a weeks holiday overseas twice a year - to Rottnest - took 30 mins! You can have fantastic holidays staying in this country/State. The beaches and range of countryside down south are fantastic. It was only when the kids were teenagers that we started going over seas more - up until then WA had lots to offer and there has now been the introduction of cheap airlines like Tiger and Air Asia. For people in Perth it is as cheap and the same amount of time to go to Bali than over East. Almost everyone I know has been to Bali. Air Asia are doing $600 return flights to Japan now and I am off skiing there next week. Son (student) and 7 of his friends are all going - all students which shows it is reasonable once you pay for the flight. They've found ski accommodation for $30 a night. We've had great, cheap holidays in Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Vietnam. Also been skiing in New Zealand. Flights to China aren't too bad now and Air asia into KL is reasonable. Next trip is to Penang. Cambodia also on the cards. I'd still be happy with a week on Rotto though or beaches near Esperance/Denmark.

If that's a week then Western suburbs!