Buddy4

Thanks to everyone for their replies. To answer previous posters: We have considered the UK, but have recently heard lots of stories of people moving back and then returning to Australia. Australia has given us so much as a family, so we want to give it our best shot. If the likes of Brisbane and Melbourne (or Tassie) don't meet our expectations, we will consider the UK. We have now lived in 8 suburbs in Perth, in search mainly of a community feel, and to try and feel a bit more settled, with no luck. We have made a conscious effort to live in suburbs that are not full of Brits, but to be honest, we find the West Aussies friendly to a point, but they don't really let you in unless there is somethng in it for them. If I had a dollar for the amount of times we have heard the saying "must invite you round for a barbie", which never happens. We are very sociable and have invited neighbours and other West Assies around for drnks etc but these invites are not reciprocated. You begin to think it is you after a while but I have heard similar stories from others. I travel to the east coast a bit through work and definitely notice the east coast aussies to be a lot friendliey to. Thanks to the recommendations on Sydney. I have found Sydney to be a bit brash and plastic at times (although I admit I have not lived there). A lot of people who bag Perth go on about the heat, the flies, the isolation, the high cost of liviing, but we were aware of most of these through research before we came, so can't complain about these things. The sense of community is something that sadly lacks for us, as too many people retreat behind their garage doors at night, not to be seen until the door goes up the next day. Also, not sure if it is just us or not, but we hardly ever see kids playing in the street here, or many people in the street, which has been the same in the 12 years we have been here - we find this very weird. e Mornington Peninsula an hour south of Melbourne is lovely and is much favored by Brits.

Hi all As a family, we have really struggled with Perth. We are really jealous of those people who love Perth and are able to call it home, as we hate this continual unsettled feeling of knowing Perth is not for us. Perth gets a bit of a bashing on PIO, and we want to avoid it in this post. It would appreciated if we could hear from others who moved from Perth and whether it cured them. At the moment, our options are Brisbane and Melbourne. I get a lot of negative feedback when I mention both cities - people mention the humidity in Brisbane, and the traffic, as well as the rednecks. With Melbourne, people mention the overcrowding, the weather and the traffic and poor public transport. Rather than mention the shortcomings of Perth, we would rather concentrate on what we would be seeking comparitively from a City, as follows: Abit more greenery and a few more hills and a bit more scenery, maybe with some rivers and streams ( I know I could be pushing it here); A few more options for day trips and weekend trips; A few more wordly people A bit more of an international feel A bit more vibe and buzz A more integrated public transport system, allowing you to have a night out without being at the mercy of the taxis A place where people don't retire for the night at 8.30 More of a student vibe and university scene for my kids More of a community spirit, where people don't drive into their garages and you never see them again A place where people go out and socialise more than entertain at home We appreciate we are looking for a lot here. All feedback appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Hi all We are a family, also from Scotland, and have been in Perth for 12 years and have really struggled with the place, for many of the reasons that have been mentioned regularly on PIO. One of the many things we miss is the greenery and the hills, and have been looking at locations that might provide this option, Brisbane being one, along with Melbourne and Tasmania being the others. We miss the greenery and fresh air so much we have even thought about moving back to Scotland, but our hearts would be ruling our heads in this case. We are at a critical point in our kids' education and would need to make the move this year, so any others' experiences pf making move from Perth to Brisbane would be appreciated. A lot of people put us off when we mention Brisbane by mentioning the humidity, but is it really that hard to get used to? All feedback appreciated.

I appreciate Europe is in a bit of a mess financially at the moment, and jobs are in short supply, but in the space of the last month, I have heard of a few people we know, either directly or through someone else, moving to Europe. One guy I know is a geologist whose company has a mine in North Africa, and he has moved his family to Spain, where he will travel from there. We know another couple, whose kids have now left home, who are now relocating to France, as it would place them in location halfway between their kids, one in Canada, and one in Holland. We have just heard of another couple moving to France too. Most of these people would appear to have done ok out of Perth's property market over the years, and with the Aussie dollar still stong againt teh Euro, and the price of European property coming way off the boil, it would appear to be a good time to be doing this, as long as they can fund their lifestyle. I thought I would start a thead on this.

THanks for your reply Bob. In terms of being more specific, this will draw me into highlighting some of the negatves for us of living in Perth, which I am trying to avoid, as I want to more positive and constructive. If I had to look at what we are looking for in a place, it would be the following: A bit more greenery and a few more hills and a bi more scenery, maybe with some rivers and streams ( I know I could be pushing it here); A few more options for day trips and weekend trips; A few more wordly people A bit more of an international feel A bit more vibe and buzz A more integrated public transport system, allowing you to have a night out without being at the mercy of the taxis A place where people don't retire for the night at 8.30 More of a student vibe and university scene for my kids More of a community spirit, where people don't drive into their garages and you never see them again A place where people go out and socialise more than entertain at home I appreciate I am asking a lot here, and maybe what we are looking for does not exist in Australia.

Hi All First time poster here, so please be gentle I want to make it clear right away that this is not a Perth bashing post, as Perth appears to have come in for its fair share of criticism on PIO from what I have read. Our family arrived in Perth 10 years ago. Since then, we have struggled to settle in the place, for many of the reasons that have been mentioned on PIO. We have moved suburbs 8 times, moved to the other side of the river, moved closer to the beach etc.. Our poor kids have been in quite a few different schools as a result. We have really tried everything, and we are really outgoing and sociable people, but have come to the conclusion that maybe Perth is not for us, an definitely won't retire here This is not a we want to leave Australia thread, as we want to give it a real go, and going back to UK/Europe is not an option right now, as it would be financial suicide. We have travelled to other cities in Australia on holiday and through work, and always get a nice feel about Melbourne, but we hear mixed reports about it. We also like the look of places like Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, but want to be careful about not judging a place on looks alone, as I regard Perth as one of the most beautiful looking cities in Australia, but it does not do it for us. We really do envy people who have moved to Perth and love it, as we would love to be in this position too, as the thought of the upheaval to another state is not something we relish. So the question we are asking is, has anyone else on here been in the same position - moved from Perth to another state, and did it cure you?