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.