PerthSavoyard

E Excuse me but I did not say that prices at the Lucky Shag were cheaper than - $15 is £8.89 on today's exchange rate. $9 which I paid in is no different to the price board you supplied a photo of - but knowing The Print Shop I can assure that, hipster it may be, but it is by no means expensive compared with some places in Cambridge or anywhere else in the UK. It is considered to fall in the middle price raneg for the city. If you are in the know, or with someone who is, it is entirely possible to find places anywhere at a reasonable price, but Elizabeth Quay is the current Perth Tourist Hotspot and prices have been hiked, just as they are to catch any unsuspecting tourist in any town or city worldwide.

I can tell you exactly why and how I know northshorpom - before I left Taunton in 2013 - a small provincial county town of which you may have heard tell - I was regularly paying £6 a pint (unless I went to Weatherspoons) - on my last visit to London in 2012 I regularly paid £7 per pint. I do still have friends and relatives living in the South-West and in Cambridge who regularly complain of the £8, £9 or even £10 pint. Now these may be 'London' prices in the more touristy places - but the same is certainly true in Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth. Those who complain of prices in Australia and in particular Perth, which is more expensive that Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Brisbane, really do need to take a reality check with some of the prices which you can be asked to pay in some cities and larger towns in the UK - especially if you fall into the tourist trap. Elizabeth Quay and such places as the Lucky Shag are the tourist honey pot of Perth and prices have been hiked. My advice is 'stay away - go into the CBD or Fremantle or Northbridge - you can find plenty or reasonably prices establishments if you look for them.

I know they are building a pedestrian bridge across the river at that point to connect with the new stadium, but I am not aware of any new pubs etc. After all, the Crown complex is right there as well.

No - as I said elswhere, I spent $18 for two pints in a CBD pub on Friday. The prices at Elizabeth Quay have been hiked to catch the tourist trade.

Not sure what that might be. I know they are building a new pedestrian bridge across the river to connect with the new stadium.

And I think you are absolutely right about the opening of Elizabeth Quay - it's a tourist trap, and the tourist knowing no better will pay the prices. The locals will soon catch on and the Lucky Shag and other venues in the area that have also hiked their prices will catch a cold because they will no longer get the party booking from locals that they used to get. As I said earlier there are much better and less costly venues in the CBD or Fremantle with much better quality food and much more generous portions. $15 for a pint of Asahi is London or Paris prices - and utterly ridiculous when you think that I bought 2 pints at the Aviary for $18 last Friday lunchtime. If the locals start to stay away the Lucky Shag and others will soo have to re-evaluate their policy. The problem is, with our weather, we are a year round destination and the tourist trade is there 365 days a year.

Look, you are living in the most isolated State Capital City in the world - a lot of produce is imported from the eastern states (goodness knows why we aren't more selsufficient, but it is), so what do you expect to pay? What you are actually paying is less than you would pay in London, Manchester, Bristol, Paris, Rome et al!! Apart from which you have the beautiful weather, the relaxed atmosphere etc. If you must go to the Lucky Shag of all places - especially any later that 11:30 in the morning, what do you expect - one of the busiest venues in Perth. There are other places in the city and in Fremantle which offer better value in a more relaxed atmosphere, and as other have pointed out, we have the Swan Valley on the doorstep, and also the wineries and restaurants in the Bickleigh Valley (which so few people seem to know about) - or you can always take a few days off and go down to Margaret River. Just be thankful you live in the relaxed place that you do and not the bustle of the eastern states or the rest of the world - just sit back and enjoy.

I'm really sorry to see all the negative comments on here about Christmas and New Year in Perth - yes, Perth is at the end of the world, that is an accepted fact - and yes, it is slow and small-townshipish compared with over East, but that is part of the charm of the place, and quite frankly, those who don't like it need to go elsewhere. There actually was plenty to do in Perth over the period - first time many of the wineries in the Swan Valley opened their doors for Christmas lunch for example - and an absolutely magnificent job they did of it too. We went to Sitella, sat down at 11:45 and eventually staggered out at 4:00 - not much of Christmas Day left by then - and for $165 we were treated to five generous courses of the finest food WA can offer, coffee or tea and mince pies and an unrestricted flow of the winerys own wines - plus we were given 2 bottles of white, two bottles of sparkling and a bottle of red to take home. Many other venues were hosting similar events. Yes - a lot of people go to the beach, but that is a WA tradition - that is a WA Christmas - it is not over-commercialised as it is in the rest of Australia or, indeed, the rest of the world - and frankly it is better for that. As to Perth not being busy - we tried to visit Garden City on the Tuesday at 10 in the morning and the car parks were so full we had to go home again, and on Friday the city centre was absolutely heaving. Perth may not do New Year fireworks as every other city in the world (including Pyongyang as I was fascinated to hear this year) does - but the fireworks at Riverton on the evening of New Years day are certainly a feature as witness the crowds and the gridlocked roads - apart from which Perth itself probably stages the best fireworks and celebrations on Australia Day anywhere in Oz. Plus we have possibly the best concert hall in the world and one of the best symphony orchestras, world class opera and ballet companies both of whom stage free performances in the park for anyone to attend, world class acts at the Perth Arena and Perth Convention Centre, a magnificent fringe festival about to commence in January through February, world class theatre, and some of the finest eating anywhere in the world. Yes Perth is laid back, but that is how it should be in this modern world - there needs to be somewhere where we can get some peace, quiet and time to breathe, and if that doesn't suit, then go elsewhere that does - don't try to impose the hustle, bustle and commercialism of the rest of the world on us here - just chill out and enjoy some peace, quiet and a slower pace of life.

I did consider doing that, but I still have financial committments back in the UK and need to pay bills there on a monthly basis. I guess I could arrange for a couple of the pensions to be paid direct to Oz, but whichever pension I left being paid into the UK account, the amount would not fully cover the UK committments so the problem would still exist, but in the other direction.

On the whole subject of the pound versus the Oz dollar, I am now living in Perth, but have three work pensions still paid monthly into a British bank account. Can anyone advise what they have found to be the most cost effective way to transfer funds across. I have been in the habit of making an International Transfer from the bank to my Oz bank account, but if it falls at a weekend it can take up to 72 hours to arrive, plus there is a GBP 30 charge each time. I can draw cash here (up to GBP 300 per day) and then pay it into my Oz bank account at a branch. In that case I am charged 2.99% for the withdrawal. Has anyone come across a more cost effective/time effective way of doing this?