Sandgroper

2 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

No one said it was like Benidorm.  What we said was that when they move abroad, many British people prefer to live in a community of other British people, rather than become part of a melting pot.  Benidorm is an example.  

Perth is the only city in Australia where that happens.  The five most British suburbs in Australia are all located in Perth.   For some migrants, that might be exactly what they're looking for.  Others (like Steve) prefer a multicultural experience.  

No sorry I'm calling BS British people do not move to be in a community of British people that simple is not true.

On 14/04/2024 at 22:20, TheBs said:

We our doing our reccie trip in August, I know it’s winter over there, buts it’s the best time to take the kids out of school, we’re planning to go to Perth, and Melbourne. 
we took East coast off our list because I do not do well with humidity! 
We’re interested to see what visiting both places will do to our decision, we have two sporty children 10 and 13. 
We have family in Perth and friends in Melbourne. 
Although I don’t want the “Benidorm” way of life, I know a massive plus for my son will be how often he can get to the beach! In the UK he is begging us to get the pool out from April! He swims for the local swim team, water sports is life for him. 
For this reason we are edging towards Perth due to the climate.
 The house prices from what we have seen in Melbourne that do have a pool are high and few and far between (rentals) and then the weather wouldn’t allow for this outdoors way of life. 
So if Perth doesn’t tick your boxes I guess it’s ok to say and luckily you can go anywhere

 

Perth is nothing like Benidorm those comments are pretty ridiculous, I have been in Perth for 10 years now and love it. Enjoy your recce.

22 hours ago, OzinEire said:

Thanks for replies so far everyone. Would it be more beneficial for us to get Airbnbs or the like for 2 weeks NOR and 2 weeks SOR or would driving around be sufficient to get a feel for the areas do you think? 

No just get one place, Perth is small and easy too get around outside of the rush hour somewhere just North or South of the river would be a good base.

11 minutes ago, newjez said:

Just put lights back on my bike this weekend.

Lights should be on all the time all year round to many dick head drivers around!

Hated going to work when it's dark and coming home in the dark it's like you lose 6 months of your life each year! 

Nights will be drawing in now hated the UK short days just depressing!

On 19/08/2019 at 02:18, OzinEire said:

Hiya, 

Just wondering if anyone has moved to or around Secret Harbour recently? Looking for a more chilled out way of life with 3 small kids. Is it a good place for young families?

Have read mixed reviews on what the area is like but a lot of them are a good few years old so looking for more recent info. 

Are there many job prospects for IT and Finance in Rockingham or Mandurah or would we likely have to travel to the city?

 TIA! 

Secret Harbour is a decent family orientated suburb and would be a nice place to bring up kids, just a little to far out for your type of work, although plenty do live there and commute to the CBD. 

I think SOR is nicer but that is just my opinion, I know people who have settled NOR initially the moved SOR and vice versa. SOR has the nicer safe beaches for sure.

Get a holiday rental somewhere fairly central initially and just drive around looking at places.

Jeez if your setting yourself up to fail before you even get here why bother? Just stay put!

If you must plan for it then less the visa process costs, the flights and container shipping are probably going to around a similar amount.

8 hours ago, Bobj said:

Retired here 20 years ago, Downtown Ball Bay.  No earthly reason to change from my peaceful backwater.

No shops, no litter, part of a community rather than a face in a rat race.

Uptown Ball Bay,  looking downtown...

Cheers, Bobj.

PS. The phone booth and a school bus shelter are the only public utilities in the village.

 

 

Ball Bay looks stuuning bob, we are on track finacially to retire at 65 and want to do the grey nomad thing for 2-3 years after that i'd be quite happy to sit on those rocks with you fishing!

1 hour ago, Toots said:

.................  and holiday accommodation doubles during school holidays.  

Not just in Australia same happens in the UK and the rest of Europe. Not so in Asia though fortunately. 

On 24/05/2019 at 15:25, Chortlepuss said:

Off to UK in August for two months! I’m going to be a proper tourist & visit places I haven’t been before that I’ve always wanted to get to. If you’ve got hints & tips on things not to miss in the following places (preferably accessible by public transport) please let me know! I like Nature, Gardens, Walking,  Art, Comedy, Theatre, Pubs, Music (esp Folk), train trips & great food (I’m not very rich though). Love veggie/vegan food! Thanks for any suggestions! Stops include....

Newcastle

Middlesbrough

Leeds

Oxford

Bristol 

Cheers for suggestions! 

Caro

I'd give Middlesbrough a miss tbh!

2 hours ago, starlight7 said:

I hope they never, ever get all those 'convenience 'foods here.  Horrid and horrifying to me. I am old school- I like fresh cooked stuff.

Have to agree wife and I both work full time, have 3 (always) hungry kids and manage to cook a a decent meal each evening from fresh produce never ever understood the need for salt ridden ready meals. They have been in the UK for years now and are unfortunately catching on here not to bad in Perth but from what I'm reading on this thread seems to be just as bad as the UK in Melbs and Sydney. 

4 hours ago, Bulya said:

I’m loving the buses.  Free, no parking hassles, air-conditioned, spotlessly clean, and amazingly punctual. Still the ACT does have the countries best bus service, so it might not be the same elsewhere

Well if the ACT's is officially the best it must be bloody good Perths bus service (and train for that matter) is fantastic then again I'm comparing it to the shoddy mess of public transport system in the UK which for want of a better word is pretty crap all round!! 

7 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Me too.  I never had a single good steak when I was in the UK, either from the shops or from a restaurant - and we did try, because my oh is a real carnivore.  He used to look forward to going to Italy so he could get a decent piece of meat.   Like most things, it probably comes down to knowing where to buy.  

As for the shopping trolley - your comment reminded me of Michael McIntyre's sketch about the "posh push" at Waitrose.

I've been told the beef is of a better quality as the majority of Australian cattle is grass fed as opposed to grain fed in the UK.

On 19/03/2019 at 14:42, Parentwhogotin said:

Coming to Australia? I’ve been here 8 years now and I’ve often thought of this Forum – I used it a lot in the days when I was applying for my Visa.

 

Now I’ve been here 8 years – here’s my story and what I find the best and the worst and Oz!

 

In 2010 after more than 2 years of jumping through ever bigger hurdles at last my Contributory Parent visa was granted and I became on the Northern Beaches in Sydney. In case the rules changed I immediately set about applying for Citizenship - another nightmare of paperwork - but attained Citizenship in 2011.

 

Note: if you are computer literate and reasonably organised you can do the application yourself. If you employ an Agent you still have to gather the same info - but give it to your agent who submits it  – don’t bother, do it yourself and save a heap of money.

 

In 2017 - after 12 years each in Australia and not finding love -  my two daughters decided to give up on Oz to return to the UK!  Everyone expected I would go back, but by then had my own home and running my boutique, HoundDogHotel (still am) so I stayed on - because life here is, imo, far superior to anything the UK can offer.

 

Having said that, there are truly some things an English person (especially a female) may struggle with. Others may have different views, here's my list:

 

THE WORST

Huntsmen Spiders. I posted pics of a massive one of these that died in my garage - it's leg span was almost 6". Everyone tells you they are fine and eat the nasty things, but when they are so fast its terrifying. Even more distressing when they keep turning up in your bedroom (one on bed head another one was on my pillow). I will never get used to them.

 

Cockroaches. Disgusting. Even with an immaculate and clean home these things somehow find a way to appear in your house. Use Cockroach baits or you will see them all through summer if they find a corner to breed.

 

Australians have a lot of great ways, but saying thank you at Zebra Crossings is not one of them. They saunter across and if anyone does raise a hand - bet your life its a Brit. It's obviously cultural as it doesn't bother Aussie drivers, but it drives me demented.

 

It’s usual to go barefoot at the beach, but in Malls and shops? Feral! Now there's an Aussie word you'll get used to hearing.

 

Many Aussies don't know what listening means and when you talk they often stare into space. But don't take it personally, they're not interested, they just want you to shut up so they can keep talking.

 

Trades people (aka Tradies) think unreliability is an Olympic sport - and they excel at it. Time and again when booked for a small job they simply fail to turn up and you never hear from them again.

 

Australia is not the relaxed land of Crocodile Dundee. It is a shockingly bureaucratic Country. There are rules, more rules, and even more petty rules. 

 

Basically Australia has monetised bureaucracy.  You might have had years of expertise in a business, but will not be able to work in it here without going back to school to get a 'Cert IV Certificate' of some kind. 

 

I'd run my own successful Management Training company in London for 10 years - yet not allowed to train in Australia without paying for a Cert IV. In theory it is possible to get around this if you can prove you have qualifications - but getting the proof and paperwork together is  so onerous most people don't bother and end paying for a joke Cert 4. 

 

When we had dogs in England the freedom to take them where you wanted was something I took for granted. Being here with a dog you’ll be shocked at the massive limitations on where you can take them off leash. Basically no where, unless it is permitted with a sign. The 'leash free' areas that do exist are few and far between, and the physical size of these Ovals is small. Considering there are 1,000s of beaches very few allow dogs - and you can't use the whole beach, just sections of it. Break the rules if you want, but fines are upwards of $250 per infringement. I really, really miss Epping Forest.

 

Female? You will miss Marks and Spencer. Not the  clothes - they became rubbish years ago - but dear God the food here is 20 years behind the UK. The ready meals in Coles and Woolworths are not fit for human consumption they are so poor.

 

I have a very sweet tooth, yet supermarket cakes are so full of sugar you cannot taste anything else. Reason is that sugar is a very cheap ingredient.

 

It amuses when Australians who have never been to the UK tell me the food here - especially their meat - is far superior to what we get in England. Having lived in both countries I can state positively the meat from the two main supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths is dire. Even the most expensive stuff is not even a close runner up to the quality at M&S for example.

 

The Snags (sausages to you) they put on the BarB are revolting. Nasty and cheap. The bacon is – well it’s weird. Only Coles sells a specific ‘dry cure’ which is like the bacon you will be used to.

 

And the bread is truly dreadful. Even so called specialist bakers make uninspiring pap. I can get decent bread at one French Bakers - except is 160 ks round trip.

 

Considering this is a land of sheep - the clothes from the likes of Target are dreadful beyond words. Lacking style, cheap acrylic clothes and plastic shoes. A sea of tat. 

 

Myer and David Jones are better - but expensive, think John Lewis/Selfridges prices equivalent.

 

The school zones which are 90 mins morning and again in the afternoon when you have to drive at 40k per hours = 25 mph = is plain annoying and unnecessary for such long periods - 90 mins twice a day.

 

 

OK that is a long list of negatives - so why do I stay?

 

 

 

THE BEST

 

The light and beautiful open skies

Australia has the biggest bluest skies that, for reasons I can't explain, seem vast compared with the view of skies in England

 

No six month long Winters!

Winters are not only mild, but some so called Winter days are better then UK summer ones. I used to get down with the Winters in England, but here with the light your spirits are lifted.

 

Wildlife 

wildlife is big brassy and when when its not trying to kill you pretty fabulous.

The birds are mainly huge (but they do have tiny wrens) and a huge variety of bird life. Pelicans bigger than small children, stunning Parrots, raucous and handsome Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, hilarious amusing and argumentative Rainbow Lorikeets.

 

In my garden - and I'm not close to Bush, had Stick insects over a foot long, Water dragons right out of Jurassic Park, and yes the ever dreaded Huntsman. I have never seen a snake, dead or alive, on the streets. However, you would not walk off a path in summer as it is a risk not worth taking.

 

In London one local journey regularly took me 40 mins to go 4 miles, whereas here, whilst Sydney traffic is pretty bad, living most other places it is a pleasure to drive around.

 

Garden

If you like gardening then some of the plants you can get are fabulous, exotic and colourful. I have a plant called a Mandeville and it throws dramatic red flowers all summer.

 

 

 

 

The Aussies

 

Poor listening skills and not staying thanks at Zebra crossing aside - Aussies are genuinely nice people.

 

I’ve made loads of friends, they are welcoming and accepting of us Brits invading their country.

 

You don’t see heaps of litter and filth along the side of roads as Aussies have  enormous amounts of Civic pride. They tend not to litter as much as people in the UK do and are proud of their country and areas where they live. You will often see an individual clearing up litter in their street - and they won't get an officious council officer fining them for doing that.

 

There are big community clear ups too and it's like big fun parties when locals turn up and clean up voluntarily.

 

Aussies are so honest! Again and again people lose things which are more often than not returned to their rightful owners.

 

On the same theme, there is far less crime than the UK. Moped thieves are unheard of, and whilst people don't leave doors unlocked in cities, burglary is rare. I've never heard of anyone being burgled in my area.

 

The Housing

It took a long time to get used to the different look of the housing here – hardly any garden and lots of house. Very individual styles. Different ways of building. But now I love it. Makes for variation and interest. My house here is far bigger than the one in the UK and having a smaller garden is great -  lower maintenance.

 

At the time I applied for my Contributory Parent Visa - aka  buying your way in - the cost was $35,000 and a two year wait to be processed

 

On top of the $35,000 you pay $10,000 bond (held for 10 years) and if you cannot support yourself and apply for Government assistance inside that 10 years you forfeit your bond.  Seemed tough at the time, but on reflection I think it's right. I wish the UK was as strict with those who want to enter and live there. You certainly have no hope of turning up in Australia and taking houses and being given money. It just does not happen.

 

If you’ve made it to the bottom well done! Be happy to answer questionsJ

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Great post all rings true, have to disagree about the meat though I find it far superior here (WA) to the UK.

One thing you forgot to mention is the average Australians inability to return a shopping trolley to it's rightful place even if it is just 10 metres away, I really don't get this and it annoys the hell out of me seeing them left everywhere!

As already mentioned get your chocolate from Aldi.

On 20/03/2019 at 04:27, Bulya said:

I bus a lot and nearly everybody thanks the driver, even school kids 

Same in Perth, I don't get a bus often but have been pleasantly surprised when I have. 

Stunning weather in Perth this weekend 

4 hours ago, alicedaniels said:

Visiting the UK at the moment to see family and I honestly never thought I'd miss the good old 12c and light rain but here I am haha! 

No thanks will be grateful if I never ever experience anything other than the best UK summer ever! 

On 20/03/2019 at 15:15, Paul1Perth said:

Perth is having a lovely warm spell with very little wind for the last week or so. Bit humid but good for going down the beach after work.

Did a triathlon last Sunday and the 10k run was getting pretty warm. About 32 degrees when we finished about 10:30.

Perth weather has been crap this week I've needed the AC on driving to work at 6am horrible sticky humid, thankfully its easing a lovely weekend ahead.

Well obviously its Australia, not surprised the UK was down the list......

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-24/spain-tops-italy-as-world-s-healthiest-nation-while-u-s-slips

Cottesloe why? Waikiki/Warnbro beachs are much nicer!

Wow that post surprised me to! you were very Anti Oz Pro UK before moving back...................thanks for being honest and best of luck for the future. 

Not been a great summer so far in Perth, nice but not balmy, lots of high 20's day.............lovely weekend coming up though proper summer beach weather.

As a family of 4 you will be paying around $5-600 a month if you go for full cover, tbh save your money use the public system and save the money into a savings account.

On 25/07/2018 at 18:09, Ferrets said:

In response to the original question at the risk of the thread going all Brexit, not really given it a thought to be honest - very much focusing on making home in Australia.

That said you'd be hard pressed to beat 2012; TDF, Olympics, Diamond Jubilee, etc  

Hard pressed to beat 2012? It pished down all summer shocking weather eased off a little for the olympics and a great legacy that left partitipation sport has never been lower in the uk!