s713

Beer prices are off the scale in Perth, ridiculous. Although, don't bring Wetherspoons into the discussion, those places are awful.

There are a few factors at play here. Firstly, it depends on you. My wife & I lived all over the UK and we adapted to how people differ there. Conversely, her sister, who also lives here, never moved from the street that she was born in. Consequently, she thinks everyone here is a massive weirdo but then she has no real term of reference. I guess what I'm saying is, if you've strayed from what you knew in the UK and made it work, chances are you will in Perth. If you live in a UK city, there are people there from all over, and you get used to it. If you're from Coronation Street or something and are expecting the same here, you're in for a shock. Also, I find the residential and school situations a lot more transient here. You will likely be in a rental, some of your neighbours will be renting, your kids school friends will change as kids they know change school or move house, new people will move into your street all the time ... the whole thing is a lot less settled than life in the UK is IMO. Finally, I find a lot of Aussies quite different to Brits, personality-wise, so that doesn't lend itself to familiarity and friendship on occasions.

The cheap fuel is largely counter-acted by the fact that you have to drive twice as far to get anywhere here. We've had our car 5 years and it's done 140k kms.

10 years in, hasn't got any easier for me. A lot of stuff still seems like a 'phase' and that causes me problems. My Mum and Dad are still relatively young (60s), if they weren't, God knows what I'd do.

I can totally relate to the OP, albeit we are in Perth. The first 2, 3 even 4 years were great, lots of new stuff, lots of adventures. But realistically, I have struggled since then, and we've been here 10+ years now. We've had some great times here but if I list them as a trade off against what we've missed out on, a bit of nice weather, a few barbies and some travelling doesn't really cut it. I've mentioned in other posts that I have no option of returning now, wouldn't be fair on others so I wouldn't pursue it. But if it was me on my own (well, me and the dogs), I'd be gone tomorrow. I don't want to start a row about where is better, there is no generic right answer to that. But you know in yourself where home is and Australia has left me a bit hollow in that respect, once the 'holiday' ended. Good luck with your move Lady T.

I always thought that they should throw more money at Gero, try to turn that into more of a major hub and then concentrate on development in between. Perth's a bit too congested now but state sponsorship and business incentives for Gero might start to help.

More just curious really how much for 2 medium size.

How much for 2 pooches back to UK?

Re the Aussie health system, I have had no complaints. Had a hernia op here on private that was like staying in a 5 star hotel. That said, I have now cancelled my health cover as, in our circumstances and when I did the sums, we would be better off saving. A medium policy was costing the wife and I well over $3k a year and, 8 years out of 10 we haven't got anything back about from a few quid off dental and her glasses. An in-law has a health scare last year and said that public service was fine.

I don't think there is the vision or skill-set in Perth to make things happen without 'the boom'. The place will languish until the next boom happens, whether that is next year, 5 years or 20 years. Might never happen. The place is skint having dwindled the profits of the last boom on God knows what. What has remained in the main is boom prices which are making Perth untenable as a place to live to a decent life, never mind as a holiday destination. I totally get the remote thing. Once you have spent 10 years holidaying and day-tripping in Perth/WA, you need to go further afield to stop yourself going mad. And the price is prohibitive, that's if there is the capability to get there. And being remote massively impacts on the price of goods and services here, it doesn't East Coast. Perth is a nice place in general but it's a boom and bust town, always has been, always will be.

Thanks, I'm going in August for a couple of weeks.

I would do it before your Australian ties are too great, and your kids too settled. We've been here 10+ years and I couldn't move back now, much as I'd like to; it wouldn't be fair on others. For every walk on the beach you have, for every backyard BBQ, I have missed family and friend birthdays, weddings, unfortunately passings. After a while, you start to question what your motive was in the first place. It's nice to experience other things but it's gone a bit hollow and samey for me and I have some regret now. You live and learn, just sometimes you can't do anything about it.

I never saw my NHS doctor same day. Ever. I was triaged by unqualified receptionists same day, but no doctor. As for hospital referrals same day, impossible where we were. Must be that post code lottery they talk about.

Last night's 'Today Tonight' did it's weekly hatchet job on Aldi. This week about there not being enough of the specials and it being a con just to get you into the shop. Like most enterprises here, clearly bankrolled by Coles & Woollies to toe the party line.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster from all sides.

@Collie we live near Lake Joondalup, nice enough spot although Joondalup isn't exactly the hub it was intended to be. OK for retail, not much else, certainly not employment. Yeah, I quite like Beaufort St and the likes myself on occasions. And Freo is about as good as it gets here for an exciting pub crawl type day. Subi used to be OK but isn't now. And the City is no great shakes. I have an Android TV box and have a HdSubs+ subscription, wouldn't be without it. Have binned off Foxtel and only really watch the news on free-to-air. I've started using Terrarium rather than Kodi, seems to work better for me for some reason. That's when my stone-age internet connection can be bothered obvs (forgot that in my rant).

Haha. The climate has less of an impact on your life the longer you are here. It just becomes the norm and you end up moaning because it’s too hot or cold, like you do in the UK. When it’s mid to late 20s here it’s very nice and everyone seems content. When it’s the extremes that it is most of the time, someone’s always moaning. These days I’m freezing between mid-March and about November, that wasn’t really in the brochure when I was planning to come here. My Dad was here in January this year and it was cold then when the sun went down. Re the pool, we have full length windows at the back of the house and it looks great from the kitchen. Realistically, that’s it’s only use. I’d much prefer a spa/tub. We don’t have daylight savings in WA (for some bizarre reason) so it’s dark early even in the summer (and cold sometimes). Another downside of no DS is it’s cracking the flags at 4.30am, God knows who thinks all that is a good idea. Everything that is good in WA is natural. Like I said, the walks, the beaches, the Hills, the views, all great. Everything that is manufactured as entertainment is rubbish and extortionate. Don’t get me started on Elizabeth Quay. Perth’s real biggest problem is its isolation. You live in a bubble which is expensive and can be fully explored in about 2 years. After that, what do you do? Aussie holidays cost an arm and a leg and SE Asia is a bit of an acquired taste for me. I mean Bali is done after a couple of trips, Thailand is OK, blah blah, all a bit samey. Europe on your doorstep for 50 quid seems like a dream now.

Love a good whinge. We’ve been here 10 years+ now and have ties that can’t be undone; otherwise I would be out of here like a shot. House – Like the OP, I never thought I would be spending more than 550,000 anything on a home, not even Lira or Rupiah. Our house defies all the laws of thermodynamics, it’s considerably colder inside than out, all surfaces acting like anti-radiators. The workmanship throughout is extremely poor, everything having a short lifespan including fixtures and fittings which are very cheaply made but not so cheap to get fitted. We have reverse cycle air-con which isn’t a patch on central heating, it becomes stifling very quickly then the heat dissipates in seconds once you turn it off. It’s our home but I feel no massive affinity towards it, even after 8 years. Pool – I don’t know who these people are who swim in Perth in October, they must have volcanic springs under the house. I went in once before Xmas last summer and about half a dozen times afterwards. Biggest money pit in existence. Pools are OK if you have young kids who will get in regardless of the weather otherwise I’d avoid. Expensive mistake to learn for us. You could throw even more money at it and get your pool heated to buy you another 2 months swimming but after a while, you lose the will. Neighbours – Know them to say Hello to, after 8 years. Our street is like a graveyard after about 6pm. Night-time – Speaking of 6pm, why does 6pm feel like midnight? Even if I nip to the shops about 6.30pm, it feels like the middle of the night. The only way to counter this is to go to bed about 8pm. Which we do. TV – Atrocious, takes 4 hours to watch a movie. If you hate TV sport, you’ve had it, as sporting events are prime-time here. Everything else is reality TV with deadheads or celeb TV with people you’ve never heard of. And 4 presenters being rotated as nauseum. Aussies – After 10+ years, I still don’t get them. The older ones are OK, the younger ones I struggle with in the main. That whole laid-back Aussie thing, I don’t buy it, they’re rude and aggressive. And lazy, I guess that’s where the ‘laid-back’ possibly comes in. We moved to Australia determined not to buy into ‘Little Britain’ but that didn’t last long, you need people to relate to. Aussies are very different to us, fair enough I guess. But I’d say most people aren’t expecting it. Plus, sense of humour that would shame a German. Social life – The wife and I go out but I wouldn’t exactly call it socialising, we sit in places where other people are but that’s about it. Pubs aren’t the same and the cost is really prohibitive. The only thriving business sector in Perth is Bottleshops, most people tend to be stop-at-home alcoholics. If they’re not into ice that is. Eating & drinking – Here’s last week’s examples; the wife and her mate went to a Chinese in Jindalee, they got 1 prawn dish and 1 special fried rice, drank table water, $48. That’s 28 pound. For 1 meal. Between them. Then Saturday we went to Noble Falls for a walk, went the Tavern for lunch. $150, I had 3 pints. 2 meals and a pint and a half was $87. Then Sunday we took our nieces for lunch to a place in Mindarie. $150 for 2 adults, 2 kids. I had 2 ciders. It’s an absolute rip-off. Plus, it’s so hit-and-miss in terms of quality it makes it pointless. There’s a reason why the National dish of Australia is Hungry Jacks, it’s cheap and the same everywhere. I know Wetherspoons is rubbish but casual dining in the UK is better quality for a fraction of the price. Other rip-offs – Bought some kitchen lights from a major retailer start of June, had to order them. $450. A month later, no contact so we went in. 16 year clerk told us ‘sorry no stock, I’ll try and order but it might be September’. When I asked whether anyone was ever going to contact us to inform us of this or whether they were just going to keep the $450 for a laugh, he just shrugged and said ‘nothing to do with me’. Tradesman – Rip-off, and very poor. Jobs – My wife was a Senior Project Manager in Economic Regeneration in the UK. Here she is an Event Coordinator in an old people’s home because it’s all she could get 10 years ago. She likes it but it’s not her career, she is never shortlisted for any jobs she goes for. I work in IT and am working on stuff I wouldn’t have bothered with 15 years ago in the UK. Don’t whatever you do make a career move to Perth unless you’re a labourer or a brickie or whatever. And those days are gone I think. Culture – Prepare to lose track of anything contemporary. It’s 1982 in Perth. Your kids – Most people move here for a better life for their kids. I agree that for little ones, it’s great, there’s parks and beaches galore and the summer allows a great outdoor life. However, once your kids hit mid-teens, they will be bored shitless unless (i) they are high academic achievers or (ii) they are very sporty. Not much doing here for teens and young adults, no jobs, $12 a pint, highlight of your week is an out-of-control party and a run-in with police, whilst off your cake on spliffs and cheap grog. No thanks. The good stuff: Scenery – The beach, The Hills, the walks, all very nice, I like them. If you live anywhere in Perth, make it the Hills. It’s beautiful. Everywhere else is lame, new (or embarrassingly 80s) and sterile. Thanks for listening. xx