s713

Maybe so. But that's how much it costs.

All the channels, another box upstairs and broadband will make it >$200 a month. Just had a look at their website to see if it's come down, hasn't.

If you think Sky is bad, don't touch Foxtel. Appalling value for money. We have done the reverse journey and now I think Sky is great but it's only because I have experienced Foxtel. My Oz set-up was Netflix (which isn't/wasn't as good in Oz), free-to-air, and a Kodi box. It was frustrating at times as our broadband speeds were poor but it was better than paying $200+ a month for Foxtel to watch American shite.

Definitely. The dog-walking/pub opportunities (pre & hopefully post-Covid) are amazing in Cheshire. You can go somewhere different every weekend.

Rubbish.

I didn't. If she'd have wanted to stay there, we'd still be there. She eventually reached the same point that I had, only a few years later. She has lots of family there which obviously impacted her thinking. Yes, we're all good now, pigs in muck, thanks.

We used a Seven Seas move cube, a large one like you. The service was great and the cube was plenty big enough. Left in their storage for a couple of months on arrival in the UK, fairly reasonable.

The problem with moving country to country, whichever way round you're doing it, is that if everyone isn't on board it stands a fair chance of failure. That's not to say you shouldn't try, it's just the reality of the situation. We were in Australia for 11 years and I wanted to leave after 4 or 5. My wife loved it back then and I knew even attempting to talk her into moving back to the UK wouldn't work, if we'd have moved back she would have found fault with every little thing, I knew it. So, I stuck it out until she arrived at the same point I had, took a while but it has meant that our move back now is fully embraced and enjoyed by both of us. I don't know if this helps you but if your lad is happy where he is, it could be an issue. He might never want to move back. And he is 18.

I saw someone catch a shark beach-casting at Quinns once. Was a tiddler but his Mum might have been lurking for all I know. There is a shark net there now I think.

The Breakwater was $14 a pint and went down the nick after a couple of years. Nice to hear that they've re-evaluated, like Print Hall did which was even more expensive. I remember paying $54 for 3 pints there (Bob's Bar). No thanks. Not when you consider it's a fairly average place at best anyway.

We lived in Joondalup, near Kinross. I mean, it's OK for a couple of years but, after that..... And, despite what is said here, Joondalup isn't get more established. If anything, the accent is on getting away from places like that i.e. extremities. Applecross has been mentioned, that's much better. More expensive, and you won't get as much, but a better place to be.

'Isolation of Perth' meant a few things to me. Firstly, it drives your basic prices sky-high because you're dealing with a finite market. Eating and drinking out in Perth costs a fortune, much more than it does anywhere else. More importantly, when you're looking at travelling anywhere it takes ages. There is absolutely nob-all of worth (maybe 1 visit) North of Perth unless you like driving 10 hours to find somewhere the same after the same again after the same again to visit. Going South is marginally better but doesn't take that long to become utterly tedious. We did 4 'down South' visits to box it off. After that, where you going to go? Bali, acquired taste, cheap and nasty. SE Asia? Wasn't for me. 'Closer to Europe'? A day's flight isn't close in my book. Took 3 or 4 years for me to feel like I'd 'done' it.

Exactly one of the reasons we got out. Once you're past 30, you're over the hill.

Perth is a lot more expensive for a beer than other places in Oz. I spent a lot of time travelling with work and Perth tops the lot. As said, you can get a schooner in QLD for $4 or $5. In Perth, it's pints and they're £10-$14, dependent on where you go. Well, unless you go to some ridiculous dive. The best con trick they pulled whilst we were there was introducing schooners to WA and charging the same prices as for pints. I remember when the Midland Hotel reopened and I paid $12 or $13 for a Squires and it came as a schooner, fuming. It was only when the West Australian ran a story on it they were shamed into admitting it.

I always thought they don't make enough of the coastline. I mean, it's the best thing about the place and they don't cash in on it. I don't drink coffee so I won't go to a Dome but in terms of somewhere to get a drink (NOR) there is a pub at Mullalloo, Hillarys (which I couldn't stand), Trigg has a beach cafe, Scarborough has a couple of decent places as do City Beach and North Beach. After that, you're in Cottesloe and Freo. Cottesloe was the biggest let down for me, considering its reputation. The pub on the front is a bit dark, not really a coastal place. And the fancy area they did build is at the back, you may as well be anywhere. Freo was our favourite place, could have a decent pub crawl there and there was a good vibe.

Melbourne always reminded me of Manchester, not as good of course. Plus, the weather is crap a lot of the time so you will feel right at home . From your description, it does sound like Melbourne would suit more.

The NatWest wouldn't let me open an account without proof of address, the Halifax would, so I went with them. Also, they gave us a mortgage based on our job offer letters, we didn't need 3 months of slips or anything. I'm not even sure I had even started working when they made the offer as I had some time off beforehand.

Most people don't distort anything, maybe they just have a different opinion from you? Worth a thought.

Absolute nonsense. Comparing a night out in Joondalup to Liverpool or Manchester is insane. Try it this weekend Paul, there'll be about half a dozen people in that Irish bar and a few eating burgers in what used to be the Old Bailey. Proper ghost town.

Goes further than that now, up to Yanchep or so. I think the 'dream' is that one day, the Metro will extend to Jurien Bay

That's brochure talk Paul, the reality is much different. To call it a City is a stretch in the extreme, it's about a 400 yard length of Salvos and chippys. The pubs and restaurants are crap, the leisure centre is OK bit outdated now, I don't play golf, I don't go to Uni. We moved there as it was advertised as a Perth satellite (before we knew what Perth was like) but it was a ghost town. Absolutely dead of a weekend apart from the shopping centre. And if the best thing in your life is a shopping centre, time to re-evaluate.

Joondalup is fine if you've moved from Chernobyl. That's about it. Those other suburbs are expensive, there's a reason for that, that's why I'd rather have a small place there than a mansion in Joondalup or Burns Beach or similar.

Some people do, just because you didn't doesn't make it the norm. You're obsessed with once a year holidays, the reality is a lot of people have shorter breaks in the UK much more often than that. And you don't need a plane.

We weren't typical movers, I loved my life in the UK, had never thought about emigrating, had no ambition to whatsoever. But, the Mrs family moved over en masse and she missed them, so we went for it. We lived in Perth for 11 years, I enjoyed the first 3 or 4, the next couple of years were by-the-by and the last few years were a torture for me. I don't hate Perth, I don't really have anything that bad to say about it, I just didn't want to be there. It wasn't worth me moving to the other side of the world for. My salary was high, we had a big house and an 8m pool in the back (that no-one went in for the last 4 or 5 years) but I was bored silly, ran out of ideas for things to do. I remember family coming over on holiday and when one of the kids asked what we were doing and I mentioned the beach she said "what again?". Couldn't blame her. Like I said, nice place, clean and shiny but not for me long-term. The UK works out much better for us.

A mate of mine was poached by a consultancy firm in the US, he was working in the new WTC building in NY; dream job. Been there less than 2 years and came back this year, he and his wife hated the baking summers and freezing winters. Everyone thinks he's mad but, unless you've been in that situation, you don't know. To some, the weather is the most important factor in their lives, to others it's a sideline consideration. The weather doesn't bother me at all nor does it dictate my moods. But, I appreciate it does for others.