4 Years In Perth and what it, like living here , the pro's and con,s

[Highland Laddie]

:biggrin: Almost 4 years down the road since migrating from the UK so thought i'd share some of my views and a have a winge or 2 on life in WA and hope other Expats may share some of my views and experiences or just call me a miserable bas...d?

 

Firstly after almost 4 years living here i am actually becoming a wee bit bored of the place, maybe it's the isolation factor creeping in , only so many times you can visit Fremantle , Mandurah , Hilarys etc ...?

Houses and new estates springing up everywhere with a massive lack of amenities and infrastructure , like pubs and restaurants for example .

Lots of anti social behaviour , even in upmarket suburbs , house prices through the roof unless you settle for a more undesirable area where you may end up with neighbours from hell , house parties , hooning etc.

We actually still rent for this reason , even with minimum deposit on a $400,000 - $500,000 for a decent area , repayments are still going to be pretty hefty .

Total lack of respect and sheer ignorant attitudes from alot of people here , house parties with loud music until the small hours even though they are aware a you family may be next door or few houses down the street , THEY DONT CARE .....?

Dogs off the leash ......Ive been down the beach on many occasion with my 2 young children in areas where dogs are prohibited , now dont get me wrong , i don't have a problem with this as longs there on a leash and in my view common sense would dictate to do this when there are young children etc around but guess what these people believe there dogs have more right to be there and once again they don't care.

All the suburbs are similar , chicken treat , Coles , Woolworth etc etc etc

Food and service here is bloody awful and to top it all you are paying some of the most over inflated prices in the world .

As for Hotels here , a four star would probably rate as 2 star elsewhere in the world , 70's decor with absolutely abysmal service but still the prices are outrageous .

Taxis......?

I travelled far and wide in this world and always took Taxis for granted until i moved to Perth , i live South of the river , a good night out in Perth is ruined when you get to Warnbro Station and end up stranded from lack of Taxis.

No wander there is so much Drink Driving here and most people cant drive properly here when there sober , let alone under the influence...?

Most selfish drivers i have ever encountered , you allow a pedestrian across the road here and they look at you like your from Mars...?

Social life a big big let down , as mentioned lack of pubs , logistics of getting to and from the pubs , ridiculous rules , like giving you a pint of water because you have drank your pint too fast ..., alcohol prices through the roof , everything done in houses here , some nice friendly people here but generally thats as far as it goes , very hard to break into social circles , neighbours say hello , workmates friendly at work but that's it .....?

Now ive had a bloody good winge i will say , far more job prospects here , however you have to be on Mining or Oil and Gas wages and even then your not going to live too lavishly due to Perth's massively over inflated prices .

Weather great most of the time except for this time of the year .

Yes good beaches and great for visiting Asia due to close proximity where you have to go now and then to get decent service , food , hotels etc at reasonable prices.

Having been over to the Eastern States 3 times i reckon Perth is at least 10 years behind the rest of the country which it should'nt be given it is one of the richest states in Oz .

Good job and weather is about all thats keeping me here for now , wont move back to UK but definitely looking for an opportunity in the Eastern States or elsewhere in the world .:twitcy:

[Guest Guest26012]

Feel better now?

[Guest Guest26012]

Tbh HL, you're entitled to your views, absolutely! I won't comment on the different points of your rant because its not new stuff. It's good that people post the negatives as I've always said it gives others a balanced view. Unfortunately, I suspect this thread will attract all the Perth bashers and end up in the usual way?

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

Which subhurbs do you live in, I don't want to end up there and can't you move? Which subhurbs did you live in before, was it the same? You obviously wouldn't live in the same place for 4 years if it's as bad as you say. What's your plans? Best of luck.

[HappyHeart]

If you happen to live near some party people it can be hellish I agree. We had a family like that near us but our neighbour who's lived in the cul de sac for years got a petition up and threatened the landlord if she didnt evict them. They moved and all has been quite peaceful since...nothing worse than some ignorant people partying on every weekend.

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

We would ring the police, I wouldn't put up with it on a regular basis, don't people do that in Oz?

[Guest Guest26012]

We would ring the police, I wouldn't put up with it on a regular basis, don't people do that in Oz?

 

 

Nah, they just come on pio and whinge.

[Levi]

Thank you Highland Laddie for writing about your experience. I'm heading to Perth and it (stories) doesn't sound good sometimes. For starters I will need a job and "far more job prospects here" is all I need. I am loud (my music) sometimes, but it only lasts for about an hour til I get it out of my system )

 

"I suspect this thread will attract all the Perth bashers and end up in the usual way?" I'm quite new on PIO so I am curious what that is like.

[newjez]

Having lived in Perth most of my life, I have to agree. But after a while, you tend to just accept it. Then eventually you find yourself joining in.

[Bobj]

It's what you make of it that counts. If you have not got the ability to do things, don't blame everything and everyone else for your shortcomings.:wink:

 

Cheers, Bobj.

[travelchic]

Yay. I can't wait. It's far too quiet where I live ha ha

 

Debs

[Guest Ptp113]

:biggrin: Almost 4 years down the road since migrating from the UK so thought i'd share some of my views and a have a winge or 2 on life in WA and hope other Expats may share some of my views and experiences or just call me a miserable bas...d?

 

Firstly after almost 4 years living here i am actually becoming a wee bit bored of the place, maybe it's the isolation factor creeping in , only so many times you can visit Fremantle , Mandurah , Hilarys etc ...?

Houses and new estates springing up everywhere with a massive lack of amenities and infrastructure , like pubs and restaurants for example .

Lots of anti social behaviour , even in upmarket suburbs , house prices through the roof unless you settle for a more undesirable area where you may end up with neighbours from hell , house parties , hooning etc.

We actually still rent for this reason , even with minimum deposit on a $400,000 - $500,000 for a decent area , repayments are still going to be pretty hefty .

Total lack of respect and sheer ignorant attitudes from alot of people here , house parties with loud music until the small hours even though they are aware a you family may be next door or few houses down the street , THEY DONT CARE .....?

Dogs off the leash ......Ive been down the beach on many occasion with my 2 young children in areas where dogs are prohibited , now dont get me wrong , i don't have a problem with this as longs there on a leash and in my view common sense would dictate to do this when there are young children etc around but guess what these people believe there dogs have more right to be there and once again they don't care.

All the suburbs are similar , chicken treat , Coles , Woolworth etc etc etc

Food and service here is bloody awful and to top it all you are paying some of the most over inflated prices in the world .

As for Hotels here , a four star would probably rate as 2 star elsewhere in the world , 70's decor with absolutely abysmal service but still the prices are outrageous .

Taxis......?

I travelled far and wide in this world and always took Taxis for granted until i moved to Perth , i live South of the river , a good night out in Perth is ruined when you get to Warnbro Station and end up stranded from lack of Taxis.

No wander there is so much Drink Driving here and most people cant drive properly here when there sober , let alone under the influence...?

Most selfish drivers i have ever encountered , you allow a pedestrian across the road here and they look at you like your from Mars...?

Social life a big big let down , as mentioned lack of pubs , logistics of getting to and from the pubs , ridiculous rules , like giving you a pint of water because you have drank your pint too fast ..., alcohol prices through the roof , everything done in houses here , some nice friendly people here but generally thats as far as it goes , very hard to break into social circles , neighbours say hello , workmates friendly at work but that's it .....?

Now ive had a bloody good winge i will say , far more job prospects here , however you have to be on Mining or Oil and Gas wages and even then your not going to live too lavishly due to Perth's massively over inflated prices .

Weather great most of the time except for this time of the year .

Yes good beaches and great for visiting Asia due to close proximity where you have to go now and then to get decent service , food , hotels etc at reasonable prices.

Having been over to the Eastern States 3 times i reckon Perth is at least 10 years behind the rest of the country which it should'nt be given it is one of the richest states in Oz .

Good job and weather is about all thats keeping me here for now , wont move back to UK but definitely looking for an opportunity in the Eastern States or elsewhere in the world .:twitcy:

Go back to Blighty! The Eastern states are even worse

[fifi69]

I'm not a Perth basher, far from it, but I do agree with a lot of what the OP has posted.

 

After 4 years you will have done everything that there is to do in Perth a few times and may be bored of it, but that can happen in a lot of other places too. Nothing wrong with wanting to try somewhere new, even if its not better just being different could be good.

 

The driving, its been said many a times and its true.

 

Taxis, no shortage in this area, but they are v expensive that's for sure.

 

The suburbs and the price of housing are what I agree with most though. We too are having the conversation do we carry on renting to be able to afford to stay in a huge house on a large block in a area that has everything on our doorstep, is thriving and buzzing or do we move a bit further out so we can afford to buy? Don't want to go too far though as neither of us see the point in a long commute, not come here to waste our lives sitting in traffic.

 

We also want a suburb that has a bit of life to it, and a choice of facilities. Not an easy task. Whether NOR or SOR you will come across plenty of suburbs that IMO are like something out of the living dead.

 

What we will get for our money is a modern 4 x 2 but with no garden to speak off, houses all on top of each other, where you can all hear each other if out in the garden.

 

This post isn't a moan, its just the reality of living in Perth. I still believe the pros far outweigh the cons. For us its still an ace place to be, just time for us to decide rent or buy?

[colinmaclec]

It is like living in the 80s in Perth

[ali]

Been here over 6 years and not bored .. partly I think because I don't see myself as a tourist .. doing Fremantle, Mandurah, Hillarys etc., ... only ever really do the latter two when people are visiting, but often go into Freo for a meal. I do feel saddened for the people who live here and are really unhappy, personally, I'd up sticks and try somewhere else. We're very lucky I guess that we have a 4x2 with a garden and we're not right on top of our neighbours.

[flag of convenience]

Thank you Highland Laddie for writing about your experience. I'm heading to Perth and it (stories) doesn't sound good sometimes. For starters I will need a job and "far more job prospects here" is all I need. I am loud (my music) sometimes, but it only lasts for about an hour til I get it out of my system )

 

"I suspect this thread will attract all the Perth bashers and end up in the usual way?" I'm quite new on PIO so I am curious what that is like.

 

The account given is views often aired and few could find much too fault with the negatives expressed. Perth is a city that generates an extreme of views at both ends of the spectrum.

 

The views are by no means only expressed by immigrants but equally or more so by Australians including Perth locals. In my opinion rather justified.

[flag of convenience]

It is like living in the 80s in Perth

 

Not price wise sadly. In the 80s folk were saying Perth living was like back in the 60s. Talk about retro. Could be a selling point, I guess.

[flag of convenience]

Go back to Blighty! The Eastern states are even worse

 

Not necessary I know three lots of folk that moved East within the past eighteen months and two are really prospering with a new lease of life.

[Robo234]

To the OP didn't see much pros, if I were you I would of moved East or somewhere else ages ago if it's that bad/boring where you are, no point in a good job/money if your unhappy where you are, interesting post, good luck anyway x

[Buttercup]

Facts are facts I suppose... It's wether you adapt to living in the place. If you think Perth is behind the times, you should go to Adelaide...

[VERYSTORMY]

It's funny. I only skim read it first and immediately knew you were talking about Perth. Milton Keynes without any of it's better bits.

[HappyHeart]

There's nothing to do in Perth?...very subjective imo. Just on our way back from somewhere we'd never been, Noble Falls, just a waterfall, walk trail, picnic ground. Very nice. Soooo many places we haven't been. I suppose that would be boring to lots of people though.

[Wellers and Whitehead]

A lot of the stuff you wrote about also sounds like Sydney; parties in the units coming from every angle, but you do just used to it..kind of! Last night would have to be one of our worst so far, ( I live in the Sutherland shire/Sydney. ) just in bed my OH and I jumped out and ran to open the balcony doors when we heard a girl screaming like she was getting murdered...just as I open the door, I heard her shout rape a few times..I saw about three men, three women, two young men trying to get her out of the drivers seat of the ute, one putting in a headlock from behind her dragging her out of the car, the screaming was just horrific, I rung the police, the receptionist guy put me through to the police who took ages to answer. He kept saying il wait on the line until they answer, took at least a few minutes, I ' think' in hind sight she may have tried to drink and drive as some of the females were screaming, get out of the car...the police turned up about 20 mins later, even though they are based two streets away. Apparently they stopped to talk to them on arrival. Then drove past a few times later to make sure all was ok!?

Pout of all the units around us, about 50 or more would have heard her screaming, only one other person besides us rang the police the guy on the phone said. So you point that nobody cares is very true! I feel quite un safe in Sydney as know most people would leave you if you were in trouble...often documented on tv progs..a woman was telling me today about a girl that was shouting rape in a very busy part of town, she was getting raped and was ultimately murdered and people heard her but ' didn't want to get involved' !! Very sad!

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

Which subhurbs do you live in, I don't want to end up there and can't you move? Which subhurbs did you live in before, was it the same? You obviously wouldn't live in the same place for 4 years if it's as bad as you say. What's your plans? Best of luck.

 

 

I'm dying to find out exactly which suburb he lives in, I asked someone this who wasn't happy there once before, but they wouldn't tell me because it was actually a nice place, I am sure there are some horrible places to live in Perth, like the thousands of drug riddled, crime ridden and high unemployed sink hole estates dotted all over the UK. So far no one has ever come up with one place, this might be it.

[paul1977]

I'm dying to find out exactly which suburb he lives in, I asked someone this who wasn't happy there once before, but they wouldn't tell me because it was actually a nice place, I am sure there are some horrible places to live in Perth, like the thousands of drug riddled, crime ridden and high unemployed sink hole estates dotted all over the UK. So far no one has ever come up with one place, this might be it.

Nice house to the eye doesn't = nice area..