Joeybee Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Hi everyone, I haven't logged in to Pomsinoz pretty much since getting the visa grant back in December. Well that was on the 4th of December and we flew out on the 7th, arriving in Australia on the 9th. A LOT has happened since then, and I've been dying to come on here and tell you all about it. So, we stopped off in Perth, WA for 1 month. We stayed with friends in Bedfordale. I wasn't going to write about Perth, because it is not where we are and not where we plan to ever live, however my observations might be of use to some people, so I will write what I thought. Perth was 40 degrees and dry when we arrived. It stayed clear and between 29-42 degrees the whole month we were there. Since then and up to now, the weather forecast has been almost constantly showing clear skies and temps around 30-35 degrees. Relentless. I loved it, the predictability of being able to wear shorts and dresses everyday and know the weather will be constant. I hated it the UK not knowing whether I would be too hot or cold and always ending up wearing unsuitable clothes for the weather. However the downsides to Perth's climate were the constant applying and re-applying of sun-cream(which is surprisingly expensive considering the high rates of skin cancer in Australia), wearing hats all the time, carrying shopping or doing anything outside was tiring and also, shaving my legs every day!!! So safe to say, if you want to live in Perth, be prepared for a hot summer. Perth CBD is compact, to me it wasn't a 'proper' city, it was more a large town feel. A lot of people would like this, a small CBD and sprawling suburbs for miles and miles. For me and my Husband we found it boring after a few trips into the city. After 5:30pm the place emptied but for some bars and restaurants. The area of Northbridge was...vibrant...at night. We went there often because there was a really good buffet stye restaurant called "Utopia", still my favorite food place in Australia. However there were several fights and fatal stabbings just in the month we were there. There are lots of brothels and people hanging around sniffing glue. We are city mice - New York, London, Barcelona. Perth is nothing like that. So a small CBD, wasn't going to cut it for us. The shopping is good in Perth and there are some nice green spaces. We went on a lovely river-side walk which was beautiful, stunning even but apparently they are getting rid of the iconic walk and building on it. This is a real shame. The beaches are fantastic and easy to get to and there's a relaxed, easy-going lifestyle on offer in Perth. Transport - the train system is frequent, simple and fairly cheap. It was easy to navigate and anywhere near a train line is easy to get to. However if not, you NEED to drive. Perth is a city built for drivers and for me and my Husband, who don't drive, it was a little restrictive. It felt very American, massive parking lots, warehouses and malls. Also, the Armadale train line is one of the scariest transport experiences I've had. We used it 4-5 times a week whilst we were in there and almost every journey - day and night, we saw bad things. I wouldn't have felt safe at all on my own in the evenings especially. We saw about 3 instances of domestic violence, countless people graffiti, we saw fights and had to put up with rude inconsiderate people swearing loudly, playing music and making offensive remarks about others daily. It really wasn't nice. It has apparently improved. There are train guards on each train in the evenings now and a lot of money has been spent. One of our last journeys we had to make a statement to police after a couple were literally screaming at each other and the man hitting the woman (who was pregnant btw) and swearing at her for about 20 minutes after someone used the intercom to ask the driver for help, before the police took the passengers off the train. Housing is nice in Perth. It is the sort of place where I could see myself being happy when i'm middle aged, have a few kids and value the quiet and a nice large house with pool space and tree lined streets. It does come at a cost though. For renting, it is definitely more expensive than Sydney. For me and my Husband to have managed to get a place for $600 or less a week, we'd have needed to be quite far out from the CBD and in a bit of a dodgy area. Whilst in WA, I visited Fremantle and Bunbury. Both (in my opinion) nicer places than Perth. More charm and character, but with the lifestyle Perth offers. Overall Perth is a nice place. I will go back to visit. The weather is FANTASTIC and if you can drive, there are lots of nice beaches and bays which are a lovely way to while away a weekend. It is compact and the transport system is average for a city that size. If you can afford the housing, you'll probably get a nice one. But negatively, there are a lot of social problems, it's expensive and not for people wanting a 'city' lifestyle. It's frustratingly isolated if you don't drive, and to visit another big city you have to realistically fly to one. I'll do another post in the next few days about Sydney. There's a lot to say. Me and Husband have been moving from one short term accommodation to the next and so have seen different suburbs. I've been both over and under-whelmed by Sydney and have found a different experience here to what a lot of people have, so feel I should share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Great update thank you for sharing hun. At least you are getting to see some of Australia and how different it is from one place to the next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Having lived there all my life, I'd say this was a pretty honest report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-bone Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Great post and nice to see someone give an completely honest view. I find Perth is exactly how you describe it. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 That's a good post and I would imagine if I lived out in Bedfordale and couldn't drive and had to catch the Armadale train, something I've never had to do, I would have some negative things to say about Perth too. The lifestyle living out there compared to where we live, 5 mins from a glorious Beach, on the Northern Train line, where I've seen very little trouble, day or night, is totally different. Was most of the trouble you saw on the train caused by aborigines? I would be surprised if it wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Lived here nearly four years been into the city probably four times as a family, lots of times for work related things, what i am saying is there is a whole lot more to Perth than just the CBD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silencio Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 It's funny how different the perception of us members are. Hubby and me have been to Perth after Chrissie visiting our extended family and we found it freezing!!! Okay, we live in South Australia and are used to 40 degrees but Perth didn't have one day with 40 degrees in that time. Always a fresh and cool wind, and I'd not taken my jackets due to expecting warmer days. Actually, in December 2013 it was unusual cold for summer there. Have you been there in 2012 or 13? Just wondering how you come to your statement. Perth has a small CBD, that's true but bigger than Adelaide. Sydney has more shops and Melbourne is more a global city as well. But even Sydney has less variety than European cities you mentioned. But how can you claim that Sydney has cheaper rentals to offer than Perth? Ok, a rat trap may be cheaper... There was a survey the day before yesterday on adelaidenow.com.au where it was outlined clearly and not a novelty that Sydney and Melbourne are still the most expensive cities in Australia. Good on you that you were able to find something cheap but how do you measure it against Perth rental prices... Besides disagreeing in some points thank you for your overall very well and informative report and good luck for your new life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambethlad Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Oz is not the place to be if you don't drive. Public transport here is very ordinary. I drive everywhere and refuse to use a train even when I worked in the city. There is no security and it just doesn't feel safe especially in the evening or on weekends - too many alcohol and drug affected loonies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 It's funny how different the perception of us members are. Hubby and me have been to Perth after Chrissie visiting our extended family and we found it freezing!!!Okay, we live in South Australia and are used to 40 degrees but Perth didn't have one day with 40 degrees in that time. Always a fresh and cool wind, and I'd not taken my jackets due to expecting warmer days. Actually, in December 2013 it was unusual cold for summer there. Have you been there in 2012 or 13? Just wondering how you come to your statement. Perth has a small CBD, that's true but bigger than Adelaide. Sydney has more shops and Melbourne is more a global city as well. But even Sydney has less variety than European cities you mentioned. But how can you claim that Sydney has cheaper rentals to offer than Perth? Ok, a rat trap may be cheaper... There was a survey the day before yesterday on adelaidenow.com.au where it was outlined clearly and not a novelty that Sydney and Melbourne are still the most expensive cities in Australia. Good on you that you were able to find something cheap but how do you measure it against Perth rental prices... Besides disagreeing in some points thank you for your overall very well and informative report and good luck for your new life. I don't think it matters which Christmas it was, you are the only people I've heard complain anytime around Christmas to be freezing. Must be really hot in Adelaide at that time of year. Temps of between 29 and 42 degrees would have been too hot for a lot of people. Just shows it takes all kinds. Was up in Darwin once in June and the front page of the NT news had a guy in a full wetsuit with a hood complaining that it was too cold to use his pool any other way, it was 31 degrees!! To be honest the sea breeze you get a lot of the time near the Ocean doesn't get that far in land. If our visitors were out in Bedfordale and it was 38 degrees at the beach it could have been 48 degrees up there. We had friends who used to live in Northshore for years and had a couple of Spaniels. They moved out to The Vines and both dogs died of heat stroke within a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Thankyou for taking the time to post, it really is lovely to hear honest accounts of both the positives and negatives. What you say is true, in that I am sure most of us will be overwhelmed and underwhelmed by the place we choose to settle in. I have never been to Australia and have painted a picture of what I think each city will be like, however I am realistic in that there will be things that will be as I thought and also, things that will be completely different. Its interesting to read your thoughts about public transport, I don't drive and will be working shifts, possibly quite a distance from where I can afford to live and It does reaffirm that I do need to learn to drive. I look forward to reading your account on Sydney. As a young family, visiting any CBD in our idea of a nightmare despite wishing we could enjoy the café/bar culture of a city. We watched a program on Sydney last night and if our children were all grown up we would love to spend time there together, however we are still a good 15 years away! It would be interesting to know how you found renting, as from my research we could not afford to live in a property that offers us space, nice location and a beach location close to Sydney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 A great update. I look forward to hearing about Sydney next! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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