How friendly is perth

[Spencer's]

We are thinking of moving to Perth we have a young daughter which will be four in October. I'm wondering how friendly is it?we are nervous about getting to Perth and not being able to make friends and end up being lonely as a family.  

Thanks xx

[ali]

Developing friendships can take a little time, but your daughter is an ideal age for you to be doing the school run, getting involved (if you can) in the school activities etc., and helping out.  In the UK my main friendship groups were developed because when my daughter started school, I was pregnant with my son and I did the school run every day, went for coffee and things developed from there.  Here, whilst I didn't do the school run, my son being the younger of the two,  I met parents that way.

If you've not had a look at our sister site Perth Poms - have a look, not as much traffic as on here, but I know there are always people willing to meet up .

[Guest263228]

If you trawl previous posts on Perth, you'll note the difficulty in making friendships, raised time again. While Perth is not particularly unfriendly, I'd say more indifferent. People stay much behind closed doors and you see their car come and go. A recent survey found 33% of people not wishing to know their neighbour. Perhaps no bad thing from recent previous experience.

I concur with above having a child, may be the easiest way of some contact, however shallow, but at least something. I've heard people say how friendly Perth is, but usually they don't live here. For asking directions or something non taxing no problem. Real friendships are something else and people often stay within family grouping.

Quite a lot of backstabbing of 'so called friends' as well.  

[Paul1Perth]

How easy have you found it in the UK?

Won't be much different here is my guess.

[calNgary]

I think moving to any new area is hard and meeting people all falls into your lap. You can get out there,chat, mingle etc or walk around waiting for everyone to speak to you. The first one works in my experience.

As Ali mentioned the fact you have school age children is an advantage, you can meet their parents, arrange play dates etc (kids tend to play at each others houses rather than roam the streets) , i have been here a few years now and my closest friends are the ones i met via the kids and school / kindy.

Overall i have found the Aussies to be very friendly and helpful here in QLD id guess WA isnt much different, so i wouldnt worry to much. You do read on here about people who have been here a few months or a year and complain they have no good friendships, but in all honesty friendships take time to build and if i look back most of my close friends in the UK had been friends for years. Do not put the pressure on to find good friends in a short time, its unneeded stress and friendships build over time.

Cal x

[Wa7]

If you are coming from a good social circle in the uk then chances are you will not replicate this here in Perth ( or Australia full stop ) 

Perth is friendly but at the same time very private and how you would adapt is a personal thing.

 

[Briar]

I think this is a very individual thing and depends very much on who you are as a person, more than where you live.   If you are outgoing and friendly, then you will mostly be met with the same.   However if you are constantly complaining about things and comparing Oz to UK, then you will obviously have issues making friends.   Perhaps also your line of work/career/sport/interests etc, might have an impact on the type of people you meet along the way.  It takes time to set up a friend network in a new place, and some of those new friends can go on to be lifelong friends, but others can just slip by the wayside after a while, and you should be prepared for that.    

Personally I don't think it is any harder to make friends in Perth than it is in any other place..... just comes back to the type of person you are I guess. 

 

[ali]

1 hour ago, Wa7 said:

If you are coming from a good social circle in the uk then chances are you will not replicate this here in Perth ( or Australia full stop ) 

Perth is friendly but at the same time very private and how you would adapt is a personal thing.

 

Whilst we haven't replicated our friendships that we had in the UK, we've actually made some excellent friends who not only have become lifelong but almost like family.  We didn't find Perth any more difficult to make friends .

[Guest263228]

Even a number of Perth folk don't claim it easy. That being because it isn't. Just fact.  Friendship is not really an association I would make with Perth. If you are reasonably self sufficient as a couple,  not requiring regular social; stimulation, you may well survive and dare I say prosper from it. Perth folk do tend to be reserved. I suspect more so in more recent times.

I have certainly found other areas of the world far easier (generally, but in some countries it took time)to make contact to varying degrees. Not all bad just best know it doesn't come as easy as some may expect.

Edited August 29, 2017 by Pura Vida

[Wa7]

50 minutes ago, ali said:

Whilst we haven't replicated our friendships that we had in the UK, we've actually made some excellent friends who not only have become lifelong but almost like family.  We didn't find Perth any more difficult to make friends .

Great that it's worked out for you, but many would have had a polar opposite experience.

I suppose it will depend on what people had in the uk and what they have now, which obviously will be interpreted differently by people.

 

[ali]

49 minutes ago, Wa7 said:

Great that it's worked out for you, but many would have had a polar opposite experience.

I suppose it will depend on what people had in the uk and what they have now, which obviously will be interpreted differently by people.

 

Yes definitely - we had a pretty good life and friendship group in the UK - equally as good if not better here.  I appreciate that it's not the same for everyone, but Perth isn't always the doom and gloom state that it's made out to be on PIO.  Many people I know who have migrated and no longer visit the forum have had similar experiences to ours.

[VERYSTORMY]

I don't think Perth people are generally any more friendly or unfriendly than anywhere else. We met some lovelly people and stay in touch with a number of them. But, it can be hard to make friends anywhere as a new person a long way from home. Most people make friends in school and college and aren't that interested in making new ones.

But it is all a bit irrelevant as you first need to see if you qualify for visas

[Guest263228]

I guess some folk on here forget the years of loneliness ,they expressed among other negatives , on this very forum, during their time around Perth?  No matter I what I would concur is it probably becomes more difficult, most places as we get older.

Some will manage to engage better than others. Sort of goes without saying, I'd have thought. While folk are 'friendly' enough, on the most superficial of levels, actual meaningful reliability in friendship is another matter completely. I certainly find the latter far harder here in Perth than previous locations, but the former on par, even easier than many other places.  

[northernbird]

I've said it before but the hardest move I ever made was from Lancashire to London in 1990.  Nothing prepared me for how hard that was.  3 different countries over the years were easy compared to that.

 

 

[Parley]

On 8/30/2017 at 17:36, Pura Vida said:

I guess some folk on here forget the years of loneliness ,they expressed among other negatives , on this very forum, during their time around Perth?  No matter I what I would concur is it probably becomes more difficult, most places as we get older.

Some will manage to engage better than others. Sort of goes without saying, I'd have thought. While folk are 'friendly' enough, on the most superficial of levels, actual meaningful reliability in friendship is another matter completely. I certainly find the latter far harder here in Perth than previous locations, but the former on par, even easier than many other places.  

Developing friendships comes down to people connecting.

Saying a city is unfriendly is as silly as saying black people are unfriendly. It makes no sense and is obviously untrue.

You can't generalise about a large group of people like that (Many are Brits by the way).

The OP will make friends as easily as in any other city in the world. It takes effort and desire in Perth as it would anywhere else.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Parley

[starlight7]

I find in Australia  when you join a new group of people they like you to be fairly quiet and pleasant.  They don't seem to go for pushy types at all ( much less so than the British anyway) After a few weeks of this you can almost feel the group relax and by that time you can say what you like and be as loud as you want because you have been accepted.  Just my experience, for what its worth. They really, really don't like smartarses hehe

[benj1980]

On 02/09/2017 at 11:24, Parley said:

Developing friendships comes down to people connecting.

Saying a city is unfriendly is as silly as saying black people are unfriendly. It makes no sense and is obviously untrue.

You can't generalise about a large group of people like that (Many are Brits by the way).

The OP will make friends as easily as in any other city in the world. It takes effort and desire in Perth as it would anywhere else.

Totally agree, saying that Perth is unfriendly FACT, is a little ridiculous! The biggest ally you have is having a four year old who will go to school, join clubs etc. I'd suggest if you have hobbies, sign up and get involved that way you'll make friendships. My children are in several clubs and I have got involved in my local rugby team. I have friendships from work and have met some lovely parents who we socialise with. I started working a week after arriving in WA, my wife had made several new friends within a few weeks of arriving due to the school run, I was quite jealous of her coffee meet ups! We're in Mandurah though so maybe it's just friendlier than Perth?!

The friends aren't going to become deep and meaningful friends straight away that takes time. There are a few couples that we don't really see anymore as well, I guess this is purely natural selection over a period of time?

[Guest263228]

On ‎2‎/‎09‎/‎2017 at 11:24, Parley said:

Developing friendships comes down to people connecting.

Saying a city is unfriendly is as silly as saying black people are unfriendly. It makes no sense and is obviously untrue.

You can't generalise about a large group of people like that (Many are Brits by the way).

The OP will make friends as easily as in any other city in the world. It takes effort and desire in Perth as it would anywhere else.

Well no. Cities do very in personality . So not silly at all. Perth is a particular type of city. People tend to converse in a certain sort of way. Or not as the case may be. Like people, cities to have a character and as such are better suited for particular personalities and levels.

[Collie]

On 8/29/2017 at 01:55, Spencer's said:

We are thinking of moving to Perth we have a young daughter which will be four in October. I'm wondering how friendly is it?we are nervous about getting to Perth and not being able to make friends and end up being lonely as a family.  

Thanks xx

Your daughter is about 6 months older than mine.  Feel free to reach out if/when you move over.

As expats, it does take a bit of extra effort to get to know people and you need to put yourself out there a bit more.  You will find that you will make friends through your daughter, particularly as she starts school, clubs activities etc.

Also meetup is a good way to meet people - can be a bit hit and miss but worth the effort.

With Perth - I would be more concerned about work and job opportunities at the moment tbh.

 

[benj1980]

People in a high street may act differently in different cities but when you are sat besides people waiting for gymnastics to finish or at the school gate I'd suggest people are pretty similar. I'm presuming most people don't try and make friends with people whilst they are commuting to work or out shopping, so it still seems a silly point of view. Maybe it's simply because I'm fun loving and friendly?!

[Guest263228]

School gates tend to make acquaintances and seldom long lasting if what I am told holds sway longer term.  Small talk tends to be similar from place to place. Does that infer 'friendships'? I think not. Surely something more akin to a meeting of minds is more sustainable with similar cultural pursuits.

The rest I'd term ' normal daily human interaction'.

[Toots]

14 hours ago, Pura Vida said:

School gates tend to make acquaintances and seldom long lasting if what I am told holds sway longer term.  Small talk tends to be similar from place to place. Does that infer 'friendships'? I think not. Surely something more akin to a meeting of minds is more sustainable with similar cultural pursuits.

The rest I'd term ' normal daily human interaction'.

Sounds to me like any city in any part of the world then.  

[Guest263228]

1 hour ago, Toots said:

Sounds to me like any city in any part of the world then.  

Well that may well be your experience, but not mine. I suppose it depends on the type of person and interaction involved. On a level above purely speaking about the weather, sport, kids and mundane daily ,if a little dreary , chit chat , there are places that are more prone to actually converse, within an environment that stimulates such interaction.

 

[Toots]

11 minutes ago, Pura Vida said:

Well that may well be your experience, but not mine. I suppose it depends on the type of person and interaction involved. On a level above purely speaking about the weather, sport, kids and mundane daily ,if a little dreary , chit chat , there are places that are more prone to actually converse, within an environment that stimulates such interaction.

 

Now then you are coming across as an intellectual snob.  Do you really think that all I do is talk about superficial fluff?  On a forum yes but I do (as you probably find it hard to believe) have friends to have interesting conversations with - sometimes until the early hours.  Same just about wherever I've lived - including Europe and yes Perth too. 

[s713]

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.