Madily Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Hi all, I am really hoping for some good advice as we are so confused!. My husband and I have two daughters ages 10 and 13. We used to live in Sydney and moved back to the UK when our eldest was 1. We are seriously considering moving back to Australia now as really feel the quality of life has more to offer the girls. We have no problems with visas etc as we all have citizenship so that isn't my concern. My main areas of concern are uprooting the girls from school. Has anybody else moved with similar aged children and can offer some advice either positive or negative please? Also, the impact on children in terms of leaving friends, their comforts etc. Secondly, whilst we have always lived in Sydney, we feel that Perth would be a fantastic option moving forwards. I have a sister in Perth so would have family there but having never lived there, I'm concerned about it's isolation a little. We have spoken about it with our girls and both are keen but the younger one less so. My eldest is also dyslexic but is doing so well in secondary school now. She is very involved with drama and it is a filed she is keen to go into later on. My youngest has a mix of interests but loves art. Any advice on schools would be appreciated to. I would love to know average class sizes in public and private as well. I hope this all makes a bit of sense.... Can anyone offer advice or views on Perth vs Sydney pleeeeaaaassse! Any help really really appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilldesp Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Hi Madily, i am in a very similar situation to you, but don’t have citizenship unfortunately. We moved to Sydney in 2015, but shortly after, had to relocate to Perth with my husband’s work. I really didn’t want to leave Sydney, but it turned out that we loved it in Perth and the weather is so much better. However, we had to return to the UK 12 months later, as my husband’s job ended. It was soul destroying as the kids were all settled; including ourselves. We r looking at moving back later this year, as our visas expire in January. Our children are 18 (just), 15 and 12; but will be 16 and 13 by the time we go back. Max will have finished GCSEs here, so can go into year WACE years there, and Josh I think will restart in year 7 or 8. He has lots of friends and is very happy. The eldest doesn’t want to go back.... It’s going to be a difficult decision for us. Just from my experience, Perth does not have the same vibe as Sydney, but far more affordable in terms of housing etc. I didn’t feel the isolation tbh, although lots of people go on about it. We loved the weather and freedom to plan our weekends, knowing the sun would always be shining. However, we were not there long enough for the novelty to have worn off.....if it ever would have done? My kids went to a public school; Applecross, which we were very happy with. I can’t comment on the private schools or the drama scene for kids; although one of my son’s did attend a drama group every week as an after school activity. Good look to you with your decisions. It’s never easy with older kids to think about unfortunately. Xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madily Posted March 17, 2019 Author Share Posted March 17, 2019 18 hours ago, Jilldesp said: Hi Madily, i am in a very similar situation to you, but don’t have citizenship unfortunately. We moved to Sydney in 2015, but shortly after, had to relocate to Perth with my husband’s work. I really didn’t want to leave Sydney, but it turned out that we loved it in Perth and the weather is so much better. However, we had to return to the UK 12 months later, as my husband’s job ended. It was soul destroying as the kids were all settled; including ourselves. We r looking at moving back later this year, as our visas expire in January. Our children are 18 (just), 15 and 12; but will be 16 and 13 by the time we go back. Max will have finished GCSEs here, so can go into year WACE years there, and Josh I think will restart in year 7 or 8. He has lots of friends and is very happy. The eldest doesn’t want to go back.... It’s going to be a difficult decision for us. Just from my experience, Perth does not have the same vibe as Sydney, but far more affordable in terms of housing etc. I didn’t feel the isolation tbh, although lots of people go on about it. We loved the weather and freedom to plan our weekends, knowing the sun would always be shining. However, we were not there long enough for the novelty to have worn off.....if it ever would have done? My kids went to a public school; Applecross, which we were very happy with. I can’t comment on the private schools or the drama scene for kids; although one of my son’s did attend a drama group every week as an after school activity. Good look to you with your decisions. It’s never easy with older kids to think about unfortunately. Xxx Thank you Jildesp, Your answer is really helpful. Funnily enough, Applecross is an area we have been looking at, but equally have been considering Duncraig, Churchlands.. and numerous other areas. It is a catch 22 because we really need to go to Perth again and do a scout of the area but equally want to enrol (if going to private vs public) before we go so we are set up. I really wish you all the best in getting back there with your family. It must be an awful decision to make if your eldest isn't keen. Would you move back to Perth or Sydney? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilldesp Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 It would be Perth, as we know the area, and Sydney is just too expensive. We found we couldn’t enrol the kids at a school, until we had a permanent address. I’m not sure if that is the same for Private though. If you are looking at Applecross area, it is gorgeous. It borders the Swan river. The primary school there, is also lovely, and very good. The senior school is actually in Ardross, which isn’t too far away. Mount Pleasant is also another lovely area, behind the Canning River. All in the right area for AC senior school. There is also another high school which has excellent reviews; in fact I think it was voted one of the best public schools in Perth for years (and possibly still could be) Rossmoyne. My kids were in the catchment for that school as well, but AC had been completely revamped, and they preferred that school when we looked around. There are quite a few private schools in the area. Aquinis (not sure if correct spelling, and might be a boys college, and Corpus Christi (I think) in Bateman area. Some are more expensive than others. Please keep me posted on how you get on. Xxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madily Posted March 17, 2019 Author Share Posted March 17, 2019 Thanks for that, I will definitely let you know what we decide and vice versa! We thought Applecross and around there looked great but then I read a blog about it being difficult to get into the city during peak hours because of the infrastructure and that put me off a little! I have looked up North a bit because it's infrastructure is newer but then again, I would like to live somewhere that feels a little lived in rather than too sterile. Hope this makes sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilldesp Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Hi Madily, Me and my husband both worked in the City and had no problems st all, so that’s surprising. It’s very close to Applecross. My husband used to get the train in, and I drove. I can’t recall having any issues at all. Yes I know what u mean re sterile. Some of the northern suburbs are a bit soulless! X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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