How Long before you realised that Australia was or was not the place that you wanted to spend the rest of your days ?

[Pendragon]

On 24/01/2021 at 20:54, Karl D said:

What we will have to weigh up is if having the “out” card of keeping property back here, will that mean it will just be easier to give up of things are temporarily bad? We do realise that the Australia we’ve seen is in short stays and not what actually being there to live so are not naive. We have been to the far north of QLD, stayed in Brisbane and the Gold Coast area, the Central coast, Sydney many times of course, Melbourne, Perth and had the strangest two days of our trips in Alice Springs. Now that place really is wierd. So had a brief look at the country.

anyway we have a few years to wait, thanks for the welcome.

Very soon it will be 14 years since we moved here from Cornwall. There has hardly been a day that I haven't felt like a prisoner, of my own making too. Think if all your family are here and you are open to the changes then Australia is a great place to live. Difficulty I have is children and grandchildren in both countries. Whereas my 2nd wife here has her family with her. As I posted previously I am looking to return to Cornwall, where I felt comfortable for so many years. My family here will need to adjust as I will. We kept a property rented out all these years and if you can do it then it is good idea. 

[Guest]

20 hours ago, Pendragon said:

Very soon it will be 14 years since we moved here from Cornwall. There has hardly been a day that I haven't felt like a prisoner, of my own making too. Think if all your family are here and you are open to the changes then Australia is a great place to live. Difficulty I have is children and grandchildren in both countries. Whereas my 2nd wife here has her family with her. As I posted previously I am looking to return to Cornwall, where I felt comfortable for so many years. My family here will need to adjust as I will. We kept a property rented out all these years and if you can do it then it is good idea. 

I feel your pain. I won't go over my own narrative, but I've been seriously looking at this as an option for me to be able to keep an 'out' in Gloucestershire, rented for most of the year, and then spending at least the long Christmas break and the odd two week stint (work allowing) with the family, at the house. Long term, investing for future trips and providing a small rental income would be ideal, along with getting my 'fix' every year.

[simmo]

On 24/10/2020 at 12:16, bug family said:

Just wondering, at what stage did you realise that Australia was the place that you wanted or did not want to spend the rest of your days ?

For me before I had even set foot in Australia I knew and voiced, that I would want to return home to the UK one day,  As a couple we set a goal of 10 years then we would return, with hindsight this was a bit naive I now realise this, as a lot can and has happened in the 9 years we have been here, for example, we are no longer living as a married couple (we are like best buddies and share the house still), my wife no longer would consider going back home, we also have two children now, where as we came with only one,  and finally all my wife's family now live here, so she is settled......but me...I will still go home one day of that I am sure, .........................what about you?

For me it was about 6 months. For me the penny dropped when coming into land in Brisbane after a work trip to Mackay and (at 9pm) looking out of the plane's window - seeing this empty, lifeless city.  It looked like it was in lockdown.  

 

[Bulya]

21 hours ago, simmo said:

For me it was about 6 months. For me the penny dropped when coming into land in Brisbane after a work trip to Mackay and (at 9pm) looking out of the plane's window - seeing this empty, lifeless city.  It looked like it was in lockdown.  

 

That’s Brisbane for you...

[bug family]

On 25/03/2021 at 13:37, simmo said:

For me it was about 6 months. For me the penny dropped when coming into land in Brisbane after a work trip to Mackay and (at 9pm) looking out of the plane's window - seeing this empty, lifeless city.  It looked like it was in lockdown.  

 

Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go, its funny how you take for granted certain things back home when your there and do not even think about them at the time, for instance the availability of 24 hr shopping like Tesco's or restaurants open till gone 11pm, or pubs open till whenever they feel like...here the evenings entertainment choice is coles or woolworths 

[Paul1Perth]

1 hour ago, bug family said:

Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go, its funny how you take for granted certain things back home when your there and do not even think about them at the time, for instance the availability of 24 hr shopping like Tesco's or restaurants open till gone 11pm, or pubs open till whenever they feel like...here the evenings entertainment choice is coles or woolworths 

Don't know what suburb you're in mate but it sounds pretty dire. In ours we have a 24hr IGA 2 mins walk from the house, pub on the coast that will be packed now until late, 10 mins from Hillarys where there's choices galore for pubs and restaurants. If you really want a late night head into Perth. My son and his friends don't go out till it's our bedtime.

[s713]

3 hours ago, bug family said:

Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go, its funny how you take for granted certain things back home when your there and do not even think about them at the time, for instance the availability of 24 hr shopping like Tesco's or restaurants open till gone 11pm, or pubs open till whenever they feel like...here the evenings entertainment choice is coles or woolworths 

I remember my Dad and Bro coming over on holiday one year and I took them to Mindarie Marina for a few pints mid week, in the summer. We were in one of the pubs (Boat, I think) and they asked us to leave at 10 past 9 as we were the only ones in there. Walked around the corner to the other pub and they were shutting up as well. I was embarrassed beyond, I could see my Dad thinking, where the hell are we?

But, different strokes different folks, Australia is it's own place and you have to respect differences. This is why I always wince on here when I read people thinking they're moving to the UK in the sun. It's not.

[MARYROSE02]

18 hours ago, bug family said:

Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go, its funny how you take for granted certain things back home when your there and do not even think about them at the time, for instance the availability of 24 hr shopping like Tesco's or restaurants open till gone 11pm, or pubs open till whenever they feel like...here the evenings entertainment choice is coles or woolworths 

Do pubs in England now stay open  till "whenever they like?" I don't know. I've not been back since 2008 but then most still closed around 1030pm to 11pm although my social club closed at midnight.

As I think Paul mentioned there is a 24 hour IGA near him which means at least two in Perth because there is one in Applecross which I used regularly when I was there.

And I can't believe you are seriously telling us that pubs, restaurants and cinemas are all closed by 9pm in Perth.

Coming from Sydney where I am used to pubs that close at 4am (I left my local at 2am this morning), I thought Perth was restrictive but only in the sense that most pubs closed by midnight.  However, if I wanted 24 hour drinking,  then the casino at Burswood is easy to get to.

[newjez]

1 hour ago, MARYROSE02 said:

Do pubs in England now stay open  till "whenever they like?" I don't know. I've not been back since 2008 but then most still closed around 1030pm to 11pm although my social club closed at midnight.

Normally

[Bulya]

20 hours ago, bug family said:

Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go, its funny how you take for granted certain things back home when your there and do not even think about them at the time, for instance the availability of 24 hr shopping like Tesco's or restaurants open till gone 11pm, or pubs open till whenever they feel like...here the evenings entertainment choice is coles or woolworths 

24 hr shopping is available here and has been for years.  Pubs are open till the early hours in the morning, in fact the bar at the Lakeside opened 24/7 when I moved here in ‘76.   Every corner shop sells alcohol of course.  Even the service station in the CBD used to sell alcohol until demolished by developers.  Again, it’s a Perth problem, it is NOT an Australia wide problem.  You simply moved to the wrong part of Australia, hardly the countries fault.

[bug family]

4 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

Do pubs in England now stay open  till "whenever they like?" I don't know. I've not been back since 2008 but then most still closed around 1030pm to 11pm although my social club closed at midnight.

As I think Paul mentioned there is a 24 hour IGA near him which means at least two in Perth because there is one in Applecross which I used regularly when I was there.

And I can't believe you are seriously telling us that pubs, restaurants and cinemas are all closed by 9pm in Perth.

Coming from Sydney where I am used to pubs that close at 4am (I left my local at 2am this morning), I thought Perth was restrictive but only in the sense that most pubs closed by midnight.  However, if I wanted 24 hour drinking,  then the casino at Burswood is easy to get to.

Not that i am suggesting you should base your social life or entertainment solely on pubs and alcohol, but it would be nice to have more than a coles or a woolworths or an IGA to socialise in, it gets embarrassing  trying to make small talk on isle 5 amongst the cans of processed peas and baked beans and an actual pub or two would be nice

"And I can't believe you are seriously telling us that pubs, restaurants and cinemas are all closed by 9pm in Perth"  your correct...... I am not telling you that the Pubs and restaurants and cinemas are all closed by 9pm .....because there aren't any pubs or restaurants or cinemas in my SUBURB of Perth

[MARYROSE02]

55 minutes ago, bug family said:

Not that i am suggesting you should base your social life or entertainment solely on pubs and alcohol, but it would be nice to have more than a coles or a woolworths or an IGA to socialise in, it gets embarrassing  trying to make small talk on isle 5 amongst the cans of processed peas and baked beans and an actual pub or two would be nice

"And I can't believe you are seriously telling us that pubs, restaurants and cinemas are all closed by 9pm in Perth"  your correct...... I am not telling you that the Pubs and restaurants and cinemas are all closed by 9pm .....because there aren't any pubs or restaurants or cinemas in my SUBURB of Perth

So you are being disingenuous? You imply that Perth shuts down at 9pm but you really mean your own suburb. What's wrong with travelling out of your own suburb?  There are plenty of places in England which basically close down in the evenings bar the pubs and if you want real night life is have to head into the nearest city  just you have to do in Oz.

If you want the cinema or theatre or nightclubs open after midnight In my village in England you have to drive 9 miles into Southampton and other villages south of my village are more like 16 miles, oh and a poor once an hour bus service which stops by 11pm.

And weren't you enthusing about the 24 hour Tesco in England and now that you have been reminded that Perth has 24 hour IGA you start dissing the supermarkets?

[MARYROSE02]

On 25/03/2021 at 16:37, simmo said:

For me it was about 6 months. For me the penny dropped when coming into land in Brisbane after a work trip to Mackay and (at 9pm) looking out of the plane's window - seeing this empty, lifeless city.  It looked like it was in lockdown.  

 

I don't know Brisbane but I can't believe a city of 3 million  people closes down in the evenings. 

I do however know Surfers Paradise very well and you can go out till 3 am there and 24x7 at the casino.

Surfers is practically an outer suburb of Brisbane too and packed on Thur to Sat night with clubbers whom I assume come mostly from Brisbane or other parts of QLD.

[Red Rose]

1 hour ago, MARYROSE02 said:

So you are being disingenuous? You imply that Perth shuts down at 9pm but you really mean your own suburb. What's wrong with travelling out of your own suburb?  There are plenty of places in England which basically close down in the evenings bar the pubs and if you want real night life is have to head into the nearest city  just you have to do in Oz.

If you want the cinema or theatre or nightclubs open after midnight In my village in England you have to drive 9 miles into Southampton and other villages south of my village are more like 16 miles, oh and a poor once an hour bus service which stops by 11pm.

And weren't you enthusing about the 24 hour Tesco in England and now that you have been reminded that Perth has 24 hour IGA you start dissing the supermarkets?

MR, I'm sure bug family are in a better position to comment on the virtues of Perth and it's suburbs than someone (such as yourself) who has never lived there. 

[Paul1Perth]

22 hours ago, s713 said:

I remember my Dad and Bro coming over on holiday one year and I took them to Mindarie Marina for a few pints mid week, in the summer. We were in one of the pubs (Boat, I think) and they asked us to leave at 10 past 9 as we were the only ones in there. Walked around the corner to the other pub and they were shutting up as well. I was embarrassed beyond, I could see my Dad thinking, where the hell are we?

But, different strokes different folks, Australia is it's own place and you have to respect differences. This is why I always wince on here when I read people thinking they're moving to the UK in the sun. It's not.

That would have been a few years ago. There are more houses and more people now. 

My wifes Sister lives in Tolpuddle in the UK. When we stayed with them we suggested going to the local pub in the village. Thay said nobody goes and wouldn't come. We went and were 2 of the 3 people in the whole night. Apparently the other guy who was in usually has a friend turn up but he'd given it a miss that night.

To be fair Mindarie was a long way from anywhere, with km's of bushland either side a few years back. When they opened the brewery there it almost closed due to lack of customers. Now it's doing really well, the owners of the boat have spent thousands on it. Last time I went was to see a Pearl Jam tribute band. Packed and a brilliant night.

Downside of all the people moving up there is how they rip a lot of the coastal bushland up. That's progress I guess. When we moved here the freeway stopped at Hepburn, there was no railway and Marmion Ave was a quite 2 lane road. The one pub at Hillary's was empty in the week. 

You have to be careful where you pick. If pubs open late are a big part of your life, live closer to the City.

[Paul1Perth]

19 minutes ago, Red Rose said:

MR, I'm sure bug family are in a better position to comment on the virtues of Perth and it's suburbs than someone (such as yourself) who has never lived there. 

I'm pretty sure MR has lived in Perth before, years ago. He wasn't in a quite suburb though.

There are suburbs that I wouldn't want to live in that's for sure. Our friends moved to Ellenbrook to get rid of the mortgage. Ellenbrook may suit some people and it has certainly improved but 10 years down the track our friends are moving back here, from a huge place to an apartment. They were trying to get back for ages but they couldn't get a mortgage that would get them back in.

I know the house you can get for the money looks fantastic sometimes but there is zero to do, no public transport and it's often 10 degrees hotter than near the coast.

[bug family]

3 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

So you are being disingenuous? You imply that Perth shuts down at 9pm but you really mean your own suburb. What's wrong with travelling out of your own suburb?  There are plenty of places in England which basically close down in the evenings bar the pubs and if you want real night life is have to head into the nearest city  just you have to do in Oz.

If you want the cinema or theatre or nightclubs open after midnight In my village in England you have to drive 9 miles into Southampton and other villages south of my village are more like 16 miles, oh and a poor once an hour bus service which stops by 11pm.

And weren't you enthusing about the 24 hour Tesco in England and now that you have been reminded that Perth has 24 hour IGA you start dissing the supermarkets?

Maryrose sorry but read my original post again especially this line " Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go " ......as in I said suburbs and I stand by what I said it's as boring as dry toast 

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by bug family

[MARYROSE02]

11 hours ago, bug family said:

Maryrose sorry but read my original post again especially this line " Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go " ......as in I said suburbs and I stand by what I said it's as boring as dry toast 

 

 

12 hours ago, Red Rose said:

MR, I'm sure bug family are in a better position to comment on the virtues of Perth and it's suburbs than someone (such as yourself) who has never lived there. 

I know Perth fairly well after going there on two separate occasions for a total of 13 weeks in December,  2017 to end of January 2018  and again in May 2018 when I went back for a second visit with a view to moving over there. 

I spent most of the first visit in South Perth and the second visit "just up the road" in Applecross, then Northbridge, then down to Albany  then a week back in South Perth. 

I was in South Perth long enough to become a local in the Windsor Hotel.

I liked South Perth and Applecross with the 24 hour IGA (Who said he missed the UK because it had 24 hour Tescos unlike Perth?) and Raffles pub (which I think Bon Scott used to frequent).

I had a hire car and I explored much of Perth, not all of course, but I had reasons to go to various parts  eg Subiaco to watch Spurs with Perth OzSpurs and to the Casino also to watch Spurs. 

My impression of Perth? When I landed at Fremantle on 3 Nov 1978 I loved it from day one but I could not get a job and ended up in Sydney.

Impression of Perth 40 years? A smaller version of Sydney minus much of the crowds and horrendous traffic. Perth basically has a "normal" rush hour whilst Sydney has varying degrees of rush 7 days a week and the only time driving is pleasant is well after midnight.

I noted that unlike Sydney most of the pubs closed by midnight  but there were various places with a bit of "life" eg Northbridge, the City,  Subiaco, Fremantle,  Scarborough,  Victoria Park and I of course liked South Perth. 

Also like Sydney,  Perth has easy access to the beach and easier to get out of the city.

Bottom line I know it well enough to think of moving there but I have no family there. 

Of course, impressions are subjective and I like Perth and I know it well enough to counter its alleged drawbacks.

 

[MARYROSE02]

11 hours ago, bug family said:

Maryrose sorry but read my original post again especially this line " Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go " ......as in I said suburbs and I stand by what I said it's as boring as dry toast 

 

Subjective and I've noticed that Paul who also lives far out in the burbs where I would never choose to live can also counter your point of view. 

And facts, eg "there ARE, just like the UK, 24 hour supermarkets in Perth" are NOT subjective. 

[MARYROSE02]

12 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

I'm pretty sure MR has lived in Perth before, years ago. He wasn't in a quite suburb though.

There are suburbs that I wouldn't want to live in that's for sure. Our friends moved to Ellenbrook to get rid of the mortgage. Ellenbrook may suit some people and it has certainly improved but 10 years down the track our friends are moving back here, from a huge place to an apartment. They were trying to get back for ages but they couldn't get a mortgage that would get them back in.

I know the house you can get for the money looks fantastic sometimes but there is zero to do, no public transport and it's often 10 degrees hotter than near the coast.

I've been to Ellenbrook actually,  far out in the north east? I got a haircut there and a beer in the pub. I seem to recall a big shopping centre and I'm sure there was a gated estate, possibly for recalcitrant seniors like myself who have resisted joining "Club 55 Plus".

Is Cockburn the same sort of burn but South of Perth? 

I don't like the far burbs tho ones with a beach are more bearable but I hate having to commute long distances.  I rarely go put to see my brother in Spring Farm near Camden because it is 65km from Surry Hills. There is no station if he did not pick me up, it would mean bus from Campbelltown or a long drive via the M5, and Hume Expressway.  He does not come Mt way for the same reason.

BUT, he has a lovely new 4 bedroom home with a good shopping centre, walking distance,  Woolies, Macca, cafe, cinemas at Campbelltown, restaurants and bars in Camden which still retains an air of a country town.

I'd hate to have to commute to Sydney from there, or Penrith, or the Central Coast but tens of thousands do, by car or bus/train.  Flat in the city or big house in the burbs?

[Paul1Perth]

12 hours ago, bug family said:

Maryrose sorry but read my original post again especially this line " Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go " ......as in I said suburbs and I stand by what I said it's as boring as dry toast 

 

Some suburbs would be acceptable, some are fantastic. You could always move a few kms.

[Paul1Perth]

18 hours ago, Bulya said:

24 hr shopping is available here and has been for years.  Pubs are open till the early hours in the morning, in fact the bar at the Lakeside opened 24/7 when I moved here in ‘76.   Every corner shop sells alcohol of course.  Even the service station in the CBD used to sell alcohol until demolished by developers.  Again, it’s a Perth problem, it is NOT an Australia wide problem.  You simply moved to the wrong part of Australia, hardly the countries fault.

It's not even a Perth problem mate, it's a suburb problem.

I can't believe another guy knocked Brisbane. I've not lived there but worked and stayed a few times. Found it lively and fun, heaps to do.

I guess it has it's crap boring suburbs though too. 

Edited March 27, 2021 by Paul1Perth

[Bulya]

4 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

It's not even a Perth problem mate, it's a suburb problem.

I can't believe another guy knocked Brisbane. I've not lived there but worked and stayed a few times. Found it lively and fun, heaps to do.

I guess it has it's crap boring suburbs though too. 

As does every city/town in Australia and the U.K.  

[Parley]

Perth has a smaller population. I remember going to Perth on a work trip several times maybe 20 years ago now and being surprised how quiet the CBD got after about 6pm.

In Melbourne it is normally always packed (Covid excepting). You would see a lot of people in the city even around midnight. I'm sure Sydney would be the same too.

Melbourne of course has about 4 million plus in population

[Marisawright]

14 hours ago, bug family said:

Maryrose sorry but read my original post again especially this line " Yes i agree its like a zombie apocalypse after 9pm here in the suburbs of Perth, nothing open and nowhere to go " ......as in I said suburbs and I stand by what I said it's as boring as dry toast 

To be fair, you said suburbS, and that's a big generalisation, as Paul1Perth's post showed.    

I know where you're coming from, though.  Every modern city in the world has "dormitory suburbs", acres of faceless houses with no pubs, restaurants or sometimes even shops.  If you live in the midst of them (which I'm guessing you do), it's easy to assume the whole city is like that, and give up.

That's especially easy to assume if you head into the city centre and find that it's just as dead.  But it's not true.

Australian city centres are often dead.  Up until a couple of years ago, you couldn't get a meal in the Sydney city centre after 8.30 pm.  I always thought Canberra, Newcastle and Wollongong were boring places - until I got to know people there and discovered it was just because nobody goes into town to have a good time.  The action is in the suburbs. But you have to know WHICH suburbs.  Like I said, most Sydney suburbs are wastelands of faceless houses.  It takes a bit of effort to learn where the nightlife is.  I'm sure Perth is the same.