Relocating to Perth

[MARYROSE02]

4 hours ago, s713 said:

'Isolation of Perth' meant a few things to me. Firstly, it drives your basic prices sky-high because you're dealing with a finite market. Eating and drinking out in Perth costs a fortune, much more than it does anywhere else. More importantly, when you're looking at travelling anywhere it takes ages. There is absolutely nob-all of worth (maybe 1 visit) North of Perth unless you like driving 10 hours to find somewhere the same after the same again after the same again to visit. Going South is marginally better but doesn't take that long to become utterly tedious. We did 4 'down South' visits to box it off. After that, where you going to go? Bali, acquired taste, cheap and nasty. SE Asia? Wasn't for me. 'Closer to Europe'? A day's flight isn't close in my book.

Took 3 or 4 years for me to feel like I'd 'done' it.

Some of those things may be true but it is simply stating facts to say that, for all Perth's alleged isolation, it is closer to Europe and the UK, and closer to Bali and parts of SE Asia, so if going to those places is important to you then Perth is a better choice of place to live than the Eastern States.  When Qantas started direct flights to London (seventeen hours?) if you wanted to do it from Sydney it meant a five hour flight to Perth first plus transit time so not much different to a seven or eight hour flight to Singapore/HK and then twelve or thirteen hours to London, with transit times.

And nothing to do in WA/Perth is a subjective point of view.  Some people need constant trips away in the car every weekend whereas others are perfectly content spending their weekends at home around the house and garden or out locally without needing to drive. There is no right or wrong in either of those positions.

In 12 years back in the UK I spent almost every weekend cycling or walking in the New Forest, mostly within about fifteen miles from my home. You would probably be bored with the New Forest after 12 days (or less) and need to be exploring the entire UK. Sometimes I regret not being more adventurous but I preferred cycling and walking to long drives. In five months living in Surfers Paradise I've not driven a car once and only been out a handful of times with my brother. I prefer walking around Surfers or sometimes getting on the tram. I did have a car in Perth but then driving in Perth was pleasant compared to Sydney but I was still happy to do the same thing, walking around whichever burb I stayed in, with maybe an arvo drive.

[Paul1Perth]

5 hours ago, s713 said:

'Isolation of Perth' meant a few things to me. Firstly, it drives your basic prices sky-high because you're dealing with a finite market. Eating and drinking out in Perth costs a fortune, much more than it does anywhere else. More importantly, when you're looking at travelling anywhere it takes ages. There is absolutely nob-all of worth (maybe 1 visit) North of Perth unless you like driving 10 hours to find somewhere the same after the same again after the same again to visit. Going South is marginally better but doesn't take that long to become utterly tedious. We did 4 'down South' visits to box it off. After that, where you going to go? Bali, acquired taste, cheap and nasty. SE Asia? Wasn't for me. 'Closer to Europe'? A day's flight isn't close in my book.

Took 3 or 4 years for me to feel like I'd 'done' it.

Strange you find eating and drinking out in Perth and surrounds expensive. I've travelled a lot in Aus on work trips and Perth is no more expensive than anywhere else.

The most expensive restaurants I've been in were Sydney. It's fine when you are on expenses from work but not so good when it's coming out of your pocket.

 

[MARYROSE02]

14 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

Strange you find eating and drinking out in Perth and surrounds expensive. I've travelled a lot in Aus on work trips and Perth is no more expensive than anywhere else.

The most expensive restaurants I've been in were Sydney. It's fine when you are on expenses from work but not so good when it's coming out of your pocket.

 

I have a feeling that the "beer index" was actually higher than I'm used to. $11 or $12 for a pint in the Windsor, 3 years ago. Maybe not, or maybe a couple of dollars more than I was used to in Sydney. I liked that 24 hour IGA in Applecross, or is it Canning River. Does the area around Raffles have a separate name? My AirBnb was right opposite it so very handy and Raffles 100 metres away. I don't recall the IGA being overly expensive,

[Paul1Perth]

$11 or $12 3 years ago would have been expensive for sure. The Windsor is an expensive pub and prices don't seem to have moved for the last few years. I think the change to licensing laws and a number of smaller bars opening has lead to more competition, more happy hours, with half price drinks.

Our local by the beach has guiness and Kilkenny for $10 a pint and half that every evening during happy hour. You think you are saving money but all you're really doing is drinking twice as much. 

I know The Breakwater at Hillarys won Australias best pub when it opened a few years back. It is a lovely venue in a great place, good selection of beers, big deck outside, plush inside and upstairs but it was so expensive it went into receivership last year. That was $12 pint level so people used to go there maybe to meet, have one drink and move on to somewhere cheaper. Luckily someone else took over, Hillarys couldn't have afforded to let it close and delapidate. We heard they dropped the rent to get the takeover through. 

Beer is $10 a pint now, happy hour every day, lots of specials on for food, afternoon "teas" for ladies.

My wife went to a leaving do there last week. $50 got them a full bottle of preseco and afternoon tea, sweet and savoury nibbles really, but she thought it was decent value. Packed with ladies doing the same thing she said. 

[s713]

The Breakwater was $14 a pint and went down the nick after a couple of years. Nice to hear that they've re-evaluated, like Print Hall did which was even more expensive. I remember paying $54 for 3 pints there (Bob's Bar). No thanks. Not when you consider it's a fairly average place at best anyway.

[MARYROSE02]

Both the apartment blocks (aparthotels I guess) in South Perth were dear, particularly the one on the Esplanade - South Perth Esplanade(?) I blew a heap of money staying in that one for three weeks, lovely apartment mind. And the Windsor is five minutes walk so rather there than a cheaper pub which I have to travel to.

$10 per pint is a good price. I always mentally change to schooners which I think are 3/4 of a pint or thereabouts? Middy (i.e middle of a pint??) $5, so $7.50 a schooner?

I'm sure when I first arrived in Perth I'd see blokes with a jug of beer and tiny glasses, maybe even called "glasses?" Or "Ponies?" 5 and 7 oz glasses perhaps? Some people here buy beer by the jug because it's cheaper (and the hoons drink out of the jugs?!)

25 percent members' discount in the Surfers Paradise Surf Lifesavers Club  which brings some of the beers below $5 a schooner. $10 joining fee and you can pay it back in one night. I bought a schooner of VB and a schooner of draught cider for $12.59 last night and I know the VB was $5.85.

[Morpheus]

On 21/11/2020 at 23:34, Freemantle said:

I have replied to you on your "removal query".  I arrived from the east on the back of my husband being an essential worker so I had to obtain a G2G pass 3 weeks ago.  My husband had already completed 10 weeks  (5 batches of quarantine) at various hotels so this time we booked at the Perth Caravan Park in a cabin which was great! Friendly staff/ ground level all the amenities within the cabin at a  favourable price. The thought of an airless hotel room wasnt attractive and the cabin ticked all the boxes.

@Freemantle we should be in a similar position soon and will need to self isolate though we will be arriving from the the UK. Will you have the option to select which accommodation to self isolate at? Would you mind asking how much it costed you to stay at the caravan park?  As I do not think the hotel will be a good option for us as a family with 3 kids.

[Freemantle]

3 hours ago, Morpheus said:

@Freemantle we should be in a similar position soon and will need to self isolate though we will be arriving from the the UK. Will you have the option to select which accommodation to self isolate at? Would you mind asking how much it costed you to stay at the caravan park?  As I do not think the hotel will be a good option for us as a family with 3 kids.

Unfortunately Morpheus our option was for domestic interstaters only. International passengers are allocated quarantine hotels on arrival. My o/h phoned the caravan park directly after looking at Agoda, Bookings.com etc and got the 14 days for about $1400 which was a thousand bucks cheaper than online! I do believe that the charges for hotels are in the region of $2,800 -$3,360 for a 2 person per  room.https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/-/media/Corp/Documents/Health-for/Infectious-disease/COVID19/COVID19-Information-for-travellers-in-self-isolation-at-hotels.pdf

Room cost/day	Cost for each additional person/room/day	Total 1 person/room	Total 2 persons/room
$180	$60	$2520	$3360

Children under six will not be charged the additional cost component of the fee.

The cost for each additional person in the room is fixed and cannot be waived.https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/paying-hotel-quarantine-wa-frequently-asked-questions

I wish you well for your forth coming trip.

 

 

 

 

 

[Freemantle]

Its probably considered unethical, but I read in the "Fail" today a Miner's Hack advice who fifo's in from international waters.... he always requested a balcony as he is a " fictitious  smoker" and this was granted to him continuously !

[MARYROSE02]

My favourite "free" on line paper, for sport, Aussie/UK news.

[Jon the Hat]

On 12/12/2020 at 10:47, MARYROSE02 said:

My favourite "free" on line paper, for sport, Aussie/UK news.

Horrible site full of bullshit stories to justify pics of partially dressed young ladies.

[MARYROSE02]

11 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

Horrible site full of bullshit stories to justify pics of partially dressed young ladies.

If you are judging it by its "showbiz"pages, yes, and if you are left wing in your views you will hate its Tory, pro-Royal Family views. But I am a Tory and I am a monarchist and I like its massive football coverage, so I love reading the DM as I do the "hated by the left" Murdoch papers. I still subscribe to the Sydney Morning Herald though and the DM is free to read on line.

 

[Jon the Hat]

9 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

If you are judging it by its "showbiz"pages, yes, and if you are left wing in your views you will hate its Tory, pro-Royal Family views. But I am a Tory and I am a monarchist and I like its massive football coverage, so I love reading the DM as I do the "hated by the left" Murdoch papers. I still subscribe to the Sydney Morning Herald though and the DM is free to read on line.

Oh I am a Tory, but I can still see the Mail for what it is, and I will indeed judge it!  Since they went online its all about the clickbait.

[MARYROSE02]

6 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

Oh I am a Tory, but I can still see the Mail for what it is, and I will indeed judge it!  Since they went online its all about the clickbait.

I prefer The Sun or the NY Post for that. The Mail is primarily for football and then the Aussie and Pommie news..

[Freemantle]

On 02/12/2020 at 14:00, Paul1Perth said:

Strange you find eating and drinking out in Perth and surrounds expensive. I've travelled a lot in Aus on work trips and Perth is no more expensive than anywhere else.

The most expensive restaurants I've been in were Sydney. It's fine when you are on expenses from work but not so good when it's coming out of your pocket.

 

I am finding prices in Perth on the whole very reasonable. Great restaurants, although we splashed out in Fremantle the other night at a rather gorgeous Italian restaurant  lol  My groceries bills are very reasonable and there is an abundance of choice ! I do believe Perth has become better value than a few years ago, maybe there is more competition! Service wise across the board, people are very helpful and pleasant.  My only complaint is the "driving and manners" remain dire! lol

[Jon the Hat]

2 hours ago, Freemantle said:

I am finding prices in Perth on the whole very reasonable. Great restaurants, although we splashed out in Fremantle the other night at a rather gorgeous Italian restaurant  lol  My groceries bills are very reasonable and there is an abundance of choice ! I do believe Perth has become better value than a few years ago, maybe there is more competition! Service wise across the board, people are very helpful and pleasant.  My only complaint is the "driving and manners" remain dire! lol

And I was hoping the driving had improved in the last 15 years.  The complete inability to merge on the Kwinana freeway was legendary with traffic stopping completely as a result.

[Freemantle]

17 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

And I was hoping the driving had improved in the last 15 years.  The complete inability to merge on the Kwinana freeway was legendary with traffic stopping completely as a result.

Even the WA's admit quite proudly about their horrendous driving., the Kwinana Freeway leaves me running to the loo many occasions !

[welljock]

25 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

And I was hoping the driving had improved in the last 15 years.  The complete inability to merge on the Kwinana freeway was legendary with traffic stopping completely as a result.

They are perfect at merging, it's the giving way when entering from the slip road that they can't handle

[MARYROSE02]

On 28/10/2020 at 18:24, Paul1Perth said:

It's not changed much in a year. I've never understood the isolated bit. Even when you live in the UK you don't usually go that far away from where you live, maybe Europe for holidays once a year, so it's the same deal, you organise it and get on a plane. 

I spent most of my 12 years back in the UK within the boundaries of the New Forest, mostly because I preferred to walk or cycle rather than drive. It wasn't geographical distance which stopped me from travelling but imagine if the nearest next "big" city to Southampton had been 1,000 miles away, instead of 30 odd miles to Salisbury, Pompey, Winchester, etc, would have I felt isolated? I don't know. I never thought of it before just now!

I walked to the Isle of Capri this morning, only the second time I've walked there in five months 1.4 km! I just Googled it. It did not seem far but walking around the suburban streets over there I was conscious that without a car I might feel "trapped."

It's odd. I have been to Brisbane once in five months. It might be the same in five years.  I did have a hire car both times I was in Perth but most of the places I wanted to go were walking distance anyway (in South Perth). And I found driving to be a pleasure in Perth rather than the chore it is in both Sydney and the Gold Coast.