Guest Burns Clan Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Hi I thought I would share our experiences from our first 4 weeks in Perth, some of it may be useful and some not but these are things that we have encountered since we arrived. My husband and our 3 children 11,8 & 5 arrived on the 30th of May, we had arranged a few things before arriving so I will try and break it down into the "what we done" and "what we wished we had done". Before arrival: We booked a 6 week furnished rental, to give us time to find a more permanent rental. - This worked out well and we are due to move into our new unfurnished rental in a week. Shipped some boxes of stuff over although not our furniture - wish I had brought more stuff with us as we have had to go and buy beds, tables, sofa's the lot, having said that prices for stuff like that seems quite reasonable and there are end of season sales on at this time of year so bargains to be had. Job - my husband had a job offer before we left the UK, however we did not get any relocation etc as most companies are nervous about doing this as they have been burnt before so they will look to tie you in for a couple of years if they do give a relocation package. After Arriving: We hired a car for first 2 weeks - this was fine and cost us around $30 a day so not too bad - We have since bought a car on finance rather than outright to ensure we have a credit rating in Oz, no issues with this as long as you can prove your job, visa and bank details etc We are living in Quinns for first 6 weeks which is nice but a good 10 min drive to the train station and school in Clarkson - so new rental is in Clarkson for a lesser commute. We got the kids enrolled in a Private Catholic School - which works out at around $3000 pa for all 3 - what we didnt account for was the cost and strictness of the school uniforms with just the winter uniforms costing $400+. We then had to buy all their books including jotters and stationary which then came to roughly $100 per child!! Biggest hurdle was getting the kids to wear the black school shoes lol General observations: Its harder to get a contract mobile than it is to buy a car!! Make sure your first rental has broadband or you will like us have to use a mobile dongle- hopeless !! and you need the internet to research houses etc! Be prepared for the cost of things - it is expensive compared with the UK for most things eg bananas x 4 $10!,! chocolate bars - $3, beer x24 bottles $50, on the other hand a bottle of Jacobs creek rose $7, steaks/butcher meat etc are quite cheap. Supermarkets - they stock a lot of brands that you recognise but they dont open late especially at the weekends with most closing at 4 - 5pm Train service and Bus service - are very good with regular trains and spotlessly clean - takes about 30 mins to get into the CBD from Clarkson ( last station on the Joondalup line) Weather is lovely during the day just now at around 22 degrees, however gets very chilly at night and the houses are designed to be cool so can be a bit cold! Bring all your clothes, shoes, boots etc with you, as not a great selection here and for up to date styles can be a bit expensive! High school - they all do it differntly and you need to enrol well in advance of the kids leaving primary. Lots of great things to do and places to go with the kids, parks, zoo etc Drivers Licence & Medicare - very easy to do, just need to go in and fill out forms with some ID, passport, visa etc and you get a temp card/ licence and then a week or so later your permanent one arrives in the post. Nice Areas (in my opinion): To be fair most areas we have looked at are lovely and have lots of positives, however we are trying to be handy for a train station and the school and the beach!! Mindarie - north, close to marina Clarkson - north, good transport, 10 min drive from beach Butler - north Quinns Rock - north, near beach Kinross - north Jindalee - north, near beach Mullaloo - near beach Ocean Reef- near beach Sorrento - near beach Subiaco - near CBD All are lovely and we will be hard pushed to decide where we will buy/build! and of course the closer to the CBD or the beach the more expensive the house!! I hope this helps someone out there and if i think of anything else i will add it, if anyone has any questions feel free to ask on here or pm me. Cheers PS apologies if this is boring and or useless!!:biggrin: useful site on Perth - http://www.perthpoms.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shauna Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Cheers thats great info, me and my partner and 2 kids (10 & 7) should be there this time next year, just researching schools etc now, not sure if we will opt for state or catholic school as yet. We were thinking of shipping over our furniture as we noticed most rentals are unfurnished. Did yous have to do that IELTS test? My other half is booked in to do it end of July, seems bit tricky! Shauna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MongooseB Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Hi Burns Clan! Firstly, no need to apologise, your thread is FAR from boring and a great help to us and many to follow. You mention that you booked a 6 week furnished rental before leaving Scotland - would you mind passing on the info of the company you booked through? Car Rentals - did you have to put down deposit and where is the best place to rent from at $30 p/d? Furniture - we have some wooden furniture which we bought in South Africa, and we've heard they are quite strict with this type of thing in Oz...any advice? My hubby has a job offer, and like you, we are having to cover all of our costs. They have gone one further and requested that he go across for the 3 month probation period before uprooting the family. It leaves us a bit nervous, but I suppose like so many other companies, they have also been burnt. Do you think we have anything to worry about regarding the probation period? Hopefully we'll meet in Perth oneday soon! Thanks again, it's nice to have someone share their REAL life experiences! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deedee2011 Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Hello, thanks for the useful hints, l have so many questions and you answered most of them. Am also moving to Perth hopefully in the next week if l can my medical results back for the 457 visa. Thanks again really appreciate it..:hug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shiny21 Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 This is fantastic thank you, we are moving out this time next year so trying to gather as much information as possible, don't suppose you've been to Secret Harbour have you? Sounds like you are enjoying yoursleves which is great too, thanks you x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemilmoss Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Hi great post lots of useful information,glad you are settling and getting things sorted.Yous seem to have done so much in such a short time. We have 8 weeks left before we leave for oz feeling very nervous but excited to. I hope you dont mind me asking but could you tell me who you used to ship your boxes. Thanks Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Burns Clan Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Hi I will try and answer some of your questions: Hire Car - Mindarie Hire Car - great service , no deposit although they did take a swipe of credit card, also gave a free booster seat and i think you can get sat navs etc ( which trust me you will need!!) Furnished Rental - we just searched on line for furnished rentals or holiday rentals, the one we have was under "sandsandan" it is a 4 bed in Quinns with a pool at around $500 per week, the property has been sold but i believe the new owners are still going to be renting it out. Also try stayz.com they had loads, just bear in mind you need to pay a bond on all rentals which you get back. Rental - also on a longer term rental you have to pay a bond of 4 weeks rent, this goes to the govt and you get it back at the end of the lease, you also need to pay 2 weeks rent up front to your landlord so be prepared to fork out 6 weeks rent initially. You can rent from around $370 - $1000 per week depending on what you are looking for and where you want to live. Shipping - We used a company in Scotland called Guardian Removals, they were very good and gave us lots of advice and quotes on a full container, part container, just boxes etc and they were reasonably priced i.e we sent over around 14 big tea chest size boxes and golf clubs!! and it cost around £900.00. Not sure about the wooden furniture from SA as I didnt bring furniture, i am guessing a good shipping company will advise you best. Probationary Periods - depends what your husband does and if he is taking on a job he has never done before, but assuming he is doing the same job as he did in the UK I am sure he will be fine provided he turns up every day and does a good job. I think the probationary period is pretty common nowadays. The company my husband was due to work for initially said they had hired people who looked good on paper and after a telephone/skype interview however when they got here, they couldnt do the job, speak or write very good english. Secret Harbour - not been there yet but it is on our list, I will update you when I have been!! IELTS Test - sorry i didnt need to do that! Medicare - also somethng we didnt realise is that you are not covered for ambulances etc with this so for eg, worst case scenario your child falls at school and the phone an ambulance you will be billed $400 for this. Keep the questions coming, I am enjoying being helpful as i know how hard it is and thats not even mentioning the rollercoaster of emotions that you have before and after you arrive!! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournegirlinny Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I have some clients moving to Perth soon so will pass this post of yours onto them as it's interesting and helpful. You can get fairly cheap insurance to cover ambulance costs. Here is the link for it in WA: http://www.hbf.com.au/health-insurance/ambulance-cover.html And bananas are not usually that expensive! It's due to all the floods in Qld this year. And for the poster whose OH is doing the IELTS at the end of July--tell them to be sure to study for it and do practise exams-it is very much about exam technique. Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Burns Clan Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 That is spooky....I am just waiting on HBF calling me back re cover!! Thank god about the Bananas, not sure my son could survive without them!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 What a great and informative post, thank you so much for taking the time to help other members.:hug::notworthy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest 47403 Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 That is spooky....I am just waiting on HBF calling me back re cover!! Thank god about the Bananas, not sure my son could survive without them!! Bananas £1 a KG in Tesco yesterday.............................but I'd still rather be in Perth :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PADDERS Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 My job starts in about 6 weeks and my famility will follow as soon as our house sells, our children are 10 6 and 1 , and we are looking to move to the jindalee/butler area, what primary schools are good , we heard the one at Butler is? have you heard any thing about this, and how did you go about enrolling them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Burns Clan Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Yeah the school in butler is apparently very good, not sure about enrollment but i think you can just pop in and see them, you will need birth certificates, visa, passport, immunisation records and previous school reports. For catholic schools you also need baptism certificates. Other schools that are in the area are : Quinns Beach- Not sure what they are like though Quinns Rock- Not sure what they are like though Mindarie Primary - i believe is very good Kinross Primary - also very good In terms of private schools you have: Quinns Baptist College - yr1 - yr 12 - in Quinns Peter Moyes - yr1 - yr 12 - in Quinns St Andrews Catholic Primary - Clarkson There are lots of schools, best thing to do is go and see them when you get here and look at the location, facilities etc. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest antipope Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Great thread, will come in very handy over the next couple of months as we prepare to move across to perth in september. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lannan Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Very useful post as I am hoping to rent around the Clarkson area in Sept. What was the difficulty you found with the mobile contract? What did you find to be the best mobile contract/ pay as you go phone company? Is any particular broadband company better than any any of the others? Is it advisable to change your email address or can you keep the UK one? So many questions, so little time. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Burns Clan Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 The mobile contract thing was okay once you get by the various ID requirements!! Basically to get acontract phone with someone like Vodafone, Optus, telstra etc you need to have: Drivers Licence Bank Card ( Australian) Medicare Card Bank Statement with at least 10 transactions on it I eventually bought a pre-paid sim card and that done the job for a week or so until i got the contract phone, please dont do what we did and run up a huge bill on your UK mobile!! Broadband, we are using a mobile dongle and it is nearly useless, when i move into my new house next week I will get it installed and let you know what works out the best. I just hung onto my UK email address, but it got a bit of a pain telling them it etc but if you have hotmail, gmail etc i would just keep it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlj3108 Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Hi I thought I would share our experiences from our first 4 weeks in Perth, some of it may be useful and some not but these are things that we have encountered since we arrived. My husband and our 3 children 11,8 & 5 arrived on the 30th of May, we had arranged a few things before arriving so I will try and break it down into the "what we done" and "what we wished we had done". Before arrival: We booked a 6 week furnished rental, to give us time to find a more permanent rental. - This worked out well and we are due to move into our new unfurnished rental in a week. Shipped some boxes of stuff over although not our furniture - wish I had brought more stuff with us as we have had to go and buy beds, tables, sofa's the lot, having said that prices for stuff like that seems quite reasonable and there are end of season sales on at this time of year so bargains to be had. Job - my husband had a job offer before we left the UK, however we did not get any relocation etc as most companies are nervous about doing this as they have been burnt before so they will look to tie you in for a couple of years if they do give a relocation package. After Arriving: We hired a car for first 2 weeks - this was fine and cost us around $30 a day so not too bad - We have since bought a car on finance rather than outright to ensure we have a credit rating in Oz, no issues with this as long as you can prove your job, visa and bank details etc We are living in Quinns for first 6 weeks which is nice but a good 10 min drive to the train station and school in Clarkson - so new rental is in Clarkson for a lesser commute. We got the kids enrolled in a Private Catholic School - which works out at around $3000 pa for all 3 - what we didnt account for was the cost and strictness of the school uniforms with just the winter uniforms costing $400+. We then had to buy all their books including jotters and stationary which then came to roughly $100 per child!! Biggest hurdle was getting the kids to wear the black school shoes lol General observations: Its harder to get a contract mobile than it is to buy a car!! Make sure your first rental has broadband or you will like us have to use a mobile dongle- hopeless !! and you need the internet to research houses etc! Be prepared for the cost of things - it is expensive compared with the UK for most things eg bananas x 4 $10!,! chocolate bars - $3, beer x24 bottles $50, on the other hand a bottle of Jacobs creek rose $7, steaks/butcher meat etc are quite cheap. Supermarkets - they stock a lot of brands that you recognise but they dont open late especially at the weekends with most closing at 4 - 5pm Train service and Bus service - are very good with regular trains and spotlessly clean - takes about 30 mins to get into the CBD from Clarkson ( last station on the Joondalup line) Weather is lovely during the day just now at around 22 degrees, however gets very chilly at night and the houses are designed to be cool so can be a bit cold! Bring all your clothes, shoes, boots etc with you, as not a great selection here and for up to date styles can be a bit expensive! High school - they all do it differntly and you need to enrol well in advance of the kids leaving primary. Lots of great things to do and places to go with the kids, parks, zoo etc Drivers Licence & Medicare - very easy to do, just need to go in and fill out forms with some ID, passport, visa etc and you get a temp card/ licence and then a week or so later your permanent one arrives in the post. Nice Areas (in my opinion): To be fair most areas we have looked at are lovely and have lots of positives, however we are trying to be handy for a train station and the school and the beach!! Mindarie - north, close to marina Clarkson - north, good transport, 10 min drive from beach Butler - north Quinns Rock - north, near beach Kinross - north Jindalee - north, near beach Mullaloo - near beach Ocean Reef- near beach Sorrento - near beach Subiaco - near CBD All are lovely and we will be hard pushed to decide where we will buy/build! and of course the closer to the CBD or the beach the more expensive the house!! I hope this helps someone out there and if i think of anything else i will add it, if anyone has any questions feel free to ask on here or pm me. Cheers PS apologies if this is boring and or useless!!:biggrin: Thanks for info...very useful. We are moving to Perth in November, and hope you can answer a few questions for us. Could I ask which school you have enrolled your children at? Do you have to be catholic? Is this something you did when you arrived or prior? With regards to financing the car.....did this go smoothly and what info did you have to provide? Was it a dealership? How did find quinns rocks...we are initially staying there for five wks while we get sorted? Thanks for your time. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cartertucker Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 This is just what I needed right now ~ Thankyou so so much :wubclub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1974 Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Hi Shiny21, We went to secret harbour on our recent visit to Perth in April 2011. It looked very nice and had it's own shops, golf course, school etc. Looked like a self contained community all of it's own. It was a bit south of perth tho and I thought a little out of the way (just my opinion). We preferred north of perth joondalup was really nice as was carramar where our rental was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest perth42 Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Great post! This time next month we will be sitting in an empty house (we hope!) and hopefully boarding our one way plane!!! So excited! It's all happening so fast and much ahead of the planned timelines.. I was amazed and felt resssured about you being able to purchase a car on finance so soon after arrival. Could you tell me more about how you got your car on hp please? Pm me if you'd rather. As we are going much earlier than we anticipated we won't have time to do the paper work to ship the car so need access to one... And knowing we can get sorted before getting the mobiles is great!! Many thanks :smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest boxtobox Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Really good post - thanks. I am currently sitting in an empty house as all, well almost all, our wordly goods are in transit. We leave for Perth on 22nd and getting a bit scary! Looking at getting in to the Joondalup/Quinns area after a short stay in furnished rental in Victoria Park (any comments on this area appreciated as I have heard differing views on it). Want to make sure we are covered pretty much straight away and wondered where you register for Medicare and also for a Tax File Number? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coynie Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 great post mate, lots of really usefull info. ive stayed in secret harbour and although it is nice, i found it pretty pricey and there is a lot of building work going on and a fair way from shops, schools etc. we're looking to move to the port kennedy area, a bit closer to amenities etc. south of perth is quite a bit quieter than north as i've also stayed in clarkson. hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ck0209 Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Thank you so much for your post it's really helpful. We are flying to Perth on 20th July from Scotland - hubby starts new job on 1 August. We have 2 girls - 8 and 3 and have temp furnished accommodation booked in Joondalup for the first 4 weeks. We both finish work tomorrow and the relocation company are coming next week. You are so right about the emotional rollercoaster - we're now at the stage where saying goodbye to colleagues/friends and loved ones is a reality and its fair to say there have been 1 or 2 wobbles!!! Thanks again - I will keep linked in with your advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hevchick Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Hi I will try and answer some of your questions: Hire Car - Mindarie Hire Car - great service , no deposit although they did take a swipe of credit card, also gave a free booster seat and i think you can get sat navs etc ( which trust me you will need!!) Furnished Rental - we just searched on line for furnished rentals or holiday rentals, the one we have was under "sandsandan" it is a 4 bed in Quinns with a pool at around $500 per week, the property has been sold but i believe the new owners are still going to be renting it out. Also try stayz.com they had loads, just bear in mind you need to pay a bond on all rentals which you get back. Rental - also on a longer term rental you have to pay a bond of 4 weeks rent, this goes to the govt and you get it back at the end of the lease, you also need to pay 2 weeks rent up front to your landlord so be prepared to fork out 6 weeks rent initially. You can rent from around $370 - $1000 per week depending on what you are looking for and where you want to live. Shipping - We used a company in Scotland called Guardian Removals, they were very good and gave us lots of advice and quotes on a full container, part container, just boxes etc and they were reasonably priced i.e we sent over around 14 big tea chest size boxes and golf clubs!! and it cost around £900.00. Not sure about the wooden furniture from SA as I didnt bring furniture, i am guessing a good shipping company will advise you best. Probationary Periods - depends what your husband does and if he is taking on a job he has never done before, but assuming he is doing the same job as he did in the UK I am sure he will be fine provided he turns up every day and does a good job. I think the probationary period is pretty common nowadays. The company my husband was due to work for initially said they had hired people who looked good on paper and after a telephone/skype interview however when they got here, they couldnt do the job, speak or write very good english. Secret Harbour - not been there yet but it is on our list, I will update you when I have been!! IELTS Test - sorry i didnt need to do that! Medicare - also somethng we didnt realise is that you are not covered for ambulances etc with this so for eg, worst case scenario your child falls at school and the phone an ambulance you will be billed $400 for this. Keep the questions coming, I am enjoying being helpful as i know how hard it is and thats not even mentioning the rollercoaster of emotions that you have before and after you arrive!! Cheers Hi Burns Clan, Thank you very much for all the information you've provided. I've found it very useful. I'm currently in the process of booking a furnished holiday let for us for our first 6 weeks in Oz. We've been asked to pay half of the total amount as a deposit to secure the place which is alot of money and the payment is required by a bank transfer to a UK account. Is this what you did for yours? Has anybody else secured a furnished rental in this way please? I was hoping we would able to pay by credit card so have some kind of protection. I'm not sure how I can know that there will be a holiday let for us when we arrive in Perth or am I being too paranoid?? Money is a little tight at the moment so can't afford to make a mistake with this. Any help would be very much appreciated :biggrin: Thank you Hev x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KellyandTom Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Hi Burns Clan, great post thanks. Really useful info. Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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