My Rekkie Report:

Our life so far in Perth by Madamwozza, posted Jan 2008

Author/Date	Message	Action
Madamwozza 14 Jan 2008	Hi Aussiemovers. I have been a fairly quiet user of this site but have gained so much info from here that I thought I would share my own experiences in the hope that it may be helpful to someone somewhere. We flew out of Manchester for our new life in Oz on 12 October with Singapore Airlines. The airline was fine, no complaints, although after hearing others saying they are great with kids, providing toys, entertainment etc, we didn't find that. We weren't offered anything but I asked and they gave us a pack containing colouring book and crayons. Anyway, on arrival in Singapore we found our pre-booked taxi and were on our way to Sentosa Island where we had booked 3 nights at the Rasa Sentosa resort. I would recommend it to anyone for a stopover and it was very child friendly. Singapore was stinking hot and we had an almighty thunderstorm. We didn't even venture off the island, just chilled out, getting over the jetlag. We visited the aquarium and laid out on the beach and by the pool. There is loads more to do we just wanted to have a couple of days relaxing after the stresses of leaving and before the next stage of setting up our new lives. We arrived in Perth on 16 October to blue skies and 27 deg (this wasn't to last!). After buying a Vodaphone sim card in the terminal, we went to join the taxi queue which was at least an hours wait so we enquired about a hire car - total rip off, don't pay airport prices unless you have to. Eventually got a maxi taxi - 7 seater for the 3 of us and all our luggage and paid $70 to our holiday rental in Sorrento which we had for 4 weeks. I must admit, the first couple of weeks were a bit wobbly. We felt very unsettled and Perth was not really what we expected (we hadn't done a reckie and had only been to Sydney which we loved). It is much larger than we expected and quite spread out and just didn't feel right to us. The weather was pretty crap as well which didn't help. Luckily we knew a few people in Perth already so we had loads of advice about the best place to go for this and that and what to do and when etc. Would recommend M2000 car rental for cheap car hire. Also, buy a Perth Street directory as this will become your bible for the first few weeks. We bought a car after a few days and spent the first week or so exploring and doing touristy stuff, sorting out bank, Centrelink, Tax File numbers etc. For our banking, we set up an OZ account with Commonwealth before we left. Very easy and they transfer your money for you at an excellent rate. We just had to go into the city branch and validate our account and get cards etc. A friend told us how tough it is to get a rental and suggested we start looking straight away. Glad we did as although we had 4 weeks, it was only at the last minute we found one. Be prepared for competing with around 10 other families for a decent rental. If you can get to meet the agent or landlord and impress them it helps, otherwise you are just a faceless family on yet another application form. Also, take references. We had never rented before but took character refs, employment refs, credit refs from bank/mortgage company and a copy of our credit report from experian. We eventually found a lovely 4 x 2 house for $375 pw in the Regent Waters estate just off Ocean Reef Road near Woodvale and we love it. We didn't ship much furniture so we spent a few days shopping for furniture, electrics etc. Most places you can get them to knock a bit off the price and if you are buying alot of stuff from one shop, you can get a good deal. One thing we found very expensive is bedding/linen or 'Manchester' as they call it here!?! We spent over $500 on bedding for 1 bed (inc pillows & duvet) so stock up before you come! We used PSS for our shipping who were ok but after the intial quote, we were told on packing day that it was going to go way over, so we left some stuff. For example, a cheap office desk we had would have cost more to ship than we bought it for. The container arrived in port on the expected day and was delivered about 4 days later which I thought was fab service and they took away the boxes and packaging after we had unpacked too. It was like Christmas for Josie seeing all her toys again as she had been managing with very little. Only a couple of minor things broken/damaged and the insurance paid out without any fuss or hassle. Brett had no problem finding work. After a couple of days dropping in on a few places, he had several job offers and accepted one in Wangara, just 5 mins away. I had been warned to enrol Josie in Kindy asap and eventually got her into Edgewater kindy after trying 2 others which were full. She starts in February after the summer holidays. It looks a nice little place and we have met the teacher who is lovely. We now love it here and have settled in really well. There is so much to do and explore, we will never be short of something to do at the weekend/holidays. The beaches are gorgeous, everywhere is so clean and there are lovely parks everywhere, some with free barbecue and fitness/workout facilities. We have been lucky in that we knew several people before coming so have managed to have a bit of a social life and we speak to friends and family on webcam all the time. I have found it difficult meeting new people but hopefully that will change when Josie starts kindy and I meet other mums. If anyone wants to meet up for a drink or at a playgym whatever, please let me know. Is there an Aussiemove meet planned anytime soon?? Creepy Crawlies - We have seen a few redbacks - (two in the garage) and had white tailed spiders in the house. Quite enough for us so we called in a friend who sprayed the house, loft and perimeter. Haven't seen any spiders in the house since which is great. The flies were pretty bad when we first arrived. Not sure if there are less now or we are just used to them. They can be a pain at times. Shopping - I miss Sainsburys but in general food shopping is good and my shopping bill is around the same as UK. Toys seem cheaper here, clothes shopping is not so good in my opinion but ok for kids. The good thing is that keeping up with fashion is not an issue here and there is no pressure to have a new wardrobe every season. And I love that noone bats an eyelid at people going to the shops barefoot! Doctors/Dentists - Dentists are extortionate as Brett found out when his gold tooth fell out. Get any work done before you come. Doctors are great, no probs getting an appointment and if you find one that bulk bills, there is nothing to pay if you have Medicare. Driving/Getting about - Driving here is easy but there are some nutters on the roads so you need to have your wits about you. Everywhere is a drive away so going to a friends for a barbi or to the pub for a drink usually means one of you not drinking or getting a taxi. I have had no problems getting taxis but heard lots to the contrary. Suburbs NOR - we love Hillarys, Sorrento, Iluka but all out of our price range. Also like Woodvale and Edgewater. Beldon and Heathridge affordable and nicely located but mostly older style houses. Butler nice but a little too far out for us, Quiinns seems nice and you can still get a decent 4 x 2 for under $500k - almost unheard of in the other beachside suburbs. Must see/Do - Hillarys boat harbour, Yanchep Lagoon, Whiteman Park (inc Caversham Wildlife park), Cottesloe beach, Scarborough, The Boat pub at Mindarie, Kings Park, Freemantle, Penguin Island. We are going back to UK at the end of Feb for Brett's stepsisters wedding. It seems way too soon to be going back as it feels like we have just left but it will be good to see everyone again. I'm a bit worried that Brett and Josie might want to stay! Or hopefully it will make us realise what a fab life we have here and we will be desperate to get back. Who knows but I will let you know. Hope I haven't bored you. If anyone has any questions, however trivial, I am happy to answer them as I know I had loads!! Debs x P.S. Any poker players out there? Me and Brett love a good game of texas hold em and its a bit boring with just the two of you playing heads up all the time!
millbank19 14 Jan 2008	Hi, we arrived in perth in november from newmarket, england, like u we love the lifestyle but i miss my family & friends really bad. We didnt know anyone when arrived, booked a 5 week holiday home in quinns rocks and know have a 6 month rental in butler but as you say its a bit of a way out. have 2 kids 15 & 10 , one going to minarie college and the other quinns rocks primary. Have met a few english couples which is nice and have been out a couple of times with them. We are looking to buy a place but not sure where?? do you know any good suburbs? Like us we have have found spiders but have since sprayed the house, so far so good. My husband hasnt got job yet (roofer) been busy buying furniture etc, we only brought our clothes ( have spent a fortune) hopefully he will sort out a job in the next week or so. andrea & martin
Phoenix97 14 Jan 2008	Hiya Debs, That's better - a whole page to yourself, lovely pics and an excellent rekkie! Brownie point to me for suggesting it eh! ;) Will send you a PM with my email address....I love a game of poker! Cheers, Sue
Madamwozza 20 Jan 2008	Hi Andrea & Martin Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. Have you sorted any work out yet? With regard to suburbs it really is down to personal choice and budget, but generally we like this area (Woodvale/Edgewater) and surrounding suburbs. Have you had any more thoughts on where you would like to buy? Have you had a good look around? When the kids are settled in school you will probably want to stay around that area. Butler seems really nice and probably wont seem as far out when the freeway reaches there. All the best, Debs
millbank19 21 Jan 2008	hi thanks for message. Our son will be going to mindarie senior high college and daughter in quinns rocks primary so would like to stay near both schools. martin is going to ring for work today so hopefully he will get something. thanks andrea
thebirds 21 Jan 2008	hi there connolly, iluka (expensive coming down though) ocean reef, mindarie. Butler is way too english for me but that is my opinion. Connolly has good school and so does iluka/ocean reef. Kinross is a nice area and has a good school as well. take carex
Sarah_David 21 Feb 2008	Sounds like you were doing the same as us at the same time!! we came over in Nov 2007, dit the mad rush for a home rental too. We are in Edgewater and boys go to Edgewater school also. Good luck with your new life here too.
wendylester 26 Feb 2008	Hi There I found your report very informative, and have taken down some notes. We are in the initial stages of a move to Perth, Australia, how long from the initial enquiry stage, did it take you to actually "get there"? Secondly, my husband is a bricklayer/landscaper, and I dont think there will be a problem him getting work, however we have been told that we need a "vetasses" certificate to help with the visa? Did you just get the visa and go without a job or anything? We have a friend who has a house in Port Kennedy, he said we can use the house in November when we visit. What is the area like, as I looked at Real estate, and both the rental and the buying of properties looks very economical. Is this a good or a bad thing? I look forward to hearing from you soon. Kind regards Wendy
TomsMops 7 Mar 2008	Hi I read your post with great interest, lots of interesting info, we haven't been yet but we have our visa's now and we are just waiting for my hubby to get his redundanacy from BT, his project ends 31st July so we are hoping to be out for the month of August in perth for a recci, if Mark has his redundancy he will stay and find a job, house, car etc. I love all the Hillarys area and like you not sure if we can afford it either, I have a little girl Emily who is coming up to 3 and Thomas who is 7. Maybe we can keep in touch and then meet up when we get over there. We have Mark's Auntie & Uncle that live in Coogee, they have 3 grown up kids (mark's cousins) who are all married with kids so hopefully we will get on and they are friendly, Mark has only met them a couple of times. One of our closest friends live in Riverton so we have some but you can never have enough friends. I have been e-mailing lots of schools, we are Catholic so hoping to get Thomas into a catholic school, don't tell the school but we dont go every single week to church as they like you too! As he went to a catholic school here I thought I would keep in the same, all seem to have wait lists! Well love all the photos and you sound very happy so it makes me feel a little happier. Take care and I hope you are still enjoying life down under. Take care
budlingtons 31 Mar 2008	Hello there, I live in Kent with my husband and 3 children. My hubby has been offered a job based near to Quinns Rock, WA. I wondered if you could give me some info cos we are undecided as to what to do. Is it a better way of life? Whats the cost of living - is it better than the UK? What are the schools like? Sorry to bombard you with questions but a genuine point of view from someone who's done it (especially with kids) would be a great help! Look forward to hearing from you. Stephanie
benedict 31 Mar 2008	Great post madamwozza - thankyou. TomsMops - our children go to catholic school here in UK, I emailed a few Catholic schools in Aus who informed me that thet HAVE to keep places open for Catholic children who are also emmigrating (I thought that would be the case) I wouldn't worry about not going to church every week, we (i.e the Church) should be encouraging people not putting them off by telling them they MUST attend regularly. Hope it works well for you all. Kind regards.
TomsMops 1 Apr 2008	Hi Benedict That's very interesting as I have been in e-mail contact with lots and none have said that in Perth!!! I must have contacted around 15 or more, all tell me to put the children on waitlists. Have you any ideas if you are going to Perth which are good catholic primary schools? I feel lost! Thanks again, interesting................
Em&Gang 1 Apr 2008	Hi I wanted to let you know about the private catholic shools here they are not as heavily subscribed as in the UK and they are quite relaxed about admissions - we arrived from the UK having submitted an enrollment to a catholic scool in October 07, I expected to be grilled at the interview, but when we arrived they had already allocated my boys to their classes and had been writing their names on the board everyday since the beginning of term as we were delayed with the visa. They have been going for 4 weeks now and have settled in great. Fees are very reasonable at $1200.00 per year for both of them in yr 1 and Pre-primary (reception). We are not catholics, however catholic children have priority over allocations and being private its at the headmasters discretion. Good Luck Em
TomsMops 1 Apr 2008	Hi Em thanks thats good to know, we are hoping to start the kids in the new school year, if you like you can pm me as I would be interested in finding out your opinions and also if you know what are the better schools or are they all pretty much the same as each other. I wish they had ofsted to work from. We have our visa so hopefully we can get moving soon once hubby gets the redundancy from work. Thanks again any advise or help would be great. Take care
jan&paul 1 Apr 2008	Hi Em, Is there a long waiting list for catholic primary schools? We haven't put our son's name down anywhere yet just incase we can't find a rental in our preferred area so it will be quite short notice to them really, do you think this might be a problem? Jannina
Em&Gang 1 Apr 2008	Hi Jan, Good to hear from you again how you getting on? There wasn't a list as far as I know for the school where my boys are, but we are outside perth in Northam. Yr 1 was full but a place became available - there are lots of families moving through the town, so people come and go. Also they run a buses that go 50kms out from the school free of charge - we are in toodyay, and it takes about 1/2 hour to get there they boys catch the bus at 8.00 and get dropped off again at 16.00. I don't know how long lists are nearer the city. The only way to find out is to email them or phone. Good Luck!! Will catch up with you very soon Em
benedict 1 Apr 2008	Hi TomsMops, My children are 17 and 14 so no Primary school involvement. I found schools by firstly looking at the rough location We thought we might settle, then going on internet for nearest Catholic Secondary School and University. Then I emailed them for details/prospectus and went from there. Good Luck all.
Seascapes 2 Apr 2008	I am not English but I can tell you a bit about Quinn Rocks. It is a fairly new townsite(1972) in the extreme northern suburbs of Perth. The population is just over 7,000 and the average age is 31, so it has a young population with only 6% elderly. The average price of a house is $490,000 and the weekly rental is approx $205.00. Schools: Primary school at Quinns Rocks,and Merriwa (adjoining suburb) and a High school at Clarkson (adjoining Suburb). There is a train service at Clarkson that serves all stations to Perth but a bus from Quinns to the station is required. Shopping : a small Village shopping complex. I would say that a car is a definite requirement. It is a very quiet place with beautiful beaches and good fishing etc. It is also a holiday type resort and has a very popular place nearby called Mindaree. See what some of your English friends think but I doubt whether many would know much about the place. Cheers, Noela from Seascapes
Mindblower 3 Apr 2008	Excellent reccie report that. ...well done
jan&paul 4 Apr 2008	Hi Em, I think it will be best if i do get in touch just to make sure. Hopefully there will be no probs. Got my Registration with the NBWA today so will have to get ourselves organised now!! Hoping the visa will be approved soon then would like to fly early May - fingers crossed. Jannina
Em&Gang 4 Apr 2008	Hey congrats, good to hear NBWA has got their backlog sorted! Visa soon! Weather is cooling down nicely - had some awsome rain and storms on Monday it even rained mud! - we have been told all the hills where we are, go green with coloured flowers - the views great already!! Take it easy! Em
suzy501 10 Jun 2008	Hi Deb, I really enjoyed your report, just about covered most things, we are thinking of coming over, can you tell me if there is an age limit please?.
Madamwozza 10 Jun 2008	Hi There are loads of different visas, depending on your circumstances. The age limit is 45 for a skilled migrant visa. Look at 'Obtaining a visa' under 'The Move' on this site or try http://www.immi.gov.au. Alternatively, you could contact an agent. Most will give a free telephone consultation to discuss your situation and advise on possible routes you could go down. We used OE Visas and had no complaints. Hope this helps and good luck. Deb
suzy501 10 Jun 2008	Ok thanks Deb, thats a great help, cheers for now Sue
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