| Author/Date | Message | Action | kendalg
9 May 2010 | Yes you can do a lot in a week (without kids that is!) Sit down and make yourself a cuppa before reading this as it goes on forever...................
The weather – we arrived on 25th April 2010 and for the majority of the week we had clear blue skies and temperatures ranging from 74 to 77 degrees.
The Journey
Glasgow to Perth via Dubai with Emirates Airlines.
The first part of the journey took 7 hrs 15 mins . The staff onboard were fantastic and the food even better. The second part of the journey took 9 hrs 45 mins which was great as we were originally told 10 hrs 30 mins. We arrived into Perth at about 5pm on Sunday night, picked up our car hire (Toyota Corolla) and sat nav (this came in so handy) from Hertz and bought a pre-paid cheap phone from Vodafone. This was so we could phone people in Australia to make appointments etc. The phone costing $49 came with $150 worth of credit so it was a good deal.
Our Accommodation
We had rented the top part of large house in Ocean Reef (booked through Stayz.com.au). It cost $600 for the week. Now in hindsight we could have got our accommodation a lot cheaper elsewhere but we were obviously paying for the location. The property was well equipped with two large balconies at the front which overlooked the top of some rather large houses and then onto the Indian Ocean. The sunsets were amazing.
Suburbs we visited (most suburbs have parks and their own shops). The majority of suburbs we visited branch off Marmion Avenue.
Ocean Reef – an absolutely beautiful place with lots of very large expensive houses right next to the beach which was lovely and clean. Ocean Reef has different primary and private education options within easy reach plus shopping facilities, Indian Restaurant (recommended), Blockbuster, property centre at the Beaumaris shops. There are two-way paths that run right along the front away down to Perth city centre for cyclists and walkers. Dogs can be walked here but must be kept on a leash at all times. Poo bins and bags are provided along the walkways for dog owners.
Connolly – Lovely suburb surrounding the golf course. Lots of old and new style houses depending on your taste. Very good primary school as well. The houses ranged in price starting from about $430 upwards. Connolly is situated on the other side of Marmion Avenue about 5 mins from where we were staying.
Currambine – next suburb along from Connolly. Another nice established suburb with lots of greenery and a train station. Liked the look of this suburb as it had a sort of village feel to it. Again property prices very similar to Connolly or a little cheaper. There were apartments here as well.
Tapping and Carramar (next door to each other)- liked the look of these suburbs as well. It only took about 10 mins to get there. We liked Carramar a little more than Tapping but don’t know exactly why. It just seemed to appeal to us more. Very new modern style houses with neat and tidy gardens, trees planted up the middle of the road etc. The ones overlooking Carramar Golf Course were especially nice but probably too expensive for us. Property here for a 4 x 2 is about $430 plus. Went to see Carramar Primary which was new and modern with about 900 pupils, of which 70% were from the UK.
Kinross, Woodvale, Quinns Rocks, Joondalup, Heathridge, Kingsley – we didn’t spent too much time in these suburbs as they weren’t in our top 5 but we loved the look of Joondalup town centre with its modern hotels, apartments and shopping facilities. Neil Hawkins Park is situated here and has a lovely view of Lake Joondalup. With the other suburbs they all had their nice streets and the not so nice streets. Quinns Rocks seemed ok but when driving around a bit more decided it wasn’t for us. The beach there was amazing though and the properties overlooking the beach looked fab. Woodvale, Kingsley and Heathridge properties looked a little more traditional and older as they are more established suburbs. Kinross wasn’t in our top 5 but it looked fine with all the street names named after Scottish towns. I had been put off Kinross in the past but recently a few people who live in Perth have said that it is a good suburb to live in.
Alkimos – Shorehaven, new development North of Butler
We had an appointment with the Commodore Homes Sales Rep who met us at Madeley (further inland) to show us a showhouse. He then drove us up to the new development up at Alkimos. This was a bit further on than Butler but too far away from civilisation in our opinion. I know that in a good few years this will change and will have shops, cafes, schools etc and transport links. The plans for the place look amazing and there are 3 stages to this development. Two were on the coastal side of Marmion Avenue and the other on the other side. Worth taking a look at their website if you are interested. We just felt that with us coming out next year that it wouldn’t be established enough to live there and the commute into the CBD would be too much for my husband. The land and home packages were really affordable though.
Schools
We met a few expats who have been living out in Perth for a while. Some of them sent their kids to state education primaries and secondaries and some sent their children to private. Both the private and the state schools came highly recommended. They were Connolly Primary, Carramar Primary, Beaumaris Primary and Ocean Reef Senior High School, Quinns Baptist College and Prendiville in Ocean Reef. I don’t know anyone who sends their kids to any of the other schools so I can’t really comment on these.
We visited the following primaries:-
Connolly Primary. Got a tour and met Marshy from the aussiemove forum. The school was smaller and a little older than some of the other ones but had a real homely feel about it with very friendly, knowledgeable staff. The school has over 500 children.
Carramar Primary. Got given a tour also by phoning ahead. The school was obviously built around the time of the estate so modern and new like the houses. It has over 900 children (70% of which were from the UK!).
Ocean Reef Senior High School. Phoned on the Friday and asked if we could pop in briefly. They couldn’t show us around but gave us lots of information away with us. They made it pretty clear that if you didn’t live in the area then there was no chance of getting in.
Places we visited:-
Hillary’s - some of the nicest houses I had ever seen. There was a kids fun park, AQWA which houses Australia’s largest aquarium and underwater tunnel, marine wildlife, coral reefs, sharks, rays, turtles and interactive activities for the kids. There were cafes, restaurants and a whole load of shops and boutiques there. There was a little beach and covered bbq areas. We loved the place!
Mindarie Marina
Beautiful houses and area with cafes/restaurants there.
Perth City and Fremantle
Clean and modern with loads of shops to choose from. Took the train to the city and then onto Fremantle. The car was left at Joondalup station and didn’t cost a penny. The transport was on time and didn’t cost much at all. The trains were clean and we felt safe travelling. We were told that the buses run in synch with the trains therefore if the trains are late then the buses wait (what a great service!). Little Creatures Brewery and Restaurant in Fremantle was a great place if you like beer or if you are like me and hate the stuff then it’s great for a bite to eat. Took the boat back from Fremantle to Perth and saw some amazing houses and got to see some unexpected dolphins.
Neil Hawkins Park and Lake Joondalup, Pinnaroo Memorial Park, Yanchep National Park, Oscar & Son Restaurant in Two Rocks
It took us ages to find Neil Hawkins Park but eventually found it in the little town of Joondalup. The lake was a bit dried up but still beautiful. The local birds were landing on kids whilst they were feeding them. Pinnaroo has been recommended for seeing wild kangaroos. We saw loads hopping about and the park itself was the most serene, tranquil place I had ever seen. Fake flowers had been laid for the deceased which meant the entire place was full of colour. We had to kill about 8 hours on our last day before returning our car so we travelled up to Yanchep and Two Rocks. What beautiful beaches up there and Yanchep National Park was stunning with kangaroos and a koala park. There wasn’t much at Two Rocks but went to a really great place called Oscar & Son for lunch. They are developing there at the moment.
Lakeside and Whitfords Shopping Centre and Joondalup Arena
The shopping centres were really good and bigger than I thought they would be. We popped into the Arena to see what kind of facilities they provide but there was a big footie game on and we couldn’t get parked.
Byford Kennels and Armadale Shopping Centre
This was the only part of our trip that I didn’t enjoy and wish I hadn’t visited the kennels. It didn’t take that long to drive there but was surprised to find them so far away from civilisation. The whole complex was a lot smaller than I thought and not as well kept. I didn’t think much of the exercise area and was really upset when I left. We have a very large dog who needs a lot of exercise so 30 days in that place will be hard for him but as my husband says – what alternative do we have? There aren’t any other kennels to choose from. Ross took me to the nearest shopping centre for lunch which was Armadale to take my mind of the dog. The centre was fine although the area looked a bit old and tired. We were then supposed to tour around the South but the way I was feeling I just couldn’t be bothered so we headed back to our house in the North.
Good contacts
Met Lee Bramley, Mortgage Broker, who we had spoken to through another forum at Currambine Marketplace for a coffee and a chat about mortgages. He is an expat himself from England and as well as discussing finance he gave us invaluable info on areas to avoid and gave us loads of contacts for buying cars, recruitment etc.
We took a note of lots of food and household prices from different places e.g. IGA, Coles, Woolworths, Wanneroo Markets for fresh fruit, veg and meat and that place was definitely cheaper than everywhere else. In the other places some things were similar and some were much more expensive. It pays to shop around.
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| mollytaylor
9 May 2010 | Hi glad you had a good time time in Perth, brillant rekkie report we did ours in june 08 a long time ago now cant wait for our visa so we can return and i bet you cant wait to go back to Perth and yes i had a nice cuppa to go with it lol all the best
Darren and Alison |    
| poachers
9 May 2010 | Sounds like you had a good time, How on earth did you do so much!!! amazing to read all you got up to...you must be very organized perhaps you can give us some pointers |
| neil&nicky
10 May 2010 | thanks for such a great and informative report. we are looking to move somewhen soon and reports like yours help so much. so much great information. i wish we cld have more like them. i know it takes time, but it realy helps people like us to do what other people have done. thanks again. hope you succeed in everything you want to do over there. |
| jackfrew
10 May 2010 | Hi K. Well you did do a lot in your week. Your information is great and with so much detail. It has made me want to go out myself (minus kids) might take the hubby though. Hope to hear from you soon. Sharon. |
| Douglas_family
18 Jun 2010 | Fantastic report! thanks for taking the time to give us Aussie movers such great information. |
| clarepo
26 Jun 2010 | What a great read! Brought back memories of ours. We head off one way 10 weeks on Monday and have done a rekkie ourselves but reading reports like yours still helps with bits or areas we might not have thought of - so thank you! Good Luck on your journey Clare :) |
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| | Photos (click for full size version - approx 35kb) | 
The sunset from our balcony. 
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