A mate is moving to Perth (probably). I think the idea sucks, but the money is good.
Can you give me ammo to talk him out of it?
Or convince me I’m wrong?

My points are:
Perth is an ugly, polluted, industrial, cultureless shit hole.
Its like a bloody desert and is susceptable to environmental catastrophe.
You can’t even go in the sea because of pollution/sharks.
It will cost him a fortune to get his bikes out there?
It is a bloody long way from anywhere else.
The road safety is terrible anyway so no road biking/taking the kids to school.
Like is there any decent AM/Dh there?
Aren’t the people all racsist and likely to kidnap his kids?
The Aus govt is as corrupt and effed up as ours, maybe worse?

http://www.wamba.org.au/trails.php

Bum. That looks pretty good. No uplift though? Piemonster are you a Perth local?

I’ve never been but my mate rich, (marmoset on here) moved there nearly 2 years ago and would appear to be very happy there!, rides a lot and rows as well, it was the right thing for him to do it would seem. I don’t really understand why you are anti Australia to be honest, have you a bad experience from the past?

Fab for windsurfing…

I understand it is pretty expensive because of the boom but a friend of mine has lived there for 15 years, has made a fortune and could live anywhere he likes but he chooses to stay there.

Piemonster are you a Perth local?

It’s 20min down the road, but not the one your talking about. It’s the power of goooooogle.

Perth is quite a nice place but very sunny and also very very windy.

I’d say good luck to him!

Perth is an ugly, polluted, industrial, cultureless shit hole.

I don’t know where you get the pollution from, the roads are dead quiet, and I think it is beautiful, having a beer in the OB in Cottesloe watching a giant red sun sink into the indian ocean is one of life’s little pleasures

Its like a bloody desert and is susceptable to environmental catastrophe.

not sure what catastrophes have occured there. there is a lot of desert around, but a few hours drive south and you are in some of the most stunning forest in the world.

You can’t even go in the sea because of pollution/sharks.

What pollution? I only saw lovely blue waters, and was in the sea at every opportunity, as were most people at the beach. There have been shark attacks recently but just how much swimming are you planning on doing a day?

The road safety is terrible anyway so no road biking/taking the kids to school.

I drove nearly 20,000 kms there and found the british roads terrible on return in comparison. In WA they don’t have to advertise camera traps so everyone drives far more safely than here. They can’t merge though, but that is just funny.

Like is there any decent AM/Dh there?

Sam Hill does OK

Aren’t the people all racsist and likely to kidnap his kids?

My friends there still have all their kids.

The Aus govt is as corrupt and effed up as ours, maybe worse?

which government isn’t?

I think it’s a great place and there and Melbourne are the only places I’d choose to live in Aus.

My sister’s lived there for 13 years. It’s very nice, guaranteed roasting weather, amazing beaches and all in all very outdoor-focused. Having said that, I prefer living in London/England!

The Freemantle doctor is a godsend

I have a lot less hassle riding a road bike round the Perth area than I do riding round the Peak District!

It only seems expensive at the moment due to the exchange rate of 1.6, things were easier a few years ago when it was 2.8, but there’s not a lot you can do about that.

And who wouldn’t like to live somewhere warm and sunny?

bigjim – Member

having a beer in the OB in Cottesloe

agreed. 🙂

DSC_0303 by theflatboy, on Flickr

The trails may be good but he is almost guaranteed to die a painful death from a snake or crocodile or spider or shark. Everything in oz will kill you. That is a scientific fact based on science

Or magpie.

One drew blood from me when it attacked me as I just cycled down the road in Ellenwood.

Best stay in the UK to die of pneumonia.

Summers are very hot. Freemantle doctor is great until you get bored of the continual wind blowing. Perth was said by my Aussie cousin, the retirement town. I liked it, but weird that you drive down a residential road and then the pavements carry on and the outback takes over. Caversham Zoo is a wacky place. Downtown , I thought was a bit cowboy and indian swinging doors sort of place. Rocknest Island is a nice place to rent a bike and zoom around.

Rottnest.

DSC_0391 by theflatboy, on Flickr

🙂

Perth is a bit like Milton Keynes on crack.

I preferred Fremantle.

And will forever regret not moving to Melbourne years ago when I had the chance.

ugly polluted industrial city

Terrible pollution, look at that sand, it’s just horrible and white, and that sea is horrible and blue.

Ugly Rotto

🙂 😛

The negatives ..

It’s quite remote (inc from the rest of Australia) – Australians from the rest of the country are reluctant to go there and a reasonable portion of locals like to move elsewhere to “see the world” and/or to work in more international/varied businesses

The pluses ..

Lots of opportunity
Fabulous eipc “countryside” and beaches inc Margaret River
Close (relatively) to Aisa for travel

I’m not anti australia, I’m anti my mate going. So all my negs were toungue in cheek made up. You lot are busy pissing on my chips..

Sorry to disappoint but Perth was my favourite place during 12 months travelling around the world. Nice weather, nice people, cracking surfing, stunning beaches and perfect if you like an outdoor lifestyle. I’d be living there now if it wasn’t for the mrs wanting to stay in good old blighty. Are you sure you can’t go too?

My brother moved out there three years ago. He’s now applying for residency. He gave up a job in London and a house in a Cornish coastal village for it. I’ll miss him.

mate of mine moved there about 10 years ago, she absolutely loves it.
i was talking to her on FB one day and she said “i will need to go, there are kangaroos in the bins” which was a bit surreal, and she does insist on putting pics of her and family beside her pool on xmas day, but apart from that it all seems good.
i personally wouldnt fancy it, too hot for me.

Perth is an ugly, polluted, industrial, cultureless shit hole.

Nope on all fronts. Perhaps doesn’t have the culture of Milan, Paris or Vienna, but then neither does most of the UK. It does however have a cracking botanic garden, great beaches, and usually good weather.

Its like a bloody desert and is susceptable to environmental catastrophe.

Nope. It’s pretty wet by southern Australian standards, not really prone to cyclones or owt either.

You can’t even go in the sea because of pollution/sharks.

Someone needs to tell the locals then, because they’re not aware of this 😯

It will cost him a fortune to get his bikes out there?

Depends on what you define as a fortune. You can easily move out all your stuff, car, the works (and flights) for under $10k. Really, door-to-door that’s not so much (flights alone for a family would be >$4k, so moving a whole house contents and car for $6k is pretty reasonable)

It is a bloody long way from anywhere else.

Can’t argue with that, it’s even a bloody long way from the rest of Australia!

The road safety is terrible anyway so no road biking/taking the kids to school.

Not really. I’d say the drivers are more careless, but a lot less homicidal compared to the UK. You can deal with careless drivers easily enough by being aware of your surroundings

Like is there any decent AM/Dh there?

Yes, to a point. Also, it’ll be nice enough weather to do it all year round.

Aren’t the people all racsist and likely to kidnap his kids?

No

The Aus govt is as corrupt and effed up as ours, maybe worse?

Almost

I have been here for 18 months now and like it. My ride to work is 20 mins along the river path which drops me outside the office. Summer is too hot but winter here is better than an english summer. The local trails are pretty good and more are being constructed all the time. I’m glad I made the decision to move over.

Got in late on this one, so most of its already been said. All I can add is that you should look at it this way Toys – once your mate’s over here, you’ll be having some great holidays… 😀

My points are:
Perth is an ugly, polluted, industrial, cultureless shit hole.

Perth the city is just a city. WA is stunning.

Its like a bloody desert and is susceptable to environmental catastrophe.

Welcome to the world.

You can’t even go in the sea because of pollution/sharks.

What pollution? Sharks in the sea? Get t’ ****? Where else would they be?

It will cost him a fortune to get his bikes out there?

If you’re sponsored you might get a relocation pack. I shipped the entire contents of my house, garden and shed. (I say garden, I mean the stuff, not the grass etc)

It is a bloody long way from anywhere else.

Nowhere is far away if you have the time.

The road safety is terrible anyway so no road biking/taking the kids to school.

Road safety is no worse than anywhere else. We have tonnes of cycle paths.

Like is there any decent AM/Dh there?

Yes.

Aren’t the people all racsist and likely to kidnap his kids?

Only narrow minded poms get kidnapped. Fact.

The Aus govt is as corrupt and effed up as ours, maybe worse?

Sheesh.

Sheesh.

I assume you meant “STREWTH!” ❓

“**** oathe mate”

Is bloody really in the swear filter?

EDIT: Nope, appears not – must be Australia’s second favourite word you wrote then 🙂

As said above, I’ve been here for 18 months now and the only drawbacks I can think of is:

It’s expensive – even on a decent salary the potential to blow a months wages is all too easy. This is probably the number 1 reason we’ll move back to the UK – the biggest factor being the cost of buying housing if you don’t want to commute a great distance (not helped by the exchange rate at the moment either if you manage to sell a UK propoerty and bring money over)

Plusses:

Relaxed friendly people (except when they’re driving oddly)
Great weather (can get a bit too hot in summer sometimes)although it’s actually been lashing it down all day – rain, an unusual novelty!
The city is lovely to live around – has everything you need – ignore arguments about remotest place/no culture etc.

I’d say that the biggest thing you get out of moving away from the UK is a new perspective. There are a lot of things in the UK that aren’t as bad as they’re made out to be.

We do miss friends, the historic sights, twisty interesting roads,green fields and the mountains of Wales (and possibly my family a little bit…)

I’d recommend it – not want you want to hear though 😀

Rich

Ok I’m running out of ammo here, damn you all. What about schools? He ahs tewo littlies, one, is about to start primary. I trhink he would be interested in private schools?
Unfortunatly I don’t think the cost of living is an issue, he’s got a job on the equivalent of £80k Sterling.

It is expensive compared to UK but I find the wages refelct that. The other bonus for me is I get paid every fortnight and working for the government I can salary sacrifice, basically meaning I pay less tax. I find fuel for vehicles much cheaper, gas and leccy cheaper, car insurance cheaper. I can’t really fault it. I was here for 2 years, went back to UK for a year, realised I’d made a huge mistake and came back. Currently my employer is starting the ball rolling to sponsor me for permanant residency.

Today it rained. I cycled to work, got soaked but as it hasn’t rained for a couple of months it was quite a novelty. Oh, and it wasn’t cold. I can sit on the beach and watch the sea for hours. Always wanted to live by the sea and now we do. Couldn’t be happier.

Kids you say? Uh oh, you’ve done it now, Perth is paradise for kids! We moved here when my daughter was three specifically so she could have the kind of childhood I always wanted…

Schools aren’t great academically (WA regularly comes out badly on national academic league tables), but are wonderful small, friendly, outdoorsy places that produce well rounded kids.

Here’s me and Perthette on the morning school run (that’s the school behind us)…

Oh I remember the huge downside of W.A. this is the clincher.

A lot of the grassy areas have these thorny things in them that are like “manxmen” they alwasy have a vicious spikey thing that sticks in your foot, really painfull.

Oh I have another one, you will become intollerant to cold, after living in W.A. for 2 years I dont think I felt warm in the UK for about a year.

I’m not anti australia, I’m anti my mate going. So all my negs were toungue in cheek made up. You lot are busy pissing on my chips..

Why don’t you just put some Celine Dion on and tell him the real reason you don’t want him to go?

Just speaking to a colleague in the Perth office, they’re having their second day of proper rain in 4 months or something. Does sound like it has got even more expensive though, he found a bar of Green & Blacks for $8

Oh, and it wasn’t cold

It’s bloody freezing over here in Adelaide – didn’t even get to 30C today! Pah!

I don’t think the cost of living is an issue, he’s got a job on the equivalent of £80k Sterling.

That’s pretty good, but in Perth I’d wager that’s more like GBP40k and living in London at true value i.e. comfortable, but not loaded. Depends very much on how far out he’s prepared to live.

Just MTFU and tell your mate how you feel about him. Maybe he’ll “take” you instead of the wife and kids.