[Closed] Perth (Australia)

A looong time ago hitched across Australia,(heading towards Perth) women stopped me and asked me to drive as she had been going for 24hrs and wanted to sleep in the backseat with her kids, paid me too (cash!!). Perth is a long way from anywhere else.

Horrid.

A friend moved there a couple of years back and absolutely hated it. Expensive, remote, backwardly conservative, and parochial with just too much of a hint of racism and chauvinism apparently. She's now moved to Sydney and loves it.

Lived there for 2 years in the late 80's, small quiet with stunning beaches. Got very very hot. A lot bigger now from all accounts, Cottlesloe and Scarborough were fun places, the Old Melbourne Hotel was good for live music.

Freemantle was a dump but I think that has changed.

The most isolated city in the world, allegedly. Didn't stop me from spending five weeks there, and that was back in........jeez-oh....twenty years ago? 1990? What have I done with my life?

Anyway, before I slink off for a cry, let me say that I thought it a lovely place to visit. Still have friends there. they say the summers are very hot, albeit with a breeze off the Indian Ocean, and the winters are warmer than our summers (although, that's no real struggle, eh?).
Plenty of space around if heading inland, or up/down the coast a bit.

Bought my first ounce of grass there, and got my first proper seeing-to there as well (unrelated incidents), so it is dear to my heart, etc.
Wish I could remember her name. A lovely Kiwi lassie. What was the club we went to....oh yeah, The Hip-E Club.

Swan River runs through the town, and there's a lovely big park - King's Park, I think.

Are you sold yet? Bon voyage.

I loved living in Perth. I was working as a cycle courier and the grass roots mountain bike scene both riding and racing were well established too. Not the best riding in the world but plenty of good stuff.

I eventually got more into my windsurfing out there as the conditions out there are truly World Class.

I enjoyed the night life which was very varied. Never forget walking into a pub for a Sunday Lunch to hear some pretty hardcore tunes blasting out from what i thought was the beer garden. When i got up to have a look it was a full on Rave complete with scantily dressed women dancing in cages. An amazing lunch followed by much debauchery followed!

Go for it and try it out even if just for a couple of years. Lots of amazing places nearby and not too busy. Learn to surf, windsurf, kitesurf etc and you will enjoy it even more.

A friend has moved over there with his young family. They love it. They both windsurf and he's just taken up kite surfing so that helps. Its miles from anywhere but so is australia. I'm heading out there just after xmas for a visit.

My mates just gone there to work. He's loving it. It is a bit remote though.

Lived there for a few years...moved back to Scotland 2 years ago now missing Oz like mad!

Perth is a great place for lots of reasons....

It can get a bit boring and the Australians have given it the tag "dullsville" due to some strange laws and regulations.

The city centre is really a CBD and is empty at night and weekends.

Lot's of subarbs which all have there own vibe!

Stunning beach's for swimming,kayaking,kitesurfing etc. Amazing diving and some MTB trails in the "Hills"

Sam Hill lives there!

West Australia can give you the true Ozzie Experience.

The West is also still booming thanks to the natural resources so some decent work around.

Glad I have got an Ozzie Passport!

Go for it!

There's good and bad in Perth. Bad includes anything to do with the cops who are headkickers even by Australian standards. Living costs are relatively high. Apartheid-like situation with Aboriginals even by Australian standards. Weather ridiculously hot. Urban sprawl can be a problem. Whole state's economy relying on extractives.

Good includes more outdoorsy stuff, 4wding (if you're into that), surfing/beachy stuff etc.

I'd try to be down towards Margaret River (Bunbury is probably the spot if you need a bigger town as a base) if you have the choice; bit cheaper to live, better riding (with some unbelievable stuff in the pipeline), good breweries and wineries, not as hot as Perth, not as arid as Perth, still great beaches etc.

But it absolutely is remote - drive 20 hours up the coast from Perth and you are only about half way up that stretch of coast line; not even close to being out of the state. REMOTE. Adelaide (home - woot! 🙄 ) is the next nearest major city; and the distance is measured in days not hours!

One more thing which may not be important to you: anecdotally, public education in WA is much worse than in the rest of Oz.

Its a great place to live, very friendly and there is a good cycling community. Most bike shops are really switched on to all types of riding and do shop rides in the mornings around the river and beyond.
Its very upwardly mobile place with lots of money around mainly because of the mining etc so if your in that line of work you can't go wrong.
Australia is no longer a cheap place to live though, the cost of living is high and the pound is a lot weaker to the dollar than it used to be and will probably stay that way while our interest rates are so low any way!
Perth especially expensive as its far away from the east coast and has a sense of independence which I like but others might find it parochial!
Lived there for a long time and might do again but would look to the east coast for more going on and there are real mountains to ride!

I'm here and still loving it after 12 months....i was in aberdeen before and in some ways it is pretty similar, smallish city, miles from anywhere, centered on the resource industry, better weather here though obviously

Like lots of others said it can be expensive to live here, i'd seriously consider giving it a go if i were you though.