KLO

Yep I agree. I live here! And I live in (and love) the older suburbs too BTW, more leafy, less concrete, more character! I think maybe you meant this message for the OP?

Oh yes I know Lance Holt - great school. Friends with kids there are very happy with it.

Not sure if you know that South Fremantle High is merging with Hamilton High School to become Fremantle College in 2017 (or maybe it's 2018) - the govt is spending some 30 million on the project, and it will have a gifted and talented program, science focus, and lots of other great resources. So should be good. And it's on the South Freo campus.

Portlaunay, which school is your daughter at? I 'm keen to learn more about any exceptional schools in the area!

Oh Flames123, finding a rental from overseas is so tough! Hammy Hill - parts of it are fantastic, walking distance to the beach. My twin sister lives there near Manning Park, and that's a great place. Some parts of it are rough as guts. Same as Willagee, although Willagee definitely has more scary parts than Hammy Hill. Both have a fair bit of older housing stock. Willagee has a great nature playground. Hammy Hill does have some really big power lines but only in a few sections of the suburb. If you are going to go for Willagee try looking at the part closer to Kardinya Estate, not the part nearer Leach Highway. If you are looking at Hammy Hill, aim to get a house west of Carrington St. It's much nicer. If I had to choose one over the other it would be Hammy Hill. Listen I have lived in 'desirable' suburbs like East Freo and rougher suburbs (Hilton) and all I can say is that in the rougher suburbs the community is usually stronger, but it's street by street as to the desirability. As you have already identified. You need to be able to check out the neighbours, look for unkempt houses close by which tend to be a sign of Homeswest, which CAN (but not always) be an indicator of some anti social behaviours. All the Homeswest families near me are lovely, and quiet, but that's only since the really bad ones got evicted I don't know how many kids you have or what ages they are, but a huge backyard isn't always a great thing here. It's really hot and dry, you don't want to be responsible for trying to keep 600sqm of grass alive from October - April, believe me. There are lots of fantastic parks in most suburbs. I have 3 boys and a smallish garden - just enough grass for a bit of a kick around and some handstands, and of course the obligatory vegie garden, but lots of local parks within walking distance. Your kids will spend plenty of time outdoors anyway, believe me - at school, at the beach, at the park, at the river.

Depends which culture you are talking about! My experience of these suburbs (my parents live next to Bullcreek in Bateman) is they are pretty similar. Some parts of Bullcreek are near the river, which is nice. Also some good schools. Some parts of Kardinya are lovely and some are decidedly not, so be careful there! Bibra Lake might also be an option for you. Big houses there. And still good for Seton I think.

Certainly our experience was that some suburbs are easier. You always have to make an effort and seize whatever work, sporting or child related opportunities come your way. We found that living in a suburb where there were a lot of people who had moved from interstate or overseas was far better than living in a suburb where everyone is still best friends with the people they went to school with. Obviously. And I am saying this as a person who actually went to high school here, though moved away afterwards and returned 20 years later

Seton looks like a lovely campus. My neighbour's kids go there and they are great kids: articulate, thoughtful, confident - so that bodes well. We live in Hilton which is the suburb next to where Seton is (walking/ cycling distance) and it's by far the most welcoming community I've experienced in Perth - we've made some fantastic friends through the local primary school. It's got a local community garden, shops, cafes, an amazing patisserie, hairdressers, soccer & cricket clubs, bottle shops, even a (bit daggy) pub all within walking distance, which is a bit uncommon in Perth. You CAN cycle to the beach (I've never done it as it's largely uphill on the way back!) or it's a 5 min drive. The local Catholic school (which I imagine is a feeder to Seton as it's around the corner) is Our Lady of Mount Carmel. One of my son's friends attends there and seems to love it. 600k would get you something in Hilton but I'm not sure what your expectation of 'good' is! Other nearby suburbs which are still probably cycling distance to Seton and a bit more affordable are Coolbellup and Hamilton Hill. You're gonna love it here

Two affordable and 'up and coming' suburbs (with very strong very welcoming local communities, which is important in Perth which can be a hard city to make friends in, and local shops) between Fremantle and Fiona Stanley are Coolbellup and Hilton, both a 5 min drive to Freo and 10 min drive to FSH. Samson also good - slightly older but large houses. Although less of a community vibe there. Leeming and Bibra Lake are also good suggestions, although further from the ocean. Don't get stuck in one of those horrible suburbs along the Freeway with no trees, houses that take up the entire block, and air-conditioning running 24/7. They look good in theory (Freeway access good for the hospital) but the congestion will kill you!

You made the right decision. Perth is awesome!

I think Nedlands is in the Shenton College catchment zone, which is an excellent state high school (so you don't have to pay the private school fees if that isn't your thing). But there are certainly more affordable areas that are just as nice as Nedlands. Also, something to note - a lot of people in those old established western suburbs are 'old money perth' and very cliquey. You might have an easier time making friends in a different area.

You might struggle to find a place that is fully furnished - unless you are happy paying far more expensive short term let fees. It's just not very common here. You'd probably be better off getting unfurnished and paying $90 for Ikea to deliver a truckload of flatpack to you! Also, Mosman Park is probably going to be just fine, lots more high density homes there so you'll find something for $400 per week. It's a good location. And much cheaper than Cottesloe, but so close - also close to Freo on the train for a night out.

At the International School they follow British enrolment ages and calendar (school year statrs in july not feb) so kids can start much earlier. My 3.5 year old will be starting 4 year old kindy there at the end of January '16 - so different than for my oldest child who went through the state school system and started 4 year old kindy when he was closer to 5! The school is great because there are lots of newcomers in the same boat so they have a very active social scene and its easy to make friends. But is most certainly is NOT cheap!

Have you joined your local Playgroup? That was singlehandedly the best way I found to make friends. And my husband joined the local soccer team to meet guy friends, that worked well too.

We used to have several au pairs attend playgroup (like a free mothers group) with their charges, so they still had routine and were able to make friends. Definitely a sensible financial option - we are going down that route ourselves, with one day of day care to keep up the education aspect (our current daycare is amazing)

Hi As a Mum of 3 littlies, I feel your pain. Those numbers you crunched (around 110 per child for day care, 30 for after school care) are about right. The other thing to consider is when your child starts 4 year old kindy (which in the state system is 5 days per fortnight) then even if you put them in before/after school care on the days they attend, the care providers usually charge THE FULL DAY RATE. Cheeky, isn't it. They don't charge this for Pre-Primary or above. You know what though? We've been here four years and I can honestly say it is THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD to raise kids. Particularly if you can live close to the beach and the river (river is a good option when the sea breeze comes in around lunchtime). Perhaps you could plan to get a house with a self contained studio or granny flat, and get yourself an au pair. It will save you heaps of money and give you all that childcare - plus usually au pairs are happy to do a few extra hours babysitting for cash, so you could have the occasional date night (if you are moving far from friends and family it is very handy to have a reliable babysitter). We are looking at moving to a house with extra accom for this very reason.

Hi Ladies Not sure if you are anywhere near Hilton (an outer suburb of Freo) but they have an amazing anyone-is-welcome playgroup on Friday mornings from 10-12 - at the Purple Palace at the back of Hilton Primary School (Rennie Crescent South). Sadly I now work Fridays so can no longer attend, but found it incredibly useful and welcoming when we first moved here - lots of the Mums are new or newish to Perth too, so not at all cliquey. Recommended! Cheers KLO