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Congratulations. When are you planning on coming over?

This came with us from the UK. It's an advent tree, each of the 24 little drawers contains a different decoration.

I think we need a little more information. Are you already in Oz? What reason was given?

You're welcome. I always thought an Aussie Santa should wear board shorts and sunnies. Not sure how he'll get in the house this year. We've no chimney.

Aussie Santa!

I can sum up the best thing about Perth in two words... The people. Everybody we've met has been friendly and helpful. There's also the weather, the wildlife, the beaches, the traffic, the stars at night, the laid back attitude, the fresh fruit and veg and the space. Apart from that, what has Perth ever done for us?* * Life of Brian reference.

Mandawhat?! I have enough problems pronouncing Clarkson.

Had to check where Amberton was.. It looks like you're looking for a quiet life (not a bad thing). We considered Yanchep but felt it was too far out for us. After looking around, we settled on Edgewater, an older area near Joondalup. It's lovely here, but don't tell anyone, it's a secret Good luck with the rest of the trip. Let us know how you get on.

The barbie has been used almost every day this week. Roast lamb with mint and garlic for us tonight. Also popped some beetroot in tin foil and roasted those. The honey glazed pineapple went well this week too. At this rate I'll be barbecuing corn flakes for breakfast!

Sounds like you've had a busy week! Great to hear that you've been spending your time well. Which areas are you looking to buy in?

It's amazing how quickly kids pick up accents. We recently met a couple with 2 kids. I asked if they were born here. They'd only moved to Australia in March!

Congratulations! Does that mean you're no longer Poms?

I don't drink Tea but Tim Tams with coffee is exquisite. Just out of curiosity, I've just tried Tim Tams with red wine. Not good.. I'm a trained stuntman, don't try this at home.

Congratulations! That'll make an interesting Christmas present for you.

Bought this yesterday.. Our first Aussie Barbie! It was a bit of a bugger to assemble but it works well enough and was only $130. I'm sure that over time we'll be looking at something a bit better but for the time being (to paraphrase an old rag trade expression).. Never mind the quality, feel the width.

IKNWC but.. I'm going to Joondalup beer and cider festival on Saturday. Taxi home I think

Quote: I only joined the forum to try to get advice on the visa application as we were going it alone and could never have imagined how it would lead to so much amazing support and advice. I have made some very good friends and cannot thank the moderators of PP enough for this fantastic site. They moderate the posts so well and allow us all to ask for support and help in a friendly relaxed environment (which is not always the case on other forums) I completely agree with this.. And it's got me thinking. Are the people on here happier people because they're in Perth? Or do happier people move to Perth? I know some move here for the money, but I've never met a geologist or a nurse I didn't like.

No answers so far? Let's give this a bump. I don't have any rug rats myself but K Mart sell them and I've found it one of the cheapest places to buy household items. There's also gumtree and swap meets. There's a big swap meet in Wanneroo every Sunday and there were plenty for sale last weekend. However, I don't think I'd buy a second hand child seat for safety reasons. Anyway, I'm sure someone will come along with more experience than I and give you some better advice. Good luck finding one.

Congrats for lodging the visa! If it makes any difference, I had a few "Holy crap... Why am I moving to Australia?" moments before we left the UK. Now, I have moments of "Holy crap! I'm in Australia.. And loving it"

Here's another opinion... If you're saving about $50 a week on rental for a house without air-con (as you should), you could buy a portable unit every couple of months BYW Our Aussie born friend (who grew up without air-con) told us that it's more difficult to acclimatise to the weather if you're constantly using it. Since then I tried not to become dependant on air-con, I don't use it in the car and have only switched it on in the house once. The Mrs, on the other hand, has used it as much as possible. Consequently, I'm managing with the heat much better than the wife.

Mindarie marina is lovely, not quite as commercial as Hillarys. You could also take a trip up to Yanchep to see the koalas and roos.

Rob; we're only about 20 minutes away, we'd pop round and join you for a pint but this hot tub is too nice to leave

Just so you know it's me.. I'll be the one wearing a pink carnation.

I was going to go to the parade... Then I read that it's the last day of the beer festival.. And The Beards are playing! Only joking. I'm going to try my best to make it for the parade just so I can see a your home made whale

I work in a call centre on the phones, the wife is going to be a practice nurse at a medical centre. Her job is only part time hours but our joint income will be enough to be comfortable. We always said that we weren't going to chase big money over here (we could both earn much more if we wanted) but we wanted to have a happy life.