DandyDon Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Hi All, I have been looking through the internet at various websites without much in great success. I have just encountered this website/forum and will be trawling these message boards looking for advice. As I have just registered and this is my first post. I am a single guy, moving to Perth in the next 2 weeks with only what I can squeeze into a couple of suitcases (through work for a 2year minimum stay) and suddenly am little unsure at the tasks involved in where to stay, what to do, how to set myself up etc. As per my topic title, it would be appreciated if I could have any feedback on any issues regarding the following Websites and advice on suburbs? Popular / friendliest suburbs for expats? Popular / friendliest suburbs for bars / restaurants? Popular / best sites for renting furnished apartments/house? with or close to parks/gyms best sites for money transfers from UK to/from OZ? Car dealerships / websites in Perth area for researching and purchase/financing deals? Any popular golf resorts for expats? or any other specific tips for what to do or in what urgency I should address any of the above? Thanks & Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Hi and welcome to the forum. I hope I can help. 1. The members here can help with a lot of suburb advice as we have people all over Perth. A lot will come down to budget and of course where you will be working as Perth is VERY spread out and it could take a coupe of hours north to south. For people working fairly central, Fremantle is very popular - lots of bars and restaurants and also beach and a nice vibe. But, not cheap. 2. Furnished places are very rare - mainly just short term /holiday lets which would be VERY expensive to stay in long term. Such places are on sites like stayz.com.au You might be best looking at a house / apartment share as these would be furnished. Gumtree is good for that. The main web site for normal unfurnished rentals is realestate.com.au 3. Money corp are best for this and they have there own part of the forum on here and I believe members get a discount. You can post to John from there directly on the forum. He is UK based so will be able answer closer to real time. 4. There are millions of car dealerships about and I don't think any are particularly better or worse than others. With financing, I am guessing you are coming on a 457 visa? In which case, be aware that car finance will be limited to a duration of just under the visa duration. So, if you have a 4 year visa, they will only offer finance to be paid off over 3.5 years. 5. There are lots of golf courses around Perth. Ones that are likely to have a lot of expats would be Joondalup and The Vines as there are a lot of expats live in these areas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scot01 Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Depends how far you want to live away from the city centre and budget. Suburbs with a bit of life are Subiaco, Mt Lawley, Leederville Fremantle Scarborough for starters. Good public golf course in Wembley gumtree for accommodation and everything else. Car dealerships - lots in Victoria Park Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Hi @DandyDon.... Welcome to the forum. Very hard to say what suburb is best as Perth is very spread out and it will depend on where you are working. Rule of thumb is that the closer to Perth city, the dearer rentals will be. It is very unusual to find furnished accommodation in Perth, apart from short term holiday accommodation, which can be very expensive. The majority of rentals are unfurnished, but will come with a water heater and cooker. Gumtree is a brilliant place to source second hand goods and you can get some really good bargains as there are a lot of people leaving Perth at the moment and selling their belongings cheaply. Bear in mind though that WA is in the midst of a depression and if you find a property you are interested in renting, that you can haggle the rental price. There are so many rentals empty at the moment that it is a renters market. There are Parks and gyms in just about every suburb... some better than others, but no shortage of either. As far as money transfer is concerned, contact John at Moneycorp (who advertises and posts on this forum). if you say you are a Perth Poms member you will get a discount, or even free transaction. John is a very helpful and knowledgeable guy and has in fact just been out to WA and many of us have met him and had business dealings with him. I recommend him unreservedly. Cars... well it depends if you want to buy new or second hand. If you know a bit about cars and are happy to buy privately, Gumtree is the way to go. If not, there are two main areas of car dealers in Perth. One is in Osborne Park on Scarborough Beach Road, and the other is in Victoria Park along Albany Highway. As always with these sorts of places, there are goodies and baddies. John Hughes however is a very honest and ethical car dealer and very well respected in WA. He has both a second hand yard and various dealerships with new cars. Just google "John Hughes Car Dealer" and you will find a plethora of information. I don't personally know the guy, but I have many friends and family who have dealt with him and who will not go anywhere else..... so I recommend him on their say so. Golf courses are everywhere and many are public courses. I don't play golf so can't give any specific recommendations, but perhaps just google and see what you come up with. I hope we have been able to give you some help in your journey, but please come back with any other queries or questions you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandyDon Posted March 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Thanks for your advise guys! I have been through quite a few of the threads on this forum and found quite a few helpful tips/sites etc. I've definitely learned a few things on here I wouldn't otherwise have figured out until it was probably too late. I will be working in Wangara, north of Perth, therefore looks like i'll be apartment hunting in the northern suburbs. I've made contact with Moneycorp and visited the car dealer websites. Picked up on some probable cost of living expenses to be aware of etc. I can't access the gumtree website today but will make time to carry out some searches within the site. Greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 So glad we could help you ... let us know how you get on and get back to us if you need any other info.... or indeed just to vent or let us know how your transition to WA went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Be aware, that it can cost more for an apartment than a house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz Posted April 19, 2016 Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 Here is a link for golf courses in Perth, you will have two close to your work, Joondalup and Carramar gold course. http://publicaccessgolf.com.au/tag/perth/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibbs Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 One tip, when looking at a house, take a trip to the local IGA or corner shop and have a watch of the locals. Will give you an idea of the people you'll be living with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfie Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 One tip, when looking at a house, take a trip to the local IGA or corner shop and have a watch of the locals. Will give you an idea of the people you'll be living with. Thats a bit harsh surely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 Thats a bit harsh surely. I've seen it recommended lots of times - that the Mal/local shopping centre is a good indication of the suburb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 One name comes to mind when thinking about a traditional English pub, "The moon & thesixpence". Its actually in city centre Perth. Otherwise, Kingsley pub is very popular with xpats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibbs Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 I've seen it recommended lots of times - that the Mal/local shopping centre is a good indication of the suburb Yup. I once saw a woman chasing her husband with a length of 4x2 in the car park. They were both high/drunk. One of the bystanders said "this happens all the time round here". I didn't buy the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibbs Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 Thats a bit harsh surely. Harsh, maybe. But it tells you what kinda neighborhood you are looking at. A shop full of stoners or meth-heads isn't the area you want to live if you have kids, is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 Judging people in shopping centres may work but my priority has always been a good state school and the rest worked out fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 Good state schools in established areas had less students overall than some of the newer suburbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 One tip, when looking at a house, take a trip to the local IGA or corner shop and have a watch of the locals. Will give you an idea of the people you'll be living with. Have you not heard the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.