Hi Guys,

Company I work for has opportunities in Perth and me and the Mrs are thinking about a move for a few years, probably in the next 12-18 months. Any opinions on the Perth area as a place to live and the biking scene out there much appreciated.
Cheers for your views
Dave

dave , to be honest i have no idea . but ,

i have had a few friends ..(bike friendly folks) visit over there , with many glowing reports of the community. In some cases they returned to the eastern states only to pack up and moove over there .

for us easterners its a long ways off, with many thousands of killometers of dry - arid land between us.

the documentaries speak of many british expats falling in love with the place and a quite high ratio of them living in the communities.

the south corner of western australia seems beutifully picturesque and unique to any other part of aussie .

as for the biking scene ,,,cant be sure, but i have noticed over the last 10 years that the "baby boomers" are returning to bikes in droves , so it would not be inconceivable that the same effect isnt happening over there , although i picture it as a more 4 wheel drive friendly part of the nation.

might be a good idea to check out "advrider" for reports.

It's a sunny, bright, sprawling, modern city in the Aussie style with large areas of parks along the slow and wide Swan River. The city's architecture is a mix of classic, old brick and fret work, contrasted by towering shiny chrome and glass towers. The old neighbourhoods have character but the newer housing estates are spread out, lack decent public transport and require the use of a car (or bike in our case) to get anywhere. The beaches are within easy reach, and you'll need them because it gets and stays hot and dry for the majority of the warmer season (October through May).

It's an isolated place relative to the rest of Australia's population, three hours behind the east coast and doesn't get much air play on the news unless there's a big crime or heat wave, and in that regard it tends to look even further to the west. Its population comprises many different immigrant groups and because of that and the cultural diversity it has a refreshing and vitalised feeling to it. If I had a reason I'd go there to live for a while. Western Australia's economy is booming at the moment due to the minerals boom brought on by both Chinese and Indian investment and growth and there's a general feel to the place that it's in a goldrush time. The much higher prices (than the rest of OZ) for groceries, petrol and housing reflect that too.

The SW corner of the state (from Bussellton round to Augusta and on to Denmark) has some really good roads for riding but I'm afraid that in general there are not terribly many decent motorbike roads nearer the city.

Lotsa Poms live there so you might feel closer to home.


Oh, and wear your sunnies, a hat and sunblock.

Some more important information about Perth is as follows:
The WACA provides exceptional bounce and occasional swing depending on cloud cover.
Perth is bloody hot in summer.
The Matilda Bay brewery makes some very good beers. ( see above)
There are great beaches, but with occasional visits from 'noah's arks'.
Fremantle has a lively cafe scene.
The Margaret River district is a beautful wine producing area.
Perth is bloody hot in summer.
You can fish to your heart's content all the way to Kununurra. There is probably no fishing like it left on the planet. ( The ten metre tides can make very long piers useful)

Sean.

Saxon7 wrote:Some more important information about Perth is as follows:
The WACA provides exceptional bounce and occasional swing depending on cloud cover.
Perth is bloody hot in summer.
The Matilda Bay brewery makes some very good beers. ( see above)
There are great beaches, but with occasional visits from 'noah's arks'.
Fremantle has a lively cafe scene.
The Margaret River district is a beautful wine producing area.
Perth is bloody hot in summer.
You can fish to your heart's content all the way to Kununurra. There is probably no fishing like it left on the planet. ( The ten metre tides can make very long piers useful)

Sean.

Yeah and don't forget to tell him just how bloody hot it can get in summer when the Nothtwesterlys come in of the desert in central Oz.

WA is a very diverse place. From true desert in the Northern inland to a wonderful South West corner with tall forrests and green rolling pasture.
The big drawback is distance to get to the eastern states and the towns of the North

If you are thinking of moving and coming from Scotland, I would start applying the sunscreen now.
rossco

Hi Mate
practice taking the bottom part of your fairings off, you won't need them. It usually is about 40C for 10 days or so in high summer, but it's a dry heat and the wine is good. Great place to live, full of Brits and Sud Afrikans so can't be too bad.
RT

Thanks Guys!

So it's a bit warm in summer then? I've been to Saudi where it was 50 Celsius but dry heat; it was the 45 degrees with 100% humidity on the coast was the killer. It's all bloody hot and horrible though isn't it? 25 is a good summer's day here and comfortable for me!

Otherwise sounds great, if isolated. Difficult to get my head around your vast land mass! Fishing sounds bloody marvellous - my other hobby....and good wine and beer.....Well, we'll see if the right job comes up.

Cheers
Dave

It's the day in, day out sunshine that'd drive you off your path.

"Sunburnt faces around, with skin so brown, smiling zinc cream and crowds, Sunday's the beach never a cloud, It's just enough to make you want to cry..."

We've got too much sunshine, too much sunshine.
Midnight Oil

One of my favourite bands. ( the early stuff)

MT350Explorer wrote:Thanks Guys!

So it's a bit warm in summer then? I've been to Saudi where it was 50 Celsius but dry heat; it was the 45 degrees with 100% humidity on the coast was the killer. It's all bloody hot and horrible though isn't it? 25 is a good summer's day here and comfortable for me!

Otherwise sounds great, if isolated. Difficult to get my head around your vast land mass! Fishing sounds bloody marvellous - my other hobby....and good wine and beer.....Well, we'll see if the right job comes up.

Cheers
Dave

iIts a dry heat of the desert and not always. Usually only 4-5 times each summer and 3-4-5 days at a time.
Afternoons get a sea breeze usually, its not as bad as the horror stories are telling you.
32deg C is the average

Ta Rick!

Rick is correct, it's a pleasant place, bright and sunny, but have a look at this site for more specific details. It's true that the average is about right, but man, look at those record highs and minimal rainfall! There won't be much water left quite soon at that rate of lack of replenishment...

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/climate/station.jsp?lt=site&lc=9225

Often when averages of any kind are used it's a sort of dumbing down of facts.

you could chek out foxtel.com.au look for the riding WA show, it was a great show, when i watched it as they showed you the runs and rallies the show and shines etc. looked to be worth heading over there for

Agree with all of the above but it's interesting that we have no members in WA . Back in the day there were many "sandgropers " on the likes of R90S' s doing huge k's visiting us easterners , like Bear (not the Thoeming ) and Geoff . Surely some have bricks now ? Could be a challenge for us Aussies to get them on the best K forum ?
As mentioned WA is boom town central at the moment and whilst Perth is not in the mining area as such shortage of workers means Perth has to pay high wages too . What i'm getting at here is that you may think that your salary package is good but in context .....? For instance i've heard kitchen hands getting $100k.so factor in cost of living by WA standards not Scots , but do it by all means bet there will be a couple of us Aussies to meet you half way on the Nulli .

We do have members in WA. I met one of them, Cablebeacher - who is one of our earlier members, at the Broome airport in October 2010 on my Long Ride Round when I was Two Wheels Better, as he was eagerly looking over my bike. We've had a chat now and again on the forum. He rides a 1986 K100RS. Dunno about how many more though. 'Memberlist' doesn't allow searching by location.

G'day Dave,
I've lived in Western Australia for decades mate, so I suppose I'm meant to say that it's gods own country - or something like that.
Coming from Scotland, Perth would be a major shock to the system if you arrive mid-summer!
It can reach well over 40 degrees C in summer so riding in full gear can be a bit uncomfortable.
If you are after a life experience though, I can highly recommend it.
Western Australia is MASSIVE and about 90% desert. It covers every climate from the tropics up north to the cold southern ocean.
It is one of the few places left on earth that you can literally go days without seeing another person - if you want to.
The city of Perth is like most other cities I guess, it has its good points and its bad.
Personally I prefer the country towns and I live about 400kms from Perth on the cooler south coast, but I grew up in Perth so I know it well.
If there is anything you want to know to help you make a decision, feel free to contact me - if I can't answer straight off, I can definitely find the answer!
Wombat (Paul)

Cheers Paul, thanks for the reply.
At the moment I've a new role here covering Eastern Europe so I guess this has been put on hold for a while. That said there are opportunities coming up with my company now and again and I'm keeping my eye out for a suitable one. If the right one looms I'll defo apply for it. If I kake the move I reckon 400km is small beer in WA terms so a meet up would be a piece of cake!
Cheers
Dave