Moving to Perth - What to expect

So after putting it off for so long, I have finally come around to writing this post after spending 10 months in Perth.

DISCLAIMER:  What I describe here are purely my personal experiences!

Having spent 11 years in India, I moved to Perth on June 2019 after making a life altering decision to get married to an Aussie. Like everyone who moves to a new city, I did my fair share of research via Google/Youtube, asking around and my husband did his best to describe to me what I’m in for.

But nothing prepares you for the real thing like experiencing it yourself and once I landed here, what hit me the most was the beauty of the place. The beautiful quiet suburbs with perfectly manicured gardens, the bustling city with its walkways, the pristine beaches, the magnificent huge trees so completely native to Australia, that I had never seen them anywhere else I have been. The air was so fresh, the traffic was light and the people I met so polite. To be completely honest, having lived in multiple countries and being fairly well-traveled, I was not expecting to fall in love with this city this quickly but I did.

So coming to facts, first let me talk about the weather.

Summer months are usually from November to March and be warned, it can get hot! Especially during Christmas week, where temperatures have been recorded anywhere between 35 and 40 degree Celsius. Yup, we are talking about a Summer Christmas!! On the plus side, as the humidity isn’t as much as where I come from, I found it a lot easier to cope, simply by limiting outdoor activities to a minimum at the hottest times of the day. Also as days are longer, you get daylight hours till 8 pm which gives you plenty of time to unwind at the beach or parks in late evenings. And you cannot find a more perfect time for those BBQ dinner catch-ups!

It starts getting chilly usually around mid-April and the coldest months are generally July and August with some occasional light rain with average  temperature range of 15 degree Celsius. Days are shorter and gloomier. But provided you are adequately layered up and have heating systems in your house and cars, one can’t say the cold actually interrupts your life process in any manner.

As for living arrangements, you can choose to live in a city apartment or in a sea or a lake facing bungalow or a house in the suburbs. Honestly its up to what you prefer and how it suits your finances but what actually impressed me was the fact that all the suburbs are designed to have parks and dog parks within walking distance which more than compensates for any lack of space or backyard that one may not have in their home.

       

    

Another fact that makes living here so efficient, is how every suburb is less than 5 minutes away from the closest supermarket and within 5 km of the nearest shopping mall. Well it is no secret that shopping is my primary purpose of existence and having lived in Dubai for a huge chunk of my life, my expectations were quite high and trust me, those were more than met. Boxing day sales and Mid-season sales are the best time to splurge and otherwise as well, you get a lot of branded products at very reasonable rates. Or you could always just walk into the more affordable department stores like Target or Kmart and come out with 2 full carts, wondering why you are suddenly broke. Either ways, hold on tight to your wallets because this place will make you spend more than you intend!

Talking about supermarkets, what actually surprised me was the fresh produce and meat and the quality of it all. I love how organic fruits and vegetables are available at much cheaper prices than u can find anywhere else simply because of the fact that it's all local produce. I found groceries and retail in general to be very reasonably priced here. Plus there are so many Indian grocery stores, you pretty much get everything you will need in terms of cooking, confectionery and even Desi hair care and skin products!

Another amazing thing about Perth is the food. From Gami’s Korean Fried chicken to Sienna’s Italian food to the Spanish Pinchos to Tony Roma's ribs to 6 senses Thai food.. Well I could keep going on and on and on (I’m totally going to dedicate another post entirely to the food I have had here). However, contrary to retail, dining out is expensive. A meal for 2 in a decent restaurant will cost you 50AUD at the least. This can be attributed to the high minimum wages standard in Australia, justifying the high costs in maintaining the working staff in a restaurant. However, this in turn ensures the highest quality and taste of food because if people do not experience the worth for the money they are paying, it would eventually lead to the closure of the restaurant.

Regarding entertainment, there are many multiplexes with all the current English movies and most of the new Bollywood releases. Local Indian language releases are more limited and usually come much later than their release in India. Well, its not like you will run out of things to watch if you have Netflix or Amazon Prime or Stan or all of the above, so all good. There are plenty of bars in the city and surrounds, most with pretty good live music. Or you could always head down to Crown Casino which is open round the clock for a shot at luck. Also if you are here on a short visit, be on the lookout for the concerts, Comedy Nights and musicals playing out over the weekend.

                                                                        

Now something else that completely impressed me and I feel I should talk about was the Bunnings hardware store..yes.. you heard it right! So its this massive store with everything I could imagine, from screws and bolts to paint accessories and wooden planks and model kitchens and everything you need for your garden. Name it and you can find it there. So if you ask me why I was impressed, it is the mere fact that how if you randomly decided to take on a small DIY project like repairing the fence or a ginormous project like building a house or a garden shed, you can be sure everything you need is in there. So currently it’s my most favorite place to explore around.

Regarding driving in Perth, you can apply for a learner’s driving licence even on a Tourist Visa and give your practical test after a period of 6 months. That's one bridge I need to cross. Soon. Maybe. Okay, definitely. Learning to drive is a necessity of sorts here, especially if you do not want to spend your life savings commuting daily using Uber. Perth's public transport system combining buses,trains and ferries is known as Transperth. This is very helpful if you are residing in the main city and your place of work is located near the bus and train stations. However as the suburbs are further spread out over a comparatively larger area, reaching these stations could take a fairly long walk, and in the evenings these services are less frequent.

Like I said all these experiences are purely mine. So I hope this helps anyone who wants to visit or is planning to move here.

Now coming to the best part of Perth, the places you absolutely need to visit!! Well I guess that’s what my next article is going to be about.

Till I see you again.