Living in Western Australia

[notnearlyasblondasiwas]

Looking for some advice on living in Western Australia. DH is looking for a mining job and we are planning on relocating. I was wondering if anyone had any experience of either living in Perth with a Partner doing fly in, fly out or living residentially in a mining town. Am keen to hear the good and the bad, so let me know what it is really like and what I could be getting myself and DD into!

[roary]

Can't speak to your dilemma directly but have lived in perth and return looks imminent for us. Bear in mind that Perth is the worlds most isolated major city and regional WA is even more isolated, and thus seriously different from the UK. Obviously will depend on where your dh is working but I think moving the family to Kalgoorlie would be dire and you'd all enjoy living in Perth more, even with separations.

A friend was a junior prosecutor and went all around rural WA to try cases. He said he could guess his success rate by the number of jurors wearing shoes!

Again this will all depend on where you are looking there and also your lifestyle here, where you live, etc.

[roary]

Also the skimpies....

[perfectingmygrowl]

no advice but my dh is considering the same for central queensland (not his preferred career but its what my fil and bil do on fly in fly out basis ). If he goes ahead then i'll be talking to their wives to gather tips....happy to share what i find out

[roary]

I should explain that skimpies are bars where the waitresses are scantily clad. There are some mining towns in WA where it is virtually impossible to get a meal without going to a skimpy! We have another friend (woman) who found business trips to mining towns a bit challenging as a result. But again this will depend heavily on where your DH is looking to work.

[NettoSuperstar]

I was a skimpy for almost two years, worked all over southern WA and then was based in Kalgoorlie, but that was way back before DD.

Roary is right, the girls are everywhere, if that bothers you about DH being fi/fo, and the culture is that of hard work and hard drinking.
It's very um bogan!
There is, or was money to be made, but lots of relationships don't stand it, and those with sense do it as single men, make the money and leave to get married/have a family.

Saying that, Kal has OK (relatively speaking) areas, and some nice restaurants, but it's so isolated.
Smaller towns have nothing but the minesite, pub(s) maybe a shop and a roadhouse and some are just really weird (Collie anyone?!).

If the money is really good, and your kids are really young, I'd at a push consider Kal for a few years, depending on what it's like now. My experience is of 12 years ago but as soon as the kids are school age I'd go back to Perth.

I got pg in Kal, and said to exdp that I'd stay for 5 more years, because then, the rents were cheap, he had a good job, I could have gone back to work, we had great friends and would have needed minimal childcare, as he worked 6am-6pm and I did 3-5pm till 10-12, I could also take time off whenever I wanted, and could do a 3 day week, right up to 7 days depending what I wanted.

5 years was my limit though, as I didn't want my child to go to school there.

We came back to the UK anyway and baby was born here.

[roary]

Netto I hope we haven't scared the OP away with our talk of skimpies . It must have been quite an experience working out there.

[NettoSuperstar]

It certainly was an experience but I loved it and had a great time, plus the money was great!
I got to travel loads and see parts of Aus that other backpackers never do.