Does anyone know Bunbury in Australia?

[farawayplaces]

DH wants to apply for a job there. It would mean relocating the whole family. We have two DC. I know nothing about the city other than its in vaguely the same area as Perth.

Any insider information?

My DM’s close friend lives or lived there Western Australia. She’s now sadly in a nursing home but from what I recall it’s coastal city with a fair bit of activity, her DH still lives there.

@Virginiaplain - sharks in the sea?! They have shark nets now but really shark attacks in humans are quite rare still.

More from DS

"I think Australia has a lot to offer in terms of activities for kids….if they are into sport…..there are lots of opportunities. And from what I hear the schools are pretty good and I like the fact that they encourage kids to stand up and talk in front of class etc in a caring way….it’s great that they build up their confidence in this skill."

I’d do it for 5 years and think about permanency but I will say someone I know moved out there for 10-15 years for her husbands work and ended up regretting it due to illness and deaths back in England. She also missed England and wishes she’d never gone.

This shouldn't be an issue. It's a very senior role, hence why its so attractive to DH.

I wouldn't need to work.

I've passed through quite a few times on my way to and from Margaret River. It's a town rather than a city, as others have said it's not a place for shopping, with the exception of the wonderful Bunbury Farmer's Market. If you and your family would be happy with a very laid-back and beachy existence, you might love it. Its a beautiful part of the world, and the whole Margaret River area is quite leafy and relatively cool compared to the rest of WA. And if you are a wine fan you will be in heaven! If you thrive on urban culture, crowded cities and city living in general, Bunbury wouldn't be the place to go. If you would like glorious beaches, an outdoor lifestyle, sunshine and a laid back life, you should try it.

I can be wet too. I got soaked to my pants last time I was there.

DH was born there. If you want to live in a small Australian town that is highly heterogenic, it could be okay for you. You need to understand WA is very isolated geographically, even from the rest of Australia. There is no way we would ever live there. I find it very very boring.

Ah... we've stayed there for a few days when on holiday to the Perth/Margaret River regions.

It is a very small town and didn't seem to have anything much. Lovely beaches though and it has Koombana Bay where you can swim with dolphins!

It's lovely for a holiday but I don't think I'd want to live there because I'm used to big cities. Could you move to Perth instead?

Similar experience here although a bit further north in WA. The casual racism against Aboriginal people and the everyday sexism were absolutely unbelievable - completely blatant and seemingly normal. Really insular mindset and miles from anywhere. Nothing to do apart from have BBQs and go to the beach, which gets boring after a while. No bloody way would I live there.

I know Bunbury reasonably well, live in Australia and have close family in WA. I think the thing about regional australia is that it’s isolated in a way that people in the Uk find really hard to picture. Whereabouts do you live in the Uk?

Could you move to Perth instead?

The potential job is in Bunbury. It’s hardly a practical commute.

I pass by to get to Margaret River a few times a year, which is beautiful, I'm planning on moving down there once kids move out. Margs is probably too far to commute, but Dunsborough would be an hour, that is lovely if you like beaches and great food. Smiths Beach is gorgeous all year round.

We currently live in a city in the South.

We definitely couldn't have DH commuting from Perth. It's too far, we would literally never see him.

My sister went some years ago for 3 weeks to visit a friend who had moved there with her Aussie boyfriend.
She said it was like Milton Keynes when it was first built and the best part of the holiday was the stopover at Singapore Airport.

Diane from Strictly is from Bunbury. That's my only contribution.

I’m from Perth, have lived in UK for two decades but go back once a year except when they’re refusing to let citizens in. I would not move to Bunbury. We love “down south” as that area is called, but cannot see the point of Bunbury. Also, if my recent trip home is anything to go by, being locked up together for two years has not improved the insular mindset of the western Australians.

I lived there for a year but about 8 years ago now. I assume it’s changed a bit but here’s my two penny worth.

Your DH might be bored at work. Regional hospitals in WA can be quite behind in the way they do things, even clinically, which I was surprised at, and anything exciting gets shipped off to Perth. Suppose it depends on his speciality though.

Bunbury itself didn’t really have beaches to speak of when I was there. Swimming with local dolphins was cool. Everything is very spread out and you need a car. Not a lot of shopping in the town but I found some nice cafes. It depends what you do with your spare time to be honest - there’s not a lot going on, but if you like camping and nature stuff at the weekends you’ll be right. I would be very bored there not working.
Dont know about kids as I didn’t have any then. Being a family there may well be a different experience.

It may well have changed in the last few years. I was bored an isolated ( I was in the death throes of a long relationship which might have had something to do with it).

I’d be prepared to visit Perth often if you like a bit of buzz.

I LOVE Australia and hoping to move back in the next couple of years, but I wouldn’t go back there. But you’ll only know if you give it a go!!

BIL and his family live there. We visited a number of years ago and like others have said, it is remote. It was quite a drive to Perth which felt more appealing as a place to live.
The beaches are great and places like Busselton and Margaret River are lovely. It was nice to visit but no way could I live there. I also noted the old racist, sexist etc attitudes. It was bad enough asking for vegetarian food in a couple of places!!!!
That said ILs are happy and the kids seem to be doing well at school and sports

Hhmm I'd be worried about getting bored, especially if you're not working. It's not to have many amenities that you're used to, I'd be concerned about getting fed up with the hum drum without things to do unless you've got a good hobby that doesn't require much from your immediate area, unless it's the great outdoors! I didn't want to mention the casual racism and sexism, but when I was there it was rife, and I was pretty appalled by the local pub having nights where a topless barmaids would be serving - literally down at the local 😳😱 I hope that's stopped now.
I've worked in clinical for 15 years, a fair number of people who didn't cut it in the UK ended up in such roles (sorry!) or being head hunted as they're not overly appealing for people wanting a decent range of shopping, night and social life.
Bear these sorts of thing in mind too

I’m from Perth my view on Bunbury is meh a very beige city. It’s neither a quaint picturesque town/village or big city with a culture and heart.

Lots of lovely homes by the beach but equally lots of land estates.

What do you do on the weekend with your family?

I love living in Perth but I wouldn't live and raise kids in Bunbury. Even though there are lovely places close to Bunbury like Ferguson Valley and Bunbury Fresh is my favourite supermarket in WA! It has a bad reputation for drugs and the concentration of racist, ill educated bogans is just too high for me. There is a reason why WA Country Health Service offers those staggering salaries...

I can't think of a single medical specialty that wouldn't also be in demand in Perth. Obviously you might have to wait a little bit for a v specific senior position to come up.

It’s a medical director role so they don’t come up often. Appreciate the information about the area though, thank you.

So, Bunbury is classed as a city by WA standards but in reality it is a large country town by the rest of the world standards and it is surrounded by other shires.
bunbury.wa.gov.au/
www.harvey.wa.gov.au/
www.collie.wa.gov.au/
www.donnybrook-balingup.wa.gov.au/
www.capel.wa.gov.au/
www.busselton.wa.gov.au/
then look through reiwa.com.au/

Bumbury itself has coastal surf beaches and a very protected bay. It is country but not particularly rural. It’s a very easy 1.45 hours from Perth/airport.

You don’t say whether you have been offered St John’s www.sjog.org.au/our-locations/st-john-of-god-bunbury-hospital or Bunbury Regional www.wacountry.health.wa.gov.au/Our-workforce/Work-with-us/Working-at-Bunbury-Regional-Hospital. they are only separated by a fire door. Bunbury regional is the state government hospital. From reading local media, it has it’s problems so it won’t be a utopia but it seems every western country has problem with health services so perhaps suck it and see.

Yes, you will be a long way from home. However, life is what you make it.

Ignore everyone who says they go through it on their way to Margaret River. They know nothing. You don’t see much of a place from a bypass. The council has put great effort into a making it a good place to live. It does rely on the surrounding shires for livability but don’t blame current efforts on decisions made 100 years ago.

I don’t live in Bunbury, I never have. But I am from the surrounding area. It was always the big town and even now it has its good points.

senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/certification/2022-exhibitions-and-awards-recipients-search-page/_nocache. these are todays results from the Atar exams. A number of the very good result are from the south west so education is fine. A comment above mentioned drugs. WA is awash with cash. Drugs are rife everywhere. But life is always what you make it.

www.facebook.com/SouthWesternTimes
www.facebook.com/abcsouthwest
Just remember it’s a couple of days before Christmas so the hard news will be a few weeks back.