Hi Muttley- pm away! Always happy to chat. There are definitely things you can do to bring costs down, as well.
Oscarandelliesmum- yes, there are second hand furniture shops, from the independent bric a brac type to charity shops, as well as cheap furniture shops like Amart on Scarborough Beach Rd (not settled back in enough yet to know all the names of these shops but that was one mentioned to us). Ikea is more expensive here than it is in the UK- basically, if you are bringing a container anyway, fill it up rather than getting rid of things. Although I'm now trying to get rid of a shedful of things 
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re cheap supermarkets, it's not quite the same in WA as it is in the UK. There is no real equivalent to Lidl and Aldi. There's two big supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths. There's also IGA, which is small and naice and not at the cheaper end. However, we go to Spud Shed for vegetables, meat and some other bits and bobs which is very cheap - 10kg potatoes for $3.99 for example. I also go to my local Chinese and Asian "supermarkets" (i.e. they aren't very big) for items such as rice and dal as they are cheaper. Other ways to save (not tried these yet, but know people who do) : get your roadside assistance via RAC (WA) membership and benefits include access to Cash and Carry stores which are like Costco and usually just sell wholesale. Also, you can buy gift cards for Woolworths at 5% discount through them and then pay for your groceries with it, which adds up over a year. You also get other things such as cheap movie tickets. This is starting to sound like an ad, so I'll stop!
Anyway, the point is, there are lots of discounts available which aren't always obvious. You need to look about, talk to people and check websites such as Poms in Perth. There are also cultural differences such as that Australians (well, west Aussies, anyway) tend to entertain at home with barbecues, inviting people around and so on rather than meeting in the pub and tend to cook from scratch more often than is usual in the UK. There's no equivalent of the M&S ready meal. This way of living thus tends to be cheaper. You are also more likely to be able to buy things in bulk at the supermarket because of this. If you take advantage of it, spend $300 or so on a cheap freezer, buy in bulk and cook in advance, it pays off.
And Mosman, really glad to hear things are picking up for you.
I'll be quiet now!