Re: [ozmidwifery] RE: Location, location, location

[Kirsten Blacker]

Hi Karen, Sorry it's taken me a few days to get back to you. I've been reading the replies you've been getting on list. Where you live is going to depend on a number of things - where you want to work, how far you want to travel, and how much money you have!! LOL There are great coastal suburbs, but they are $$$ Are you going to rent or buy? I would strongly advise renting within your budget to start with, till you get a feel for the city and know where you want to live. Perth is a city of about 1 million people and they are all very spread out! There are pockets of expat Brits all over the place, but I don't think that should limit you   I would work on a job first, then take it from there. If you want to continue working in chemical dependency and pregnancy then I think KEMH is the place to go. It's getting some really bad press right now ( see www.thewestonline.com) but it's not such a bad place. I know they are recruiting UK midwives so it shouldn't be too hard to get your foot in the door. One thing to consider is the cost of living. Friends I have that live in the UK tell me 1 pound buys the same as 1dollar AU, even tho you get about $3 per pound!   Anyway, let me know where you think you will work. I'm sure if you do an online search you can find some online real estate agencies to get a feel for how much rent is going to cost you.I know the RE agent who rented out our house while we were int he USA were online - Davey Real Estate.   Feel free to email me with questions. I know what a challenge it is to move to a strange country! We  moved to the USA for 2 years and it was QUITE the challenge. I know there are other expat Brits on ozmid as well which will help   Kirsten Blacker   ----- Original Message ----- From: Karen To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2004 7:11 PM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] RE: Location, location, location Hi Kirsten My email is [EMAIL PROTECTED] and I would really appreciate any info. We've never been to Oz, so it's really a blind move for us and the more we can learn from people actually there, the better and the easier it will be for us when we move out there.   Thanks   Kind Regards Karen X X X X  X X X X ----- Original Message ----- From: Kirsten Blacker To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2004 11:48 PM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] RE: Location, location, location Karen what is your email, we can talk about this off list Kirsten Blacker Perth ----- Original Message ----- From: Karen To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2004 3:01 AM Subject: [ozmidwifery] RE: Location, location, location Dear Everyone                     As I am hoping to get a job in a hospital in Perth, can anyone help us with suitable areas to bring up a family but within easy travelling distance to Perth for work, easy = 30-40 minute drive at the most.   I have three children (ages 12, 9 and 3). We would ideally like an area that is not very large and busy. Perhaps in the country but not isolated. There has to be easy access to good schooling. We do like older properties with a bit of character but this not essential. The kids of course just want to rent a property with a swimming pool!! Is this a really tall order? I hope we're not looking for the impossible.   We hope to move out later on this year and ideally we would like to get a property that we'd be happy to settle in for a while (or at least until my work visa runs out) We spend ages on the net looking, but there is just so much to look at. Fremantle area looks nice, is it?   If anyone can gives me any pointers on nice areas or even areas best avoided I would really appreciate any advice, we can hardly wait to move out to OZ !!!   Kind Regards Karen Crossan