Information about Perth

Area Code: 08
Time Zone: EST minus 2 hours
Population: 1.5 Million

Introduction

Western Australia is the country's largest state. It is home to approximately 1.5 million people. Perth is situated on the Swan River and many social activities are planned around the river and the 80kms of stunning beaches, which have fine white sand and sparkling blue water.

Climate

Perth - the capital of WA is renowned for its brilliant blue skies, warm sunny climate, relaxed lifestyle and white sandy beaches. The city of Perth is in fact closer to Singapore and Jakarta than it is to Canberra. It also runs along the same latitude as Coffs Harbour, thus having a similar climate. Perth enjoys an average of eight hours of sunshine per day, being more than any other capital city in Australia. Western Australia does not have 'daylight saving', making it three hours behind EST during 'daylight saving' periods. The downside to Perth's location is that it is quite isolated from the eastern states, being a four hour flight to Sydney or three and a half hours to Melbourne.

Western Australia experiences a variety of climatic conditions, ranging from being tropical in the north, to temperate in the southwest corner. The Perth Metropolitan area has a very warm climate with the average monthly maximum temperatures ranging from 17C in July, to 30C in February. Even in the winter months, the temperature rarely falls below 5C.

Things to do and places to go

The Western Australian lifestyle is quite different to any other state in Australia. The laid-back, relaxed, friendly atmosphere adds to the beauty of this city, where going out to the local pub on a Sunday night is often the norm. The weekends provide a wonderful opportunity to discover the city and its surrounding areas. Popular activities include lunch on Fremantle's 'Cappuccino Strip', shopping in the city, going to the beach, visiting Hillary's Boat Harbour for lunch and a swim, picnicking in King's Park or taking a trip to Rottnest Island ('Rotto') for lunch and a bike ride.

Alternatively you can take man's best friend for a run or swim at any one of the number of Dog Beaches available within close proximity to most suburbs in the Perth Metropolitan area.

Education

Perth has a wide mix of public and private schools for all levels. Kindergarten is voluntary and is for children who are four and five years of age. Children may attend kindergarten for several days per week before commencing primary school in the year in which they turn six.

Primary school is from Year 1 to 7, with High School teaching those in Year 8 to 12. High school students who wish to attend university need to undertake subjects in Year 11 and 12, which are classified as Tertiary Entrance Examination subjects. Within Perth there are a mix of tertiary institutions: ranging from the University of Western Australia to the Curtain University of Technology, Edith Cowan University, Notre Dame University, Murdoch University and a number of TAFE colleges.

Perth services

Within Perth you will find all of the services that you would expect of a capital city. There is a mix of public and private hospitals and support groups for any problems that you or your family may experience.

The Western Australian Government provides a very efficient public transport service within Perth itself, consisting of buses, trains, ferries and taxis. The Transperth bus system provides access to almost every suburb in the Perth Metropolitan area. Getting around the Perth CBD is very easy and inexpensive, with the benefit of several free CAT (Central Area Transit) buses that shuttle frequently along popular routes around the city. There is also a CAT bus in Fremantle that travels around many of the popular tourist locations in the area. The rail system is also very efficient, servicing most areas, running four lines from Armadale, Fremantle, Joondalup and Midland.

If you are bringing your car with you from interstate it is important to note that in Western Australia it is compulsory for every vehicle registered in, or transferred to, WA to be fitted with an approved immobiliser. These can be fitted at any Government authorised immobiliser installer throughout Western Australia. For more information about this issue see www.immobilisers.wa.gov.au.

Perth HMC

The Perth HMC is located at Unit 43, Level 1, Freemantle Malls, 27-35 William St, Freemantle. The HMC is your first point of contact for housing services including housing allocations, rent assistance and house maintenance.

Area and Housing Descriptions

Perth Metropolitan Area

There are a number of houses scattered throughout the suburbs of Perth. All houses are located within the specified posting locality of each particular base, and are relatively close to the city and other popular areas. The standard of housing varies between each suburb, however on average the quality is relatively high. It is important to note that the vast majority of houses in southern Western Australia have carports as opposed to lock up garages.

Bullsbrook

Bullsbrook is located in the Chittering Valley, 45kms north east of Perth, being approximately a 50 minute drive from Perth City. Bullsbrook is a very small, relatively remote town with limited facilities only minutes from the Pearce RAAF Base. Bullsbrook is a short drive to a number of tourist attractions, including wineries, cheese and chocolate factories. Bullsbrook experiences temperatures a few degrees hotter than the Perth metropolitan area but does not get the sea breeze.

The housing in Bullsbrook mainly comprises of four bedroom, two bathroom brick and tile residences with lock-up garages and automatic watering of front and rear gardens. The average block size is approximately 670m2. There is currently no air-conditioning supplied to these houses. The heating supplied to the house is generally a gas heater, with gas supplied in bottles. The majority of these house are seven to eight years old and are located in a rural setting with large backyards that are ideal for small children and/or pets. The residential area of Bullsbrook is located within walking or cycling distance of the Pearce RAAF Base. Defence tenants occupy the majority of the area.

Bullsbrook District High and primary schools are located in the town centre, within walking or cycling distance from most of the Bullsbrook houses, There is a bus service from Bullsbrook to Midland that runs everyday except Sunday. There is no taxi service provided In this town. The closest shopping centre is approximately a 20 minute drive.

Rockingham (and surrounding areas)

Rockingham is a relatively large city, located approximately 47 kms south west of Perth, being a 45 minute drive from Perth City. The HMAS Stirling Naval Base on Garden Island is approximately 10 minutes drive from Rockingham City, across a causeway. The population is about 76,000.

Rockingham is also located very close to the beach, making it a popular destination for swimming, diving, sailing, boating, windsurfing and fishing. There are also a number of small islands off the coast, Penguin Island being the most popular for tourists seeking the local inhabitants - those being Fairy Penguins.

The housing in Rockingham comprises a mix of three bedroom, single bathroom brick and tile homes through to four bedroom, two bathroom homes. Front and rear gardens are fully reticulated. House are stand-alone, single storey with single or double carports. Some homes feature double lock-up garages.

Rockingham has a number of transport facilities available to the community including a number of bus services around Rockingham and its surrounding areas, and also links to Perth. Ferry services are offered to Penguin Island and taxi services are also available.

Rockingham has a number of restaurants and pubs to offer for local wining and dining, many of which are located on the cafe strip on the foreshore. Other forms of entertainment include a large Hoyts Cinema, ten-pin bowling, horse riding, shopping, beaches, winery visits and more.

Swanbourne

Swanbourne is located on the coastline, approximately 20 minutes drive from the city of Perth and about five minutes from Swanbourne Barracks. Its prime location makes it a beautiful place to live, being a short walk to the most popular Perth beaches. Seaward Village is home to many Defence families, making it a very close-knit military community with a number of facilities available to it.

The housing in Swanbourne is of a good standard. House range from three bedroom, single bathroom through to four bedrooms, two bathroom. All house have single or double carports, with some featuring lock-up garages, but air conditioning is not supplied to all houses. Most houses are stand-alone, single storey, brick and tile houses with reasonably large backyards and established gardens.

Swanbourne also suffers some undesirable coastal conditions including strong sea breezes, sandy soils, and ant problems.

There is one Primary School within walking distance from the Seaward Village - Swanbourne Primary School. This government Primary School caters for Year 1-7. The closest High School is Shenton College, located in Stubbs Terrace, Shenton Park. Bus services are available from a bus stop just outside Seaward Village, however there are no direct routes to the Primary or High Schools. There is a train station located in the Swanbourne area, at which the Fremantle Line runs through and finishes in Perth.