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Western Australia: Perth

Overview

Perth is the capital city of Western Australia (WA), the largest state in Australia. It is located on the south-west coast of the Australian continent on the Indian Ocean. Nestled on the banks of the majestic Swan River, Perth is a beautiful, modern, vibrant and cosmopolitan city with a population of 1.5 million people. Kings Park, a 400 hectare area of virgin bushland, overlooks this picturesque city which boasts a classic Mediterranean climate.

Employment

Western Australia has the strongest economy in Australia, however to sustain high growth rates and enhance its business environment, the State needs to attract skilled workers and successful business operators from over-seas. Based on this need, there are many sponsorship opportunities available ranging from skilled workers, state sponsorship and skilled regional sponsorship. A great website to investigate the opportunities available and how you can take advantage of entering into this exciting market is www.migration.wa.gov.au. You will also find on this website a list of positions that are currently in demand.

To look for available positions currently on offer, please see the following websites:-
·         www.westaustraliaonline.com
·         www.careerjet.com.au
·         www.bcl.com.au

Education
 


Perth offers a unique learning environment that nurtures creativity and provides access to unrivalled academic resources. International students will find everything they need to achieve their potential – all in a city famed for its friendliness! To see an overview of what Western Australia has to offer in terms of education and training, please visit www.wa.gov.au

Perth is home to four public universities (University of Western Australia, Murdoch University, Curtin University of Technology and Edith Cowan University) and one private university (University of Notre Dame).
Western Australia also provides a multitude of public and private schools. For a full list of public schools, please visit www.det.edu.au/education. To search through and investigate the private school options, please visit www.privateschoolsdirectory.com.au

TAFE colleges throughout the state offer over 400 full time courses at more than 50 campuses throughout the state. For information on TAFE courses and location, please visit www.tafe.wa.edu.au

Housing


Typically speaking, the north and west of Perth are the most sought after areas to live. The central and northern suburbs of Perth are where the people with the highest salaries tend to live.

Houses in desirable suburbs, close to the central city, sell on average for $650,000 to $2.5 million. The high prices result from the combination of proximity to Perth’s CBD and proximity to the banks of the beautiful Swan River.
In the coastal suburbs, and to the north-west and west of the city centre, average house prices are just over $500,000 and up to $850,000. However, you can get housing cheaper in some of the south eastern suburbs starting from around approx. $320,000.
On the rental side of things, Perth is experiencing a fairly tight rental market with the median weekly rent for a 3 bedroom home being $370 per week which is up considerably from previous years. You can rent a unit in Perth and close surrounding suburbs for $350 per week.
To view specific suburbs in Western Australia and investigate further the property market, the following sites will be useful:
·         www.domain.com.au
·         www.realestate.com.au
·         www.myhome.com.au (for rental properties)

 

Health

Western Australia’s health care’s main aim being to ensure healthier, longer and better lives for Western Australians and to protect the health of the community by providing a safe, high quality, accountable and sustainable health care system.. You can find information on the health services available in Western Australia as well as other community information by visiting their website at www.health.wa.gov.au.

Recent migrants are generally eligible for Medicare benefits, which provide help with basic medical expenses including free public hospital care, help with the cost of out-of-hospital care and subsidised medicines. You may be eligible to join Medicare and gain immediate access to health care services and programs. To register, you need to visit a Medicare office within 7 – 10 days of arriving in Australia with your passport and travel documents. (The Department of Immigration and Citizenship website provides more information on Medicare registration) Medicare does not provide for all health services – you must pay for general health services such as dental care, optical care and ambulance services or take out private health insurance to cover these costs.
Most Visas will require applicants to obtain private health insurance before entering or shortly after entering Australia. There are many providers of this level of healthcare, with the larger ones available in Western Australia being listed below:
·         www.hba.com.au
·         www.hbh.com.au
·         www.hcf.com.au
·         www.mbf.com.au
·         www.medibank.com.au
·         www.nib.com.au
·         www.sgio.com.au

Transport
 


To find out information regarding the laws and rules for driving on roads in Western Australia, visit www.dpi.wa.gov.au. Here you can download a comprehensive pdf document outlining the current legislation around international licenses and how you can organise to obtain a license depending on your visa and situation. You will also learn about car registration and requirements for having a road worthy vehicle in terms of insurance cover.

In terms of public transport services, Perth is served by Perth Airport in the city’s east for regional, domestic and international flights and Jandakot Airport in the city’s southern suburbs for general aviation and charter flights.
Perth’s road network is made up of three freeways and nine metropolitan highways. Perth metropolitan public transport, including buses, trains and ferries are provided by Transperth, with links to rural areas provided by Transwa. The rail system has recently undergone significant redevelopment, with a new railway line built between Perth and Mandurah which doubled the length of Perth’s railways.

 

Government

The Western Australian government is responsible for a wide range of functions throughout the large state including Education and Training, Health, Community Services, Lifestyle and Environment, Business and Regions. By visiting the following website you will be able to find a large amount of information across each of these sectors as well as much more – www.wa.gov.au

Within Western Australia, there are multiple Departments and Agencies that look after specific areas of the state and its various interests. For a full list of departments and agencies please visit www.wa.gov.au


Attractions

Perth offers a wide and varied selection of attractions such as galleries, animal attractions, beaches, museums, parks and wineries to name but a few. Perth is also well known for surrounding suburbs including Fremantle and Rottnest Island. For more attractions visit www.perthtouristcentre.com.au/attractions

Fremantle sits at the mouth of the Swan River and is considered one of Western Australia’s most historic and beautiful cities as well as being recognised as the best preserved 19th century seaport in the world. Over 150 buildings in the port city are classified by the National Trust including: The Round House which was built in 1831 and is the oldest building in WA, The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the 1890’s and the Fremantle Prison which was built by convict labour in the 1850’s. For more information visit www.fremantlewa.com.au
Rottnest Island is a charming little island nineteen kilometres offshore from Fremantle - a distance that can be covered in only half an hour by the fast ferries plying the route from Fremantle or 90 minutes if ferrying from Perth. The island is 11 kilometres in length and a little over 3 kilometres across at its widest point. Rottnest Island is famous for quokkas which is an aboriginal name for these small types of kangaroos. This is one of only a very small amount of places where you can find quokkas, which abound aplenty on this island. For more information visit www.rottnestisland.com