Best suburbs and schools in Perth

[Chocaholic]

Hi everybody,

We will be going for our second visit to Perth at the end of March, and hope that this trip will help us to finally decide, whether we are going to move to the Gold Coast or to Perth. On our first visit to Perth we mainly looked at the areas around the Swan River (Mt. Claremont, Claremont, Applecross, Subiaco), as these had been recommended to us by the Concierge at the hotel - obviously these are all fantastic areas, however, rather pricey - for the same amount of money for a rather small place we could get something really stunning at the Gold Coast.

However, after having browsed this forum a few times it seems that there are plenty of other fantastic options, especially to the north of Perth. Areas frequently mentioned seem to be Hillarys, Ocean Reef, Duncraig? So we will be looking at these this time.

However, in order to make our very short visit as efficient and worsewhile as possible I would love to hear from everyone, whether there are any other areas we most definitely should be looking at, especially keeping in mind that we would love to live in an area with exceptionally good public schools (primary as well as High Schools) and we would obviously love to know which schools we should definitely have a look at. We (like everyone else) would prefer the area to be quiet and have lots of spaces for children to play. (what a contradiction...

Furthermore we would like to know which Estate Agents you would recommend for those areas.

I hope lots of you will reply, the more the better - you can also PM me or alternatively send me an email to tprice@xsinet.co.za.

Thanks so much already, all the best, Tanja

[tyde]

HI Tanja,

It seems that we are in the same boat and I am hoping that people reply on the forum! Last year when we activated our visa we decided that we would love to live in Ocean Reef, Duncraig or Hillarys. I absolutely loved the look of the area - but having said that I still have no idea where we need to buy a house in order to send my little ones to good schools. My eldest son will be in Grade 1 and my little one will only start kindy in 2011 but I really want to make sure that I choose the right area within these areas! My boy is in a private Marist brothers school in Durban, his class is really small (16) and he is thriving. He really struggles at school, he is at the OT every week and I spend so much extra time doing remediation with him. I am a school teacher but not working for these last few months in SA so that I can spend time with my boys everyday. It is so important that I choose the right environment for him and I am really anxious about it! My little one will be fine wherever I send him, funny how different kids can be! If you do have knowledge of the schools in the area please share. I have been googling for months but it is very hard to get a feel for a school simply by their website. Thanks

[Jordy]

I would suggest that you broaden your suburbs to include south of Perth particular the area called Baldivis. It is near the city of Rockingham (not Rockhampton which is over east). Baldivis is a brand new area that looks amazing. It is 44kms from central Perth so any job further south would be closer. It is on the train line, and would be a 30 minute train ride. It is right on the freeway too - also about 30 minutes. the suburb looks really new and prestine and Rockingham is a very nice city too.

[KathyW]

Hi Ladies,

We are in Butler which is further past Ocean Reef, and a new area with loads of new Parents with younger children.

Close to the Beach, loads of parks, and an excellent Primary school. There are also 2 Private Schools near us as well both Primary and High Schools.

If you google Brighton Estate this should also help you to choose the areas.

Let me know if there is anything else you need to know.

Oh we use the Clarkson Train Station and I believe that Butler will within a year or 2 also have their own Train Station. Loads of Buses and close to all the shops and banks.

Good Luck, a tough decision when you have little one's.

Cheers

[Freetobe]

Hi there!

I have in Perth for 3 years now. I lived for 2 1/2 years in Iluka and am currently living in Ocean Reef - both suburbs NOR and next to each other. In my personal opinion, Iluka is a little more up market as well as a little more expensive. Both are coastal suburbs.

An Iluka area specialist is Todd Utely from Peard Real Estate - he is all over the show in Iluka. His contact no is 0417910967 - I have no affiliation to him.

My 16 year old daughter goes to Ocean Reef Senior, a public school. Let's just say, if I had the oppportunity to do things over, I would have chosen a different school. The school lacks discipline and the kids look like they are going to the beach - not school!

Please PM me if you have any questions!

Thanks

Lee

[Rose and Terry]

Hi there.

Have you looked SOR at all? One of the Best schools in WA is Rossmoyne High, and Rossmoyne is a lovely suburb, on the Canning River. In the neighbouring suburb, Willetton Primary and High are also excellent schools. My little boy was at Willetton Primary last year and I was extremely happy with the school. We have now moved to Bunbury where I put him in a private Catholic School, and I can honestly say I was far happier with Willetton Primary. If you live in certain areas of Willetton and Bull Creek (and I think Mount Pleasant and Leeming too, but open to correction - all lovely suburbs) you can still get into Rossmoyne High. We personally preferred SOR, and as schools were importnat to us we stayed South. One disadvantage is the beach is a bit far, but you have the river, which is also great. It depends what you are looking for.

Good Luck.

[KathyW]

Hi there!

I have in Perth for 3 years now. I lived for 2 1/2 years in Iluka and am currently living in Ocean Reef - both suburbs NOR and next to each other. In my personal opinion, Iluka is a little more up market as well as a little more expensive. Both are coastal suburbs.

An Iluka area specialist is Todd Utely from Peard Real Estate - he is all over the show in Iluka. His contact no is 0417910967 - I have no affiliation to him.

My 16 year old daughter goes to Ocean Reef Senior, a public school. Let's just say, if I had the oppportunity to do things over, I would have chosen a different school. The school lacks discipline and the kids look like they are going to the beach - not school!

Please PM me if you have any questions!

Thanks

Lee

Hi Lee,

My daughter is at Kinross College, but was at a private school previously and I have to be absolutely honest here......... I saw much more undisciplined manners with these kids and the bitchiness was awful, so I just think in general now that it seems to be just the Teenagers and their clicks and stages they go through.

[Noele]

Hi everybody,

We will be going for our second visit to Perth at the end of March, and hope that this trip will help us to finally decide, whether we are going to move to the Gold Coast or to Perth. On our first visit to Perth we mainly looked at the areas around the Swan River (Mt. Claremont, Claremont, Applecross, Subiaco), as these had been recommended to us by the Concierge at the hotel - obviously these are all fantastic areas, however, rather pricey - for the same amount of money for a rather small place we could get something really stunning at the Gold Coast.

However, after having browsed this forum a few times it seems that there are plenty of other fantastic options, especially to the north of Perth. Areas frequently mentioned seem to be Hillarys, Ocean Reef, Duncraig? So we will be looking at these this time.

However, in order to make our very short visit as efficient and worsewhile as possible I would love to hear from everyone, whether there are any other areas we most definitely should be looking at, especially keeping in mind that we would love to live in an area with exceptionally good public schools (primary as well as High Schools) and we would obviously love to know which schools we should definitely have a look at. We (like everyone else) would prefer the area to be quiet and have lots of spaces for children to play. (what a contradiction...

Furthermore we would like to know which Estate Agents you would recommend for those areas.

I hope lots of you will reply, the more the better - you can also PM me or alternatively send me an email to tprice@xsinet.co.za.

Thanks so much already, all the best, Tanja

We live in Padbury, which is between Marmion Avenue and Mitchell Freeway, very mixed area, lots of re-development happening, more affordable than Sorrento/Hillary's or Duncraig. Very conveniently located. My daughter goes to Sorrento PS and Duncraig HS, Sorrento a great school, but Poynter Primary (Duncraig) is also very good. Duncraig HS is proving to be a fantastic school. They are 1/34 schools in WA to have been granted Independant Public school status, which gives the principal/council a lot more authority over the managing of staff and children. Duncraig HS is ranked in the top 40 WA schools (Pvt and Gvt). Good luck with your final decision.

Cheers

Noele

[maxi]

As mentioned look SOR , it is a bit older area .We live SOR in Shelley. Our 9 year old goes to Shelly primary ,only about 350 kids and our 13year old goes to Rossmoyne High. We targeted the area for these schools. We love Shelley , it is on the Canning river and is only about 10 min to Perth center.

Wayne

[Oryx]

What is SOR?

[EricaC]

Hi Lee,

My daughter is at Kinross College, but was at a private school previously and I have to be absolutely honest here......... I saw much more undisciplined manners with these kids and the bitchiness was awful, so I just think in general now that it seems to be just the Teenagers and their clicks and stages they go through.

Geez Kathy........I am shocked, I have heard only very good reports about Kinross College.....Hmmmm, not nice, yip, teenagers and their stages, I will never

understand it as I was never one

Erica

[Jordy]

SOR = South of the River

[Oryx]

Thanks Jordy!

[March2008]

Hiya,

Have a look at the following link to the school ratings around Australia, it is controversial but interesting reading, we found it quite enlightening.

http://www.myschool.edu.au/

Good luck!

[Chocaholic]

Hi all,

Wow, I am always so amazed how helpful everyone is........Can't tell you all how glad I am to have found this forum.

As to all the responses - thank you so much everybody. They certainly are all very helpful - however, as we are only in Perth for 3 days this time, I don't want to all of a sudden end up with an enormous list of suburbs to visit and get even more confused. Obviously everyone has different preferences -

So in order to narrow it down a bit I am now going to stick my neck out - ahem...well.... ..., let's just assume that we are ... ....slightly spoiled people, have a bit of money, do currently live in one of the best suburbs of P.E., and while we are certainly not living in a mansion, it is a very nice house....but our kids are not at a private school, as we still have some very good public schools here - the school where our children are is one of the top public schools here, with a long waiting list....I hope you get the picture? So while we are not totally and utterly spoiled, we are looking for an upmarket suburb with nice families and nice schools, if you know what I mean.....

Just mention all this to narrow it all down a bit (and hopefully don't loose some potential future friends in the process...?)

As for the schools - like everyone else my top priority is the happiness of the kids - I feel once they are settled and happy everything else will follow. Therefore my first and foremost priority as far as the schools are concerned is, that they have strong anti-bullying programms etc. and no problem with discipline and bullying. As far as academics go - surely most schools in Perth are more or less the same, or not? It seems to me as if Carine PS and HS as well as Duncraig High and Sorrento Primary are very popular options? Any problems regarding discipline or bullying here? As opposed to what we have been told at the Gold Coast, it is absolutely not necessary to send your kids to Private Schools in Perth??? Those of you that have opted for private schooling - I would be most interested to know why? I think once we have decided on the school then we will automatically more or less know where to live, due to us obviously having to live in the catchment area.

One more question regarding this (I think I will also ask under a separate "Topic") - how easy did you find it getting into a school of your choice - do they automatically accept you if you live in their catchment area? So say, if we only find a place in their catchment area in November or so and only apply then, will we automatically get in? HELP - so many questions.....

Thank the Lord for all you people over there, who have already gone through all this and are still willing to help - I am sooooo jealous.

Cheers, Tanja

[tyde]

Thanks for all the replies - every bit of information helps. My hubby would be impossible to live with if he was not within 5 minutes of the beach, hence the attraction to the North! He actually does not even want to live in Perth at all, no swell, no surf and really wants us to live in Dunsborough - he has his heart set on it. He agreed to give Northern Perth a try but I know that he is going to be miserable without good surf. I am thinking really serioulsy about giving the little town a try without just writing it off. Would solve all my school dilemma's as there are so few! LOL! Lately I have been reading a lot of information which suggests that sometimes it is easier to settle into a smaller town because of the sense of community. All, I know is that we will land up in one of two places, NOR or Dunsborough! Work for him is not an issue, he keeps the same job when we move to Oz as he flies in and flies out regardless of where he is! Decisions, decisions...

[Gizmo]

We live in Edgewater - it is a small area just to the south of Joondalup falling between the Mitchel freeway and Lake Joondalup. The area is not a through-route to anywhere (as it is bordered by the lake and only connects to the areas north and south via a road on the edge of the area (Joondalup drive), so it is very quiet with no traffic passing through.

It is one of the areas with elevation (little hills) which gives some geographical relief (as Perth is very flat). It has lots of big trees and is green and leafy. Most of the roads are close's with parks seperating them (with play equipment etc). Along the lake Joondalup edge there are forests with beautiful parks and 17km of bike/running track. The closes are connected by spine roads, but, for kids/pedestrians, the closes are all connected with little walkways between the houses - so if you are walking, you can bypass the spine roads. Difficult to explain - but from my house for example, instead of going out of the close to the road that connects all the closes (that leads to the primary school), my daughter can walk along pedestrian passes between the houses, far away from the connecting road, from close to close, all the way to the school. No cars to worry about (other than the people living in each close).

The area has three daycare centres, one government primary school and one private high school. Edgewater is very small though, so it is very close to the surrounding areas schools. The primary school is highly recommended. A good way to tell if a government school in Perth is good is to see if you can get in if you are outside the area. People move to the areas where the good schools are to get into the schools - your application to a school gets presedence if you live in the area (particularly in the catchment of the school). Edgewater primary runs waiting lists - you cannot get in unless you live in the area. This year, they had a first - so many families have moved into the area that they couldn't even accommodate all the people who live in the area applying!!! Fortunately though, they are currently building on extra classrooms and a new music department! Our daughter also goes to the primary school and to one of the daycares and we find them both absolutely fabulous!

I don't know too much about the highschool, except it is private and from the outside, it looks pristine. Our daughter only just started primary school, so we are not there yet.

Edgewater has its own station, and it is about a 25 minute train ride into the city. (I am a hugely pro-riding the trains here - they are super-clean, efficient and what a nice way to start the day... 25 minutes of reading my book as opposed to the 1-1.5 hour stressful traffic battles I used to bear living in the Western Cape!)

Most people haven't heard of edgewater, but for those who are in the know, it has been described as a hidden gem - you move in and you don't move out! Price range is a little lower than Hillary's.

[KathyW]

Geez Kathy........I am shocked, I have heard only very good reports about Kinross College.....Hmmmm, not nice, yip, teenagers and their stages, I will never

understand it as I was never one

Erica

Hi Erica,

No, I meant at the Private School that she went to, there were just too many upity type of girls there with loads of bitchiness, although she did also have a hard time last year, but it was easier to sort the problems out at the Public school than what I found at the Private School......

Kinross is not a bad school at all, a couple of South African teachers as well there with loads of South African kids.

[Michele R]

It's a bit difficult to decide on where to live unless you can drive around and look at the areas, what appeals to one person might not appeal to another. So try and google earth some of the areas and make a list of suburbs you think you might be interested in seeing.

Tyde - Jip, absolutely no swell here. I laugh every time I see the surfers with their boards. But, having said that, perhaps hubby might be interested in a new sport. This place is heaven for Kite Boarding, as the wind seems to come up almost every afternoon. He'll be in heaven if he's keen on Kite Boarding.

[sugan]

Hi everybody,

We will be going for our second visit to Perth at the end of March, and hope that this trip will help us to finally decide, whether we are going to move to the Gold Coast or to Perth. On our first visit to Perth we mainly looked at the areas around the Swan River (Mt. Claremont, Claremont, Applecross, Subiaco), as these had been recommended to us by the Concierge at the hotel - obviously these are all fantastic areas, however, rather pricey - for the same amount of money for a rather small place we could get something really stunning at the Gold Coast.

However, after having browsed this forum a few times it seems that there are plenty of other fantastic options, especially to the north of Perth. Areas frequently mentioned seem to be Hillarys, Ocean Reef, Duncraig? So we will be looking at these this time.

However, in order to make our very short visit as efficient and worsewhile as possible I would love to hear from everyone, whether there are any other areas we most definitely should be looking at, especially keeping in mind that we would love to live in an area with exceptionally good public schools (primary as well as High Schools) and we would obviously love to know which schools we should definitely have a look at. We (like everyone else) would prefer the area to be quiet and have lots of spaces for children to play. (what a contradiction...

Furthermore we would like to know which Estate Agents you would recommend for those areas.

I hope lots of you will reply, the more the better - you can also PM me or alternatively send me an email to tprice@xsinet.co.za.

HI THERE

CURRAMBINE/CLARKSON/QUINNS /MINDARIE

GOOD AREAS

SCHOOLING-PETER MOYES IN MINDARIE IS GOOD

Thanks so much already, all the best, Tanja

[tyde]

Gizmo, Edgewater sounds really great - love the sound of it, I will def look into that and Michele - I have been trying for years to get Ty into another sport - bought him golf clubs, a surf ski, he is also a crazy fisherman and I do a little hop and a skip everytime he feels he is getting a little old and tired for the surf = but damn, once a surfer always a surfer and nothing makes them feel quite the same way!

[Michele R]

There really are some nice suburbs in Perth...we've found quite a few from just driving around. We'd like to be a bit closer to the city so have been looking at areas there.

Gizmo-Will have a look at your neighbourhood, sounds very nice. We still want to come for a walk along the lake.

[Noele]

Hi all,

Wow, I am always so amazed how helpful everyone is........Can't tell you all how glad I am to have found this forum.

As to all the responses - thank you so much everybody. They certainly are all very helpful - however, as we are only in Perth for 3 days this time, I don't want to all of a sudden end up with an enormous list of suburbs to visit and get even more confused. Obviously everyone has different preferences -

So in order to narrow it down a bit I am now going to stick my neck out - ahem...well.... ..., let's just assume that we are ... ....slightly spoiled people, have a bit of money, do currently live in one of the best suburbs of P.E., and while we are certainly not living in a mansion, it is a very nice house....but our kids are not at a private school, as we still have some very good public schools here - the school where our children are is one of the top public schools here, with a long waiting list....I hope you get the picture? So while we are not totally and utterly spoiled, we are looking for an upmarket suburb with nice families and nice schools, if you know what I mean.....

Just mention all this to narrow it all down a bit (and hopefully don't loose some potential future friends in the process...?)

As for the schools - like everyone else my top priority is the happiness of the kids - I feel once they are settled and happy everything else will follow. Therefore my first and foremost priority as far as the schools are concerned is, that they have strong anti-bullying programms etc. and no problem with discipline and bullying. As far as academics go - surely most schools in Perth are more or less the same, or not? It seems to me as if Carine PS and HS as well as Duncraig High and Sorrento Primary are very popular options? Any problems regarding discipline or bullying here? As opposed to what we have been told at the Gold Coast, it is absolutely not necessary to send your kids to Private Schools in Perth??? Those of you that have opted for private schooling - I would be most interested to know why? I think once we have decided on the school then we will automatically more or less know where to live, due to us obviously having to live in the catchment area.

One more question regarding this (I think I will also ask under a separate "Topic") - how easy did you find it getting into a school of your choice - do they automatically accept you if you live in their catchment area? So say, if we only find a place in their catchment area in November or so and only apply then, will we automatically get in? HELP - so many questions.....

Thank the Lord for all you people over there, who have already gone through all this and are still willing to help - I am sooooo jealous.

Cheers, Tanja

[Noele]

Hi

Private Vs Public = your decision. In my own opinion, discipline comes from home and your child will work/or not work hard wherever you put them. We have opted for the public schools, Sorrento Ps is a very community orientated school, 400 children. In my childrens 4+ years at this school discipline/bullying has never been an issue. If your children should experience any form of bullying, they need to communicate with their teachers/parents as soon as possible and the teachers/principal take action almost immediately and I am sure this would apply to most schools. My son has just started at Duncraig (+-1000 students in 2010) in year 8, and so far he is extremely happy, they have a huge range of programs in place and the principal Mr Graham Smith sets a fairly high standard and has a fantastic support staff. With the independant public status, the school will go from strength to strength. Don't be fooled, Perth does have some dodgy schools.

Cheers

[Chocaholic]

Hi there,

Thanks so much for your input - we have actually made an appointment with Mr. Smith at Duncraig - just judging from his willingness to help etc. I can already imagine that he must be a great principal (he actually answers all my mails himself - that's what I call being involved!). We will definitely also look at Sorrento Primary for the twins as well as Carine Primary and HS as they have also been highly recommended. Then I also heard about Lake Joondalup - what intrigues me about this specific school is that they seem to have a great arts department, incl. drama and music - all of which my twins are very involved in over here...Any opinion on this school?

Cheers, Tanja

Hi

Private Vs Public = your decision. In my own opinion, discipline comes from home and your child will work/or not work hard wherever you put them. We have opted for the public schools, Sorrento Ps is a very community orientated school, 400 children. In my childrens 4+ years at this school discipline/bullying has never been an issue. If your children should experience any form of bullying, they need to communicate with their teachers/parents as soon as possible and the teachers/principal take action almost immediately and I am sure this would apply to most schools. My son has just started at Duncraig (+-1000 students in 2010) in year 8, and so far he is extremely happy, they have a huge range of programs in place and the principal Mr Graham Smith sets a fairly high standard and has a fantastic support staff. With the independant public status, the school will go from strength to strength. Don't be fooled, Perth does have some dodgy schools.

Cheers