MANDURAH

[StoneRose]

Hi

We are a big South African Community in Mandurah. If any one need information you can contact me. It is a wonderful city to live in and I would share any information you maybe need to find out.

[polly]

Beautiful!

[Terence.H]

Look like a very nice place!! if you have any more pics I would like to see them.

[Johan Venter]

Welcome in this area. I see you arrived in October 2008.

I have to agree with that. Mandurah is a beautiful city with all the canals and the nice houses.

There is a nice area just outside Mandurah where you can drive with your 4x4 along the beach. You need to have a 4x4. If you drive towards Bunbury, just outside town, as you cross the new bridge, on the right hand side there’s a long brick wall, just after the wall there’s a road (Tims Thicket Road) turning right. If you drive along that road in a westerly direction you end up at the end of the road at the sand dunes. If you follow the sand road to the left it takes you to the other side of the dunes. There’s a very nice area to spend the day, with a very quite swimming area for the kids and the adults. It’s a very nice snorkelling area for young and old. I do recommend that you take some covering with and sunscreen.

[GerhardinOz]

Hi

We are a big South African Community in Mandurah. If any one need information you can contact me. It is a wonderful city to live in and I would share any information you maybe need to find out.

Yes, more pics!!! We must show everybody the best part of Australia, Western Australia.

[krugers]

Hi

Thanks for the post. Our flights to Perth are booked for 3 January and we are going to settle in Mandurah. We look forward to meeting you all. Husband loves the 4x4 idea....

[Marius & Euneze]

Hi Stonerose

Please tell us more about Mandurah and the climate, schools etc.

We are heading to Peel district, maybe Mandurah! Hubby has to find a job there first.

Thanx

Euneze

[StoneRose]

I will post more photos. You can do every day something else, this is some of the stuff we did:

- Marapeng Petting Zoo (you pet and feed kangeroos )

-Day at the beach the sea is very calm Sun City waves is bigger !!

-4x4 drive on the beach and braai

-Sunday afternoon on the foreshore

-Dolphins watch every morning.

-Shopping in Perth

-Red bull race in Perth taking the train $8 for a family over weekends

-Visit to Kings Park.

Life is good in Oz!!! It's much more relaxed family's have time to spend together.

[StoneRose]

Hi Stonerose

Please tell us more about Mandurah and the climate, schools etc.

We are heading to Peel district, maybe Mandurah! Hubby has to find a job there first.

Thanx

Euneze

Contact me on my email yolanda.steenkamp1@gmail.com

[Jordy]

Here is a nice picture of the Mandurah Foreshore. The thing about Mandurah, and you will see this from a google map picture is that there is water everywhere. But the water is the absolutely huge inland estuary. Have a look at google maps to see what i mean by huge. Unfortunately, and this is a bit of a downer, is that you just dont actually ever see the sea. I mean you literally have to drive to certain places to see the sea. It is not like Rockingham to the north of Mandurah where you can drive on the road infront of the beach and have wide open views of the sea. I work right in the centre of Mandurah and drive all over Mandurah and unless I am going to the beach I wont even see the sea. I will see the estuary but that is different. I went to the beach ten days ago and I havent seen the sea since. This is kind of wierd living by the coast and not ever seeing the sea.

The weather is very different to JHB. It rains in winter and is dry and hot all summer. There is virtually no humidity like Durban though. Winter averages 9-18, Summer 20-40

If you have a regional sponsored visa restricting you to the Peel region, then I would think Mandurah is your best bet for work. Unfortunately, Rockingham is not in the Peel region. Having lived in the suburbs of JHB all my life, Mandurah feels like one of the suburbs. Only when you leave the City will you have more country side to see, otherwise in the city feels like a JHB suburb.

[Marius & Euneze]

Thank you so much, Jordy.

It's beautiful! We hope to see it in person soon!

Euneze

[StoneRose]

Thank you so much, Jordy.

It's beautiful! We hope to see it in person soon!

Euneze

The Schools :

You must decide between private or public schools. Personaly we decide on the private school. Its about $500 per kid x 4 terms look on the schools website.

All the following schools is very good :

Living Waters (Halls Head yr 1-7) and Wambro 8-12

Fredric Irwin yr (1 -12)

Baptis College (1-12)

Foundation christiaan School (yr 1-12)

BUT most important you need to apply for a place some of the schools is full two years in advance so apply now.

My children is in Living Waters yr 4 and 6 they are very have happy and we live in seascapes 600m from the school so they use they bikes or schooters to go to school. In every grade is South African children and a lot of them are afrikaans

The schools system work also like this is your child is now in gr3 and her birthday is before 1st July then she will be move forward a year to gr 4 otherwise she will stay in the same grade.

Halls head south is a brand new public school all of the schools have websites look at it and decide.

yolanda Attached picture of the Sunset of the beach 300m from my home in Seascapes

Edited November 22, 2008 by StoneRose

[Marius & Euneze]

Hi Yolanda,

It's stunning! Thank you for the info. The only problem I have is that I can't enrol the children as my hubby hasn't find work in Mandurah as yet. We are not sure where we will end up and when. Is it possible to enrol the children in more than one school, and do you have to pay any enrolment fees?

Thanx for the advise and your email adress.

Euneze

[Netta]

Marius & Euneze,

Ek reply sommer gou op julle post oor die skool inskrywings. Ek weet nie of die ouderdom van die kind 'n verskil maak nie, maar ek het my dogtertjie solank by Fredrick Irwin en by Mandurah Baptist college ingeskryf.

Ek het die skole se websites geving en hulle toe gebel. Albei was baie vriendelik en die sekretaresses het my oortuig hulle kry baie oproepe soos myne. Hulle het my dogtertjie met graagte ingeskryf. Hulle het vir my die vorms gemail / link op internet gegee. Ek het dit toe vir een skool gefax, en vir die ander ingescan en gemail. Ek dink amper ek moes vir albei 'n $50 deposito betaal, wat hulle bereid was om telefonies met my kredietkaart te doen. Hulle het toe vir my die strokies en brief gepos na my adres hier in SA. So haar naam is nou op die waglys vir Kindy vir 2011. Mens moet in 2010 vir 'n onderhoud by die skool gaan.

Ons het mos eers in Sept 08 aansoek gedoen vir ons 475s. Maar ek het besluit as ek nou $100 mors is dit nou maar so (indien ons nie die visas kry nie). As ons wel die visas kry, en iewers in 2010 daar land, wil ek nie dan begin worry oor waar sy gaan skoolgaan nie.

Hoop dit help.

x Netta

[niemeerhier]

Where do people staying in Mandurah typically work?

[Jordy]

I know this sounds obvious but they either work in Mandurah or in Perth. In Mandurah for retail and service, and in Perth for commerical and IT. You obviously know about the Mandurah-Perth railway line that was opened in December 2007 allowing travel to Perth in 48 minutes. But also to be considered is the new Perth to Bunbury highway being opened in 2009. Currently the highway starts some 30kms north of Mandurah but it is currently being extended all the way down to Bunbury and of course accessible near to Mandurah. This will further aid transport to Perth. Currently one can drive to Perth in 50 minutes, but with the highway next year far less.

Something that one really needs to consider is that the City projects that Mandurah's population will grow to 405 000 from current 65000 by 2031 of which 250 000 require work. Mandurah will effectively become the southern most suburb of Perth. You see Mandurah offers a lifestyle out of the city in a holiday-type feel but Perth City is not out of reach. Mandurah City Council has a plan to develop Mandurah into a West Coast version of the Gold Coast over the next 20 years. this will create huge employment, expecially in the construction industry.

Mandurah really is the place to be. With a flat selling for a record $7 million last month, the wealthy seem to enjoy the lifestyle here. But also ordinary working people can stay here too. Its that attractive.

PS: Its pronounced Man-Drah (silent "U") not Man-Du-rah.

[niemeerhier]

Retail, Service, IT - Who does the real work then?

Just a joke. Sounds like a lekka place. I suppose 48 minutes is not too much. I got so used to working in a small town where I am just 4 minute's drive away from work.

[Sulona]

Hi,

ons bly in Mandurah vanaf Januarie en geniet dit vreeslik, beide ek en hubby werk in naby die stad (treinry is ongelukkig nie 'n opsie nie) en die ry is nie regtig so erg soos wat 'n mens dink nie, hang net af wat op die snelweg aangaan die oggend.

Ek stem saam met wat vroeër gese is, hier is so lekker holiday feeling en die mense is regtig vriendelik.

Vir die wat reeds hier is en sou belangstel, Mandurah Baptist Church hou Sondag 21/12/2008 'n afrikaanse diens om 18:30. PM my gerus vir meer besonderhede.

Sulona

[bananagirl]

Wow I'm so excited!

We hope to be in Mandurah in January if all goes well with visa. I will be teaching at FCC. My boy (5) will be in pre primary. We are Afrikaans speaking, and I would love it if we could find a friend for my boy that goes to FCC before school starts..... you all know why....a mother is always worried....

We would love to meet all of you as soon as we are there. Any support is welcome....

My only worry is the FLIES!!!! I hear it is bad in Mandurah?

Hope to see you all soon.

BG

[Jordy]

We would love to meet all of you as soon as we are there. Any support is welcome....

Looking forward to you getting here. There really seem to be alot of Saffers here. We must all meet up. We tried this past week at Doddis Beach but there were only two couples there. Maybe another one in the new year.

[Netta]

Hi Jordy,

What about the flies? Are there really that many and is it a problem?

x Netta

[Jordy]

Hi Jordy,

What about the flies? Are there really that many and is it a problem?

x Netta

I wont lie and say I don't notice them. But it is not like they here all the time. They get carried in on the winds from inland. then for a day or two they are a pain if you are outside. Then the winds blow and they gone again. Last week we went to the beach and I gave up after 10 minutes and came home. I had like literally 100 sitting on me. On Saturday we went back to the beach and there were none.

They are wierd flies cause they dont skrik vir niks, or maybe they just so laid back they dont care. You can wave your hand in the air and actually hit them they are so slow. And they go for your eye ball juice. I suppose they are thirsty and the fluid in your eyes is tasty.

The houses are designed to keep them out with the fly screens. So if you inside you dont even notice them. But you must keep the sliding screen doors closed every second

The Ozzie Mozzies are also a pain. They are like huge things. step out at night to fetch the washing and they zoom in on you.

But I think the flies and mozzies are worse in other areas

[GerhardinOz]

Hi Jordy,

What about the flies? Are there really that many and is it a problem?

x Netta

The only time I have ever had lots of flies around was when I was out of the buildup areas of a town or city. They are bad in the ‘bush’ but I have never had a problem when at home or in the city.

Edited December 1, 2008 by GerhardinOz

[Netta]

Thanks Jordy and GerhardinOz

[Jordy]

On Tuesday 9th December we went to the annual Children's Christmas Parade through town. What an amazing experience! The parade had so many floats that it took 25 minutes to go past. Then at 9pm there was the best fireworks display I have ever experienced in my life. ALL of it was FREE! Took some pictures for you all to see.