LSD Trip Adelaide & Perth

[ABC123]

We are back from our LSD trip to Australia so I thought I would share some of our experiences for those that have not had the opportunity to go exploring yet. Excuse the lengthy post but I wanted to share as much of our experience as possible. Both my husband and I had been to Australia previously, on separate occasions. However, this was years ago and we had been on holiday so had a very different purpose going over this time. We decided to go to Adelaide and Perth as these are the two cities that appealed to us the most.

The flight over was uneventful other than there being a hassle when they scanned my daughter’s passport. It wasn’t picking up that she had a visa, but luckily we had all our visa grant letters with us. It turns out that on the visa letter, two of the numbers from her passport number had been reversed. Something neither us nor our agent had picked up. A few phone calls later and it was all sorted and our boarding passes issued.

We flew to Sydney and then got a connecting flight to Adelaide. As we walked out of the airport in Adelaide, we walked over to the taxis where someone offered to find us a taxi big enough to accommodate us and our four suitcases. We chose to stay in Glenelg while there. I know a lot of people suggested that this might not be the best place as we wouldn’t have much use of the beach because of the cold weather and that we should try somewhere more central. We found it worked perfectly for our needs though. We booked a self catering apartment through airb’nb and found the location great. A short walk to the nearest Coles and about 100m to the tram and restaurants with the beach a bit further on. Also close to bus routes. Very noisy, but for the purpose of our trip, just perfect. We hired a car for the duration of our stay there, but had we been more organised, we could have made do with hiring a car for half the time and using public transport for the rest of the time. As our children are 8 and 6, we hired booster seats along with the car.

We absolutely fell in love with Adelaide! So neat and tidy and clean. Beautiful buildings and everything so accessible. It really isn’t far to get anywhere. We never experienced any congestion on the roads and we were traveling at all different times of the day. Before traveling, I had e-mailed schools about the possibility of being able to make an appointment for a viewing, but got no response. We decided to drive to a couple schools and see if we could make an appointment. We specifically wanted to see public schools as this would probably be our only option initially. The first school we went to explained that they usually have set mornings where the head teacher gives tours, but that seeing as we were only there for a week they would be happy to accommodate us and they were willing to give us a tour there and then! At the next school we stopped at, we were told that we were in luck as there was actually a principal’s tour organised for that week. So we signed up and returned a few days later to have a tour. It was extremely reassuring to see how the schools are run there and to get a feel for what the children are doing in their classes. We even got to see some Koalas in the trees in the playground! It was also a great opportunity to ask questions and for our children to see what it might be like and to ask their own questions. Granted, we only saw two schools, but we were very impressed. Also, as I am a teacher, I also had lots of questions about teaching in Australia and everyone was so willingly to give advice and explain what I would need to do. They made it very clear, like many others on the forum have already mentioned, that there would be very little possibility of getting a permanent post straight away and that I would need to start by doing supply teaching and get myself known.

Because we have young children we tried to make an attempt each day to do something for them as they would have found it boring driving around just looking at different suburbs etc. My husband and I wanted to go into the city centre using public transport, so we caught the tram into the city (a first for our children) and then a bus to the cinema where we took the children to watch a movie. On another day we drove to the zoo, spent a few hours there, then walked about 1km into the city to have a look at Rundle Mall. We had agreed with the children that we would change their pocket money into dollars so that they could buy something in Australia, so our first stop was finding a toy shop to keep them happy.

We also took the children ice skating while we were there and to “The Beach House” which has indoor water slides, bumper cars etc. Very expensive, but a nice treat. There are obviously also lots of parks available and I think a favourite was Jubilee Park in Port Noarlunga – kid’s paradise!

One of the days we took a drive out to the Barossa. The scenery was stunning! Our first stop was Whistler Wines where we bought a few bottles of red to bring back with us. They also organised a treasure hunt for the children which they enjoyed. We then drove to Pindarie Wines where we had lunch and the children were able to run around. We drove back to Adelaide via Hahndorf where we stopped for coffee and cake. Definitely worth a visit!

My biggest concern about Adelaide before leaving was whether or not I would be able to cope with the cold. Although the temperature didn’t ever exceed 15 or 16 degrees while we were there, we were extremely lucky to only have two rainy days. The other days were beautiful and sunny and with the right clothing, quite bearable. We spent a lot of time walking along the beach front and watched the sun set a few times while the children played on the beach (in their jackets!).

As mentioned before, we could so easily see ourselves settling into life in Adelaide, but after discussions with various individuals, it is quite apparent that the job market in Adelaide is not great and probably wouldn’t be a viable option for us. So after a week in Adelaide, it was off to Perth to see what possibilities were there for us. I must admit I was a little bit nervous when the security guy at the Adelaide airport joked about me choosing an expensive holiday option by going to Perth. And of course, our first experience in Perth was having to pay $4 for a trolley for our bags! (NB: Make sure all your bags have wheels!)

I must admit that we felt a bit sorry for Perth after our wonderful time in Adelaide – a lot to live up to! But we had to be realistic and try and get a good feel for the city. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay with family in Perth which was a blessing on so many levels – not least of which was to get a realistic perspective on what immigrating entails.

Perth is definitely a big city and this is apparent from the start. More cars, more traffic, more people, greater distances. Choosing a place to live would need careful consideration depending on where you work and what your commute would be. We were based near the river which was great and we enjoyed running along the river and taking in the different scenes. In saying this, there is little possibility that we would be able to afford any of these suburbs so we would have to look further out of the city for affordable accommodation.

There is so much to do in Perth and we were able to keep the children entertained with all sorts of activities – some paid and some free. One of our first trips was to the amazing Kings Park were we were able to have coffee while the children ran around and got rid of some energy. We took a walk around taking in the different sights. Another favourite was Heathcote Reserve which has an amazing playground for the children. We also took drives along the various beach fronts and stopped at parks for the children to play along the way.

Another favourite for the children was “Bounce”. It is basically a huge warehouse with all sorts of different types of trampolines. You pay for an hour and the children can bounce to their hearts content – adults as well. While we were there, there were numerous school groups of different ages also having fun. We also went to Fremantle where we wandered around the harbour, had lunch and visited the Maritime museum. On another day, we drove to Hillary’s where we took the children to the Aquarium and then went to a restaurant for dinner.

One of our highlights was going to see a live AFL game. We didn’t know anything about the rules or how it is played, but decided to go along for the experience. My husband had kind of figured it out by the end of it. We managed to see the Dockers vs the Lions and we were so impressed with how organised it all was. We bought our tickets on line which also includes the train ride to the stadium. There was a great buzz as all the “footy” supporters are on the same train. Even though it was pouring with rain, everything ran so smoothly with everyone getting off the train and walking the short distance to the stadium where we were quickly able to find our seats. It was a great experience for our children who, because of where we live, had never been to a stadium for any sort of event before. All in all, a very enjoyable day out.

After our stay in Perth, we realised that living there would probably be a much more viable option for us, especially having the support of family which I think is a huge advantage. We hadn’t really been in a rush to get to Australia before this trip, but after speaking to everyone there the general consensus is “the sooner the better”.

The things that made impressions on us about Australia were firstly how clean everything was. The efficiency was also impressive and how friendly and courteous everyone was.

We found certain things very expensive – mostly luxuries such as eating out. In saying that, we were able to save costs in certain ways such as taking our own sandwiches to the zoo etc.

We realised that you need to have a sense of humour while you are figuring out the unknown – such as when you miss you bus stop because you don’t know where you are; or when you get reprimanded while you are trying to figure out the self-check out system at Coles and your child is sitting on the scale (oops!)

We also realised that eating out is a whole different story and we were very confused in the beginning when we had to get up to place our own order and pay up front for meals. For the price of the food we were fully expecting to be served like you are in restaurants in SA. However, we appreciated the fact that tipping was not expected. While we weren’t blown away by most of the food or restaurant service in Australia, we did have a few decent experiences. I was relieved to find good wine and am sure that I will soon find a replacement for my SA favourites!

Oddly enough, I didn't have that immediate sense of safety that so many have spoken about. I still was very aware of my surroundings and had to talk myself into taking my i-pod when I went running - something I would never do here in case I was robbed. Rationally I knew it was all fine, but I didn't feel like I could let my guard down - obviously it is just my usual state of being. It would probably take more than two weeks for me to let go a bit.

All in all, a very successful trip that has given us lots of food for thought. Now on to the next stage of deciding our exit date! Busy times ahead!

[Guest]

Thankyou for your post ABC was really nice to read, and to see your own perspective on these 2 cities. :-)

[Peanuts]

Thank you for sharing your experience. It is so helpful hearing what people has to say about different cities since we won't be able to do a LSD trip.

[Jordy]

While one must take work opportunities as primary guide, one must also consider how isolated Perth is. Having lived in WA for 7 years, we are really beginning to feel it.

More and more I am feeling like WA is almost like a separate country from the rest of Australia. To go anywhere in Australia from Perth is only possible by flying between 3-5 hours. It gets very very expensive for a family of 4 or 5.

So if you choose Perth just be prepared that you are largely excluding travel to the rest of Australia. Whereas if you choose any of the other major cities, you will be able to traverse between them much more easily.

[Faduv]

Hi, thanks so much for sharing. We are leaving for Adelaide on 12 Jan, never been there before. Our twins is 8 years old. Few questions, feel free to pass over if you don't want to reply:-)

What schools did you visit?

Employment, are you guys in a specific field or industry that you feel employment might be an issue?

Which suburbs stood out for you?

thanks

[ABC123]

Hi Jordy,

Perth's isolation from the rest of Australia has been one of our concerns so thanks for adding your thoughts. So much to consider and it is easy to get overwhelmed sometimes when you have to start making decisions. We were thinking that having family there would mean a softer landing for us. Still lots to consider.

@Faduv - I have sent you a PM.

[Wannagonow]

Thanks for sharing ABC, so interesting to read. Great idea for our planned LSD trip to Perth in March 2016. I wish we could afford to see Adelaide as well!

[Shellfish]

I found this post interesting. If you thought Perth was big and busy, Melbourne and Sydney would be quite the eye opener

I would also like to add that if you are after delicious, reasonably priced food in Australia, you won't find it in Perth or Adelaide - sorry.

Glad that you seem to be reassured by your trip - all the best..

Edited July 29, 2015 by Shellfish

[ABC123]

Thanks Shellfish, I was in Melbourne a few years ago and had a great time! Definitely felt that buzz that everyone talks about. However, growing up in a small town like East London, and then living in an even smaller town for the past 10+ years, we thought that Perth would be a good introduction to city living . Thanks for the input!

[OubaasDik]

My wife is from Slummies (East London) and just felt at home in Perth.

SA (Australia) has great produce and if you are rich, one of the greatest chefs there is a Deon Welgemoed from somewhere in Africa ...

BTW, my feeling in Oz, looking at a standard street in any city, is that half the people produce, and the rest sell them overpriced, weird coffee .....

It also feels to me that the meat just doesn't have the flavour of the RSA stuff .... but I used to get Boerewors from the local SA shop and that, when done on the Weber, was as good as RSA - so seasoning ....

[doggit]

Interesting read, thanks ABC. Like you, I've also visited Adelaide and Perth (and some of the other major cities), and would agree with your impressions, as much as one can get in a few days. All the best for your next step, see you on the other side.

[monsta]

I have never been to Adellaife, but the people in Perth just seem a bit different from those in Melbourne or Sydney.

I guess Sydney is the financial capital of Australia while Perth has a lot of hard working miners. Perth just doesn't feel as wealthy as Sydney or Melbourne..