The very eery, very cool, Pinnacles Desert

The Pinnacles Desert in Namburg National Park is just over 2 hours straight north along the coast on highway 60.  We had heard mixed emotions from friends anywhere from "Meh, it's alright" to "You gotta see it". I am firmly 100% in the "You gotta see it" camp. The drive is pretty typically driving in Western Australia with a mix of terrain.  There are signs OFTEN warning of wildlife wandering on to the road which can be an issue...

Continue

Breakfast in Fremantle - Wild Poppy

We took the kids out to Fremantle for Breakfast today to Wild Poppy.  This is our second visit to Wild Poppy and its quickly becoming one of our favourite places for breaky even if it does take us about 30 minutes to make the trip out to Fremantle. The place is an eclectic mix of colourful quilts, painted murals, velour couches and serves both breakfast and lunch 7 days a week.  You can sit in the nicely air conditioned...

Continue

Spiders and Snakes in Perth - Part II - Spiders

Spiders are a different kind of problem in Perth.  There are a large number of species but only one, the redback spider has the actual ability to kill you. The not so killer Redback Spider The anti-venom for the redback was created in 1956 and no-one has died of a bite since 1955.  Generally if you're a health adult they will just make you feel quite unwell and then you'll move on with life. The Redback Spider The redback is the...

Continue

I wish you an aussie Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Perth... This is our second Christmas away from our extended families and can always bring a few sombre moments where you begin to realize some of the things you gave up as an expat.  Last year we spent the day with our wonderful friends from Italy and Greece who landed in Perth around the same time we did. This year we got a true Aussie Christmas.  My friend Steve and his amazing family (all born and raised in Western...

Continue

Spiders and Snakes in Perth - Part I Snakes

Upon announcing that we would move the family to Perth, and not so much Perth, but Australia the most common response was: "Oh Australia, you know about the spiders and snakes right?  They can kill you!" In honesty the comments and the propoganda started to affect a reaction in me. "How would we keep the kids safe" "Would we need to have them in blue jeans at all times" "How would we know when they got bit?" "How long would we have once...

Continue

The School - and making friends

We always knew it was important to get Olivia into school.  Before leaving Edmonton she had just finished a wonderful preschool program.  She flourished in it and had created a great bond with her teachers. A couple a key points about schooling in Western Australia: - The school year begins in February and ends in December. - Kindergarten or "Kindy" as it is referred is for kids who are age 3 on or before June 30 the year...

Continue

How to save money on currency exchange as an expat

Despite base in Perth and working for the Australian entity of my company I am paid in Canadian dollars into a Canadian bank account in you guessed it....Canada.  This is compounded by the fact that upon arrival we didn't just have standard expenses....we needed to buy some significant items including a car for Angela. The policy of the company I work for suggests writing yourself a cheque from your home bank account and cashing it in...

Continue

How to find temporary housing in Perth

Let me start with the brutal disclaimer.  In the entire process of starting our expat lives in Perth the process of finding temporary accomodation while we waited for our furniture to arrive was the most hair pulling, frustrating, non response getting goofy situation we encountered.  Ok that's now been said so here goes... Ok....to paint the picture I'm sitting 9,595 Miles or 15,442 kilometers from Perth on the 1st of May (2012)...

Continue

How to set up an Australian Bank Account in Perth / Western Australia

Once we accepted the expat role in Perth....one of the very first things to set up was Banking.  I'm happy to report that Aussie banks make this easy...as least they did for us (more on that later). For starters I suggest one of the big Aussie banks....they are: - Westpac  http://movingtoaustralia.westpac.com.au/ - ANZ  http://www.movingtoaustralia.anz.com/english/ - Commonwealth Bank (known as CommBank)  https://www.commbank.com.au/personal/can/moving-to-australia.html -...

Continue

Another heatwave - Weather in Perth

We're in one of those heat waves that are not uncommon in Perth from December through February.  Yesterday broke 40C and today was over 38C.  This heatwave will be defined as 6 consecutive days with max temperatures above 36C.  Last December we had a 112 year record with 9 straight days averaging a high of 39C.  I remember new years eve walking to my car and thinking my face might melt. And now for a personal reminder of what...

Continue

Should I move to Perth?

I personally think Perth has got to be one of the ultimate expat destinations.  Angela and I often discuss that it will be hard to top Perth with the next assignment.  I can tell you for certain we don't regret the decision for a second. The family on the South Perth Foreshore The upsides are: Weather - I challenge you to find a place with better overall weather It's safe People are friendly Good health care It's an outdoor city...

Continue