Perth
- Emma
- Jan 19, 2017
- 13 min read
I've always felt as though my soul has belonged somewhere else and have always had a fascination with Australia. It's somewhere I've always wanted to go and couldn't explain why. I would get a feeling of homesickness for a place I'd never been and it just always felt like something was pulling me to go to this land down under that promises of glorious weather and kangaroos (something I'll never get over seeing).
Three years ago, I made my first trip to Australia and ended up meeting Rich the day after I landed into the country - I knew that I was being pulled there for something! Call it what you will, but I do believe that it was meant to be and that I was being drawn there for a reason.
Ever since my amazing nine months spent in the wonderful world that is Australia, I have always felt like I just couldn't wait to go back. Again something was tugging at my heart, wanting me to return and I've never been able to shake the feeling that somehow I might belong somewhere else other than my place of birth. Luckily for me, Rich happens to have that same inexplicable love for this wonderful country and when we first met, we always spoke of us going back and making a life for ourselves there. It was always part of our plan, even if it did take us two and a half years to get organised enough to go back.
Our travels in Asia were absolutely incredible, but the whole time we were away, I couldn't stop thinking about Australia and how excited I was to be reunited with it, and that we would be setting up home there. Rich and I had to keep telling ourselves off because we would constantly be looking forward to the next place (mostly Australia) instead of enjoying where we were at that particular time and living in the moment. I had been looking forward to starting the next chapter of our lives in Australia for a long time and I just couldn't wait to get there. I just knew it would be the place that we'd finally start living together and the place where we could start being a 'normal' couple with no more long distance.
And now that I'm here, it's just incredible. It's everything I wanted it to be already. Finally I've stopped thinking, 'I can't wait until I'm in...' and I'm just enjoying where I'm at. I feel like I am home and that for once I'm not constantly wishing I was somewhere else.
We've been in Perth for just over a month now and it's just crazy to think how quickly that time has passed. We landed a week before Christmas so it was all very exciting to think we'd arrived right at the start of summer and at the beginning of lots of festivities.
We were very lucky to have some of Rich's friends offer for us to go and stay with them whilst we got on our feet. I'd met Stacey and Mike back in the UK in 2015 whilst they were home for their daughter, Evie's naming ceremony in Manchester. I didn't get to speak to them much that day as they were mingling with other guests, so I didn't feel as though I'd really got to know them.
They picked us up from the airport in Perth and immediately I warmed to them both. They were so friendly and welcoming and I just felt so lucky that they had been kind enough to let us stay in their family home for a while. We got back to their amazing house on the outskirts of Perth, where we were greeted by thirteen year old Molly and five year old Evie, who gave us a tour of our temporary home. The first thing we were absolutely amazed and excited about was their swimming pool! The house, garden and pool were all huge and we were stunned and so thankful that this would be our home for the next couple of months.
I feel as though within just a couple of days, I was starting to feel like part of the family and that we were becoming part of the furniture. Stacey and Mike were so easy to get along with and they were feeding us as well as putting us up. We felt very lucky indeed. The two girls are such lovely children and I feel like we have really got to know them.
We had started to settle in and it wasn't long before we were meeting up with some of Rich's friends and exploring some of his old haunts from a few years ago.
One of the first things that was coming up that was very exciting was our three year anniversary. I'd said to Rich that I'd like to go for a picnic as we all know how much I love picnics anyway, but also it would be a relatively cheap day out when we weren't exactly flush for cash. Rich had organised for us to go and have our picnic in King's Park in the city centre of Perth. I was very excited to be spending our anniversary in the sunshine and to see Perth, having never been before. I'd not made it over to Western Australia at all on my last trip, so I was very excited to be somewhere new. Since our anniversary is 23rd December, we usually celebrate by going to Winter Wonderland when we're at home, but this year was a very different experience. It was a wonderfully hot day and we loaded up with cheese, wine and Dairy Milk Top Deck (something you can't get back in the UK and is SO YUM) and had a lovely day in the sunshine. It was amazing to be back in Australia with Rich, celebrating our anniversary and looking forward to Christmas. I had to keep pinching myself that we were really here and it wasn't all just a dream.
On Christmas Eve, Rich randomly had an informal job interview in Cottesloe. It was for a job he was very excited about and we couldn't believe that after only being back in Perth for one week, he'd lined up an interview. It was very exciting and a reminder of what we were in Perth for; we weren't just here on holiday, we were here to set up a life! We both headed down to Cottesloe together and whilst Rich had his interview, I went and sat on Cottesloe Beach, which was so beautiful. Whilst soaking up the gorgeous December sunshine on the pristine white sandy beach, I thought I noticed a grey fin in the water with everyone swimming around. No one seemed to panic or bat an eyelid, so I dismissed the idea that I'd even seen anything. A few minutes later, I saw it again and realised that because no one was frantically panicking, it couldn't have been a shark, but a dolphin! I was utterly amazed and couldn't believe that I'd been sitting on the beach for only about fifteen minutes and I saw a dolphin just swimming around with everyone else splashing and playing around it. I had thought that it must just have been part of my imagination, but actually a short while later I overheard a lifeguard say they'd had a confirmed dolphin sighting. I couldn't believe it! What an incredible first day at a Western Australian beach.
Rich soon joined me and had said that his interview had gone well, so we had everything crossed for him that he would get the job. In the meantime it was Christmas Eve and we had some serious beach time to catch up on! It was an amazing morning spent on the beach in our Christmas hats. I still can't get used to sitting on the beach on Christmas Eve. We spent the rest of the day dropping in on some friends and then we spent the evening with Stacey and Mike and the kids, where we had a few glasses of wine and watched a movie on the outdoor movie projector they'd set up outside. It didn't feel like Christmas Eve at all, but it had been a lovely day and night.
A little later in the evening, I got a little upset about not being at home. This was my first bout of homesickness since leaving in early October. I missed everyone throughout my travels of course, but when you're travelling and having fun, it doesn't really affect you too much. But when you start living a normal life and all of your friends and family are on the opposite side of the world, it starts to get a bit tough, particularly at Christmas. I knew I'd be fine on the actual day, but it was Christmas Eve that got me feeling homesick as that's when I normally see my friends and family for drinks and nibbles, and I felt sad I wouldn't be a part of it. Stacey agreed that the run up to Christmas is always hard as that's the time when you'd normally be doing lots of Christmassy things with friends. I was glad to know I wasn't the only one. I just missed everyone at home so much and I just felt sad all evening, but as soon as Christmas Day came along, it was all fine.
Christmas Day was a lovely experience as we got to watch Evie and Molly open all of their presents. It was particularly magical watching Evie as she is at the perfect age for believing in Father Christmas, and it was wonderful to see her reaction when she opened her gifts.
We spent the day in and around the pool with friends, drinking and eating and it was glorious. The homesickness hadn't reared its head and I had a lovely time. I think, as I say, it was just the run up to Christmas that seemed to affect me the most. Christmas in the sunshine is amazing, even if it is a little strange. We had a fabulous time swimming around and having fun in the pool, having a tasty lunch cooked up by Stacey and of course lots of beer, wine and chocolate. Christmas is still Christmas wherever you go; you still eat and drink way too much and want to sleep it off in front of the TV. We had a lovely day in the sunshine and it was nice to spend it with friends who are also from the UK who don't have their families around either. I guess we all become each other's families at times like Christmas.
We were lucky enough to be given the use of a car temporarily by our friends, Tanya and Mike, who I also met at Evie's naming ceremony back in England. They ever so kindly let us borrow their little spare car for a few weeks as they wouldn't be needing it for a while. We were so grateful and couldn't believe the generosity and kindness of all of our friends, making a soft landing of our move to Perth.
Since we had a car, we drove down to Wellard on Boxing Day to go and visit our friends, Jo and Seb. We spent the day with them and their two lovely children, Jessica and Liam. I seemed to make a new best friend out of Jessica, aged four, who delighted in being able to brush my long hair and have me play babies with her. She is so very sweet and now can't seem to get enough of me!
We stayed the night at Jo and Seb's and the next day we all went to Rockingham Beach for some lunch and a walk. The beach was fabulous and as Rich is always reminding me, 'west is best' after all. The beaches in Western Australia are among the best beaches in the world and I was bearing witness to that. The colour of the sea and the feeling of the soft, white sand between my toes were incredible. Again, I felt so lucky to have all of these amazing beaches on my doorstep and I had to pinch myself for the millionth time that this is my home now.
New Year's Eve was fast approaching and we'd made no plans. We'd heard that Perth doesn't really do anything to see the new year in and as we didn't have a lot of money, we'd agreed with Stacey and Mike that we were perfectly happy to have a chilled night at their place. We drank and ate around the pool again and saw the new year in with some friends from home who were on holiday in Perth, visiting family. It was a very chilled night but just being in the pool and having food and drink and good company made for a lovely evening.
On New Year's Day, Rich and I met up with Darren and Charlie (the friends from home) and their relatives and went to Hillarys Boat Harbour, which is home to an ocean cove surrounded by shops, restaurants and bars. It was a great place to take kids for a splash in a safe and beautiful location, and wonderful for a day out if you want to eat, drink and shop. It was great to see all these lovely places that are so easily accessible and you can make them a free or cheap day out - Rich and I took a picnic and didn't spend a cent!
In our first few weeks in Perth we visited many nice little places, that allowed us to see some of the beautiful areas on a budget. There are so many lovely parks, beaches and attractions that cost very little or nothing at all. In the time we've been here, as well as the places already mentioned, we've been to Lake Joondalup, Scarborough Beach, Mullaloo Beach, Elizabeth Quay in Perth city centre, the South Perth Foreshore and lots more. Of course there are plenty of things to do that involve lots of money but we will have to wait until the wages start coming in before we can do any of those. It's nice that we've been able to get out and about though, without really spending too much. We tend to take a picnic wherever we go (which works for me, they're my favourite thing in the world!) and we've also been very surprised by the fact that you can park the car a lot of places for free as well.
When both of us get jobs, we have decided upon an area that we'd both like to live. It took us a while to come up with a suburb that we'd like to live in because we didn't know where we'd be working or how much money we'd be earning or anything, so it was quite difficult to have any idea. It wasn't until we found out that Rich was offered the job of Solar Production Manager (the one he'd had the interview for on Christmas Eve) in North Fremantle, that we even considered Fremantle as a place to live. Rich said he'd always wanted to live there and I quite liked the sound of the trendy little port city that is famous for its bars, restaurants and relaxed vibe. I'd never been, so to get some sort of idea of the place I'd agreed to live in, we took a drive there with Molly and Evie, and Molly's friend, Kiah.
We had a lovely day out with the girls, exploring the sights, eating fish and chips by the marina and enjoying froyo (frozen yoghurt) in the centre of the city. The beautiful Victorian buildings and the general feel of the city really captured my attention and made me very excited to be living in the heart of Freo, as it's more commonly known. I fell in love with it instantly and I absolutely cannot wait to set up home there.
A few days later it was my birthday and I was overwhelmed at the thoughtful, amazing gifts that Rich had spoilt me with. I had told him to just get me a 2017 diary as we don't have a lot of money and I would be happy with just that simple little gift. I felt very lucky indeed then when I woke up to a brand new picnic blanket and basket that was already packed full of cheese and other picnic goodies. I'd had to leave my hamper back at home in the UK and so it was very special of Rich to think to buy me a new one, knowing how much I wished I brought it over with me. Among the gifts were also some sunflowers, sports headphones, some Love Hearts and the most amazing of all; two new beautiful Pandora charms for my Pandora bracelet. I was in disbelief when I saw I had these and that both had so much meaning. There was a house one to represent our new house (hopefully that we will be living in very very soon) and a suitcase charm to represent our travels. I was so amazed and couldn't believe he'd been so naughty, spending all that money. Not only had he gone to all that effort with the gifts, but he'd booked us a night in Freo as well, so I could get a feel for what it's like in the evening.
We had a wonderful day for my birthday, having a picnic on Leighton Beach and spending the evening having dinner at one of Rich's favourite breweries,'Little Creatures'. Freo seemed to really come alive at night and it was such a wonderful atmosphere walking through the streets where everyone was having dinner and drinks outside. It felt like a holiday kind of place and I fell in love with it even more, knowing it was definitely the kind of city I want to live in.
We've had such a wonderful first month in Perth and I've already fallen in love with it so much. I am so excited that this place is going to be my home and that finally Rich and I can set up a house here and call it our own. We've already started looking at properties in Freo and I absolutely cannot wait to have our own place there. We've also been incredibly lucky to have such amazing friends who have taken us in and let us stay with them and their lovely children. We can't thank them enough for everything they've done for us. It feels lovely to have really got to know them all.
At the moment I am still looking for a job and getting a little disheartened that I haven't found anything yet. It's only been a month and I've been applying for absolutely everything, so I am sure something will come up soon. I just know that in order for us to be able to move, I'll need a job and I'm getting a little frustrated at the fact I'm not working. We all joke that we'd love to be a 'lady of leisure' but after a month of not working and just sitting at home doing nothing, I am fed up! I like working, I like being in a routine and of course, I like earning money. I'm not even being fussy; I'm perfectly happy to do any job right now just to be earning some money, and then I can look for something better later down the line. Fingers crossed that something comes soon.
We're so excited for everything that is to come this year in Australia for us. The past month has been a great little introduction to Perth and I am looking forward to setting up home and getting to know this city a little better. This city I now call home.
Comments