Perth - Geraldton

emfitz

Hey all...

Possibly a move to Geraldton on the cards... My boyf has a job lined up there and it'll be a permanent thing. I think it might be better for me work wise and sicially to move to Perth and commute at weeknds. I'm in accounting so think there might be more options in Perth and I'm hearing all good things about the place. Currently in Sydney, looking forward to change of scenery.

Anyone any ideas what Geraldton is like? Or anyone live there before?

Em
:pac:

Legend100

Hi emfitz, sorry to hijack your thread, How is it on the accounting front for jobs in Sydney. Planning on heading over in september on WHV and for longer if things work out.

I'm ACA and will be nearly two years qualified by the time i get over there, trained (and still in) small practice

emfitz

Hey,

There are a good few accounting roles around Sydney.. My problem is I'm only part qualified CPA, I should be going home in Sept to do my finals but I'm looking into finishing them with CPA Australia and staying here for few yrs. Because you have the experience you should do ok. If you look up seek.com.au you'll get a good idea of whats around, and there are plenty of accounting recruitment firms that will help you out!!!
Hope that helps!!!

Xavi6

Ah Geraldton, the spot for my football team's annual preseason trip

First of all it's a good four hour drive north of Perth so consider that for your commuting. The town itself is quite big with all the ammenities you need (it has a large hosptial for example). There are some nice bars and pubs (Vibe for example is a winner!) and the people seem really nice. There's very big housing estates and it's all very modern.

The good thing about Gero is that you're closer to some other great spots further north like Shark Bay, Monkey Mia and Kalbarri which is only an hour and a half or so up the road. All of them are amazing for snorkelling etc and well worth a visit.

I'll be heading up that way over easter spending a night in Gero, two nights in Shark Bay then a night in Gero on the way back. Overall it's a nice place with everything you need.

emfitz

Thanks Xavi6...

It does seem like a nice place.. My only thing holding me back is i reckon i'd get pretty lonely compared to living in city like Perth.. And getting a good job!

I know the journey will be long but if it has to be done, we'll manage..

Decision decisions!!

ellaq

I find the drive long from Perth to Geraldton. Not sure if I would want to do it everyweek but plenty of people do. Geraldton is a nice town, but I really like Dongara which is tiny but seems like a nice place to live. Geraldton has everything you need these days. I don't think your social life would really suffer too much living there. You might get lucky and get a job in Geraldton.

There is a bad element in town, probably quite common in a lot of isolated country towns. Last time I left Geraldton without my wallet and mobile thanks to a break in.

wader

Hi,
Just wondering how you got on / are getting on in geraldton? My bf maybe moving over there from Ireland and I'm unsure whether to go or not. Id love to know what its like to live there as an expat-are there many Irish there? Is it expensive day to day? And is there much of a social scene? Thanks a mill

emfitz

Hi Wader,

I've been living here for 3months now... Geraldton is a lovely town, right on the coast, really popular stop for people touring the coast!!
Its as expensive as anywhere in Australia, dont find it too bad as the money is quite good too.. Accom your looking at maybe 350 - 400 a week depending what your after. There are alot of Irish in Geraldton, we just havnt met too many yet!! Theres alot of pubs and some good restaurants, social scene is alright, nothing major!! I prefer to hold off a bit and head to Perth every now and again for a night out!!

To be honest we got so lucky with Geraldton as there was a choice of 3 places and this is the best by far. The weather is getting better so its really nice here at the mo. Also Kalbarri is 2hrs North and its a nice spot to head to for the weekend...

THe town itself has lots of nice cafes, few good pubs and restaurants, decent gym, swimming pool, plenty of beaches, loads of free bbq areas, cinema, not bad for shopping and lots of sun!!!

If you need any more info, just ask..
Em

iwsf

Shark bay is just a Kangoroo hop away from geraldton , beautifull spot for a week-end. Kalbarri is also very nice as Xavi6 said. And there is a good LandRover mechanic in Geraldton as i found out last Christmas when the fan belt snapped half way between Denham and Geraldton :mad:
Are you really commuting everyday between Geraldton and Perth ?

emfitz

iwsf wrote: »

Are you really commuting everyday between Geraldton and Perth ?

God no... Living and working in Geraldton... That was a crazy idea!!! Head to Perth once every month or two... One long boring drive, but 4 hours is nothing on the road over here...

wader

Thanks for the reply Em much appreciated, so hard to find out what a place is like from google. Just wondering what area would be a good place for a couple to live, were both 27 so don't really want to go to a suburb where its all families. Looks great over there especially at the mo when is lashing rain here!!

emfitz

wader wrote: »

Just wondering what area would be a good place for a couple to live, were both 27 so don't really want to go to a suburb where its all families. Looks great over there especially at the mo when is lashing rain here!!

Its really starting to get nice here now.. Some of the good areas to look at are Beresford, Tarcoola, Beachlands, Sunset Beach.. Theres the town centre too but i prefer it out a bit, saying that its still only ten min walk. There are a few dodgy areas too (Utakarra, Woorree) You'll find families in most of the suburbs here. We got lucky in Beresford, really close to town and just beside the beach..
The town itself has pretty much everything you'd need!!

eilo0552

Hi,
Its my first time on this so not too sure how it works! I read your post re:geraldton, myself, my husband and our 3 year old are planning a move to geraldton, but we have heard good and bad reports of it. Im a nurse and would be hopefully working in the hospital but do u no how easy it is for construction workers to get work? what is it like for familys?

emfitz

eilo0552 wrote: »

Hi,
Its my first time on this so not too sure how it works! I read your post re:geraldton, myself, my husband and our 3 year old are planning a move to geraldton, but we have heard good and bad reports of it. Im a nurse and would be hopefully working in the hospital but do u no how easy it is for construction workers to get work? what is it like for familys?

From what i can tell its a great place for families, lots of parks and beaches. Theres lots of work in Geraldton in all industries, if you try looking at seek.com.au or midwestjobseeker.com.au it might give you a better idea.
There's a website called Poms in Oz similar to this and theres a thread going there on Geraldton, couple of people on it are nurses also planning on working in the hospital. Worth taking a look at.
I love geraldton!!! When are ye thinking of making the move?

eilo0552

Thanks for the reply! i will look up those websites to get a better idea of the situation for my husband. We are hoping to make the move by june next yr, by the time i get my registration sorted, get the visa prosesed and have ph interviews it seems like the perfect time to go. My daughter will need to start school 2years so if we head next summer we can give it a go for a yr and if it doesnt work out we can come back and start her in school without moving her about too much!whats the story with renting in geraldton, i have looked up a few websites but there seems to be huge differences in rents depending on the area. Can u get decent accomadation in nice areas?

emfitz

Ya the accom varies, you got some pricey areas, and then you have some dodgy spots!! Few more websites for you: -Geraldton property team - Ray White Geraldton -Professionals Geraldton - Kalazich Smith geraldton are a few of the rental agencies or Rental properties.com.au

Mount Tarcoola, Tarcoola Beach area would be more expensive in my opinion, i live in Beresford, i love it and its affordable. Sunset Beach and bluff point are good areas too, not too far from town.

When we moved here we were told stay away from Utakarra, Rangeway, Wooree are the ones i can remember.

eilo0552

thanks for that, u have been a great help!

irishtweety

We are both in our early 30's and thinking of moving to Geraldton... My partner has got work which is great as it is a great role for him so it is just me who would have to find a job...

Does anyone know what the job prospects are like in Geraldton at the moment? I see mixed reports from the various websites....

If you couldn't get work in Geraldton what are the closest towns / cities worth trying that would still be within reach of Geraldton?

In Dublin we like eating out a lot - what are the restaurants like?

Thanks all

emfitz

What kind of work do you do??!!
Try looking up seek.com.au or google midwestjobseeker.

The next nearest place for work would be Perth - which is a 4hour drive or 1 hour flight... However G'ton seems to be expanding and there are lots of jobs about..

There are alot of restaurants here, 2/3 really good ones. Lots of Thai & Chinese, 2 italians, a couple of pubs with food and a few more upmarket places too. If you visit the Geraldton Visitor centre site you'll probably find all these.

irishtweety

Thanks emfitz... I work for a charity organising events / marketing - that kind of thing. I could also temp for a while if there is temp work in Geraldton....

Do many people commute all the way to Perth for work??? That seems a huge distance to go for work...

emfitz

irishtweety wrote: »

Thanks emfitz... I work for a charity organising events / marketing - that kind of thing. I could also temp for a while if there is temp work in Geraldton....

Do many people commute all the way to Perth for work??? That seems a huge distance to go for work...

You could commute at the weekends.. Because of the mines etc there are alot of people flying out sun eve and back fri evening, but it is a long jaunt.
There are a good few marketing companies in town and plenty of temp work im sure. If you hit google you'll prob come accross some job agencies and maybe some companies you could send your resume to. There seems to be a lot of new companies opening up in Gero at the min, it seems to be the place to go at the minute.