Hi all,
we are visiting the University of WA for three months starting mid-september or so. It is a family trip, we are coming with our two young sons (4 and 2 years old).
We are wondering about where to live in Perth - close to a beach (surf and/or kite possible) would be fantastic but we have no idea about where to start searching (and we also have to find child care!). The University itself is in Crawley area and it has to be easy enough to get there in the morning, and better using public transportation.
We are open to any advice and suggestions!
Best,
sl
Hi there
To be close to UWA you will want to be in Nedlands , Claremont , Cottesloe or at a pinch North Fremantle to stay close to beaches and work.
That way you could ride to work along the river which is a pretty nice way to get to commute.There is no train line close to UWA but a pretty good bus service along Stirling Highway.
Perth is a town that you really need a car even for 3 months.
There are child care facilities in all those suburbs although I believe UWA has great facilities for pre primary kids
Will UWA be subsidising your accommodation?It's expensive to rent here although the local papers often have shorter term rentals for 3-6 months.Try "Subiaco Post" online classifieds.
Great windsurfing/kiting beaches close by but pretty much nothing surfwise at that (or any) time of year.That does not seem to stop hoards of frustrated longboarders paddling around at Cottesloe most of the year!
UWA have an accomodation listing on their website that'll have a whole heap of accomodation in the locality of the Uni.
If you end up in Nedlands or nearby, Pelican Point is a good place for kiting (there's a fair few people over there on any given summer afternoon) if you like a bit of chop, the seabreeze blows straight onto it and UWA is over the road. The ocean is about 10-15min away depending on where exactly you end up, waves you'll have to go a little further away to find.
A car would be a good idea. 
Money is usually an issue with most people...
but just to let you know...anything around the University area is Very pricey.
And on any given day is extremely busy with traffic coming and going from the city so no matter were you stay...I feel it will not be easy and there is no train...only buses.
"W.A. not the easiest of places to get around by public transport" 
If you're happy with public transport, have a look at the 98 bus route. It is a massive circle route throughout Perth, and goes right out the front of the uni.
That opens up quite a few areas.
Also, whilst there are plenty of expensive houses near the uni, there are plenty of cheap ones too. Heaps of my mates (students) have/do live nearby.
Right about the traffic though. But once you learn the area and the bad times and what roads to avoid it isn't too bad.
And if you could try to 'plump up' a bit before you get here because we are having a lot of trouble with great white sharks which like to drop in and feast on swimmers and surfers from time to time, so far without any effective response from anyone.
Apparently we don't want to make a 'knee jerk' reaction. ??
Beats the living heck out of me, but so far, 3 weeks after the last fatality we still have done nothing about it.
So, as I said, try and plump up a bit before you get here because we wouldn't want the poor sharks to have to eat a skinny french person. 
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. That certainly is going to help us (you can keep on posting though).
@ Base-curve: I have tried to find the Subiaco post classified page but I only found a single pdf page. Do you have a link?
We will look for a car but the idea was to use public transport to go to UWA.
As for sharks, well ... I'll try to stay alive and be cautious - I have been lucky so far, fingers crossed.
sl
sl...try this site for home rentals...cars, furniture...freebies 
might be worth a look....
www.gumtree.com.au/ cheers
I've heard if you rub dog food all over your body it will act as a shark repelant.
Cott or Swanbourne is the go. Marine Parade in Cottesloe, just south of the golf course. Great spot for a kite or a longboard. Close to stirling hwy for bike or bus access to the Uni.
Hi all,
Thanks for all the advices (although I am not totally convinced by using dog food as a shark repellant - there might be some fine tuning to experiment here).
I was wondering what would be a reasonable weekly rent for a 2 bedroom furnished flat, nothing fancy inside, just quiet and cool for the kids (we have cheap preferences regarding furnitures and other things) ... we see plenty of offers with a big variance in price. Is it usual to negotiate a bit or is it more a take-it-or-leave-it habit?
sl
I would also be doing a search for people wanting house sitters, you may have to feed the dog/cat etc but it is generally free rent. Depending on your own home there are also web sitesthat help with house swapping often even involves cars??
TBH i reckon if you go through an agent, youll be looking at paying a min of $300 a week with a 3k bond.
Yeh you're right actually, been having a closer look, it is pretty expensive in the Nedlands area
.
I think students can only afford the cheaper places (they are also pretty crappy 
) because they often have 4+ people living there paying the rent, which would definitely take some of the sting outta it. I would guess with a family and 1/2 people paying rent it would be pricey.
Have a look at some of the bus routes that go near by. I think the public transport system isn't perfect, but it is nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be.
Could also have a look at places along the train line. I *think* (never done it) that it isn't too hard to get to the uni from the trainstation in the city.
Even a relatively modest furnished 2 bed furnished willl cost you upwards of $4-500 per week here (close to Uni) although you should be able to negotiate down.
As from July 2012 rent is no longer a tax deduction for foreign workers so things have soften up a bit at the upper end.
If you are on a tight budget the house sitting option might be a good one.You could try dropping an Ad in the local papers.
You don't say how much you can afford. Well if you don't care about the money go for Fremantle or even City like east Perth or south Perth. I would suggest looking around the Fremantle/White Gum Valley area. Western Suburbs - Claremont, Nedlands, Cottesloe etc.
