Discovered by Dutch sailors 150 years before Sydney, but planned only in 1829 on the mouth of Swan River, this is one of the hottest, most expensive, and most isolated cities in the country, in fact, in the whole world: from Perth, it’s quicker to fly to Jakarta than Sydney, and to get to the next big city you need to travel 2700 km to Adelaide, crossing a super dry valley called the Nullarbor, with no trees and no gas station.
Perth, settled between the Indian Ocean and a desert so big that it actually has 5 different names (The Great Victoria, The Great Sandy, The Little Sandy, The Gibson and The Tanami), this city has grown up like an independent, only child. It’s the hometown of huge stars such as Heath Ledger, Megan Gale, Daniel Ricciardo and Cadel Evans, but it’s also famous for its sunsets on Cottesloe Beach, its seafood in Fremantle, and the big white sharks of Rottnest Island. Perth only joined the federation in 1901, on the condition that it first become the capital of a new state called Westralia.
Unfortunately this didn’t happen, and despite massive migration, it has never stopped feeling like a separate entity. One of the reasons is that Western Australia by itself generates 46% of national exports and 20% of the world’s iron.
The GDP is double that of Tasmania, and its 2 million inhabitants can boast – on average – salaries of over 100k per year. That explains why the coffee is $4.50 a shot.
Living in Perth: useful information
Perth has 300 sunny days at year. It has really hot summers and winter almost doesn’t exist. In Perth you can feel the calm and laid back Aussie life style. It seems like there is no rush or chaos even though the city is always expanding and it’s becoming a popular destination for people from all over the world. Plenty of opportunities exist in the mining sector, and in building and construction.
Living in Perth means living in the fresh air, riding bikes and always being in close contact with nature. Parks and deserts are on your doorstep, and the ocean is part of your daily life. The city is divided into suburbs, and in part of the CBD (city center) you can find Northbridge, where restaurants and bars make it famous, or Leederville and Beaufort Street, the areas to have a bit of fun.
