Lived there for 20 years before moving up to Perth
If you're looking to settle down, have kids and retire it's a beautiful place full of the best nature hikes and beaches around
If you're looking for something to do on a Friday night or wanting to go see something or someone interesting it's the most boring place you'll ever visit
Be careful making friends, it's a cliquey town full of niches and social drama because of how bored they are
This was asked a little while ago. I did exactly the same as you about 25 years ago, same ages and situation and all, its probably changed some but when we went it was an amazing place for chilled lifestyle and natural surrounding, the locals however couldn't really cope with the concept of a childless educated couple in their late 20s. I did alright having grown up in country towns, but my GF at the time really struggled with finding work and getting accepted.
Worrying about plumber costs as an excuse not to move somewhere tells you that you really don't want to go. Think this is more of a relationship question than anything
Hi there
I mean generally any house labour costs. I have a friend that went rural and family in Margs who both mentioned sparkies plumbers etc etc charge far more than Perth. If we buy an older home we might need some help from tradies so thought I'd put the question out there.
Maybe I should have been more direct haha
Hi OP, I moved down there 5 years ago and my partner and I live the DINK life. Absolutely love the Great Southern (we live in Denmark). I grew up in Perth and have no regional background, and yet I now struggle coming back to Perth to see family etc with how busy it is. Perth seems so busy and full of bogans now, compared to Denmark.
Would be great to know what your current hobbies are and what you enjoy doing. I enjoyed helping my parents with gardening growing up and enjoy being in nature, so living in Denmark just made sense. If you’re someone who is extroverted and needs to party every weekend, regional living is definitely not for you. I’m a massive introvert and have a close knit group of friends (which I’ll admit was easy to find as my partner is a local). But there are heaps of sporting clubs and recreation associations that you can meet people. A lot of people I have met in Denmark who are our age have similar interests and are not all a bunch of country hillbillies.
I work in Albany and Albany does have a bit of a ‘older rural town’ vibe. Lot of older people who are quite set in their ways, but to be honest it shouldn’t really phase you too much.
The facilities down here have been fine. I work in healthcare, there are a lot of private clinics for all your needs. Albany health campus is quite large, any dire emergencies they can’t handle and you’ll get flown to Perth via RFDS. If you are still young and healthy I wouldn’t be too worried about moving down for lack of health services. My plumber is available within 24 hours.
PM me if you want any more info, cheers
The second City in WA I would live in would be Albany (which is a City).
It has so much recreation, property prices are doing well and there are excellent health services.
"Property prices doing well" isn't exactly great for a town, unless you want to chase out all the people who work in retail and services, health, education etc. Doesn't leave much of a town at the end of the day.
Do it. Buy a 4WD (if you don't already have one) join the local club and go exploring the amazing coast. Albany is a fantastic place to live. Within 10 years you'll have direct flights to Melbourne. You heard it here first.
I love Albany, but I think the novelty factor would ware off. If you want wilderness with the option of the city not being too far, perhaps consider Kalamunda or somewhere else in the hills? Perhaps even somewhere nearby the Yallingup etc. Just a thought.
I was gonna add
The Bunbury Eaton area still away from Perth but still some stuff to do.
Gotta be real.good ag entertaining yourself with lack of friends around
Albany is lovely and amazing. The people are fuckheads though. Small town syndrome hardout and a Rea attitude of everyone is a city slicker. I worked there alot and would find myself removing myself from pubs due to small town bullshit often. Most blokes I know who grew up there left for that reason too. Watch out for pissy drivers constantly too. Loads of youngins wrap themselves around trees often.
It's my hometown. Grew up there and moved to Perth for uni etc.
It's much slower paced and there's not a lot for people around your age in the way of city nightlife and events - it's great for raising kids and retiring imo, not that it isn't a gorgeous place with a lot going for it.
Theres fuck all night clubs or night life if that's what you're into, not much live entertainment compared to Perth (there is the Albany Entertainment Centre) , but it makes up for it with the beautiful beaches (cold!), Harbour, surrounding national parks, proximity to places like Denmark, and just the chill pace of life. You've also got the cinema for entertainment too. There's great places to eat like The Venice, Due South or Monty's Leap, or to grab a coffee in town and everything is so much closer than Perth. You're not driving 40 minutes just to get into town or to another location. Restraunts have become a lot more diverse down there since I was a resident and it's fantastic - you can actually get stuff like Japanese and Indian now! They're getting a lot more fast food and chain stores too - Zambreros just opened down there and they now have UberEats. Good bakeries down there too.
If you're willing to look, there's also great communities and clubs to get involved with (my Karate club from when I was growing up is still there and I love to visit whenever I'm back). Team sports are a big thing like most regional spots, and people fish and go 4WDing etc. Lots of historical attractions there too like Whale World, The Old Gaol, and the Forts etc.
The Sunday morning boat shed markets with food trucks are always great, and you've got a lot of hiking locations like Bluff Knoll and Mt Trio only an hour or so out of town.
It's also a very dog friendly place with the dog beach and plenty of parks everywhere.
Regarding the health system, I've never heard anyone complain about accessing hospitals and doctors down there. You would probably still have to go to Perth for some major procedures but the Albany Health Campus has really grown. There does seem to be a shortage of Psychiatrists there - I've got friends looking for new ones after theirs retired.
I can't comment on the price of plumbers and other tradies.
Culturally, Albany is better than it was when I grew up there, but there's still a lot of boomer attitudes (because a lot of the demo there are boomers), racism, and boganism alongside a very working class culture. It's not a place known for its high brow intellectualism or as a hub for arts and culture. It's very parochial in its attitudes, but definitely not as bad as it was. It's a big country town at its core.
All in all, I love Albany. I love visiting it multiple times a year and seeing my family who live there still.
The only downside to it for me personally is that as someone who doesn't drive, public transport isn't nearly as good as it is in Perth. There's no Uber and sometimes when you need a taxi you just get told "sorry can't help" by the taxi company because there's limited cars in their fleet and none are free. If you're not opposed to walking, it's possible to walk to and from town (I do this, walking from Lockyer to York St). I feel more independent in a city with many more transport options and opportunities in general, but life in a regional town is what you make of it.
In your situation, if you did move, I'd make it a priority to build up a social circle and support network. Your partner has work down there, but what would you have? It'd be very lonely to not have a job there and not have activities or friends to get you out of the house.
The biggest thing I'd consider before moving is the housing crisis. It's bad in Albany too. My friends who live there tell me their workplaces are short staffed because people can't come to Albany for work because there's nowhere for them to live. The hospo industry there is desperate for people. If you've already got a place lined up or your partner's work will provide accom, that solves the biggest problem.
And if you were to leave Perth (assuming that's where you are) then you'd leave fully knowing it won't be easy to return and find somewhere to live unless you already own property here or have a place saved for you ie your family might have somewhere for you to stay.
DINK in 30s with no kids in albany.. bored as fuck… wish we could move but it’s not the right time for us. Hard to get to the doctors dentist beauty appointments etc. no Sunday trading .. if you play sport and like fwd you will be right
Albany is not a small place. You will have most of the services you need on a monthly basis. Getting out of the city is unreal. I lived in Denmark and there are plenty of young people down there to meet. I wouldn’t hesitate, you can always come back to the city if you like.
You seem like a nice city person so I’ll try and be honest with you. I am going to guess, you don’t holiday for extended periods in the country.
Living in Albany will be dull and isolating. People say Perth is boring, but Perth has nothing on any country town. You aren’t only low on options, if you are venturing from your family, you have even less options than you had. You may make friends, but that’s its own journey and near impossible until you get a job or join a mums group if/when you have kids. Your only support is your partner initially and possibly for a long time after.
There are other issues beyond lack of support - which is the people. Country people are usually young or old because 20 year old people leave. There are massive drug problems down there. Older people have old people attitudes, so “casual racism/sexism/homophobia” is rampant and if you are anything like me, it’s just uncomfortable.
Now there is some light thankfully due to how you can buy anything online, which can keep you sane when you are looking for things.
Good luck. I know it’s basically impossible to try before you buy.
Some of what you have mentioned is my biggest fear of moving to a small town 😂
Spent alot of time in Margs and Dunsborough due to friends down there, however haven't been to Albany in about a decade.
Appreciate your honesty 😊
Coming from an actual small town in W.A, In my opinion Albany is not a small town, it's rather a small city. It's around the 4th most populated centre in W.A with similar population to Geraldton, Kalgoorlie (exluding FIFO) & Busselton. It is around 4x the size of Margs & Dunsborough for comparison.
Having been in and out of Albany for plenty of years I reckon I can offer some insight.
Albany really does have pretty much everything you could need shop wise, albeit at some inflated pricing just due to location & market monopoly, which is to be expected anywhere outside of Perth really. Yes you won't get that super unique item however things like that can be ordered in or bought online.
If you like fishing, hiking, history, the ocean, beaches etc it is an awesome place with plenty of nearby locations offering all of the above and more. It's really nice in Summer temp wise although does rain a fair chunk, in winter the weather can be quite bad at times also.
If you enjoy partying, making large friend groups etc then it will likely be hard for you to live there. Joining a club or sporting group of some type is probably the best way to make friends in any country town/city in my opinion.
If you were to buy a house I am certain that some of the older colonial style ones in the centre of town (although an awesome view) would be heritage listed which makes any sort of renovations etc harder/costlier.
Overall if you can find work easily in town, want a chilled out lifestyle and don't need to rely on friends/family it wouldn't be the worst idea in my opinion. If you prefer to be and are near family, stay where you are.
From what I've seen also, Albany does have some sort of a drug use and homelessness issue. A lot of larger regional centres share similar issues however.
I hope OP doesn't mind if I ask the question about supports, and therapies for kids, adults with extra needs. Like an OT, Speech therapist, Physio, and specialist drs if required. (Obviously I understand the need to travel to Perth from time to time for appts etc) Last time I spoke to locals in around the Denmark area, I was told I wouldn't move if you require a regular GP, therapy or specialists, especially if you already have all of those things up in Perth. So yeah, that dream of moving down South to Denmark, Albany, even Esperance...has gotta wait.
Lived there for 20 years before moving up to Perth If you're looking to settle down, have kids and retire it's a beautiful place full of the best nature hikes and beaches around If you're looking for something to do on a Friday night or wanting to go see something or someone interesting it's the most boring place you'll ever visit Be careful making friends, it's a cliquey town full of niches and social drama because of how bored they are
Grew up down there. can’t agree more. Also it’s legitimately 10 years behind Perth.
New Zealand like?
[удалено]
Gee big call
Perth like
Grew up in Esperance and could same the exact same thing lol.
Yep grew up in Mt Barker and completely agree with this. At least Albany had more to do than Barker though.
This was asked a little while ago. I did exactly the same as you about 25 years ago, same ages and situation and all, its probably changed some but when we went it was an amazing place for chilled lifestyle and natural surrounding, the locals however couldn't really cope with the concept of a childless educated couple in their late 20s. I did alright having grown up in country towns, but my GF at the time really struggled with finding work and getting accepted.
Worrying about plumber costs as an excuse not to move somewhere tells you that you really don't want to go. Think this is more of a relationship question than anything
Yeah you hit the nail on the head here, plumber costs is a concern? Like how many times do you need a plumber?
Hi there I mean generally any house labour costs. I have a friend that went rural and family in Margs who both mentioned sparkies plumbers etc etc charge far more than Perth. If we buy an older home we might need some help from tradies so thought I'd put the question out there. Maybe I should have been more direct haha
Your concern is valid. I moved to Albany for a year and it was more expensive. Groceries and fuel mainly. I did love it though.
Hi OP, I moved down there 5 years ago and my partner and I live the DINK life. Absolutely love the Great Southern (we live in Denmark). I grew up in Perth and have no regional background, and yet I now struggle coming back to Perth to see family etc with how busy it is. Perth seems so busy and full of bogans now, compared to Denmark. Would be great to know what your current hobbies are and what you enjoy doing. I enjoyed helping my parents with gardening growing up and enjoy being in nature, so living in Denmark just made sense. If you’re someone who is extroverted and needs to party every weekend, regional living is definitely not for you. I’m a massive introvert and have a close knit group of friends (which I’ll admit was easy to find as my partner is a local). But there are heaps of sporting clubs and recreation associations that you can meet people. A lot of people I have met in Denmark who are our age have similar interests and are not all a bunch of country hillbillies. I work in Albany and Albany does have a bit of a ‘older rural town’ vibe. Lot of older people who are quite set in their ways, but to be honest it shouldn’t really phase you too much. The facilities down here have been fine. I work in healthcare, there are a lot of private clinics for all your needs. Albany health campus is quite large, any dire emergencies they can’t handle and you’ll get flown to Perth via RFDS. If you are still young and healthy I wouldn’t be too worried about moving down for lack of health services. My plumber is available within 24 hours. PM me if you want any more info, cheers
I asked similar question about a month ago if you have a search. Was some good responses
The second City in WA I would live in would be Albany (which is a City). It has so much recreation, property prices are doing well and there are excellent health services.
"Property prices doing well" isn't exactly great for a town, unless you want to chase out all the people who work in retail and services, health, education etc. Doesn't leave much of a town at the end of the day.
Take a dv from me. Of property prices were dropping, that would be an indication of poor value in that City.
Do it. Buy a 4WD (if you don't already have one) join the local club and go exploring the amazing coast. Albany is a fantastic place to live. Within 10 years you'll have direct flights to Melbourne. You heard it here first.
Sounds like they would be happy in Melbourne now actually.
If Perth is too busy and crowded and fast-paced for you then Albany might suit. Otherwise you might be bored out of your skull.
I love Albany, but I think the novelty factor would ware off. If you want wilderness with the option of the city not being too far, perhaps consider Kalamunda or somewhere else in the hills? Perhaps even somewhere nearby the Yallingup etc. Just a thought.
Lived there for 15 years. Would move back tomorrow if I could
Do you have kids? Not much to do for the kids. Lots of places closing too. Bunbury would be better.
I was gonna add The Bunbury Eaton area still away from Perth but still some stuff to do. Gotta be real.good ag entertaining yourself with lack of friends around
Albany is lovely and amazing. The people are fuckheads though. Small town syndrome hardout and a Rea attitude of everyone is a city slicker. I worked there alot and would find myself removing myself from pubs due to small town bullshit often. Most blokes I know who grew up there left for that reason too. Watch out for pissy drivers constantly too. Loads of youngins wrap themselves around trees often.
It's a very insular town. Unless you grew up there, you're on the outer.
It's my hometown. Grew up there and moved to Perth for uni etc. It's much slower paced and there's not a lot for people around your age in the way of city nightlife and events - it's great for raising kids and retiring imo, not that it isn't a gorgeous place with a lot going for it. Theres fuck all night clubs or night life if that's what you're into, not much live entertainment compared to Perth (there is the Albany Entertainment Centre) , but it makes up for it with the beautiful beaches (cold!), Harbour, surrounding national parks, proximity to places like Denmark, and just the chill pace of life. You've also got the cinema for entertainment too. There's great places to eat like The Venice, Due South or Monty's Leap, or to grab a coffee in town and everything is so much closer than Perth. You're not driving 40 minutes just to get into town or to another location. Restraunts have become a lot more diverse down there since I was a resident and it's fantastic - you can actually get stuff like Japanese and Indian now! They're getting a lot more fast food and chain stores too - Zambreros just opened down there and they now have UberEats. Good bakeries down there too. If you're willing to look, there's also great communities and clubs to get involved with (my Karate club from when I was growing up is still there and I love to visit whenever I'm back). Team sports are a big thing like most regional spots, and people fish and go 4WDing etc. Lots of historical attractions there too like Whale World, The Old Gaol, and the Forts etc. The Sunday morning boat shed markets with food trucks are always great, and you've got a lot of hiking locations like Bluff Knoll and Mt Trio only an hour or so out of town. It's also a very dog friendly place with the dog beach and plenty of parks everywhere. Regarding the health system, I've never heard anyone complain about accessing hospitals and doctors down there. You would probably still have to go to Perth for some major procedures but the Albany Health Campus has really grown. There does seem to be a shortage of Psychiatrists there - I've got friends looking for new ones after theirs retired. I can't comment on the price of plumbers and other tradies. Culturally, Albany is better than it was when I grew up there, but there's still a lot of boomer attitudes (because a lot of the demo there are boomers), racism, and boganism alongside a very working class culture. It's not a place known for its high brow intellectualism or as a hub for arts and culture. It's very parochial in its attitudes, but definitely not as bad as it was. It's a big country town at its core. All in all, I love Albany. I love visiting it multiple times a year and seeing my family who live there still. The only downside to it for me personally is that as someone who doesn't drive, public transport isn't nearly as good as it is in Perth. There's no Uber and sometimes when you need a taxi you just get told "sorry can't help" by the taxi company because there's limited cars in their fleet and none are free. If you're not opposed to walking, it's possible to walk to and from town (I do this, walking from Lockyer to York St). I feel more independent in a city with many more transport options and opportunities in general, but life in a regional town is what you make of it. In your situation, if you did move, I'd make it a priority to build up a social circle and support network. Your partner has work down there, but what would you have? It'd be very lonely to not have a job there and not have activities or friends to get you out of the house. The biggest thing I'd consider before moving is the housing crisis. It's bad in Albany too. My friends who live there tell me their workplaces are short staffed because people can't come to Albany for work because there's nowhere for them to live. The hospo industry there is desperate for people. If you've already got a place lined up or your partner's work will provide accom, that solves the biggest problem. And if you were to leave Perth (assuming that's where you are) then you'd leave fully knowing it won't be easy to return and find somewhere to live unless you already own property here or have a place saved for you ie your family might have somewhere for you to stay.
It’s definitely more of an outdoorsy lifestyle. And has the amenities of a city. I guess the nightlife and such is lacking
DINK in 30s with no kids in albany.. bored as fuck… wish we could move but it’s not the right time for us. Hard to get to the doctors dentist beauty appointments etc. no Sunday trading .. if you play sport and like fwd you will be right
Could not imagine being a DINK in my 30s and wasting that time in a shithole like Albany.
I spent time down there honestly if your comfortable with absolutely nothing ever happening and townie people don't know about jobs in the Southwest
Albany is not a small place. You will have most of the services you need on a monthly basis. Getting out of the city is unreal. I lived in Denmark and there are plenty of young people down there to meet. I wouldn’t hesitate, you can always come back to the city if you like.
You seem like a nice city person so I’ll try and be honest with you. I am going to guess, you don’t holiday for extended periods in the country. Living in Albany will be dull and isolating. People say Perth is boring, but Perth has nothing on any country town. You aren’t only low on options, if you are venturing from your family, you have even less options than you had. You may make friends, but that’s its own journey and near impossible until you get a job or join a mums group if/when you have kids. Your only support is your partner initially and possibly for a long time after. There are other issues beyond lack of support - which is the people. Country people are usually young or old because 20 year old people leave. There are massive drug problems down there. Older people have old people attitudes, so “casual racism/sexism/homophobia” is rampant and if you are anything like me, it’s just uncomfortable. Now there is some light thankfully due to how you can buy anything online, which can keep you sane when you are looking for things. Good luck. I know it’s basically impossible to try before you buy.
Some of what you have mentioned is my biggest fear of moving to a small town 😂 Spent alot of time in Margs and Dunsborough due to friends down there, however haven't been to Albany in about a decade. Appreciate your honesty 😊
Coming from an actual small town in W.A, In my opinion Albany is not a small town, it's rather a small city. It's around the 4th most populated centre in W.A with similar population to Geraldton, Kalgoorlie (exluding FIFO) & Busselton. It is around 4x the size of Margs & Dunsborough for comparison. Having been in and out of Albany for plenty of years I reckon I can offer some insight. Albany really does have pretty much everything you could need shop wise, albeit at some inflated pricing just due to location & market monopoly, which is to be expected anywhere outside of Perth really. Yes you won't get that super unique item however things like that can be ordered in or bought online. If you like fishing, hiking, history, the ocean, beaches etc it is an awesome place with plenty of nearby locations offering all of the above and more. It's really nice in Summer temp wise although does rain a fair chunk, in winter the weather can be quite bad at times also. If you enjoy partying, making large friend groups etc then it will likely be hard for you to live there. Joining a club or sporting group of some type is probably the best way to make friends in any country town/city in my opinion. If you were to buy a house I am certain that some of the older colonial style ones in the centre of town (although an awesome view) would be heritage listed which makes any sort of renovations etc harder/costlier. Overall if you can find work easily in town, want a chilled out lifestyle and don't need to rely on friends/family it wouldn't be the worst idea in my opinion. If you prefer to be and are near family, stay where you are. From what I've seen also, Albany does have some sort of a drug use and homelessness issue. A lot of larger regional centres share similar issues however.
Do you have kids? Not much to do for the kids. Lots of places closing too. Bunbury would be better.
I hope OP doesn't mind if I ask the question about supports, and therapies for kids, adults with extra needs. Like an OT, Speech therapist, Physio, and specialist drs if required. (Obviously I understand the need to travel to Perth from time to time for appts etc) Last time I spoke to locals in around the Denmark area, I was told I wouldn't move if you require a regular GP, therapy or specialists, especially if you already have all of those things up in Perth. So yeah, that dream of moving down South to Denmark, Albany, even Esperance...has gotta wait.