Advice on moving to Broome
Submitted: Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 11:52
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uneekwahn
Hi everyone,
In the middle of July 2007 we got married and took two months off work and travelled the Kimberleys. We travelled up the Coast, hit
Broome, checked out
Cape Leveque, did the
Gibb River Road, stayed at
Kununurra, saw the Bungle Bungles, Hells Crack, Fitzroy, Wolfe Creek Crater, etc etc.
We've been back since the middle of September 2007, so about 5 months now and we're missing the lifestyle of travelling and enjoying the great outdoors.
We're thinking of paying off a bit more on the house in the next year or two (basically living like hermits to pay off as much as we can) and then quitting our jobs (or taking leave without pay for as long as they'll let us!) and then moving to
Broome and working / living there for as long as we can.
What we're looking for is advice from people who have moved to
Broome for work, but still have a house back in the suburbs / capital city as to how they found doing such a thing.
We're only a
young couple (I'm 30 and my wife Avril is 24) and we really want to seize the day and enjoy our lives and travel as much as possible.
Any advice or comments would be great appreciated :)
Cheers,
Jason and Avril.
Reply By: Russ n Sue - Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 13:23
Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 13:23
G'day,
a lot depends on what skills you have to offer. During the "season" between April and September it is quite easy to get work in the tourism and hospitality industries. The wages aren't great as you are competeing with backpackers who are prepared to work pretty much for their keep.
To get long-term work that extends beyond the season you need to have a trade or other qualification that is in demand.
Don't just pack up and go there, ring ahead and arrange to have something to go to.
Rent and caravan park spots are pretty steep at
Broome so you need to be pro-active and do some homework first. When we were there last August we met a couple who were about to bale out even though they'd got work...they couldn't afford to live there.
We didn't bother. We went to
Derby and got work there easily.
Cheers,
Russ.
AnswerID:
287248
Follow Up By: uneekwahn - Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 16:05
Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 16:05
Hi Russ,
Yeah, unfortunately both my wife and I are office dwellers with no manual labour skills.
We weren't planning on just packing up and going there, as my original post said, we were planning on paying off as much as we can on our house in the next 1 to 2 years and then taking time off to go up there, probably for a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of a year.
We met some people on our travels last year who were living in the
Cable Beach Caravan Park in a camper trailer and roof top tent, which is fine by us, but I agree with you that the prices can be quite high!
Thanks for the information, it's appreciated.
Cheers,
Jason and Avril.
FollowupID:
552700
Reply By: Willem - Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 15:54
Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 15:54
We had the same idea, albeit it quite a while ago....1984...lol
Broome was still a village in the Far North and far away from anywhere.
Unless you are going yo make a real committment to go there and stay 5 to 10 years then it is not worth the trouble.
Maybe life has changed in
Broome since those days long ago but we found the town very much a closed
shop being run by a few of the
Broome Elite.
Summers are excrutiatingly warm but winters are beautiful and the beaches go forever................................
Broome is still far away from everywhere
Cheers
AnswerID:
287277
Follow Up By: uneekwahn - Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 16:08
Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 16:08
Hi Willem,
I guess our real want is to be able to spend more time there, and I guess by saying "moving" to
Broome, a lot of people are thinking I meant for a long(ish) period of time.
Really, what we're looking for is to be able to spend a few months there enjoying
Broome and it's surrounds (immediate and not so immediate!) for at least a few months, but to do that, we'd either need to win lotto or work in
Broome (guess which one is more realistic? :)).
We've got a lot of time before we want to get up there, so we'll take a good look at all of our options from moving there for several months and working to saving our asses off the next two years and holidaying there for 2 or 3 months!
Thanks,
Jason and Avril.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - Davoe (Yalgoo) - Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 16:04
Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 16:04
Where are you from?
if you havnt been exposed to it it can be difficult to imagine how tough things can be in WA regional areas. accomadation can be non existant with the only practical solution either to have it provided by an employer or prepared to pay over $500 per week for accomadation.
My missus went to
karratha to work and while waiting foe her medical etc to go through she had to shuffle between short stay overflow sites.
Grim picture if you just show up looking for work with jobs paying about $26 per hour which isnt enought to pay your own rent
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: uneekwahn - Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 16:13
Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 16:13
Hey Davoe,
Avril and I are both from
Perth. We did spend 2 months up in the Kimberleys last year though, but we were self sufficient and were happy to stay in
free camping areas (nillibubbica and
barred creek etc) which we'd do again.
I think the best bet is going to be to save for the next couple of years and go up there for 2 - 3 months like we did last time.
Thanks,
Jason and Avril.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Mainey (wa) - Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 17:27
Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 17:27
Jason,
looks like the a negative response so far...
I can only add to the negative results
Why not organise the job and living situation before you leave, compare the income and outgoings first, because yes I will also state
Broome is a closed town, have I stayed there,
well is 4 months long enuff, waz for us, the crime rate is horrific atm.
Mainey . . .
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: uneekwahn - Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 16:16
Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 16:16
G'day Mainey,
I wouldn't say they're negative responses to be honest. I knew most of the answers before I posted, but just wanted other opinions.
As from my previous responses, the best bet we now think is to save, save, save and then go up for a couple of months like we did for our honeymoon last year.
By the looks of it, we missed out on the bad stuff happening since the booze ban in fitzroy. We're hoping it's resolved by the time we head back up there in a couple of years :)
Thanks again for your response!
Jason and Avril.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Mainey (wa) - Sunday, Feb 17, 2008 at 16:53
Sunday, Feb 17, 2008 at 16:53
"""By the looks of it, we missed out on the bad stuff happening since the booze ban in fitzroy"""
they just picked up the
bark hut and moved to
Broome to get beer!
FollowupID:
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Reply By: obee - Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 18:51
Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 at 18:51
Broome is landlocked by native title and nut much prospect of opening new residential land for the nest hundred years. Thats the way everyone who owns a block likes it and the council needs their votes. Lot of stuff they say is empty waiting for the next hols and the owner.
Broome is just another suburb of any big city. I prefer
Derby. Its got character and
places to go but no beach. I live near a beach and never go there so I am easy to please on that score.
Owen
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: uneekwahn - Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 16:17
Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 16:17
Hi Owen,
As with all of my other replies, we're now sure we'll just go up for a couple of months as a holiday instead of moving there.
Cheers,
Jason and Avril.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Skinnydog - Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 19:49
Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 at 19:49
The wife & I live in
Port Hedland & usually go to
Broome 2-4 times a year. We love going there as we usually stay with friends and always find it hard to leave, don't know how we would go living there though. At least not at this point in time. Having said that I have had plenty of friends come & go in
Broome and all have enjoyed their stays & some aren't leaving. Don't die wondering, save some coin ,pay a bit more off your mortgage, if you want work you will find it,don't listen to the doom & gloom agents, just have a go & see what happens.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Mike Harding - Sunday, Feb 17, 2008 at 17:11
Sunday, Feb 17, 2008 at 17:11
How about:
don't go crazy on the house repayments, instead save some cash for a year or two, rent the house and head off to south east Asia for a while? During the year or two's saving learn another language -
French maybe?
Or if you really want to stay in Oz do the same but just tour around for a while and seek work as you go?
Mike Harding
AnswerID:
287969