Why did you leave? Was it out of necessity or a desire to travel?

It was necessity. We wanted a chance at providing a better life for ourselves in the long term and didn’t see ourselves being able to do that in Ireland.

What were your first impressions of Perth?

I arrived at 1am and it was 30oc. My first impressions were all blurred by sweat and fuzzy hair. I had been here 10 years ago when I was travelling and it was a country town then, so I was impressed by how much it had grown and improved. My next first impression was the cost of everything. I laugh now, but I nearly died at the time.

What kind of opportunities are there in Perth? Was it difficult to find work?

I couldn’t work at first until our PR (permanent residency) came through but Dave (Sarah’s partner) has been working since his second week here. Once I was able to work I didn’t have a problem finding a job.

I currently work for the Department of Health and there are lots of exciting projects going on with them as it’s a time of growth and development in Perth. Many people may think the work is in the gas and oil industry, but the reverberations of that boom have meant there is more money to spend on infrastructure and we are both lucky to have been able to gain experience in these areas.

What’s the cost of living like in comparison to cities in Ireland? How much can someone expect to pay for rent and transport to work?

The longer I am here, the more I realise it’s not as exorbitant as I first thought. The prices are, for the most part, relative to earnings. Depending on where you live, you could pay anything from $100 to $500/week (€70 to €350) for a house or apartment share, or a two-bed apartment or townhouse would cost between $300 to $700/week (€250 to €500) and then upwards for a family home.

Rent depends on suburbs and distance from the CBD (central business district). We both cycled to our first jobs as there are lots of good paths and facilities at train stations and offices for securing bikes and showering. I now drive and it takes me about 10 minutes which is great. Dave works three hours south of Perth in a town called Busselton, leaving early on Monday morning and returning on Saturday afternoons. He shares the driving with his colleague. We don’t find fuel overly expensive, it’s similar to at home.

Can you imagine staying in Perth permanently or would you like to come home?

I would like to go home, and we will go home. Perth is lovely and I am so much more settled now than I was six months ago; living away from home gets easier with time. I am resigned to the fact that I won’t live in Ireland this side of 2016 and I’m okay with that, but the thought of never living there again isn’t something I am willing to deal with.

What are Australians like?

I have had mostly great experiences with Australian people. We have lovely neighbours who are really kind and welcoming. I work in a really professional, high-stress team, but everyone makes time to get to know you.

There are times when the cultural differences are alarmingly obvious – I’ve had to keep my natural sarcastic humour for home and the alcohol laws here are incredibly tight. Like anything in life, you get used to it and you learn to shape your life around it. Perth residents get up early at the weekends and are very active. They love the city they live in and they are very law-abiding. It’s not like Dublin but it’s alright.

What is it like to socialise in Perth? How did you make friends when you moved and are most of them from Ireland originally?

The social life is more sedate and happens earlier in the day at weekends. It would be unheard of to head out at 10pm, which is hardly surprising if everyone is getting up at 5am for a cycle or a run. It took us a long time to make friends and it was hard work in some ways, but we have lots of lovely friends now. In the absence of your immediate family, you really rely on your friends, so it’s important to have a good network.

I’m lucky that my mother’s cousin moved here in 1989 with her husband and five children. They have been so good to us from the start. Although I never knew them well in Ireland, it has been so comforting to have a connection to Ireland and a family home to visit.