Anyone living in Karratha? Share your experience))

B

Bolero

Hi all,

hubby got an offer to work in Karratha. All was good until I went to the Internet to investigate the environment and living conditions:eek:Bloody hot and humid, sand flys, crocs, snakes, food and groceries are twice expensive, high crime level. I thought to come and stay with him for a while but after reading about women being harrased 'cause most of population are the guys working in mines and plants on rotation basis dont think it was a good idea. No swimming in the ocean 'cause of stingers and soon and so on.... Guys, just tell me I am exaggerating and it is not that bad:confused:
 
Just a couple of corrections

- it is bloody hot, but not humid...actually usually very dry..did I mention HOT? However, everything is air-conditioned - house, car, shops..so you just need to run in between!

-No crocs (as a rule), too far south - lots of great fishing and places to swim though. Stingers are a problem at times, but there is always the pool.

-Food and Groceries are more expensive - particularly fresh food - but most people who work in Karratha are on very good pay, often with company supplied housing, which more than compensates. The is also a reasonable amount of smaller shops and, of course, internet shopping!

-The women being harassed thing I have NEVER heard of, or experienced. There are thousands of families, women and children in Karratha. Yeah, there are a lot of FIFO workers that are male, but they are usually housed in the camps, and pretty much work and sleep, leaving little time for harassment! I haven't ever felt unsafe walking around on my own (although I dont walk around at night, but I wouldn't do that anywhere anyway)

I have lived in a few "mining" towns and have loved it! Why not give it a go for a bit and see how you like it. There is usually a great community spirit - remember, most families are away from there hometown, and tend to band together, making for lots of social events and support. There is lots of fun to be had when you dont have the "entertainment" of city life and have to make your own fun!

Give it a go....most people love it, and dont want to leave!

Nards
 
Bolero, I don't know where you got your info from, but it sounds like someone from Melbourne has been telling you what it's like.
 
I don't think you can ever really get a feel for a town until you've been there.
And I don't mean just as a tourist.
There is an undercurrent of goodwill in most towns and often some interesting people, but you need to live there to tap into it.
My father-in-law was a sheep farmer. He lived in a few country towns. The first thing he did when he went somewhere new was join the local tennis club. I know times have changed, but that's how he connected with towns.
I didn't go through Karratha on my just completed drive, but if you've got a chance to live there for a while, I reckon it would be a good experience.
 
Mmmmmmmm.............

Beunos dias Bolero,

Please do not come to KTA. We have enough people here now. I think you must have got your info from a long term local and we want to keep the place secret for as long as possible.

The place is filling up with Kiwis and easterners chasing the lucre. While there is ample to go around we want to keep it all here.

Honestly, we have planes, trains (bigger than anything you can dream up in Melburgh) very modern cars and all the 'three eyed hillbillies' are locked up every night.:rolleyes:

Yes we have crime just like Melbourne only smaller. I cannot recall any tourists having been mugged in the 10 years I have lived here. Most of our crime involves youngsters (not unlike your town) and yes we hate it because we are a small community and therefore every infarction is noticed and felt.

:eek:Hot!!! My bloody oath it gets HOT and that is why we do not have a million people polluting this magnificent area and for that we say thanks.

I'll finish this diatribe by quoting a wise old sage who saw the light very many decades ago.

"Try it and taste ere ye fix and prefer."

Hasta lavista.

Chrisv.
 
Bolero said:
Hi all,

hubby got an offer to work in Karratha. All was good until I went to the Internet to investigate the environment and living conditions:eek:Bloody hot and humid, sand flys, crocs, snakes, food and groceries are twice expensive, high crime level. I thought to come and stay with him for a while but after reading about women being harrased 'cause most of population are the guys working in mines and plants on rotation basis dont think it was a good idea. No swimming in the ocean 'cause of stingers and soon and so on.... Guys, just tell me I am exaggerating and it is not that bad:confused:
Click to expand...

Here's an idea of the weather

wz_clim_annual_site_4083.png


The stingers are there just so you get used to the bigger jelly fish like the blue bottle, or worse yet an irukanji or box jellyfish ;)

As far as dangerous animals go, its amazing that anyone in Australia makes it past the age of 30, yet we do.

Give it a crack, it's a property investing forum after all, we all know the feeling of moving out of the comfort zone to achieve our goals. You just may wind up falling in love with the place and the people...If not, take a visit to Broome like Depreciator
 
Well I live in Newman and to us here Ktown is like a luxury seaside resort he he. No seriously I've been to karratha a few times since living in the Pilbara and it is a great town. I don't know where you got the info re women getting harassed from because most mineworkers are FIFO and will just have a few at the pub and go back to camp plus there are skimpies for them to hassle if they have the urge. Mining towns are generally much more family oriented and women as far as I have experienced won't have any problems.

That said if you are single and on the prowl it is a smorgasbord out here :D

It will be a HUGE culture shock in certain things though and you'll know what I'm talking about if you do move there.
 
Thank you everyone.
Yeah, I suspected there was a plot to keep people away from the great spot:cool:
We think we will give it a try ...hubby can always give up the position and run away screaming "never again":D
 
I have found this interesting reading thanks. My family and I are considering moving out there... I currently am operating dump trucks in a coal mine in Qld and my hubby is a Glazier but I am missing them like crazy and looking for a nice little town to live in where I can come home every night.. Do you know if they have “Mummy shifts” in Karratha . . .. I thought it was hilarious when I first heard it but its getting quite popular here. Day shifts for Mums with school age kids... then I guess my Hubby can get in as an operator and he can have a go at the long shifts and night shifts....
 
Just_a_gal said:
“Mummy shifts” in Karratha . . .. I thought it was hilarious when I first heard it but its getting quite popular here. Day shifts for Mums with school age kids... then I guess my Hubby can get in as an operator and he can have a go at the long shifts and night shifts....
Click to expand...


Yeah, what a great idea.

And a coal mine around here has shifts for farmers and contractors who do other jobs. A friend of mine is a contract grain harvester with a little farm. He drives trucks at the mine when it suits him, and when he is contract harvesting he is free to leave for 8 weeks or so. They are happy to employ him when it suits him.


See ya's.
 
For a laugh ;)

DIARY OF A POM IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

August 31 - Just got transferred with work from Leeds UK
to our new home in Karratha, Western Australia .

Now this is a town that knows how to live!
Beautiful, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings.
I watched the sunset from a deckchair by our pool yesterday.
It was beautiful. I've finally found my new home. I love it here.

September 13 - Really heating up now. It got to 31 today. No problem
though. Living in air-conditioned home, driving air-conditioned car.
What a pleasure to see the sun every day like this. I'm turning into a
sun-worshipper – no blasted rain like back in Leeds!!

September 30 - Had the back yard landscaped with tropical plants
today. Lots of palms and rocks. No more mowing lawns for me! Another
scorcher today, but I love it here. It’s Paradise!

October 10 - The temperature hasn't been below 35 all week. How do
people get used to this kind of heat? At least today it's windy though.
Keeps the flies off a bit. Acclimatizing is taking longer than we expected.

October 15 - Fell asleep by the pool yesterday. Got third degree burns
over 60% of my body and had to be taken to Nickol Bay Hospital. I missed three days of work. What a dumb thing to do. Got to respect the old sun in a climate like this!

October 20 - Didn't notice Kitty (our cat) sneaking into the car before I
left for work this morning. By the time I got back to the car after work,
Kitty had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stuck
to the upholstery. The car now smells like Whiskettes. I've
learned my lesson though: no more pets in this heat.

October 25 - This wind is a bugger. It feels like a giant friggin blow
dryer.. And it's hot as hell! The home air conditioner is on the blink
and the bloody repair man charged $250 just to drive over and tell me he needs
to order parts from Perth ....The wife & the kids are complaining.

October 30 - The temperature's up around 40 and the parts still haven't
arrived for the bloody air conditioner. House is an oven so we’ve all been
sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. Bloody $900,000 house
and we can't even go inside. Why the hell did I ever come here?

November 4 - Finally got the blasted air-conditioner fixed.. It cost $1,500 and only gets the temperature down to around 25 degrees, but the humidity makes it feel about 35. Stupid repairman, what a friggin thief.

November 8 - If one more smart ******* says 'Hot enough for you today?' I'm going to friggin throttle him. bloody heat! By the time I get to work, the car radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet and I
smell like baked cat. This place is the **** end of the Earth.

November 9 - Tried to run some errands after work today, wore shorts...BIG mistake, I sat on the black leather upholstery in my car. Holy Crap, I thought my **** was on fire. I lost 2 layers of flesh, all the hair on the backs of my legs and scorched my bottom. Now the car smells like burnt hair, fried **** and baked cat. I've had enough!!

November 10 -– The Weather report might as well be a bleeding recording. Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny, Hot and bloody sunny. It never friggin changes! It's been too hot to do anything for 2 full months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. WTF!

November 15 - Doesn't it ever rain in this damn place? Water restrictions will be next, so my $5,000 worth of palms might just dry up and blow into the friggin pool. The only things that thrive in this hell-hole are the flies. You don't dare open your mouth for fear of swallowing half a dozen of the little buggers!

November 20 - Welcome to HELL! It got to 45 bloody degrees today. Now the air conditioner's gone in my car. The repair man came to fix it and said, 'Hot enough for you today?' I wanted to shove the bleeding car up his backside. Anyway, had to spend the $2,500 mortgage payment to bail me out of jail for assaulting the twerp.

Bloody Karratha! What kind of sick, demented, masochistic idiot would want to live here!

December 1 - WHAT!!!! The FIRST day of Summer!!!! You are friggin kidding me
Click to expand...
 
G'Day All

I am also looking to move to the Karratha area. I currently work all around the pilbara but the time away from home is taking its toll on my relationship. We are looking to buy up around Roebourne or Wickham. Not 2 L8 I see you are out at Wickham Ive heard this is a nice place. Would you live in Roebourne or has anyone lived there on this forum? I understand its a place that has had its problems.
 
Chippo said:
G'Day All

Not 2 L8 I see you are out at Wickham Ive heard this is a nice place. Would you live in Roebourne or has anyone lived there on this forum? I understand its a place that has had its problems.
Click to expand...

Been here a long time now. I like it. I'm pretty laid back and tend to make the best of any situation I cannot change. If you do not like remote, dusty, windy, HOT, expensive, remote, cyclones, no trees, remote or HOT, this place is not for you.

I don't know you so cannot possibly know if you would like it here. Most people who like it here came here to suck it and see. The ones who don't, have long gone.

You need to decide whether it is worth the punt cos it could be even more strenuous on your relationship.

Cheers.

Chrisv.
 
NOT 2 L8 said:
Been here a long time now. I like it. I'm pretty laid back and tend to make the best of any situation I cannot change. If you do not like remote, dusty, windy, HOT, expensive, remote, cyclones, no trees, remote or HOT, this place is not for you.

I don't know you so cannot possibly know if you would like it here. Most people who like it here came here to suck it and see. The ones who don't, have long gone.

You need to decide whether it is worth the punt cos it could be even more strenuous on your relationship.

Cheers.

Chrisv.
Click to expand...

Would you buy and live in Roebourne though?

I heard the pub is now accommodation for one of the companies up that way?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top