Sarah and Jamie Bolson, who moved from Scotland to Perth in December 2024, say the city’s drawbacks include persistent wind, flies, hard-to-find nightlife, conspicuous shark-safety measures and an adjustment to healthcare costs. Sarah later added Western Australia’s distance from the east coast, slow deliveries, a wet winter and the absence of daylight saving. These are the couple’s impressions, not a representative survey of British expats—and they stress that they love Perth and have chosen to settle there.
Whose “worst things” are these?
The list comes from two PerthNow reports about the Bolsons and their social-media videos: one published on 4 July 2025 and a follow-up on 18 February 2026. In the first report, Sarah said, “We love living here, we are so grateful to live here,” and Jamie said he preferred Perth to the UK. Their comments are best read as a candid account of what surprised or frustrated one couple, rather than a verdict on the city or a poll of British newcomers.
There is no sourced percentage showing how many British expats share these complaints. The Committee for Perth describes perception research that includes expatriates and local-born residents, but its page does not provide a British-expat-specific result for these issues. The Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 169,938 Greater Perth residents born in England in the 2021 Census; birthplace is not the same as British citizenship or self-identified expat status.
What the couple found difficult
Wind and flies
The couple recalled being warned that Western Australia meant “windy always.” On a road trip toward Jurien Bay, strong wind left Sarah saying the Pinnacles looked like an apocalypse; she later again put wind at the top of her gripes. That anecdote describes their trip, not Perth’s measured climate.
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Flies were another obstacle. Jamie said flying insects make him hate being outside. The 2025 report describes them as especially noticeable in summer; in the 2026 story, a commenter mentioned flies in spring. Those are attributed observations, not a guarantee of when or how often flies will be a problem for every resident.
Nightlife that takes more looking
Sarah said she found Perth rich in outdoor activities, beaches and adventures, but had not found the sort of vibrant nightlife she remembered in Melbourne. In Melbourne, she said, events felt easier to stumble upon; in Perth, “it takes a bit more research.” This is her personal comparison, not a city-wide ranking of nightlife.
Feeling more aware of sharks
Sarah said beach-safety infrastructure made sharks feel more present than she had expected. She pointed to a spotting helicopter, tagged sharks, barriers and the Shark Smart app, and recalled a helicopter spotting something at Cottesloe. Her account explains her perception; it does not establish that Perth beaches are uniformly unsafe or describe current local safety protocols.
Getting used to healthcare costs
The 2025 report quotes the couple saying they were not accustomed to weighing the cost of care against what they might get back through Medicare. That is an adjustment they described, not a guide to Medicare eligibility, coverage or out-of-pocket costs. Those depend on a person’s circumstances and the care involved.
Distance, deliveries and the seasons
Western Australia’s distance from the east coast
In February 2026, Sarah called Western Australia isolated. She said Bali was relatively quick to reach, while an east-coast trip meant “a four and a half hour flight and quite a lot of cost.” Both the duration and cost are her account, not a current route specification or fare quote.
Online orders can feel slow
Sarah joked that WA stood for “wait awhile” and said urgent online orders could be difficult, with most deliveries typically taking a couple of weeks in her experience. Delivery times vary by seller, item, service and address; her comment is not a standard for every shipment.
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A wet winter and no daylight saving
Sarah said Perth’s long, wet winter surprised the couple. She also disliked that Western Australia does not observe daylight saving, saying she preferred a summer schedule with later sunrise and sunset. These are her experience and preference, not a settled comparison of Australian climates; the 2026 report also included a commenter who disputed her characterization of the climate.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the housing complaint compares with current figures
The 2025 report describes the couple’s concern about crowded rental viewings and a sense of scarcity. A later, dated benchmark gives broader context: Anglicare WA’s Rental Affordability Snapshot 2026 reported a Perth metropolitan median rent of $750 per week, based on listings observed on 14–15 March 2026. That median was 9% higher than $688 in 2025 and 15% higher than $650 in 2024. The report says Perth metro continued to face a shortage of affordable homes.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The snapshot says a minimum annual income of $130,000 is required to avoid rental stress in Perth metro under its analysis. This is a modeled threshold, not an affordability guarantee for an individual household. The snapshot examines affordability for specific low-income household types, so its median and income measure should not be mistaken for a quote on a particular home or a universal budget.
“Perth is more expensive” also needs a date and a measure. A Western Australian Government summary of Deloitte Access Economics’ 2022 analysis said Perth had the lowest average household spend among the larger state capitals studied: 10% below Melbourne, 19% below Brisbane and 24% below Sydney. Direct housing costs were also lower than in those other capitals in that historical comparison. Those figures are not a current 2026 rent comparison; they answer a different question from Anglicare WA’s newer snapshot.
What this account can—and cannot—tell you
The Bolsons’ experience is useful for understanding the trade-offs they noticed after moving: weather and insects affected time outdoors, nightlife took more seeking out, distance shaped travel plans, and housing and healthcare required adjustment. It cannot establish how common these views are among British expats. The two PerthNow reports cover the same couple, not independent interview samples, and the available Perth perception survey information does not give a result specific to British expats and these complaints.
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