Northam, WA 6401

it takes 4 hours in peak times to commute for work to perth not ideal place very isolated lot of drugs not safe for raising kids lot of flood areas and bush fire zones

I travel as part of a professional health team across the country and I have visited many remote, rural, and large city, tertiary centers. I unfortunately feel compelled to share that Northam, in my opinion, has been such a negative and discouraging experience.

In two weeks I have witnessed two seperate domestic violence incidents outside of Woolworths, a gentleman screaming and abusing all around within the same shopping center the week after. Staff within local cafe's seem disinterested, short or non-communicative. A large proportion of my professional dealings have involved domestic violence and assaults.
I am sure a quiet rural and isolated hobby farm setting sounds desirable, but it is grossly marked by the evidently and prominently unappealing demographic.

It would give Kings Cross a run for its money with substance abuse.

Moving to Northam in the new year, some things I have observed it doesn’t seem clique locals have been nothing but kind to me and generous I’ve found overwhelming support on community Facebook pages I’m not originally from Northam either or a sad case that needs fixing just a decent hard working family trying to give Northam a red hot crack! Hubby and I originally grew up in small Wheatbelt towns not far from Northam so for us we are very familiar with Northam but have never lived here before. To play it safe we have enrolled our daughter into St Joseph’s, have secured a rental very quickly despite the very significant housing crisis in the area (I can speak for other towns and regional city’s in saying that the rental situation in Northam is very bad probably on par with towns like Broome at the time we were searching for a rental from The Hills right through to Cunderdin there were 0 rentals available for us) with regard to employment hubby and I have had no issues we both have quite impressive resumes and have always been hard working people so finding a job was no problem in fact I’d go as far as to say that there might even be a skilled worker shortage to greater proportions than most other towns as I was approached by about 10 different companies kinda seeming desperate for workers I also have a very diverse resume bit of heavy diesel and a lot of real estate/ law. So I guess it depends on how employable your are. We realise nightlife is going to be a bit more dull than if you were in the city, which doesn’t bother us because a good country pub counter meal and beer does us just fine for date night plus we have a kid so it’s not like we live for the night life. We want the rural life style that’s what we know and grew up with so we will fit in just fine we aren’t worried about that. Northams in a great location being 50 minutes from Midland and less than an hour from the towns we grew up in.

Having lived in Northam for many years I have seen a huge amount of changes. There is a fantastic Chamber of Commerce & Northam Women in Business group that are keen to make changes in town. More businesses are coming in to town including the new Spudshed which is now opening. The town will continue to grow and is close enough to Midland should you need anything else.
The locals are super friendly but you must be willing to put yourself out there are actually connect with people.

Samantha Fillingham, Real Estate Sales Executive, Summit Realty, Waikiki

We moved to northam for work. The town sadly is clicky and not welcoming to out of towners. Every one leaves town on the weekend so it’s hard to socialise. When we lived there we only had three options for eating out - after our last visit recently we saw many more food venues which is fabulous!
I look forward to northam flourishing into a weekender kind of town like York in its future as it deserves it!

Northam has high crime rate and low employment opportunities. If you manage to find a job listing chances are you won't get it unless you're a friend or related to the recruiter/manager.

Long way from Perth and has second rate health and medical services.

Looking to move to Northam should be a 'bottom of list' priority.

I was born in Northam and grew up there in the 70's and 80's and I still return from time to time for a spot of nostalgia. I found that Northam was a great place to grow up. At the time people were friendly and helpful and there was little crime. Northam has a very good regional high school. I went to Avonvale Primary and found that to be an excellent school. Northam Primary and St Josephs also had a good reputation but West Northam Primary was considered a bit rougher due to the large number of public houses in that part of town. Having said that, I never felt unsafe when I cycled or
walked through West Northam.
There were and still are plenty of sporting opportunities for kids and the new indoor recreation facility is great and I see that the outdoor Olympic swimming pool is still in operation during the hotter months. The riverside parks are lovely and there are lots of interesting historic buildings if you know where to look. For day to day shopping there are 3 supermarkets (Woolworths, Coles and Aldi) and several clothes shops and other stores. Unless you want something special such as furniture there's really no need to travel to Perth. I'd agree that there is a lack of entertainment options, but come on.... it is in the country after all... and it's only an hour to the city if you want nightlife or restaurants. Northam is a beautiful green place in winter and spring; albeit the winter mornings can be quite chilly however it can be very hot in the summer months so make sure your house is well insulated. Compared to other towns such as York or Toodyay it is good to to see on my visits that the town still appears to be expanding and prospering. Overall I feel lucky that I grew up there and I enjoy my visits back to the place that will always be home in my heart. If I was looking for a place to live, the south side of town between the river and Avonvale is a good spot, as is the central part of town extending up the hill behind the Bouldevard Shopping centre. I'd still steer clear of West Northam if purchasing a home though.

Large country town, houses are cheaper here compared to nearby towns. Has all essential services and upgraded hospital.

Some areas of town do have a lot of crime (home west houses).

PS: Nikki Gogan is still trying to be famous. Trying her luck out in Perth now.

Certain areas in Northam are safe but other sections of the town are quite dangerous and I wouldn't live in some areas. Especially near the home's west houses.

There are lot's of schools in Town one of which is private. There is also a hospital that is getting major upgrades. TAFE collage and a new supermarket complex does make the town appealing to live in. It would be great if the town had a lower crime rate.

Do not ever think of living in northam very dodge place full of hoons and truckies terrible place to bring up any kid