Tree man’s protest ends

Thornlie’s tree man Richard Pennicuik has ended his 110 day protest and climbed down from the 20m-high eucalyptus melliodorain on the front verge of his home.

Mr Pennicuik has been living in the tree outside his Hume Road home since early December, including during Monday’s devastating hail storm that swept across Perth and caused more than $200 million damage.

The City of Gosnells wants to remove the tree, claiming it poses a danger.                                                                                                                

Mr Pennicuik claimed he won the moral battle before doing a lap around the tree and heading inside his home to have a shower.

He initially released a four paragraph statement, but re-emerged to speak to reporters, saying he felt great.

“The tree weathered the worst storm to hit Perth ever and it’s in good condition, it has proven itself,” Mr Pennicuik said.

“It is worth it because we have shown the people of Australia they need the constitution, they can’t do without it.

“I think I have (proven my point) I think the tree has.”

City of Gosnells Mayor Olwen Searle today welcomed the Mr Pennicuik’s decision to come down from the tree, but confirmed the council would go ahead with plans to chop it down.

Source  :  www.thewest.com.au

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Bushfire threatens homes, locals told to flee

A BUSHFIRE is threatening homes near the WA Kimberly coast town of Broome and residents have been told to head for the beach.

The blaze has so far blackened some 15,000 hectares and houses in Coconut Wells, about 18km from Broome, are now at risk, says the Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) says.

Residents who abandoned their homes were advised to go to the beach as the blaze has also begun to close in on Morrel Park and Lullfitz.

“It may be hours before it is safe to return home so take water, food and sun protection,” FESA said in a statement.

“People who have decided to stay and defend their home should prepare for the fire.”

Residents have been told to close all doors and windows and turn off evaporative airconditioners.

The FESA says 25 volunteer fire and rescue service and bushfire service firefighters from two brigades are involved in the operation.

They saved six homes yesterday and extra crews are being flown in.

Road closures are in place and motorists have been urged to drive slowly.

Source  :  www.news.com.au

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Inside the Old Bakehouse, now a family home

ITS quaint facade may display its history, but it gives little hint to the sprawling family home within.  

Once the Old Bakehouse, the Bassendean home now serves as a four-bedroom, two-bathroom residence with a below-ground pool and self-contained studio.

Its owners bought the property about five years ago and took care during renovations to retain its original character features.

They added a studio adjacent to the pool and fitted it with a bathroom, built-in barbecue and pizza oven.

“We just love the big leadlight back windows overlooking the swimming pool, and the big family block,” the owner said.

The 1012sqm block has subdivision potential, with the opportunity for two street frontages.

The owner said the neighbourhood felt like a little community.

“The kids go to school locally and I work locally,” she said.

“We used to have the whole school class over at the end of school year for a swim, which was great.”

She said the property was ideal for entertaining in summer.

“The pitched room overlooking the pool is my favourite feature. When you sit in there, with the height of the ceilings and the view, it’s just really peaceful,” she said.

The residence has polished jarrah floors, bathrooms with federation tiles, an ensuite to the main bedroom, wood heating, reverse-cycle airconditioning and decorative cornices.

The property is a short walk to the Swan River and about 11km from the city.

BASSENDEAN
Auction: Saturday, September 12, at 11am
122 West Rd

Four-bedroom, two-bathroom character house with study, al fresco entertaining area, pool, self-contained studio with bathroom, built-in barbecue and pizza oven, on 1012sqm.
Agent: Julie Pedulla 0419440093, Altitude Real Estate 93883911

Source  :  http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,25998702-5013239,00.html

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Student Michael Shelley wins City to Surf

IT has been third time lucky for Gold Coast student Michael Shelley who has won the City2Surf in a time of 41:02 minutes. 

Striding down the home stretch to the finish line, Shelley was visibly relieved knowing that after three previous attempts, he had finally won the 14km race.

“It’s very exciting, it’s my third and I suppose it’s third time lucky,” he said.

Before the race, Shelley had spoken to his coach Dick Telford whose words of encouragement helped push him over the line.

“I was talking to my coach last night and he said just be confident in what you’ve done and just have a crack at it.”

After two previous encounters with the dreaded Heartbreak Hill, this year Shelley took it on knowing how to defeat the stamina killer.

“Just be a bit conservative up the (Heartbreak) hill this year than what you had in the past,” Shelley said.

“And it paid off when I got to the top because I could still run.”

Twenty-seven-year-old health consultant Ben St Lawrence came in second followed by 26-year-old high school teacher Clint Perrett.

Source  :  www.news.com.au

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North Beach property tests property market

THIS North Beach property could confirm whether Perth’s struggling real estate market has turned the corner. 

Real estate experts say that during the height of WA’s property boom the 1346sqm ocean-front house on West Coast Drive would have fetched more than $5 million.

It is for auction on Saturday and the selling price will be a strong indication of whether property prices, especially for top-end homes, have started to recover.

Nexus sales consultant Peter Berridge, who specialises in the North Beach area, said the property would have been highly sought after during the 2006-07 housing boom.

“It’s a nice elevated lot, with a nice frontage. It’s got everything going for it,” Mr Berridge said.

“I don’t think it would be an over-exaggeration to think it might have sold for in excess of $5 million (back then). We were going through an era where it didn’t seem to matter what you paid for it, you were always going to make a packet until the proverbial hit the fan.”

Mr Berridge said he believed values had dropped about 40 per cent since the property peak.

“The last sale was 341 West Coast Drive in Trigg that sold for $2.2 million and it was a very choice piece of land _ something like that could have possibly pulled $4 million in 2007 and I can mention lesser blocks that sold for more than $4 million,” he said.

According to Landgate, North Beach has enjoyed solid property value growth in the past decade.
It recorded a 19.4 per cent average annual growth rate in the 10 years to December 2008. It also recorded strong growth last year and was among the Perth metropolitan area’s Top 10 performing suburbs, with a 17.7 per cent jump in median house prices.

But during this period it recorded a low volume of sales activity, with just 19 homes sold.
This could have skewered the statistics.

“There’s no doubt that the market for premium coastal property has come back since the height of 2007,” Real Estate Institute of WA president Rob Druitt said.

“Indications are that the first signs of recovery are starting to come through now, so there’s certainly a unique opportunity for buyers who are (looking) in that market,” he said.

Mr Druitt said it has been a bottom-up recovery, so if the top end was reasonably priced and sold, it could give a good indication that Perth’s entire property market had seen the worst.

Source  :  www.news.com.au

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House of the week

1920s charm of North Perth home retained                                                                                                                                                                                          

RENOVATIONS were completed less than a year ago on the 1920s home owned by Karina and Chris Hiller for five years.

“We fell in love with it and we didn’t plan to renovate,” Mrs Hiller said.

“We loved the location, but realised it was getting a bit tight for space when we had a baby.”
So the couple demolished the rear half to allow for an open-plan extension.

They installed a new kitchen, plus an al fresco area because they enjoy entertaining.

Mrs Hiller said they wanted to achieve “retreat-style living” as a change of pace for her husband, who owned a busy cafe in Burswood and wanted the chance to unwind in a tranquil villa-style house.

They combined elements from the old and the new to suit their lifestyle and they think the location is golden because it’s only a 20-minute walk to the city.

Mrs Hiller said she loved the house because of its originality and charm.

“It has ornate and dome ceilings that we never wanted to touch because you can’t find homes with beautiful old things like these any more,” she said.

Other features include a pool, open fireplace, airconditioning, bore-water reticulation and double carport.

NORTH PERTH
$999,000
189 Grosvenor Rd

Three-bedroom, two-bathroom, single- storey house with airconditioning, covered al fresco area, high ceilings, tropical gardens and open-plan living area.
Agent: John Parzycki 0418 923 226, L.J. Hooker Willetton 9457 9955  Source  :  http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,25867487-5013239,00.html 

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Aussie Home Loans says loan refinancing soaring

AUSSIE Home Loans has recorded a strong rise in the number of borrowers looking to refinance their mortgages, as home owners try to take advantage of record low interest rates.

The non-bank lender said refinancing accounted for 38.5 per cent of home loans written in June, up from 30.2 per cent in March.

“There have been plenty of home owners who have been complacent about their mortgages,” Aussie founder and executive chairman John Symond said.

“But our figures show that more and more of them are taking advantage of record interest rate lows and are actively seeking out the best deal.”

However, the number of first home buyers settling home loans dropped to 21.3 per cent of total loans written in June, from 32 per cent in March.

“The steam has abated in the first home buyer market as many of them realise that the properties available are probably already at full price,” Mr Symonds said.

“They are re-assessing the market.”

Aussie is one of Australia’s largest non-bank providers of financial services and has a loan book of more than $30 billion.

Source  :  www.news.com.au

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Energy was well spent on Yanchep home

DINA and Brett Pappin took their time in choosing their dream home when work commitments forced them to relocate from WA’s south. 

Every house looked the same to the couple until they stumbled across this five-star energy-rated property in Yanchep.

“We were looking in Quinns Rocks because that’s where I grew up and then we decided to look in Yanchep because it was just up the road,” Mrs Pappin said.

The four-bedroom, two-bathroom energy-efficient home immediately caught their attention. 

The home has quality fittings and fixtures throughout, including granite benchtops, polished porcelain tiles, highly polished marri floors in the theatre room, and floor-to-ceiling porcelain tiles in both bathrooms.

“The main ensuite is better than a five-star hotel, with twin vanities, a corner spa and glass-enclosed showers,” Mrs Pappin said. “The bathroom and the kitchen are what sold it for me.”

Another plus for Mrs Pappin was the floor-to-ceiling windows in the main living area.

“I can stand in the house and see the entire backyard,” she said.

“It’s great because I have young children, so I can keep an eye on them while I am cooking dinner.”

The home has an outdoor area with a cedar ceiling and there’s a study. The property is in a cul-de-sac about a 10-minute walk from the beach.

“The Lagoon is the best beach in Perth; the kids love it in summer,” Mrs Pappin said.

Work commitments are taking the family back south.

YANCHEP
$629,000
4 Le Buse CoveFour-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a study/fifth bedroom, five-star energy rating, cedar-lined outdoor area, porcelain tiles, polished marri timber floors in the theatre room, and resort-style ensuite with spa.
Agent: Peggy Middelveld 0415566825, Peard Cox
Real Estate 9400 1599

 

Source  :  www.news.com.au

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WA regional house prices bouncing back

Real estate data for the June quarter has revealed regional house prices in Western Australia have bounced back after dropping sharply in the second half of last year.

The median house price for regional WA grew 6.6 per cent in the past three months, while Perth homes increased by just 2.3 per cent.

The median house price in country areas is now $373,000.

Real Estate Institute of WA president, Rob Druitt, says it is further evidence the housing market is stabilising after last year’s sharp drops.

“The bottom of our market was in the second half of 2008. We’ve now seen a more normalised, stable market,” he said.

“That’s good news for home buyers in the sense they can see interest rates are at 49-year lows, there is some growth there and we can see the market slowly improve from here.”

Source  :  www.abc.net.au

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Jobs for Backpackers Website

Starting from a part time operation and growing to what we are today, we have an excellent reputation and are known widely for our service and quality.

From all kinds of seasonal farm and station work to country pub and resort work, we have a vast range of great jobs to choose from both in the Perth metropolitan area and regional Western Australia. 

We aim to provide a quality experience for travellers. We ensure that our employers are bona fide, pay good rates, provide satisfactory accommodation and stand by their word in terms of their job offerings.

We also encourage our travellers to try something new and different so that they really get to know and understand the true blue Aussie way of life. Its also great to take home new experiences and skills that you would never have thought of having back home.

Our service for employers starts by finding you the best person available for the job.  We do comprehensive visa checks with Australian Immigration and provide the employee with all the information they need to know, not just about your business and the job, but your location too. This is so when we send people to you they have a good understanding of what’s involved in the position and where they will be working.

Source  :  http://www.backpackerjobswa.com.au/

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