Official statistics do not record specific information about resident’s city of origin, so the ECHO put the theory to the test on the Old Pals and ex-pats pages of our website.
And sure enough, its seems many residents of the city on the Indian Ocean are proud of their roots.
Bill Fletcher, 73, from Toxteth, emigrated in 1971 along with two pals and now lives in the suburb of Ashby, Perth.
Bill said: “The three of us were printers for the Evening Express and answered a ‘printers needed in Western Australia’ advert in the union newspaper.
“It is true there are many Scousers in Perth, among my friends at least 12 were born in or married people from Liverpool.
“There are lots of clubs and associations – particularly relating to the football teams.
“I decided on Perth, because it was a young city had a very small population – almost the opposite of Liverpool.
“Both cities are very special, with a tradition of being friendly and welcoming – I like to think that is because of the Scouse influence.
“It’s wonderful that Liverpool is celebrating its 800th birthday and you can be sure that many people down under will be celebrating too.”
In the 1960s and 70s, Liverpool dwarfed Perth – nowadays things have changed and while Liverpool’s population, until recently, was in sharp decline, Perth’s has boomed to more than 1.4 million.
Vinnie and Sandra Clarke, both aged 60 and from Norris Green, emigrated in 1976 aboard the SS Australis.
Sandra, a retired teacher, said: “Vinnie and I headed straight for Perth – rather than Melbourne, Adelaide or Sydney – because my sister, Linda, and her family had emigrated there in 1974, as had my brother, Billy, and his family in 1975. When we first arrived, we were given a fully-furnished, one-bedroom unit in Graylands Migrant Hostel, which included cutlery, cleaning utensils, bedding, and a weekly supply of fresh linen.
“The unit overlooked a busy recreation centre, and was only a two-minute walk away from the dining room, where all our meals were served.
“New immigrants were allowed to stay in the hostel for up to 12 months – in order to make the transition from one way of life to another a little easier.”
Vinnie, who worked for Australia Post, added: “Over the past 31 years, we have come across many Scousers, all of whom have had their own particular stories to tell on why they originally left Liverpool.
“Without exception, though, they all agreed that one of the things they missed most, was the Liverpool sense of humour.
“In the early days, we joined a club called 'Poms International,' which was run by a comedian called Tony Braddock.
“Through the club we established new friendships and we made our first trip back to England with them in 1980.”
Kate Lamont, chairman of Tourism Western Australia, said: “Our booming economy means Western Australian businesses are offering workers very real job opportunities throughout the State.
“Western Australia is an ideal environment for workers to add new skills to their existing talents and enjoy a quality lifestyle.”
ECHO essentials
Perth is the capital of the Australian state of Western Australia.
A population of 1,507,900 makes Perth by far the largest city in Western Australia and home to three-quarters of the state's residents.
With a growth rate of 2%, Perth is the fastest growing major city in Australia.
Perth was founded on June 11, 1829, by Captain James Stirling as the political centre of the free settler Swan River Colony.
Perth had been inhabited by the Whadjuk Noongar people for more than 40,000 years.
The area where Perth now stands was called Boorloo by the Aboriginals living there at the time of their first contact with Europeans in 1827.
Perth is physically closer to East Timor and Jakarta, Indonesia, than it is to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
catherinejones@liverpoolecho.co.uk
Ex-Pats Celebrate 800 Years!
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