Anyone have any contacts and recommendations for shooting in WA Australia?
Wanted: Australia (WA) stalking recommendations
- Thread starter Tom8
- Start date
Contact "Jack Out the Back" and get yourself a sh*tload of camel shooting 
Cheers
Bruce
Cheers
Bruce
Dr.Dolittle
Well-Known Member
Despite having the land/space and any number of feral species you could ask for, WA is perhaps the worst place for FAC ownership in Australia, and maybe globally.
The current Labour Govt here have recently introduced a whole heap of reforms further restricting ownership to a draconian level. If you're visiting it shouldn't be a problem obtaining some hunting, but if you're moving and want hunting to be a pastime, I'd strongly recommend either going elsewhere, or finding a new hobby!
You'll be limited to 5 guns overall with these based on the land you can shoot over - 10 acres for an airgun, 500 acres for a .222 and 2,000 acres for .243 and above is usually what WAPOL look for.
You either have to be a member of a club or get a 'property letter' to hunt over farm land. But the land owners are now restricted on how many letters they can give, despite it being their land... Consequently all land around Perth is taken meaning you'll have to go further afield.
@hybridfiat may know more about obtaining a hunting permit or able to add further information.
Thanks for the information,seems very difficult then
hybridfiat
Well-Known Member
More reason to vote the lying, two faced, incompetant, socialist bastards out.
Dr.Dolittle
Well-Known Member
It's a nightmare. The system is arse about face.Thanks for the information,seems very difficult then
1. Purchase a firearm with a deposit (without a certificate yet
) and get a 'serviceability certificate'2. Complete a firearms awareness test
3. Get club support or a letter from a property owner (acreage determines calibre despite the species present). You can't get club support letters without a serviceability certificate... (back to step 1)
4. Apply for certificate with above. If it's your first time in WA there's a 28 day 'cooling off' period from your date of application. After that the licensing team will contact you for further information, including to confirm your intention to proceed...
You then have 28 days to provide this information - if not go back to the start.5. Organise storage
6. If approved then go pick up the firearms you put a deposit on before having a license... Remember you're limited to 5 rifles and shotguns determined on the acreage so I would say choose wisely, but in fact they basically choose for you...
You'll also find the quality and standard of guns on the shelf and the second hand market is very, very poor. You'd think it was North Korea that hasn't traded with the world for 40 years! I was in a Perth gun shop not long ago and the best second hand gun they had was a beat up CZ. It was quite disappointing really to see what the West Aussies have to deal with. Not to mention the prices were astronomical... second hand BRNO 5 in .22RF ~£650, or a CZ 527 in .17H for ~£1,250. With such a small market the shops can't afford to offer anywhere near what the average UK shop does.
On the assumption I knew little about rifles, the shop tried to convince me to purchase a specific second hand CZ for use on foxes - telling me these special stinger bullets (their words) were great. Once I queried if that rifle adequately groups with them, given the last CZ I shot didn't, they knew the game was up. They asked what I use in the UK, and upon hearing they were astounded, and openly admitted that you can't get that quality (nothing fancy, just Heym SR20, Mauser 66, or Varberger) in Western Australia.
Not to even mention there has been no consultation with recent restrictions and the strategic publication of such regulations: New gun bans revealed as WA firearm regulations released - Sporting Shooter
To further add insult to injury, what many don't realise is in WA you can't hunt feral species on crown land, which is most of WA. Also the sheer size of WA compared to UK is hard to comprehend. To travel N-S across Perth for example is approx an hour, and anywhere regional outside Perth requires flying, or a days driving minimum. Flights are prohibitively expensive due to the FIFO mining industry - most regional hubs like Port Hedland, Kalgoorlie etc are there for the mines. Therefore a 1hr flight from Perth to Kalgoorlie and return is $540, or Perth to Port Hedland (2hrs) return is $1,000. That makes a hunting trip pretty expensive especially if you're wanting to hunt regularly. I looked into the Farm Assist program (Members -) but canned the idea because the flights or travel to these regional areas just makes it financially hard and time-wise difficult - and that was working a 8 days on and 6 days off roster.
If you're travelling to Australia for the intention to hunt, I'd recommend looking into the Northern Territory or other states with outfitters. If you're moving to West Australia @Tom8 I'm happy to help or give advice - flick me a message. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news - before moving here I was naive as on the face of it, it has everything you could ask for.
I didn’t shoot when I lived in Perth, but the posts above reflect my experience of most other aspects of life there.
Expensive. Sh1t quality. No supply and what little you could get was mostly found in the eastern states and sent over (when anyone could be bothered) by train. Then the train would derail and you’d not get your stuff. Or the thieving Australia post would nick it.
Happy memories
Expensive. Sh1t quality. No supply and what little you could get was mostly found in the eastern states and sent over (when anyone could be bothered) by train. Then the train would derail and you’d not get your stuff. Or the thieving Australia post would nick it.
Happy memories
Dr.Dolittle
Well-Known Member
That sums it up! Everything comes from over east and you wait weeks for it! Some of my parcels last year were late due to a derailment come to think of it. I think this is why most 'Perthlings' have an inferiority complex.I didn’t shoot when I lived in Perth, but the posts above reflect my experience of most other aspects of life there.
Expensive. Sh1t quality. No supply and what little you could get was mostly found in the eastern states and sent over (when anyone could be bothered) by train. Then the train would derail and you’d not get your stuff. Or the thieving Australia post would nick it.
Happy memories
In addition to having the toughest gun laws, Western Australia also now has the strictest knife laws to address the growing problem of knife crime (Nation's toughest knife laws to come into effect ahead of weekend | Western Australian Government).
The cost of living crisis is just as bad as the UK. Food is outrageously expensive: red pepper is >$10/kg and grapes are $20/kg, the latter being ~$8/kg in UK. Australia also now has the world's 3rd highest alcohol tax. Most cartons of beer/lager are $70 for x30 375ml cans. You can't find the larger 440ml cans, probably in an effort to stop the wife bashing epidemic. Pints in Perth are between $8 and up to $14 so not a cheap night.
The other bureaucracy imposed on citizens is also quite astounding - most Shires in the Perth metro area for example, will limit you to a maximum of two dogs. For those Shires out of the metro you can apply for a kennel license which requires approval first by the Shire, and then it's a recurring expense!
Perhaps one of the more irritating daily aspects is trying to navigate Perth without getting involved in a car crash. Drivers here cannot for the life of them merge onto the highways. It's got to the point that local radios would run adverts explaining the process. Not to mention the terrible tailgating and when it rains all hell breaks loose! On the driving front, all trailers are regarded the same in terms of registration and tax. Each trailer you own therefore has its own license plate (it doesn't follow the main vehicle), road tax to pay, and if you forget to pay that, the trailer then needs to go for an MOT equivalent. A pure Govt money making scheme.
For those wishing to escape the UK bureaucracy, Australia is just as bad. Perhaps worse in certain aspects.
And despite all that, I loved my time in Perth and one of my best mates is a born and bred sandgroper.
I just couldn’t settle/ see me living rest of my life there. The working environment was just awful. Tall poppies get cut down and workmates stab you in the back/ white ant you (undermine).
Part of me still wishes we could have made it work, but alas that ship has sailed.
Dr.Dolittle
Well-Known Member
Likewise, I couldn't see myself settling long term; life's too short to not do what you enjoy!
I've also sadly experienced the same work environment in the mining sector. If you're qualified and perceived as a threat, your career is effectively curtailed. This isn't something new in Australia, probably due to it having one of the simplest global economies on par with the likes of Yeman/Ghana and therefore not requiring advanced skills like the EU etc. Despite having the experience and qualifications (BSc, MSc, PhD) in a sector deemed critical to Australia, I've struggled due to this. My ship will be sailing back to UK via Dubai this year!
This is so true!
I loved working in Bunbury for a year and a half. I couldn't understand why Perthies looked down on anyone outside of Perth.
I always found the best parts of WA were miles outside of its capital.
Lloyd90
Well-Known Member
I’m over in Perth atm visiting family.
Had hoped to find something, saw very little online and visited a few gun shops.
Some barely shared the time to say hello, one was alright and friendly enough but basically said with the changes you can’t book any guided stalks etc and they can’t even sell you a choke tube (I was after a Kicks Hi Flyer) as he claimed it now counts as part of a barrel.
Lloyd90
Well-Known Member
What’s the hunting and legislation like in South Australia and New South Wales?
Quite enjoyed this visit but not sure I’d want to be in this side. Housing bloody expensive too.
I went 20 + years ago to see some family and visit a lad I had taught to dive then went through the gears to become an instructor, he did his IDC passed and was head hunted out of his group to work in NSW.
After 6 months and settled he invited me over so I went, the diving was ok but the level of service was way below par as previously I had dived in Egypt then worked there with all local staff/crew.
The dive shops only employed white people never saw any indigness staff, when I was back in the UK running trips to Egypt I took groups to Egypt sometimes the dive centres sold spare spaces so my brief was to the group make people welcome so they did.
Divers from Sydney came for the day 4-6 of them never spoke or the odd grunt most strange!
I went to Carin's for a 3 day trip, part of the Deep Six group, no bottled water or office type water dispenser but a huge tank on a frame filled at the dock from a hose pipe with tablets put in the water! I asked where is the bottled water the guide pointed to the tank FFS! Half the dive tanks were contaminated so the air was crap but the staff who all smoked said seems ok to me lol
All cold food with only hot pasta, in Egypt they cook on the boat each day then fresh fruit after lunch and on the way back usually a melon cut up and passed around. Pis s poor service for a 1st world county.
Short term tourist trap in a first world country.
Go to Africa all ground staff are from local people.
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Lloyd90
Well-Known Member
I went to book a scuba dive last week, place had good reviews until I check on Facebook and see just a few weeks ago they left 2 divers behind.
Thank god they got picked up by a ferry going past, apparently the ferry radio’s the dive boat and there advise was to put them both back in the water and they’d come back for them.
Unbelievable!
You were able to discern this, how?
Because in the 6 weeks I was there in the classroom also in & out of dive shops most days that is what I saw, also asked if they had local staff and the answer was no.
The complete opposite to a 3rd world country with the Egyptian staff making up 95% of the workforce from the lads who filled the tanks to experienced Captains.
For me it was great as I learnt a great deal of Arabic in a short space of time.
I had 2 German guests spot there friends on a dive and went back with them to there boat which was moored 3 boats down from my boat on the same reef.
As dives they have a brief of the site with the choice to follow the guide or not (lots who take pictures chose to do their own thing) People are given a dive time length 1hr in this shallow dive or back at the boat with 40bar.
They were not back at 50 mins so I snorkelled the whole reef then checked the boats on the way back to find them having a beer! with their friends. While I was gone the crew used the radio and found them but they said they will come back in a while. Divers do stupid things as well
My poor crew were beside themselves.Similar threads
