Yeah it's a weird dynamic here, in some respects it operates like a pyramid scheme where the lower tiers feed the higher ones. If you're not in the right group then it can be tough to even get any feedback. I'm almost over it too.
I'll listen to your music over most of the crap they play on the radio these days. I'm not far from Newcastle, all the best for you and your wife if you do decide to go to Perth. I went there about twenty years ago to try and get a mining job but I blew my knee out and ended up back in Newcastle.