Here are free resources about the Australia Perth Mission:
- Mission address and phone number
- Mission map
- Video interviews with returned missionaries
- Missionary blogs
- Facebook groups
- LDS Mission t-shirts and gifts
- List of past mission presidents
- Cultural articles written by returned missionaries
- Survey with RMs
*Other Mission Pages: Australia LDS Missions.
Australia Perth Mission Address
Here’s a recent address for the Australia Perth Mission. We try our best to keep this information up to date, but it’s a good idea to check the mission address with several sources, including your mission packet or the mission office.
Australia Perth Mission
PO Box 185
Tuart Hill
WA 6939
Australia
Phone Number: 61-89375-0000
Mission President: President Walter S. Fife
Australia Perth Mission Map
Here’s a link to the mission map for the Australia Perth Mission (LDS). To access the official, up-to-date LDS.org map for the Perth Mission
Australia Perth Missionary Blogs
Here’s a list of LDS missionary blogs for the Perth Mission. This blog list includes the missionary’s name, URL and when their mission blog was updated.
Australia Perth Mission Groups
Here are Australia Perth Mission Groups- for LDS missionary moms, returned missionaries, mission presidents and other alumni of the Perth Mission.
- Australia Perth Mission Facebook Group (716 members)
- Perth Mission 2010-2011 President Cahoon Group (118 members)
- Perth Mission Friends Facebook Group (94 members)
- Australia Perth Mission 81-83 Facebook Group (75 members)
- The APM Australia Perth Mission Facebook Group (14 members)
- Perth Mission Moms and Friends (LDS) Group (7 members)
Australia Perth Mission T-Shirts
Here are T-shirts for the Australia Perth Mission!
Shirt designs include Australia Perth Mission logo/emblem shirts and Called to Serve shirts. The shirts make great gifts for pre-missionaries, returned missionaries and missionaries currently serving. LDS Mission shirts come in all sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, up to 4XL. The mission designs are printed on white shirts and are shipped to you.
*Simply click on a shirt design to view the details and submit an order. The designs on mission t-shirts may also be printed on other LDS mission gifts, including: Australia Perth missionary aprons, Christmas stockings, ties, pillow cases, teddy bears and Christmas ornaments.
*Click here to browse Perth Mission gifts
Australia Perth Mission Presidents
Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Perth LDS Mission.
- 2015-2018, Walter S. Fife
- 2012-2015, R. Bruce Lindsay
- 2011-2012, Dirk Smibert
- 2010-2011, Paul L. Cahoon
- 2007-2010, Carl R. Maurer
- 2004-2007, Leslie M. Albertson
- 2001-2004, Lon Nally
- 1998-2001, Joseph Robinson
- 1995-1998, Daniel George Hamilton
- 1992-1995, Daniel M. Jones
- 1989-1992, Ronald W. G. Innis
- 1986-1989, Campbell
- 1983-1986, Jerold N. Johnson
- 1981-1984, Daniel H. Ludlow
- 1978-1981, C. Shirley Reynolds
- 1975-1978, Bruce J. Opie
- 1974-1977, Allen M Swan
- 1971-1974, Richard J. Marshall
- 1968-1971, Milton Hess
Australia LDS Statistics (2015)
- Church Membership: 143,891
- Missions: 6
- Temples: 5
- Congregations: 303
- Family History Centers: 145
Helpful Articles about Australia
Australia Perth Missionary Survey
Here are survey responses from Perth RMs, to give you a snapshot into what it’s like to live in the mission.
*Click here to take a survey to help pre-missionaries going to your mission.
When did you serve?
- 2013-2015 (Joshua)
- 2013-2014 (Angelina)
- 2011-2013 (Ben)
- 2009-2011 (Israel)
- 2008-2010 (Rich)
- 2007-2009 (Kristy)
- 2007-2009 (Kimball)
- 2006-2008 (Zane)
- 2000-2002 (Zach)
- 1993-1995 (Kris)
What areas did you serve in?
- Lesmurdie. (Angelina)
- Bentley, Albany, Balga, Australind, Joondalup, Butler, and Swanview. (Joshua)
- Port Headland, Merriwa, Scarorugh, Belmont. (Israel)
- Maylands, Armadale, Ellenbrook, Ferndale, Willeton, Geraldton, Koolbellup, Belmont, and Karratha. (Rich)
- Queens Park, Albany, Busselton. (Kristy)
- Girrawheen, Noranda, Albany, Wembley, Belmont. (Kimball)
- Coolbellup, Willeton, Marangaroo, Beechboro, Lesmurdie, Nollamara, Greenwood. (Zane)
What were some favorite foods?
- KFC, barbecues. (Israel)
- I came to love many of the foods there but my favorites: 1. Shepherd’s Pie- I think this is an English Transplant. 2. Weebix crushed with corn flakes mixed for breakfast. 3. Fresh fish and chips with vinegar and chicken salt. 4. Biscuits (cookies to Americans). Just one note- there isn’t as much sugar in anything, so be prepared for things to be bland for the first little while. When you return to the states you might feel sick for a week because everything is so sweet. (Kris)
- Fish n chips, Fried Mars bars, Beefeaters, Pavlova. (Zach)
- Foods were pretty much like in America. I loved prawns and steak. (Ben)
- Milo, sausage rolls, meat pies, and kebabs. (Rich)
- Apple pies, spaghetti bolognese, roast meals. (Angelina)
- Curry. Pavola. Fish in chips. Shrimp, kindekinder chocolate (Kristy)
- Kangaroo, lamb, custard, pavlova. (Kimball)
- Sister Fraser’s wedges. Big casseroles. Roast dinner at the president’s house. Aussie Dogs in Australind. (Zane)
- Pasta, potato bake, lasagna, any type of meat. (Joshua)
What was a funny experience?
- Their accent and your accent. Oh, and words like restroom means different things to them, then to you. Driving on the right side of the road. (Kris)
- Tracing into an English Lord who was a non-member and the only person in our area to feed us. (Zach)
- Most of the funny things either happened with other missionaries or crazy people you meet. (Ben)
- Making President Maurer walk up giant hills while teaching with my companion and me. (Rich)
- On my second transfer I was in a trio and we planned to go on a diet. When one of my companions (Sister Chou Lee) was hungry, she’d always say WHY and when we bought her food and she start eating and got so full, she also screamed and said WHY in a funny way. (Angelina)
- I was so tired while riding my bike, I started falling asleep. My head would drop, and it would wake me up. (Kristy)
- I was riding my bike and looked back to check on my companion without realizing I was riding toward a drain with gaps that fit my tires perfectly. Needless to say, my front tire went through and I flew off the front of my bike! (Kimball)
- These rottweilers would bark at us viciously every time we rode past, so one day we decided to get right up close to them at the driveway, and then the owners came home into the driveway, and we freaked out, and tried to ride off, but I went down a drop off, and flipped over the handle bars in front of everyone. (Zane)
What was a crazy experience?
- I don’t think there was anything straight up dangerous, per se. Riding a push bike or bicycle was probably the most hazardous thing missionaries do. (Kris)
- Visiting a really old elderly man- we talked in the front yard. He had a hole in his sweat pants where it should not be and my companion and I avoided looking his direction, and he talked about how he wanted a wife and kiss her feet, and all this rubbish- we told the Elders we will not ever go back- they could teach him. (Kristy)
- Nearly getting stabbed, lol. Teaching self defense classes for the sister missionaries. A bike accident that should have killed me, but I walked away with only a broken tooth. (Zach)
- Girrawheen was pretty… Exciting. (Ben)
- We were walking through a park in a subdivision called Balga. We saw 2 men and a woman sitting under a tree so we said hello. We quickly realized they were drunk but were too slow in excusing ourselves. One of the men grabbed my wrists and wouldn’t let go. Thankfully the woman was conscious enough to persuade him to let go but it still took a few minutes to get him loose. (Kimball)
- Driving down the road, and a lady jumped in front of the car, we had to pull over and saw a guy stabbing his ex-girlfriend. We jumped out, and told him to go away, and he did and I had to jump on him, and wait for police. (Zane)
- When a group of about 40 Sudanese guys called us over to them after their soccer game late at night and asked us aggressively why our book called them “cursed” ?! (Joshua)
What was a spiritual experience?
- There are too many and they are very personal to the people that you help find the truth, to share randomly. If you live by all of the rules and follow the guidance of the prophet and your mission president, you will have many experiences with the spirit that hopefully you won’t want to share either, because of their sacredness to you. (Kris)
- Giving a blessing to a non-member woman, who was dying of cancer, to bring her comfort. Another experience was teaching a Maori brother while attending his workshop on traditional bone carving (a skill I picked up there). (Zach)
- Teaching. Helping other missionaries. (Ben)
- Walking around Champion Lake in Armadale at 9 pm with my companion, conversing about life after death and areas of deep doctrine. (Rich)
- There were many spiritual experiences on my mission, but one thing that stands out to me is how before my mission I always believed The Book of Mormon was another testimony of Jesus Christ, and on my mission I actually came to KNOW for myself that The Book of Mormon was and still is a testimony that Jesus is the Christ. Also, learning to know that there are more souls out there that need to read and ponder this book so they know for themselves that The Book of Mormon is another testimony of Jesus Christ. (Angelina)
- When you are your best self, and you and your companion are working towards the same goals, the spirit is stronger. I was in the temple- it was maybe my third time going to the temple, and I tried to dress fast, and the matron told me God will always wait for you or something like that. (Kristy)
- We taught an Ethiopian man named Nega who only spoke a few words of English when we met. We taught him completely through The Book of Mormon in his language. He requested an English version as well and by the time he was baptized we were speaking conversationally with him. (Kimball)
- I invited a non-member by the name of Robert to pray out loud for the first time and he did, and it was sweetest prayer I had ever heard. Then we asked him to pray to know if the Book of Mormon was true- he did and the spirit filled the room. He knew it was true, but couldn’t come to church because his work was on Sundays. We fasted with him that his work would change, then that week his manager called him and changed his time table out of the blue. He came to church and was baptized. (Zane)
- An investigator we had been teaching for a long time finally admitted and pointed out that the messages we had been sharing made such a difference in his life, and even though he was finding it hard to change, he knew it was all true and he wanted us to keep coming! (Joshua)
What are some interesting facts about the Perth Mission?
- The APM is geographically the farthest mission from Salt Lake City. It one of the driest places on earth. It also has one of the largest land masses of any mission in the church. (Kris)
- The temple was built and dedicated during my time there. I got to assist with cleaning, furnishing, landscaping and security just before the open house. The Perth Mission is the size of the entire western United States. (Zach)
- Albany is the farthest you can get from SLC. (Ben)
- Learning about the Gospel every day and having a companion with you 24/7- I think it was just interesting knowing that there’s someone always there to talk to. Helping people change; not only that, knowing that you’re the one helping them to change through the Spirit is more powerful than anything. Teaching them about the Gospel and helping them to come near unto Christ was so interesting and just having the Spirit with you every day and going out and teaching the word of God. (Angelina)
- Wolf Creek…don’t watch the movie based on a true story. I saw it before my mission, and it scared me. I had curry for eight months of my mission and some African food. (Kristy)
- There are 3 deserts in our mission. It is one of the largest missions geographically. (Kimball)
- I think it’s the second largest mission in the world in terms of land mass? We caught planes to some zone conferences. I drove eight hours to go on an exchange with a set of missionaries. In 2005 the mission baptized 85, I think in 2008 it was 183. During my mission it was the peak of the mining boom, so some missionary flats were over $700pw to rent near mining towns. (Zane)
- It has one of the biggest geographical boundaries of any mission, on the southern end it is the close piece of land to Antartica, and wildfires are a common occurrence! (Joshua)
What was the weather like?
- Sooooo hot. (Israel)
- Very hot and sunny. Winters can get cold. But I don’t remember wearing a long-sleeve shirt and my suitcoat spent a lot of time in my bag and not on my back. (Kris)
- Hot. So hot you could smell your hair burning. Rain so heavy it bounced, just like where I grew up. (Zach)
- A mix between Southern California and Arizona. (Ben)
- Low 50’s (farenheit) and wet in the winter, high 110’s in the summer. (Rich)
- During summer it was sooooooo hot. Compared to the islands, it’s hot, but still humid but in Perth. It was super hot and worse it was dry. Winter was really cold though. (Angelina)
- In the winter, it’s chilly and cold and summer’s super hot. It got very hot, but it gets cold too- you would want sweaters, it rains there. (Kristy)
- Most of the time it was pleasant but colder in their winter months than I expected and extremely hot December – February. (Kimball)
- Dry and hot in the summer (average over 30, but got over 40 degrees Celsius). Winters not too bad, average in the high teens and early twenties. Spring and Autumn perfect. (Zane)
- Weather is hot and dry during summer months (December-February) and rainy and a bit cooler in winter to spring (June-October). (Joshua)
Any things you really like about the area/people?
- They were very nice in general. You could walk a lot also. (Israel)
- The people are direct and honest. They have a great sense of humor. (Kris)
- I made friends there, who I still speak with to this day. I met my wife of 13 years there. It’s a truly harsh, but beautiful country. (Zach)
- They don’t waste your time, so don’t waste theirs. (Ben)
- I love the place I served in because most people would harden their hearts, but some managed to open up and they helped up keep going about doing the Lord’s work. (Angelina)
- The accents. How people are honest there. Everything about Australia is breathtaking. It’s very pretty- the wildlife, the plants, the animals. People are nice. (Kristy)
- I love how many different cultures I interacted with. My 2nd companion and I made a goal to learn how to say, “I love you” in as many languages as possible. By the end of my mission, I think I was up to 16 different languages. (Kimball)
- Australians are a relaxed and generally down-to-earth people who are nice and welcoming when you get to know them better. It was always generally a safe place- there is a temple there. (Zane)
- So multicultural it’s unbelievable, so many languages. Very isolated place so people are very independent of other places and a lot of history among the people, native and non-natives. (Joshua)
Any packing/clothing advice?
- No need for coats. (Israel)
- Follow what the mission president tells you when you get your call. (Kris)
- Get the oilskin duster- get a coat heavier than you think you’ll need, that’s completely waterproof. Buy one nice-ish suit, and set 2-4 more from a thrift store. Invest in Doc Martens and gel insoles. Get a Camelback (but don’t put fruit juice in it, lol). Get half cotton-poly shirts and the other half 100% cotton. Get mesh garments. Wash all your sock colors together- they turn one homogenous color that matches everything. Get a good, wide-brimmed white surf hat there. (Zach)
- Pack light. Dickies with short sleeved shirts. One nice suit and one junk suit. (Ben)
- Don’t pack everything the instructions in your call says to. They may have updated it, but I never used a lot of the stuff I had with me. (Rich)
- Have less clothes so it can be easy for transfers. (Angelina)
- Rain jacket. It rains in the winter a lot. Take things for the heat too. Summer clothes and fall type weather. (Kristy)
- Bring jackets/sweatshirts for the winter months. For sisters, though it seems like it’ll be too hot, wear nylons during the hot months. They actually catch the smell from your sweaty feet and keep your shoes from getting too smelly. (Kimball)
- Buy short sleeve white shirts and garments that are good to wear in hot weather. Buy bedding when you are over there. (Zane)
- The lighter and cooler the clothes, the better. Warm clothes for winter isn’t incredibly necessary, but you’ll want a rain jacket. Their thrift stores are awesome so it isn’t hard to find things you need for cheap down there. (Joshua)
What blessings did you receive from serving a mission?
- I got to be part of other people’s conversions and share in watching there testimonies develop. (Kris)
- A perfect wife! An understanding of how the Lord does things that makes even the most unusual requests/orders make sense. Permanent injury damage that reminds me every day that I literally broke my back in the service of the Lord. (Zach)
- I don’t know what would’ve happened if I didn’t serve. I feel like I grew spiritually, but I could have grown spiritually any way. (Ben)
- My dad was able to have the chance to enter the temple and my family became unified as I was serving and I guess one of the blessings I received is planning with one of the RMs to get married in the temple. (Angelina)
- All sorts. Being able to feel the spirit very strong- focus on that, and teaching with the spirit. (Kristy)
- So many. A couple that come to mind are: A greater ability to share the gospel with others in a more natural way. A greater capacity to love and see those that make poor choices in a less judgmental light. I also believe there are blessings I haven’t recognized yet. (Kimball)
- Confidence in the Lord and His promised blessings. Ability to work hard and not be shy of it. Gift of enjoying to preach the gospel. Since then I have been married in the temple with four children, have a good career and am in a beautiful place in the world. Not all of this is because of a mission, but because of a mission I have a desire to be obedient to receive more of what the Lord has for me. (Zane)
- I definitely understand people, and the world at large, a lot better. It has made me realize the blessings I have had and continue to have. The perspective that the people have to offer is incredible, whether they are of different belief or nationality. (Joshua)
What are some skills you gained?
- I learned English and developed the skill of communication. (Israel)
- I learned to read and understand the written word better. I learned to get along better with others. (Kris)
- Bone carving skills. A native Aussie accent. Knowing how to care about someone without getting emotionally dependent on their choices. A completely unapologetic testimony of the Gospel and the Book of Mormon. (Zach)
- How to ask questions. Confidence. (Ben)
- I learned how to be courageous and learned some discipline. (Rich)
- Spiritual knowledge and especially learning how to be independent. (Angelina)
- Getting out of my comfort zone. Trying to love everyone, even if you get companions you don’t hit it off with. Make the best of what you have. (Kristy)
- Reading physical maps. Understanding how the Spirit speaks to me. Knowing how to better interact with people different from myself. (Kimball)
- Listening (still not great), planning, inviting, conversational skills. Ridding push bike skills! (Zane)
- Obviously, talking to people and being able to make a conversation out of nothing. Being able to be patient is also key, with a lot of understanding. Study skills and habits, as well as being bold and not afraid to say what I am thinking. (Joshua)
What do you wish you knew/did at the beginning of your mission?
- The one thing I wish every missionary understood is the importance of being very strict in following all the rules. All the rules. If you think something may be sketchy, don’t do it, or seek guidance from the President, not other missionaries. (Kris)
- Lesson 1: the Lord doesn’t need you. The work will get done with or without you. You just get to choose whether you’re going to help, or stand on the sidelines. Lesson 2: Understanding comes through obedience, not explanation. Lesson 3: the most important one- revelation trumps everything else. What the Lord says to do at that moment is more important than any other written or third-party instruction. (Zach)
- I wish I didn’t try so hard to capture moments and just allowed them to happen. I wish I would have kept the scripture “for this is the day the Lord hath prepared, we will rejoice and be glad in it “. Just enjoy the moment and don’t force things. (Ben)
- I wish I attended the mission prep class and gained the knowledge I needed for the mission. I wish I knew those things before hand. (Angelina)
- Hmm, it’s hard, but if you take a day at a time and if you can serve your full mission, you can do anything. It gets chilly there. When I got home I didn’t feel the spirit as strong, and felt like I lost a best friend. I had to recognize the spirit, keep up the studying scriptures, and pray often. Do your best and if you have a rough day on the mission field, tomorrow will be better. Also cherish each day because it goes by fast. (Kristy)
- I wish I let go a little more and approached people more naturally rather than business-like. (Kimball)
- Serve the members, help them do missionary work, love your companions and who you serve. Be obedient, work smart, trust the Lord, don’t be hard on yourself. (Zane)
- I wish I knew that not everyone will serve the same mission, even if they are called to serve in the same place. One person will be good at reactivating people, or baptizing, or finding, or all. But all you need to do is focus on your relationship with the Lord and not worry about results. (Joshua)
Any advice/testimony for pre-missionaries going to Perth?
- Work hard, don’t let your companions make you lazy. (Israel)
- Just be excited. (Kris)
- Be prepared that it will be the hardest mission anyone has gone to. It will test you and try you in ways you never thought of. Perth truly is the Lord’s furnace. You can either burn up and quit, or be prepared for the fire, and the pounding of the Master’s hammer to forge you into a tool that will never break, and be of excellent service the rest of your life. Never compromise on your faith. Strive for a sure knowledge instead. Understand you will come back a different person than when you left, and that’s a good thing. Know that if you don’t sit down on the side of the road and just cry from pain and exhaustion, you’re not working hard enough. Know that if you do, you will come out the other side stronger than you ever could have gotten on your own. Be creative in your teaching efforts. Never forget that you are ALWAYS where you are supposed to be, speaking to the person you are supposed to, because only you could say something in the exact way they need to hear in order to listen. (Zach)
- Australia is awesome. Don’t think that your culture is better. (Ben)
- Don’t complain when you get a companion you don’t like. Keep stuff clean. Rice is your best friend, and so is the early morning market in Canningvale. Don’t lose your temper when kids come skateboarding in front of the Perth temple. Don’t walk around Koolbellup after 10 pm. (Rich)
- Attend mission prep and go on exchanges with the full-time missionaries. (Angelina)
- Do the best you can to love your companion. Pray often. Love the people you teach. Do the very best you can, no one is perfect, but we can be the best we can be. Cherish every moment of the mission. (Kristy)
- Pray to see the people you meet as Heavenly Father sees them. (Kimball)
- You will love this mission, and you will never forget it. (Zane)
- There are good days and there are bad days. The people are so different and there are so many that are ready to hear you. If you love them it makes it all so much easier. The members are enthusiastic and willing to help if you seek them out. It is the Lord’s work and He is able to do ALL things. Seek His hand and He will guide you to be the most efficient person you can be. (Joshua)
What was a funny language mistake?
- If you need to use the restroom, ask for the toilet. Trust me. Oh, and don’t ask for a napkin. That’s a feminine hygiene product there- ask for a Serviette. One last thing, if you are from the United States, don’t talk about America. If asked, just say I’m proud to be having such a great experience with the wonderful people of Australia. I miss my family and friends in America and I look forward to seeing them and telling them how much I love Australia. (Kris)
- My companion: “You’re an artist- settle this argument between me and my last companion. Is this watch blue or purple? He says blue, I say purple.” Me: “it’s periwinkle.” My companion : “What’s that?” Me: “About halfway between blue and purple.” (Zach)
- How’s it goin mate. Don’t say fanny. (Ben)
- I had a comp call someone an abo. Do not do that. (Rich)
- Lots lol…the lingo is different. The lingo was funny, most everyone speaks English. (Kristy)
- I was determined not to pick up the Australian accent and tried to teach my companions learning English to speak more like an American. After 6 months, I realized it didn’t matter. (Kimball)
Senaka (Australia Perth Mission)
–Paraphrased from Senaka’s mission interview–
Mission Geography
My whole mission was western Australia. If you cut it in thirds, we had the whole western side. It was pretty large, but the people basically only lived along the coast, although there were areas you had to fly to or take the train to. There is a temple in Perth. There are five stakes with five wards in each stake. There aren’t a lot of members, but they were very tight like family.
The People and the Temple
The people that aren’t LDS are very laid back. They don’t want to change because they’re so used to doing their own thing. A lot of them have problems with the Word of Wisdom. Before the temple was there, they had a hard time going to the temple. The strong members love going to the temple. You have to work with them to help them know to go.
The Weather
I’m from Phoenix, so the climate if pretty similar. The ocean and beach are really pretty. If you serve inland it is desert hot. They do everything in Celsius and Kilometers so you have to get used to that. It only rained a couple times while I was there, but when it rains it pours hard. It isn’t too humid. I barely used a light jacket. If you’re on a bike you’ll want a beanie.
Work with the Members
Working with the members helped the most. The people in Australia are so friendly with their friends but not with strangers. You have to get members involved early. I would have done that more if I could go back.