Hi Jackson,
Welcome!
I live in the northern suburbs of Perth. For your suburban hive, unless you live on a big block, first I’d suggest is having a chat with your neighbours as they are likely to have an opinion (assuming you aren’t at loggerheads with them and you can have a reasonable discussion).
Second, northern and eastern exposure is preferable but for where you live (northern suburbs of Perth) it isn’t going to be critical (i.e. my hive has southern exposure but is protected from most of the winds). It would be more important to ensure the area isn’t too wet in winter and isn’t too exposed to strong winds.
Third, consider the flight path. As already mentioned, it’s the front of the hive that is going to be your biggest issue. If the flight path becomes an issue erect a barrier (circa 1.8-2.1m tall) in front of the hive to force the bees up. You can actually install this really close to the front of hive and have no issues, but I’d suggest no closer than about 15cm, just to ensure you’ve got some kind of access if you need it for your hands.
Fourth, think of the ergonomics associated with inspections. Your super will be quite heavy when full, and to facilitate a full brood inspection (yes, a flow hive doesn’t negate proper husbandry) you will need to remove your super.
Fifth, make sure you have bee friendly water source in close proximity to your hive. Within 5m is good. On a hot summer day the bees could easily go through a couple of litres of water fanning the hive.
As far as procuring your bees, BeeWise and Guilfoyles are common places to buy them. You can also get them from Gumtree, or perhaps even a swarm. If you haven’t ordered them get on the phone now (ask for a Nuc [nucleus colony]) or start looking around. Someone at WAAS might be doing a split soon and they might also be able to help you out.
Finally, assume you’ll get no honey this year. Take the time to learn. If you get honey this season it will be a bonus that you can be happy about; it really depends on when your bees…and don’t add the super to the brood box too son (wait until the brood box has all the frames 80% covered in bees and it looks like you’d struggle to fit more bees in [don’t worry, they’ll be able to pack more in…]). Oh, and bearding is normal.
And just to round this out, take a look at this other local thread (people are really good):
(that link will take you to the first post from 2016, the next link will take you to the last post)
Any questions, just ask. But keep in mind everyone will have a slightly different opinion so feel free to pick and choose.
Cheers,
Alan