[j.skett (Jim)]

Hello
New to the forum. I live in Perth and have developed an interest in telling time & direction using the sun and stars.
I have trouble getting my head around some of the basic concepts concerning the movement of the earth around the sun.
No matter how much I read in books or on the internet I still have trouble grasping why we see different constellations throughout the year, why seasons occur etc.
The thing giving me trouble understanding at the moment is why in the summer here in Perth the sun rises in the South East and sets in the South West. I know this because I have taken compass bearings of sun rise & sun set in the summer. I would have expected the sun to rise in the North East & set in the North West.
My reasoning (obviously flawed) for thinking this is because the furthest South the sun gets throughout the year is 23.5 degrees (Topic of Capricorn). As Perth is at 32 degrees South I would have thought this would make the sun to the North of us.
Can anybody help me out in trying to understand why this is so. I tend to understand better from a practical demonstration, so if anybody could suggest a way to demonstrate this I would be very thankful.
Jim