Global Gary

Perth is the capital of Australia’s most western state. It is a long way from almost anywhere else. Despite the distance, it is worth the effort to get there. We spent three days in the city, then took a road trip to Albany. After that, we spent four more days in Perth before flying to South Australia. Go; it is worth it! We visited in February, and the temperatures were in the low 30s Celsius, with oh-so-blue skies.

Magnificent 7 // Perth, Australia

1. Go Quokka spotting at Rottnest Island
2. Do some time at Fremantle Jail
3. Swan up the river on a cruise
4. Take a stroll in Kings Park
5. Get Minted
6. Relax at Elizabeth Quay
7. Listen to the many stories at the Museum of WA Boola Bardip

Getting there –

Our journey to Perth was a little circuitous owing to a change of plans after booking our flights.

Australia is a long way from the UK, so we wanted to fly Business Class. The cost from Heathrow to Sydney was well over £11,500 for the two of us. For the same airline, Cathay Pacific, from Amsterdam we managed to find a flight for £7,200. Still a lot of money, but a massive saving.

We flew to Amsterdam with BA on a half-empty ‘plane. We stayed overnight at Schiphol Airport at the Citizen M airport hotel. Return flights and the cost of staying one night was under £500, so well worth doing.

On the flight to Sydney we changed ‘planes in Hong Kong. Both flights were good and on time. We stayed overnight at Sydney Airport and then took a flight to Perth. By the end we had had enough of flying. We could have flown from HK to Perth. However, we changed our itinerary after booking our flights to Sydney. We had to clear customs in Sydney, which was quick and painless. Perth airport was a breeze. Our flight with Virgin Australia was packed, but went quickly enough.

Where we stayed –

Prior to our road trip south of Perth, we stayed at the Tribe Hotel. Good location, but really is for business people. The bedroom and bathroom were too small. On our return, we stayed at the Aurea Hotel, which like the Tribe is close to Kings Park. The Aurea was a step up from the Tribe. Still a small room, but everything else was just that little bit better. And it had a small swimming pool, welcome on a hot day.

Food, glorious food –

Both Perth hotels offered breakfast with their room package. Both were fine. Regarding restaurants, our favourite two were Woodpeckers, a family-run Italian restaurant in Subiaco. The second was the revolving C Restaurant in the city centre. It took about 75 minutes to do a complete 360-degree view of the city and the views were spectacular. We chose the Earlybird Special to see the sunset over Perth. Earlybird diners are guaranteed a window seat. Oh, and the food was excellent!

First impressions –

Starting with leaving the airport, Perth seems to have things sorted. We booked an Uber after collecting our bags. We made our way to a rideshare area, where there was a stop labelled ‘Uber’. So there was no difficulty being picked up. The fare to our hotel in the city was a reasonable $36 (£18). We got into our room and changed into shorts and T-shirts. Then, we took one of the free buses into the centre of the city. We simply wandered. The city centre was easy to navigate, litter-free with some tremendous views. We loved it.

Magnificent 7

1. Go Quokka spotting at Rottnest Island

This is one of the most popular day trips from Perth. It takes about 45 minutes by ferry to visit ‘Rotto’. We loved it. The quokka is an Australian marsupial and is absolutely at home on Rottnest. These little animals (about cat-sized) are nocturnal; however you can see some of them during the day. There are around 12,000 to 13,000 on the island. No touching or feeding. Quokkas are completely comfortable with humans and will come up close and personal. In addition to a quokka photo session, hiring a bike is very popular. Some cyclists stay around the settlement near the ferry terminal. More adventurous cyclists travel towards the other end of the island, which can be a tough ride. There is also a hop-on, hop-off bus as well as guided bus tours. The island has many beautiful bays and swimming and snorkelling is popular. There are no permanent residents or private vehicles on the island. You can stay overnight in one of the many chalets.

2. Do some time at Fremantle Jail

There are several tours you can choose to go on. We chose the “Convict Prison” tour which was led by James and lasted for 75 minutes.

We have been on many tours for attractions around the world. This tour ranks among the best of them. This tour focused on what it was like to be a convict in Perth. It also included a bit of history about why Perth applied to be a penal settlement. This application was made to obtain free skilled workers. They were needed to build the jail and other public buildings. Otherwise, Perth would remain a free settlement. James captivated us with stories of how the jail was built. He described the living conditions of the time. He also talked about the makeup of the inmates (no women, nearly all English, few Scots and Irish). If you do one thing on a visit to Fremantle, go here. The jail is not the only thing to do in Fremantle. We went on a Saturday, and it was buzzing. Just go online and you will see a plethora of things you can do. It’s worth spending a full day here.

3. Swan up the river on a cruise  

To reach Fremantle (Freo) without a car, you have two main options. You can take the train, which provides excellent service and is inexpensive. Alternatively, you can take a ferry up the Swan River from Elizabeth Quay. We went by ferry one way and returned by train. The ferry on Captain Cook ferries took about an hour and a quarter and had excellent commentary. You can choose many different cruises, some with food, some at sunset. We chose the standard morning cruise. Try and get on the right-hand side of the ferry near the front as you will get the most out of the locations highlighted in the commentary

4. Take a stroll in Kings Park   

This is one of the largest, if not the largest, inner-city park in the world. We took a free guided walk with a Kings Park Guide. The walk lasted 90 minutes. We were introduced to a variety of trees. These included Eucalyptus, Acacia, Jarrah, Banksia, Marri and Boab, to name a few. Not all the trees are indigenous to WA. Some from other areas of Australia have had to adapt to the lack of rainfall. Our guide, Vicki, expertly described all of this. The park is huge. It has nature trails, various pavilions, and walkways. You can find elevated bridges and botanical gardens. There are also some magnificent views over the Swan River. It would be easy to spend a whole day here. We didn’t as we needed to retreat from the sun after three hours.

5. Get Minted

The Perth Mint is an interesting and informative tourist attraction. Our tour was led, very well,  by Niorit. After an introductory talk outside, we went inside to see the exhibits. There was a massive gold coin weighing one tonne of 99.99% pure gold. Measuring about 80 centimetres wide and 12 centimetres deep it is the biggest, heaviest and most valuable gold bullion coin in the world. We learned about some of the major finds in the goldfields. We were also introduced to some of the characters of that time. The highlight of the tour was the forming of a gold bar from molten gold. You can also see (and buy) many souvenirs as well as proof coins. A fun exhibit is standing on a weighing machine. Instead of displaying your weight, it simply converts it into the current price of gold. A nice touch. Highly recommended.

6. Relax at Elizabeth Quay

A short walk from Perth’s main shopping area is Elizabeth Quay. This is also a central hub for ferries, trains and the extensive bus network. Situated around the banks of the Swan River, this waterfront precinct has many bars and restaurants, popular with locals and tourists simply spending time with friends or people watching. Elizabeth Quay is also home to The Bell Tower which is a unique tourist attraction.

7. Listen to the many stories at the Museum of WA Boola Bardip

Located in the arts and culture hub in central Perth, this is a terrific museum. Boola Bardip means ‘Many Stories’ and the majority of the exhibits are entwined with stories. There are interactive exhibits as well as themed galleries exploring nature, wildlife, and landscapes. They delve into conflicts and WA’s connections and relationships with the rest of the world. We liked it so much we visited twice!

Of Note

• Australians eat early. Very often last food orders are at 8.30 pm. 

• Many restaurants are closed on a Sunday and Monday.

• Portion sizes tend to be more American than European. We noticed a lot of Australians taking their leftovers home in a take-away container to eat the following day.

• Nearly everywhere preferred cards to cash, but…

• All cards attract a surcharge. American Express, which was widely accepted, had a slightly larger surcharge than Visa or Mastercard.

• Sartorial elegance is not of prime importance, most of the time. There are a few up-market restaurants that insist on shoes instead of sandals, but generally most things go.

Fun Fact

Perth is closer to Bali in Indonesia than to Canberra, the capital of Australia. It takes three hours to reach Bali, compared to the four-hour flight to get to Canberra.