Perth, Australia

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The state of Western Australia is about the same size as India, but only has 2 million people compared to over a billion in India. 85% of the population live in or close to Perth and 99% of the population live on the coast. There's an awful lot of nothing in Western Australia.

Perth itself is a nice enough city, but lacks character - even by Australian standards. This is partly because the original towns of the colony were to the north and the south of Perth itself. The town to the south is Freemantle. This is a really nice town with a Victorian indoor market and reminants of seafront fortifications. They also have a large working port here as well as lots of artifacts from various shipwrecks of the Dutch East India Company.

The nicest place we found in Perth was Kings Park which covers a large hill on the edge of town and provides a great view across the city. Whilst part of the park is given over to the botanical gardens, the majority of it is wild bushland. This apparently caught fire a few days before we arrived, closing the park.

This is our last stop in Australia. Here's my "Best of Australia" list:

- Best meal: Kangaroo steak cooked on the bbq on Moreton Island. For the experience as much as the food.
- Best beach: East side of Moreton Island
- Best city: Sydney
- Best walk: Around the base of Ayers Rock
Best accommodation: Sleeping under the stars in the outback
- Most bizarre experience: Going to a German beer festival in Adelaide - which is about 10,000 miles from Germany!

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