Cycling in Perth

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Our stopover in Melbourne was sufficient to get one night of sleep to begin our adjustment to Australian time and head west to Perth. The 4.5 hour flight from Melbourne to Perth was similar to flying from Montreal to Vancouver. After studying google maps at home we knew our destination would be the south-west tip of West Australia starting from Perth. To put it in perspective it would be like traveling from Vancouver to Jasper, then Banff, and looping back again to our starting point.

We received a very warm welcome from our Perth hosts, Carol and Rob. They had done house-sitting in Abbottsford, BC so they knew exactly what cool, rainy conditions we had escaped. On our second night they surprised us with a picnic at a park on the shores of the Swan River for a magnificent fireworks extravaganza in honor of our long-anticipated arrival. Hah - not even Prime Minister Stephen Harper had fireworks for his visit a few months earlier!

OK... the truth is ... our arrival co-incided with their Labor Day long weekend in March!

In Canada, consumption of beer or wine is banned in public places like beaches or parks. At this holiday event our eyes popped opened with every wine bottle or beer bottle. Families with grandparents and young couples were all enjoying picnics and quietly sipping on their alcoholic beverages. In the crowd of over 8,000 spectators... NOT one rowdy drunk, NOT one homeless person pan-handling, NO dis-orderly conduct, NO abusive language and only a handful of park patrols with nothing to do and no one to arrest. You would think it was a church picnic. Once again, our jaws dropped open.

Our hosts let us ride their bikes so we could cycle around "Perth Water".... Perth is built around the confluence of the Swan and Canning Rivers. Their cycle paths are totally off-road separated by a green verge. Paths are often 8 feet wide and have a painted white line in the middle, in addition are edged with curved concrete borders for over 100 kms. Sometimes the paths are decorated with inset tile designs in the red-colored asphalt.

To gain a perspective on this mega bike utopia - picture a bicycle path from Port Coquitlam through Port Moody, along the Burrard Inlet all the way to Stanley Park in Vancouver. OR, cross on the SeaBus to the North Shore and cycle on a designated bike path from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay. IN YOUR DREAMS!

Our jaws were dropped open again - only this time held in place by the chin straps of our bike helmets.

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Photos

Bike Path - Applecross, Perth
Ken cycling in Perth