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Published: January 9th 2007
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Swan River
A dreamy sunset cruise Hi all..
Our last stop in Australia has been perfect - from beaches, parks to prison hell - we've really had a fab time here...
Perth is truely an amazing City and has, we think the best of both worlds from City to Beaches! You can see why people settle here with constant sunshine, great food, a very relaxed pace (even the taxi drivers drive so slow), natural beauty and lots of space - Its main focus is the Swan River, stretching from gentle backdrops of hills from the East to the vineyards of the Swan Valley - The City Centre with its glass towers of the central business district (CBD) sparkles, with lots of shopping malls, arcades of smaller boutiques, and busy shoppers who spill over into the streets of Northbridge where they are greeted with a joyous choice of restaurants and bars...
We arrived here in Perth late afternoon and were pleased that the temperature was a bearable 31 degrees, having been from Uluru at 42 degrees - so we set off for a bite to eat in Northbridge...We took the bus across to the City (only a 5 min journey) and catch this - buses
are free within the CBD - felt very strange getting on without paying - but after a day or so we soon got used to it...and not to mention the buses here are so frequent, so you're never waiting long at all...Northbridge was great - lots of restaurants and bars so you're spoilt for choice really if you're a meat eater! We ended our first evening going over to Kings Park which is in fact just behind our hotel - high up! Kings Park oversees Perth's western end and is set in the midst of 4 sq km of natural bushland - the views from these hills at night are glorious, you get to see an amazing panoramic view of the whole City (thanks to Amit who told us to go there - Amit lives in Perth).
Our second day was again such a lovely day - we went over to Rottnest Island which is a an hour's ferry ride over through the Indian Ocean. Lots of native wildlife, white sandy beaches and is a car free paradise island - not a car in sight - in fact if you want to see the whole island, you have to
travel by bike which can be hired as soon as you get off the ferry - we were far too lazy to hire bikes and instead walked over to one of the beaches and sat in the sun...as soon as the heat became unbearable, we headed off to one of the island's cafe's for a light lunch of salad - until my gaze shifted over to the three layer crepes with maple syrup (yummy) Looking over the ocean, you could just about catch a glimpse of Perth city while we sat under a tree and chilled for the rest of the afternoon! If you're lucky you could even spot a dolphin in the Indian Ocean - we think we saw something??? Ok ok - Mukesh says he saw one for sure!
We were really loving Perth by the end of the third day - we ventured off to Fremantle, another highlight of Perth - Fremantle is again only an hour a way by ferry and only about 30 mins by train - its a complete change from the City of Perth - colonial architecture and a relaxed atmosphere the charisma of this port speaks for itself. We weaved through
City
The view from Kings Park the streets of Fremantle and managed to find the infamous market which had a lovely jazzy feel to it...Selling everything from fresh fruit and veg to arts and crafts, trinkets galore, this national trust listed building is a must if you are in Perth - the atmosphere is very relaxed and if you managed to get to the back of the market you'll see why - musicians play acostic sets every hour while you sit back and relax over a pint (or two)! The Fremantle Prison was our next stop - Mukesh insists to leave me there and he almost did while he pushed me into one of the cells during the one and a half hour tour - although I would have stayed I was so fascinated by it all - Fremantle Prison was a maximum security prison until 1991 (yeah 1991 so very recent) It is the largest convict built structure in WA and is now a key WA cultural and heritage attraction. We went on the "Doing Time" tour even though we had to catch the ferry back and would miss the second half of the tour - but we'd rather see some of it than none
Ferry Terminal
Waiting for the ferry to take us to Rottnest Island of it - so off we went following our guide through the murky walls of this prison - we saw the main cell block and were able to visualise what life was like for the prisoners, dark and confined - it was scary and amazing to see! We were really engrossed by the tour that we decided to miss our ferry and hope that when we got to the port we'd be able to catch a later one - so we risked it and stayed - and it was well worth it - the cells that we saw were tiny and I couldnt even begin to imagine being confined to such a small space...and when I was standing in one of them, trying to take some pictures, Mukesh closes the door on me - cheeky devil...! This has got to be one of the hightlights of the day!
Our evening in Perth was very romantic (had to be done) We went on a "City of Lights" River Cruise on the Swan River. It was so special and a great way to see the City - buffet and wine/beer included, we ate, drank and soaked up the views - the
Ferry Terminal
Looking over Swan River hosts even sang for us while we cruised over the river during sun set. We even witnesed a marriage proposal - ahhhhh!
Did I mention the beaches - ummmm no - anyway, one of the days we spent the day at Cottesloe Beach - oh how gorgeous - white sands, blue skies and an almost deserted beach...although the waves were very strong, we managed to have a snooze - perfect day! There are so many beaches to go to, but as we had limited time here we were unable to see them all - and this is why Perth is so great - beaches - and lots of them!
That evening, I sent Mukesh packing - nah - I fancied an evening at the hotel (on my own) for a much needed rest, oh and a manicure - so I ordered room service, watched a movie and clonked out - Mukesh however, had a much more eventful night with Amit & Co in Northbridge over an italian feast, with cocktails to match - and even little umbrella's to top it off! A great evening - for both of us!
Our last day was very relaxing - we
Ferry Terminal
Bell Tower in the background spent most of it at Kings Park, walking around, admiring the views of the City and the River and gazing at waterfalls...One of the best parks by far with the federation walkway over the treetops being one of the highlights...and not forgetting Jacobs Ladder which ia 221 steps from the city to the entrance of the park overflowing with fitness fanatics walking up and down this ladder/steps - while we slowly huffing and puffing walked up it...These people are extra super fit I must say! The park was well worth the 221 steps we climbed - with an aborigine art gallery, cafes, information point to BBQ areas - you could spend a whole weekend here and still not get bored!
Perth has been a great end to our three weeks in Australia...We're now off to Japan, Tokyo - our last stop of this amazing adventure!
Take care!
Ash & Mukesh
xx
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nim
non-member comment
finally a place that i can relate to!
hey guys, hope ur both well, u certainly look tanned....hope ur having fun in perth, its a great place, very chilled out....u should pop in to see me nan and grandad while ur there!