"The Real Australia" - according to all those ads..

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Yes, they're talking about Western Australia!

Monday 12th
Ouch, 5am! One of my room-mates got up an hour earlier, the other hasn't come in yet! Quickly get ready, check-out and head for the MRT station which I understood started running at 530am. Not to the airport, that's 6am, but that's still early enough. Only takes half-hour (although had been told to expect up to an hour), and really enjoyable ride. Reclaim my Ez-Card costs, find the Skytrain, check in and head through security. Have a few Singapore dollars left, and decide to finally buy my perfume in duty free... Find the free internet near my gate, 15 minutes at a time allowed, but no access to the hard-drive so no travelblog! No upgrade this time either so into the seat. Soon realise it's a lunch flight not a breakfast flight, but I hadn't eaten anything so asked the steward ('ever such a nice young man') who found me a sandwich. For once an economy airline meal which was nice, and watched a couple of films (? And 'No Reservation', with Catherine Zeta Jones), then finally, we're here. In Perth! I thought the time would be the same as Singapore, but Australia is experimenting with summer time for the first year ever (right?) and we've moved forward to 9 hours ahead of the UK, now about 3pm.

So, off the plane, bag is almost immediately there (always that sense of relief as it arrives), head through to find an ATM so I can get anywhere - friendly help at the exit, then find way to the shuttle bus direct to my hostel. $20 one way... Have to wait until it's full though which takes a while, then we go round several houses before getting to Barrack Street (near my hostel) where there's an accident so we get stuck there, then the bus breaks down and the 3 lads on board have to push it to re-start, then I'm the last to be dropped off at 6pm.

Pay for my 2 pre-booked nights, find out that everything shuts early so dash off to Woolworths (the local food store, not sure if any relation to the UK same) for something for tonight. Bit shocked at how expensive food is as I know Australians earn less than the UK, and understood cost of living correspondingly lower. But beautiful to find fresh fruit, etc so healthy is what I'm going for this week... Self-catering! Chat to a dive school about finishing my scuba, doesn't sound like will be hard to arrange, but still tired so not sure it's what I want to do. In kitchen, end up chatting to a several others from UK and Europe and find out quite a bit about the area, and how popular this hostel is. Decide I want to stay here for another couple of nights so book those, and buy some internet time which am going to do for 'half-an-hour' - end up running through 2.5 hours, and so to bed - in my top bunk (which I usually avoid!)...

Tuesday 13th
First time in ages slept right through, woke about 930am - had deliberately left today as a no plan day. Seem to have a problem with my eye - it's glued shut - look in the mirror and it's bright red (and sore) - just what I want! Mean to head out soon after breakfast but instead take my time over breakfast, chat some more, read some trip leaflets, re-sort my bag properly, and pack up a couple of parcels ready for posting. Eat up rest food for lunch and it's now 2pm...

Head into town, finally find the post office (currently tucked away as they rebuild it's main site), have a look round the shops, find a pharmacist, then go for a walk down the Esplanade, find the Swan Bells, then down a path where I'm soon overtaken by runners, speed-walkers and cyclists... I continue to amble, trying to get into King's Park, but I'm clearly on the wrong side, so I walk back into town, need some more food and make it to Woolworths with 25 minutes to spare, then back to the hostel where I eat up, internet and read a large chunk of Memoirs of a Geisha. Sleep!

Wednesday 14th
Another late sleep, eye still glued, and another ambling morning at which I sort out my washing (which dries outside in 1 or so hours, and book myself onto a 7-day trip for Friday up to Monkey Mia and down to Albany. Determined to go to King's Park today, so having got rid of another piece of post, if find the information booth which tells me about all the free buses there! Find that easy, and soon I'm there. Check out the famous Australian War Memorial, then decide to join the 2pm Botanic Walk - as someone who knows little about plants not sure how this will go, but give it a go!

Our guide, Heather, is funny and informative, taking us round a number of plants and areas of the garden, giving us some of the symbolic background, etc. Especially interesting was the Women's Garden, so named because the park used to belong to Aborigines who used the area for birthing - there's now onle 'female' species of tree (so named by Aborigines) in this area, and a path with plaques from many Women's Organisations. We were also told that where the War Memorial now is, is where they used to hunt Kangaroos, driving them off the edge of the cliff to be stunned. There were many more stories - we were warned that the talk would be rated 'M', for mature audiences... Containing sex and violence, but hopefully no bad language! In all those ads for 'the Real Australia' when do they ever mention THE FLIES.. They get everywhere... And there's an Australian Swat - flip-flap hands in front of face. Unfortunately whilst inhaling air to blow them away from my face, I inhaled a little extra protein - urgh! On the way round, talked to (?) from Dublin, and Alison who now lives here, and her Mum Rosemary who'd come over to visit from the UK. Said goodbye, then checked out the shop (nice to look at, too expensive for me, but all proceeds straight back into the garden), found an ice-cream, then ran back into Alison and Rosemary who invited me to join them for dinner on Cottesloe Beach - which I did (I'd been half-planning on going there after King's Park then thought it too late) - very nice pizza with mozzarella, fortina, porcini mushrooms and truffle oil. They wouldn't let me pay and dropped me back off at the hostel..., going via Herdsman's Lake to see the black swans. I guess that's another instance of can do the same for someone else one day! Back at the hostel, bit more internet, and finish off Memoirs of Geisha. Planning to get up early enough to get to Rottnest Island tomorrow - too late to buy a ticket tonight.

Thursday 15th
See Rottnest Island

Friday 16th
See En route to Monkey Mia: Kalbarri

Saturday 17th
See Monkey Mia, land of the ... dolphins

Sunday 18th
See Another sunset? Another Roo anyone?

Monday 19th
See Another day, another country...

Tuesday 20th
See Heading South...

Wednesday 21st
See Facing New Heights and Fears

Thursday 22nd
See Ah, the wine region of Margaret River!

Friday 23rd
Well, slept really well in my top bunk in my mixed room, caught up a bit, but was the first up so had to find my way out without lights! Just wandered through town (another parcel at the Post Office) to find some odds and ends - all those things you forget you have to replace. Around about lunchtime get a text from Judi, they're on their way to the Perth Mint, do I want to join them? I head that way down Hay Street (loads of cheaper souveniers out this way... always remember to leave the central areas!), which is a lot longer than it looks on the map (and it's officially 35 degrees today).

Arrive and meet Judi's cousin Steve, and we head in. No photos after the camp-site reconstruction and there's a gold-pour in a minute so we head straight in. The guy doing the demonstration is funny and infromative as he takes the gold from 1300 degrees + and pours it into an ingot, which after a couple of minutes in water is set - and worth $160,000 - so not passed around although he tells us it weighs 6kg (and the same piece gets melted and reset several times a day for the past 20 or so years). Turn around after and can see souvenir coins being pressed. Next is a wander amongst the gold ingots, etc. We plan to come back for the 230 garden tour but end up in the pub where I find a beer I can drink (James Stirling pale ale I think it was) - especially once a bit of lemonade is splashed in, and it's 3pm before we're ready to move on.

We head into Harbour Town for outlet shopping, which is pretty much like any other one so I just mooched around, found some cheaper toiletries (SO expensive over here) and a 'rashie' (swimming t-shirt, might prevent another burnt back, especially as I plan to have a go at surfing). They drop me off near London Court which is like a little piece of old London with Ye Olde Tea Shoppes and Australian souvenier shops! Then I head to the tower building next door which has the C Restaurant on the 33rd floor - I'm meeting John & Noleen here for dinner. Find out the dress code and as it's before 6pm (and I'm coming back), can take some photos of the daytime view. Back to the hostel via the supermarket to shower and put my 'smart' jeans and top on.

Fast-paced walk back to the restaurant for 8pm to watch the sunset - get there 8.05 so mostly just catch the glow. Spend a while looking at the cocktail menu, have decided 'Angry Devil' (or some such: Baileys, crème de cacoa, frais de bois with milk/cream/gommes/strawberry) when John & Noleen turn up early. We have best part of an hour to sit there and drink our cocktails and catch up on our respective months, then we're seated and choose our food. I go for 'Australian taster' for starters (crocodile, lobster soup, emu with onion mamalade), followed by beef fillet + rosti. All bautifully presented and delicious, as is the Pemberton Merlot we order, and the view from the revolving restaurant is great (thanks to Andy for his tip-off). Finally, dessert - Baked Alaska is the house speciality and I've never had it so I tried it - nice enough but not again. 11pm we're nearly the last so pay up (thanks J&N for our deal!), and they walk me back to the hostel where I throw everything in the cupboard and fall asleep.

Saturday 24th
See "Freo" as the locals call it...

Sunday 25th
I slept through to 10am, then spent until about 2-3pm sorting out my washing, packing, some reading, internet, talking to people. Then thought I'd get some of the last rays of sun in King's Park, so found the bus stop. Talked to this guy who was getting off at the same stop, and showed me some of the park, and how to get to the DNA Tower which I'd seen on postcards but not been to - so got some more views of Perth before sitting on the grass in front of the central fountains, reading and making a few notes, before heading back in time to get a bus back into Perth, and back into the hostel to have some more cheese on ryvita, and back on the internet and some more chatting! Nice day - did try and find an evening service for church, but they all seem to be 10.30am - should have checked that earlier! Hope can get up in time tomorrow!

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Photos

Australia... finally!
((c) image purchased from iStockphoto)

Perth - my pre-image
((c) image purchased from iStockphoto)