Perth - 13th - 15th Dec 2005

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My family of 4 took a short 10 day trip to Perth and Southwest from 13th - 22nd Dec 2005. A brief summary:

13th December 2005

Singapore / Perth
Depart Singapore: 0910
Arrive Perth: 1410

• Swan Bell Tower - cloudy day in the evening so we vowed to return on another cloudless day with blue skies
  
• Had an early dinner @ ‘A Fishy Affair’ in Northbridge
  
• Night walk around the city including the Perth Central train station
  
  
• Accommodation for the next 3 nights was at Comfort Hotel Perth City ($126 including breakfast), a good 20 minute walk from the city centre. The hotel met the bare essentials, but it was very cramped. The bathroom facilities were bad too with tiny and low sinks

14th December 2005

Fremantle - Rottnest Island - Perth

• 30 min Transperth train to Fremantle (Return Trip)
  
• 30 min return ferry from Fremantle to Rottnest Island (1130 ferry there, 1630 ferry back)
• Unlimited hop on/off bus service
  
• Stopped @ the Lighthouse; snorkeling cum picnic @ Salmon Bay
  
  
  
• Trip to Rottnest was not worth the $40 return ferry ticket there. It was sparse and boring - seeing the same things that you can see all throughout Southwest Australia. At first, I was smitten by pictures of the beautiful beaches but realised there were other equally beautiful beaches elsewhere on mainland
  
  
• Browsed through Fremantle prison & passed the famous markets in the evening before dinner @ Kailis’ - voted the restaurant serving the best Fish ‘n Chips in Fremantle

15th December 2005

Perth - the Pinnacles - Perth

• Picked up the 3.5l ‘Mitsubishi Magna’ car from Budget @ 0900
  
• Was contemplating a drive up to Lancelin for the Desert Storm 4WD adventure followed by a visit to the Pinnacles Desert but alas, the Desert Storm tour was fully booked
  
• Decided to revisit Swan Bell Tower instead coz of the clear blue sky!
  
  
• King’s Park & Lotterywest Federation Walkway/DNA tower offered stunning views of the Perth City skyline too
  
  
• So, we only made the day trip to the Pinnacles (3hr drive 1 way) - spent 45 minutes there only. Disappointing, as the rock formations were tiny. We were expecting taller and more spectacular ones. But at least we were blessed with beautiful blue skies throughout the day so pictures there turned out nice. Reminder: Don’t make the trip up to the Pinnacles. It is not worth it.

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