WA

---

Booming Perth

Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world and is actually closer to Singapore than Sydney. A geographical connivence given Asias exponential growth is quite literally built with the natural resources bestowed on WA. It is impossible to visit Perth and not hear think or see 'commodities boom'. Perths skyline could compete with Dubais for the number of cranes as it too experiences a construction boom to satisfy the demand from an influx of workers. The most notable points of interest on a boat trip down the Swan river were private residences one of which the most expensive in OZ and for sale 75mio aud. I had read stories before going of dump truck drivers earning 120k aud a year and I'd been skeptical but you don't have to delve far in the community to find examples. This brings new phrases into locals vernacular 'cashed up bogans' being the most prevalent. The roads are filled with 'max power' customized dream cars probably making Perth the last buoyant market for GM and Fords gas guzzling cars. Although note for clarity; is it really any better if an individual spends their money on art, fine wine and designer clothes than car stereos, engine tunes and beach wear?

I found Perth itself a network of freeways, interchanges and fast food drive thrus. However there were some exquisite exceptions. The first night I went to the Brisbane hotel in Northbridge which was a very cool bar without needing to be cool. The clientele was incredibly diverse in terms of age and appearance and a breathe of fresh air from pretentiousness of Sydney. However Northbridge itself seems to have a bit of a name for itself as a fight capital so not wishing to stay there too late we head to Subiaco for some dinner. 'Subi' ,as locals call it, is a very quaint suburb, void of high street chains and blossoming full of character.

Freemantle

The next day I was up early eager for the Freemantle experience - Perth city center is notorious for its lack of life but many people had told Freemantle is the place to stay and excels on what the city lacks. Expectations and traveling I find hard as often the gems I find are not was has been recommended. I can certainly see that in contrast to the city center Freematle has some old architecture and is much less clinical. It has a few cool cafes and generally more bohemian but it also has a few games arcades and other things you may find in British sea side resort. I had great expectations for the local markets but rather than finding local craftsmanship it was more a trade fair for China. There were some very historic attraction including the 'Round House' an old prison which is possibly the oldest building I have seen in Oz. Having only 6 cells and to toilets the small, more hexagonal than round, building was designed to accommodate a maximum of 12-18 but before being replaced by the new freemantle jail was housing 46. Something quite hard to perceive!
Freemantle did redeem itself in the Little Creatures brewery. I'd drunk their beer before and heard about the brewery but hadn't expected such a cool place. There on a sunday it was heaving with people had my kind of music a boutique range of beverages and a venue which inside was fully incorporated into the brewing mechanics with outside having fantastic views of the harbor and sand pit for a game of boules. It was yet another example of venues which Sydney lacks or perhaps are prohibited by the strict NSW licensing laws?

Out & About

Monday I headed into the city for the first time and walked up to Kings Park for a guided tour. It is the biggest city park in the world and has stunning views of city. The parts we walked round were immaculate and even though i'm far for being a horticulturist I found the tour and some of the species very interesting. An interesting point I found that initially when the park was conceived it was all to be manicured park land the vast majority is now natural bush. For the afternoon I decided to head off to the beach. WA is famous for its beaches and to have Costtesloe as my first set the bar high. The white sand meets a tranquil clear blue Indian Ocean with a backdrop of lush green grass verges and the architecturally inspiring Indiana Tea Rooms. It was great to lie back catch the rays admire the view and feel quite privileged in doing so. The water was fantastic and not really being a fan of the sea it was great to be able to open my eyes and swim with the fish. Definitely my favorite beach in Australia so far and possibly the world!!!

Rottnest

Tuesday was another early start to make it over to Rottnest island another attraction where my expectations had been high. I went for a day package which included ferry bike and mask/snorkel. Rottnest has an interesting past. It gains its name from the first European pioneers mistaking the unique and very cute population of quokkas for rats and thus deciding to call it Rottenest meaning rats nest. Many years later when the Perth settlement had been established it was decided to make the island a jail firstly for Aboriginal people and then allies prisoners of war in WW1&2. Now a highly demanded holiday destination I find the irony extremely amusing. For Europeans sent their felons and undesirables to a beautiful island with amazing beaches and climate named Australia. Once this civilization evolved they then sent their prisoners to rottnest island now considered paradise!!!

Rottnest is sold as an untouched paradise with 'no cars aloud'. This isn't quite the case as for one there are cars and busses but on my four hour cycle round the island i probably only saw one car and the bus pasted me a couple of times. It is to a large extent untouched. There are very few places to stay overnight on the island although i'd expected each beach to have some sort of residence all buildings are limited to the port area and one bay. It's great fun cycling round the island and each turn delivers a postcard view. Some beaches are more popular than others but it is possible to find complete seclusion. The island is very famous for its population of Quokkas which are basically very small kangaroos and unique to the island. They are incredibly tame and tolerant of humans it was quite surprising how close you could get and if I'd had some lettuce I could have easily fed them.
To round off a perfect day on such a cool island I had a drink in the Pub which as one would it expect is pricey but blessed with incredible views and done very well. (yet another example of Perth bars)

For Wednesday I was drawn back to Cottersloe. Thursday I went to the Perths Royal Mint. You would expect this type of attraction to only appeal to the most die hard box ticking tourist and someone like myself but I think anyone going would be pleasantly surprised. The building itself is quite beautiful and made from stone quarried in Costerloe and Rotness. It came about as expected with the gold rush in WA which previously had sent all their gold to Melbourne to be smelted. The mint houses a collection of gold bars from mints around the world. There is a glass secure box with 400k aud gold bar which you are given the chance to lift. It's probably the standard size you would see in the movies and i could only just lift it with one hand. By far the biggest highlight is watching the gold pour - seeing gold is quite something seeing liquid gold be poured and made into a bar is something else entirely!! As a side point the Perth Mint gold stamp is a black swan which for those in statistics or finance may find quite ironic given the times we are in.

Margaret River

That evening I headed down to Margaret River with Amy, Mike, Will and Damo. The first day we prevented from indulging in wine tasting as it was Good Friday so instead hit a few of local beaches and then headed back to our hostel to have a few drinks. The next day we had booked on a wine tour but felt a little short changed when the itinerary stated four cellar doors, one chocolate factory, one cheese factory and one nut factory - these tours obviously gain a certain amount of commission from purchases made but to book a wine tour and have almost half the venues not selling wine is verging on trade descriptions. However the cellar doors we did manage to visit were all very nice and characterful. I'm by no means a wine connoisseur but is enjoyable to taste the wines and start to gain some comprehension of the flavors.

On the way back we stopped in Busselton to have a look at the second longest pier in the world and a drink in Mandura which is a very attractive and new marina town. We also nearly got caught up a bush fire which the first one I've seen in oz.... the pace of destruction is quite an alarming spectacle which many cars pulled over in the lay by to watch. Something I'm not too sure about as it's almost like watching a road accident as 50ft flames explode.

I enjoyed my time in Perth and haven't actually mentioned the weather which was was sublime every single day. Coming from Sydney there were definitely aspects I appreciated but it is another Australian City I can look at and be happy I've chosen Sydney to be my home.

---

Photos

Round House
with 6 angles?

I've got a bike
you can ride it if you like

Rottnest Monster 2
but very very cute

Could be France?
Bonjour

Rottnest Monster
but very very cute