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Published: February 13th 2008
Kings Park
View of PerthI'm down under!!! The land of koalas and kangaroos, wombats and didgeridoo, criminals and aborigines 😊 Perth is the capital of Western Australia, the largest state in the country, a whopping 2/3rd's the size of Australia! Perth is also the largest, most isolated city in the world, over 3000km and 5 hours by plane away from Sydney. The western coast (as most of the country) is lined with absolutely pristine, light sandy beaches enjoyed by surfers, parasailers, windsurfers, volleyball-ers and many other fun in the sun activities. It's always sunny, warm and beautiful here, with exotic flowers blooming and unique trees lining the streets and filling the countless parks and nature reserves, oh and of course palm trees a'plenty. For my family, this corner of the world is just a trip to see Morfar (native-tongue for my granddad) ...
I was greeted at the airport by my grandparents in Danish!!! Honestly, I wasn't expecting to exercise my Danish skills down under, but both of my grandparents are Danish, so thats just how it is. Just another fun family fact 😊 My whole Danish-Australian family enjoyed afternoon tea under the hot Aussie sun. It felt as if we have tea every week.
Kings Park
Swan River So my trip here has been pleasant and fun so far. I visited Cohunu Koala Park with my grandparents, the famous destination that everyone in the fam has visited. Unfortunately, it looked and sounded as if the park has become derelict since their last visit. There weren't more than 40 visitors in the park, including a bus of schoolchildren, and the sparse numbers of animals, albeit healthy and well-cared for, wandered about aimlessly in the vast openness. However, this allowed us to get close to the animals, we even were supplied with popcorn to feed them. First there were the pelicans with the large round eyes, then the black swans with their glossy feathers. We came head to head with a male alpaca, who trotted down the path to us, long mangled red-brown fleece covering his large body and long neck, but only reaching down to his knees, his fancy knee-high boots amazingly held up his big body! My aunt used to own 7 alpacas, so my family knows alot about these unique animals. Alpaca fleece is so soft. Insanely luxurious. Can't keep your hands off it. Seriously. After meeting Mr. Alpaca, we ventured into the women's pen, and
Cohunu Park
I think the peacock is a little confused ... he's hitting on an emu! as I hesitantly walked up to one we nick-named "Gold Tooth", her sneering scared me off. But not Morfar! He undauntedly approached her, and my fears were realized - she spit on him! Alpacas are known to spit if they are pregnant or intimidated. Not sure what her problem was, but we decided that was enough! Swung past the sleepy wombats - lazy nocturnal animals. After a quick chat with the talking parrots (One called me "darling" 😊 ), we met some Emu's - 2legged flightless birds that are larger and more ferocious than ostriches. There was a randy and confused peacock as well, who was trying to impress every pretty girl, peacock, human or emu with his gorgeous feathers. We saw him walk around, feathers outstretched, for the rest of the day! Too bad human boys aren't so charming 😊 Despite his attempts, it didn't seem as if he had much luck. Later we saw (and more importantly, heard) him face to face with a competitor, a white peacock. Maybe there were complaining about the lack of game! Then, the Kangaroos! They are so cute, their big ears, hind legs and tails compared to their little faces and arms.
Cohunu Park
See the joey? :) Their tails are so strong, you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a tail-whop! We were lucky enough to see some joeys, including some babyjoeys still in mummy's pouch. No spitters here; Morfar successfully fed a 'roo. After a delicious lunch overlooking Perth, I cuddled a Koala! Her name is Tilly, and she's SO CUTE!! Koala fur is so dense and soft, and they grip on tight to trees/you with their 3 fingers and 2 thumbs. They eat euculyptus leaves exclusively, which are full of water but are poisonous! Therefore, they sleep 18-20 hours a day to recover.
ADORABLE Morfar brought me to Kings Park. As old as Perth itself, Kings Park is 400 hectares of natural bushland and parkland. Its botanical gardens feature flora unique to Australia and South Africa, and overlook Swan River and the city centre. We whispered to each other at the whispering wall, part of a monument built to remember Australian soilders killed in combat. The trees there (and all around Australia) have skin-looking bark, which peels off the trunks. We also strolled down by the beach by his house and saw surfers, parasailers and volleyball players enjoying the sun.
Aqwa,
Perth's aquarium, features 12,000 km of western Australia's coastline. They have beautiful coral displays behind torrents of fish and seahorses, glowing jellyfish in blacklight tanks, openair seal tank, and a huge (almost)360* tank traversed with a moving platform, full of sharks, stingrays, giant sea turtles and fish. One of the coolest parts of Aqwa was the outdoor stingray tank, which took in water from the ocean. Not something Minnesotans get to see very often 😊
Later that week, my Aunt Melida and I traveled the coast of southwestern Australia. This must be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Long stretching rocky coastline of aqua and navy blue waters, wild waves crashing into pristine beaches, windy roads through tall forests, and lush farmlands and vineyards.
Our first destination was Denmark - I'm not kidding. Denmark, Western Australia. Named after the picturesque Denmark river running though, which was named after and English naval surgeon Dr. Denmark. Denmark was the coolest little town I've ever been to, a place I would consider moving to, which is alot for a city slicker to claim. It is full of unique shops ranging from a local artists jewelery collection, holistic food stores,
Cohunu Park
Meet Tilly! She is CUDDLIER than she looks - even though I will admit her claws are pretty fierce coffee shops and beautiful gift shops. It's even home to the worlds largest baraometer, the Bert Bolle Baraometer ... it was seriously cool, science at its finest 😊
But, the coolest part about Denmark are the Elephant Rocks in Williams Bay. These ENORMOUS, GIGANTIC boulders are scattered along the coastline in waters ranging in every shade of blue. We stood on the sand, gazing up at the rocks blocking the suns rays, and climbed on the rocks, discovered pools and even little gardens which had formed in the rocks crevices. It was amazing, and the second most breathtaking sight I had on my travels (the first is coming up ...).
The next day we visited the Pentland Alpaca Stud, a "hands-on" farm where you can pet, feed and play with their animals. They have alpacas, kangaroos, goats including super cuddly baby goats, funky chickens with the most amazing feathers I've ever seen! Camels, Asian buffalos and American bison, emus, miniature horses, Bambi, even a billy goat gruff! Pentland is home to Wendy Binks family, an extremely talented artist and children's writer. Her beautiful, fresh artwork showcases Australia's unique wildlife, and her books are so sweet, and informational to anyone who
is interested in animals!!
As we left Pentland, it started to rain ... and the rain persisted throughout our trip!! Not endlessly, but the daily or even twice daily rainbursts were annoying and cold, but it didn't ruin our trip! Even at our next destination - the Valley of the Giants Tree-top walk in the Tingle Forest. We ventured up the 38 meter (125 feet) high steel walkway, despite the slippery surface and slight swaying as we ascended. I'll be honest - it was high, and I'm scared of heights ... 😱 But it was amazing!! And the rain added a whole new element to the experience, deepening the reds of the red tingles and emphasizing the greens of the leaves. We followed the raindrops with our eyes as they descended down to the earth. Its a rare sight, the tree tops, absolutely gorgeous and inspiring. Tingle trees are often ‘hollowed out’ by fire and fungus, creating huge holes in the treetrunks, but because of their structure they are able to survive and grow onwards!
We stopped for the night in Pemberton, close to a developing truffle farm / bedandbreakfast resort owned by some of our relatives. These resorts are
immensely popular along southwestern Australia, and this resort will certainly rank among some of the finest once its finished. We went to art gallery's, gift shops and the Lavender & Berry farm.
Then, Margaret River. The quintessential surfer town, young, hip, sunny, fun. Nearby is the number one most breathtaking sight of my travels - but you would never guess if you didn't know where to look. Because its underground. There are 4 enormous, ancient caves below the earths surface all along this part of WA. We visited Lake and Mammoth Cave, both properly named after their features. The Lake Cave tour put on a spectacular light show, which was incredible. Absolutely. No words will do it justice. So I'll just move on. To Leeuwin Wine Estate, where we tasted one of Australia's finest wines and toured their vineyards. We even got to see the lab where they create their flavors!! I love wine 😊
Can you believe we did all that in 3 days?? Thank you so much Melida, I had an awesome time!
Freemantle is Perth's neighbor, on the mouth of the Swan River. A historic shipping port, it was basically built by convicts. Australians are extremely
proud of their convict history, and they embrace their ancestors, so much so that some happy couples even get married in old prisons - namely Freemantle Prison. That place is spooky. The dark clouds rolled in just as we arrived at the prison, and the dreariness continued on through our tour of the grounds. They showcased the evolution of the jail cell since the mid 1800s, and walked us through the concrete playgrounds enclosed by high brick walls laced with barbed wire and the occasional artwork, allowed only during the prisons last few years open in the 1990s. The worst was the isolation cells and the ... noose *shudder*
But Freemantle isn't only a prison, its also a lovely city on the ocean. Don't miss Cicerello's the fish fry on the docks.
Perth has a vibrant, fresh downtown, through which Hay and Murry pedestrian streets run, full of cafes, shops and restaurants, littered with street life, such as artists, musicians, performers and pollsters. Impressive skyscrapers, art galleries and museums, beautiful gardens full of palm trees and exotic flowers, and of course, the port on Swan River. Right by the waterfront is one of the most beautiful, unique structures I've
Beach
A playground by the beach, protected from the brutal sun seen, the Bell Tower. The bells are from the 14 century, originally housed in London's St Martin's church, but as the church aged their weight became too much, so they were given to Perth as a gift from the motherland. The tower is amazing, with downtown Perth as a backdrop and fountains leading up to the main entrance from the river.
I was lucky enough to go with my family to an outdoor concert. The venue is the Quarry, developed out of an old quarry site, and the music was Australian modern folk headlined by Lior.
The aura was amazing, as the sun set behind the musicians, the colored lights of the show lit up the quarry walls and the stage.
Morfar took me to the Outback! More specifically, we visited Walyunga wildlife reserve, where you are almost certain to see wild kangaroos. I'd seen a few kanga's during my trip to WA, but they had been tame and lived in parks or on farms. These 'roos were elusive, we had to be quiet as we hiked through the reserve to not scare them away. Despite the added element of suprise, we got some amazing sights. We also Kings Park
Veterans Memorial stopped past a camel farm on our way home, and Melida and I rode together on a camel! They are HUGE and hungry, have absolutely no regard for what they may bump you into if they can get a nibble of their favorite plants, and even will walk over bushes that are high enough to tickle their belly if they see them 😊
Now I have to take a moment to tell you about Morfar. He's profound and wise, exotic and brave, proud and understanding. He's one of those people that when he speaks, you listen, enthralled in his heavy Danish accent and his amazing stories. I must get my love for traveling from him, and I love hearing his stories no matter how lovely or terrifying they are (I can't believe that emergency plane landing in Singapore, Morfar, how scary!!) He's been EVERYWHERE!! Danmark, Pakistan, Sudan, Turkey, Israel, Australia, Brazil ... and I'm not talking 2 week vacations, he lived in most of these countries.
Here's a sampling of one his stories...
In Sudan, the air is so thin that planes could only land between midnight and 5 am . Gosh it was hot. Ladies' high heels would Kings Park
The Whispering Wall ... shh, Morfar and I are talking ... melt into the tarmac
He's so interesting and cool! Elsker dig 😊
I really had such a lovely time in Western Australia. Not only is it home to such natural beauty, exotic wildlife and an artistic sun-soaked society, but its also home to my family. And Baloo!! Baloo is the first dog I've ever loved, he's wonderful, and I miss him! They may live on the other side of the world from me, but I felt so comfortable there, at home with them. Must be a family-thing ...
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Susanne
non-member comment
"Nedeunder" Down-under
As I look back on all your blogs. You have had an incredible experience. Met loads of new friends, seen magnificent sights, learnt to surf in the Indian Ocean, cuddled a Koala just to name a few. Glad you returned home, even if only to plan your next adventure Graduate School.