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Perth Skyline
From the south side of Perth. So yesterday I handed in my two-week notice.
I will be leaving Perth on May 19th. Not forever, as we will have to drop the rental car back in Perth to avoid the $500 drop-off fees in Exmouth, but the next trip will be a transition into the next phase of my Aussie adventures.
All I will tell you about our plans is that we plan to drive up to Shark Bay during a 1-week roadtrip in a hired car. Then after a few days back in Perth, we'll bus back up the coast to Exmouth, and continue onto Broome, where Kylie will fly back to Sydney to fly home. I will be in Broome without a clue of where to go next...well, not entirely true. I'd love to make it to Darwin before the money runs out. But some harvest work may be in order to make that happen.
So the Perth chapter of my Aussie adventures will soon be coming to a close. I plan to cram a lot in, and there may be one more update before I depart, but until then, I will give you my thoughts on Perth and Western Australia.
The bridal path
Darlington, WA, along the old railway lines. Western Australia is spectacular. . Most backpackers stay east, and many tourists don't even bother to leave Sydney. Their loss. WA is a beautiful, expansive state that has some of the most beautiful scenery. It's off the beaten path and difficult and expensive to travel in, which is probably why it's not as visited. But I like it that way. Just me and the wonders that Mother Nature has provided.
The Southwest corner of WA is a
biodiversity hotspot. Forget the Great Barrier Reef, we're talking thousands of unique plants and animals. The landscapes and sea coasts are stunning. And I've only seen a tiny portion of it. And by the time I finish traveling, I still will have only seen less than half of the great state.
Perth is an odd city, I find. Set in the southern part of the state that takes up a third of Australia, it strikes me as a conglomeration of country towns surrounding a business and shopping area called the CBD.
I suppose there's something in
Perth for everyone. Those who like to party, including those backpackers who seem to experience life through parties, can head to Northbridge (although I don't
Pink Blossums
Beautiful pink! think I'd recommend staying overnight there, seems a very dodgy to me).
For those wanting posh, trendy restaurants and theatre shows, Subiaco's a good choice (or King's Street). For a wide choice of cafes, visit Beaufort Street, especially in Mt Lawley.
Those wanting to see old-style buildings can go to Maylands or Guildford, or even the workshops at Midland, as there seem to be no old buildings left in the centre of Perth, except for one archway that was kept. Overlooking a freeway, the archway was part of old barracks and seems to be a reminder of what bad urban planning can do. The beautiful old red-brick arch is surrounded by unsightly buildings and the freeway.
For those wanting a more aesthetic view of Perth while sitting in a beautiful park, King's Park is the place to be. It is an absolutely beautiful park, and I wish all major cities had such a park!
Walking around Perth I noticed two things. One, Perth is NOT a walk-able city...the CBD may be if you have time (yay for the free CAT buses!), but it is a spread out city and walking for half an hour probably won't get you anywhere.
Kookaberra
This little guy (about the size of a red-tail hawk) wanted my lunch. Two, I find wandering around the CBD a confusing experience, and I always manage to somehow disorient myself with the many arcades connecting different streets and levels, combined with the lack of distictive features that make orientation easier. London Court is a neat arcade though, with a fancy clock marking the hours with knights and kings and ladies of the court, and Tudor-style decorated buildings along the arcade.
The
Art Gallery is lovely and definitely worth a visit. You may find a guide wishing to discuss the paintings with you, which makes for quite an interesting visit. And I hope to visit the
Western Australian museum soon...it's supposed to be fantastic.
And some may throw Fremantle in with Perth. I don't think that's fair, because Freo and Perth have such different air's about them. Then again, what defines Perth? While Freo has a distinct artsy feel to it, with its old buildings, fun cafes and beautiful museums, Perth is much larger and is harder to define.
I've been told that people in Perth have some of the most laid-back attitudes in Australia. I have to disagree; I found people much more laid back down south. I found Perth-ites worried about
Spikey White Blossums
Yet another type of gum blossums, no idea what they're called! crime, litigation, where to park, what the next fasion trend is (they're all horrible!), how to afford housing (if you can find housing, that is), etc; seems quite normal to me (well, except for the crime and litigation part); but nothing struck me as particularly laid back, nor did anything strike me as distinctly Perth.
One thing Perth definitely needs better public transport, and the excuse that no one uses it is a lousy reason to not improve it! Actually, maybe that's an attitude that's struck me here; a general attitude of making excuses rather than doing something about the problem at hand...although that attitude seems to be worldwide. Still, there must be enough people not making excuses, for the city is growing fast.
I think that since most of Perth's growth has been in the last 20 years or so, it's still trying to define itself.
A visit to the tourist bureau near the train station left me wondering what's so great about Perth. The conversation went something like this:
"G'Day miss, how can I help you?"
"Yes, hi, I'm a tourist, and I'd like to experience Perth. What do you recommend?"
"We have tours out
Twenty-eights
These brightly coloured birds make quite a racket! to the Swan Valley or day trips out to Rottnest Island or how about..."
"No, how about something
in Perth? What's special about
Perth?"
The response was a dumb stare.
A visit to a souvenir shop where I found someone my age working ended up being more helpful. The girl raved on about King's Park, the funky restaurants and cafes on the little side streets, the diversity of the city, the beautiful houses of Mt. Lawley, the great music scene (a fantastic number of great bands are from Perth) and creativity of the artists.
So despite its shortcommings, and despite what a number of the young people living here say, I think Perth is worth visiting. It could use a bit of help in defining itself, or maybe just realising that it is a conglomeration of different towns with different attitudes will help.
If anything, Perth is the gateway to Western Australia. Perhaps that should be its slogan. Embrace the beauty that Mother Nature has provided you with.
And for those of you who have wondered why I would commute an hour and a half to work every day, (ignoring the other reasons such as cost
Murray blossums
Apparently these beauties are a source of hay fever. of housing), the photos were all taken within a 5 minute walk of the Arnold's house in Darlington, up in "the hills". It would be hard to take those photos closer to the city centre.
So thank you to all who have made my Perth stay fantastic!
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deleted_15735
Sorry my message is really long!
Hi, i stumbled on your site cause you just commented on my friend Dan's blog on Montreal, and both of us are actually from Perth! You're take on Perth is interesting and well balanced; noting the good things and bad things (transport IS a bit of shocker!). Regarding the "laid back" lifestyle, its just relative to the other State Capitals... ALL country towns are more laid back than the Cities! Perth's good in that way as it's a big city but feels small. The youngns claim its boring but really it isnt... they just never put the effort to actually look for stuff to do! They simply complain. Ive been round to heaps of places, and still in the end i reckon Perth's got a pretty amazing balance of lifestyle and opportunities, despite its flaws (which theyre finally trying to fix). I hope you really liked it here, and come back in 10yrs when everything's finished and its more perfect!