Following on from my Sydney in General Opinion, I thought I would expand the series to Perth, where I spent many, many months, living and working as we built a 400 position call centre from scratch, in the area of Joondalup. Thankfully, I had plenty of time at the weekends to explore the region, and taste the wine, which in my expert opinion is the best wine region in Australia – take it from an expert!
A Little Bit of Background --------------------------------
Perth is in the State of Western Australia. Perth is in the South West Corner. Western Australia is absolutely massive. It makes up approximately 40% of the entire Australia land mass, and is bigger than Texas and Alaska combined. Most of the state is difficult to cross as it is mainly desert.
The first European to see Western Australia was another Dutch Navigator Dirk Hartog. He was on a trip from the Cape of Good Hope. Shortly afterwards more Dutch explorers followed, and they reported a sighting of a Wallaby, although they didn’t know what it was at the time, thinking it was some cat!
It was the British who began the Colonisation of Perth, which is sited on the Swan River. This was 200 years after Hartog first saw the land. Development was tough, due to a lack of workers and poor communications and London sent out its convicts as labour.
Towards the end of the 19th Century, there was a gold rush in the region and the population, surprisingly (!), quadrupled in a very short space of time. Finally a railway opened up between Sydney and Perth.
Perth is often described as the most remote city in the world, and indeed it is closer to South Africa than it is to Sydney.
During the 20th century more and more mineral deposit kept turning up, and eventually in the 1970’s natural gas and diamonds were discovered.
Many British People moved to Australia in the early part of the 20th century. Many settled in the far South West corner of WA. Contrary to the Australian Dream, they survived in very harsh conditions, having been given small amounts of land, which they were to try and turn into Dairy Farms like in the UK. Perth is an extremely popular settlement point for UK citizens today, and most citizens are first or second generation British.
Perth became famous in the days of manned space programs when Perth switched on all its light bulbs in the middle of the night as the first Astronaut passed over head! Perth earned the name “The City of Lights”.
Perth has a population of over 1 million, but it has a very small town feel.
How to get there --------------------- You can fly from Heathrow, and it typically takes about 19 hours. You will touch down for refuelling in Singapore normally. This is four hours shorter than flying direct to Sydney, and believe me it makes a hell of a difference. I recommend you enter Australia this way, and spend some time here, then fly on to Sydney, that way you are breaking the journey a little.
I often caught the 2200hrs flights from London, and these touch down about midnight or 1am the following evening in Perth International Airport.
British Airways and Qantas are part of the OneWorld Alliance, and you will often see flights advertised for about £700, including four stopovers in Australia.
Everyone who wants to gain entry to Australia must have a Visa, unless you are a New Zealander.
When you land, you could get a coach to the city for a few bucks, or alternatively just get a cab, which typically cost me about $45 to the CBD.
If you are flying from Sydney, it will take five hours to get to Perth. The time difference is 2-3 hours depending on the time of year. Perth does not have Daylight Savings Time. My colleagues and I often found we were jet lagged after we flew west from Sydney, and invariably woke up at 4am in the morning. Mind you, the problem with working in Perth is that people start phoning you from 6am anyway, as they forget about the time difference!
Another way of travelling to Perth, once you are in Australia is on the train. The Indian-Pacific crosses the entire continent from the Indian Ocean in the West to the Pacific Ocean in the East. The trip from/to Sydney takes about four days and costs just under $1000. You can also board it at Adelaide. This train journey has long been documented as one of the Great Railway Journeys, and, with regards to Western Australia, allows you to cross the great Nullarbor Plains, without having to make the journey by car, which would be tough; or by air, where you don’t see anything anyway.
NB: My friend did this trip five years ago. The train stops in Kalgoorlie for a while, allowing you to explore. They embarked again, and settled down for the evening. When they woke up, they learned that there was a problem further along the track, and the train could not make the journey, so it had no choice but to go back to Kalgoorlie overnight. And then they had to get buses to complete their journey!
Accommodation --------------------
One of the best Hotels in the City area is the Duxton Hotel, which is a four star establishment and extremely comfortable. A room there typically cost about $150. The showers are to die for, just what the doctor ordered after your long journey.
Another central international name is the Hyatt Regency, again, good value when you do the conversion into pounds. A more local name is the Grand Chancellor, a comfortable and cheaper alternative at about $120 per night.
Another option might be to try the Mounts Bay Waters Apartments; about five minutes walk from the city itself. These cost about $100 per night, and are brand new, very comfortably furnished and consist of two bedrooms, plus bed settee, so work out very cheaply for families. We were based here for several weeks. The apartments are self catering, but they are serviced twice a week, There is a grocery which to be honest isn’t that great. You can order take away meals and there are menus in the rooms, if you don’t want to cook. There are also tennis courts for the use by guests, and plenty of off street parking.
I also spent quite a bit of time in an area north of the City, on the West Coast known as Scarborough Beach. The main hotel there, which can be seen for miles around, is the Rendezvous Plaza. This is geared for tourists, but is very comfortable. There are several restaurants with different cuisine within the hotel complex. This used to cost me about $120 per night.
Also in the Scarborough Area there are plenty of serviced apartments. Eventually my company rented several for months at the Seashells Apartments. Now here was a view to die for. Every night, after a hard days graft, I had to come home, pour a glass of finest Margaret River Chardonnay and watch the sun go down over the Indian Ocean. It was awful(!). Once again these are extremely comfortable two bedrooms, two bathroom apartments, many with sea views and were also about £700 per week. There was a pool and a barbecue for guest use, and off street parking.
Weather --------- Perth is generally much warmer than Sydney and Melbourne and the humidity often felt much drier. The skies were often Pain Box Blue. Temperatures do dip in the winter though, and there was a two or three week period during June when I was positively chilly at night. I don’t recall ever needing a coat in the day time though.
The locals talk about the Fremantle Doctor, which is the winds which blow over the City in the afternoon, and can be quite strong.
Time Difference ------------------- During our winter period (Oct-Mar), there is a nine hour difference, and during our Summer Period (Mar-Oct), there is a seven hour difference, with Australia being ahead of us.
Currency ----------- The Australian Dollar. Australia only abandoned Pounds, Shilling and Pence, in 1966. There money is brightly coloured and plasticky in feel. The exchange rate is currently about $2.6 AUS to the £1 GPB. During my two years there, it varied from $2.25 - $3 to the pound, but I used to use $2.5 as my rule of thumb. (Probably because I cannot divide by $2.61 in my head!)
Important Dates ------------------- Australia Day – End of January. Lots of celebrations and fireworks, and you will need to practice the National Anthem Advance Australia Fair. We spent Australia Day 2000 in Perth, and the party and the firework celebration along the banks of the Swan River were spectacular.
Anzac Day – 25 April Commemorating Soldiers lost in the War, Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.
Shopping ----------- Well, as I have told you before, Australia isn’t famed for its Shopping. The main shopping area is compact and is around the Hay and Murray Street area in the town. It is a car free zone too. I quite honestly would not waste too much time shopping in Perth, but if you are downtown, you will find a state tourist office next to the post office and this might prove useful.
My biggest souvenir of my Australia trip was purchased in Perth. I had a specially commissioned picture of a view of the city, from a little cove on the Swan River especially painted. It is extremely large, and absolutely fabulous. The whole thing cost me about £1000 AUD, including shipping back to the UK, and I thought that was an outstanding price for an original, and a fantastic reminder of my trip, as it now hangs in my hallway.
Sight Seeing in Perth --------------------------- 1. Take yourself up to Kings Park, at the edge of the City, and just behind Mounts Bay Waters Apartments. The park overlooks the city, and you can get a fabulous view, particularly at night time. You can drive through, or if you are feeling energetic, there is a set of steps to the top. The park contains woodlands, wild flowers and neatly manicured lawns.
2. The Oldest Public building in Perth is the Old Courthouse, built in 1836. It is contained within Stirling Gardens.
3. The Western Australia Museum contains items such as Aboriginal rock paintings and weapons. It also contains the Old Gaol, which was built for those convicts in the mid 19th Century.
4. Visit the Royal Mint in the City, where you can watch Gold Bullion being melted down, and they even tell you the value of your own weight in gold!
5. Take a trip to Rottnest Island, or Rotto, to the locals. You can catch the ferry from Fremantle. It used to be a prison island and you can tour the old buildings. The thing to do here is hire a bicycle and go around, as cars are limited.
6. The gambling mecca in Perth is Burswood Casino. There are plenty of gambling tables, and places to eat in this area.
7. Just 13 miles down river you will find the port of Fremantle, or Free-o, to the locals. Fremantle is a quaint port with a great harbour. You will find plenty of shops here selling good quality aboriginal artwork. If you go at the weekend, there is a huge market too.
Wining and Dining -----------------------
My absolute recommendation is the Restaurant called Fraser’s which is in the King’s Park area. This is pretty exclusive, and carries a great wine list too. Afterwards, you can take a stroll through the park and view the city of Perth by night.
My second recommendation, and one that is a lot cheaper, is Café del Pescatore. This is on the Esplanade at Scarborough Beach. At one point, I was eating in here four nights a week, and I can recommend the Sword Fish, and the Barramundi, as well as their pasta dishes. And have a bottle of Evans and Tate Two Vineyards Chardonnay to go with it, on me! You need to watch though, as in the winter months, the whole of the Scarborough Beach area shuts up quite early – about 9pm.
A more exclusive restaurant in the Scarborough area is Savannahs, which is modern Australian cuisine. This is part of the Rendezvous hotel complex. However, make sure you book to avoid disappointment, both through it being full and to the fact it doesn’t open every night of the week.
You won’t go hungry if you head down to the Northbridge area of the town. Here you will find plenty of choice, including Thai, Chinese and Italian, and you can peruse the menus before you go inside, although beware that some of the restaurateurs can be keen to get you in. We had a pleasant meal or two down in this area though, pavement café style.
We also had a fabulous lunch at the Sandalford winery, at the Swan River location.
I worked in Joondalup for months and there are numerous restaurants that all served a two course lunch for about £5. These included a couple of really good Chinese restaurants, and my favourite which is Thai.
Beaches --------- Well what can I say about the beaches? They are fantastic, and pretty deserted in the main. And overlooking Rottnest and the Indian Ocean is just another bonus. North of the city, you can explore the most popular City Beach, and where I spent my time was at the Scarborough Beach area. If you continue to explore the coastline between Scarborough and Joondalup, you will find other beaches, and attractions. Surfing is extremely popular in this region.
Further Afield -----------------
1. Explore the Margaret River area. This is the area around a small town; about four hours drive south of Perth. This is my favourite wine region. You can tour the wineries of Amberley, Evans and Tate, Sandalford, Brookland Valley and the famous Vasse Felix. I have had lunch at Brookland Valley, and at Amberley, and trust me; these must have been two of the most fabulous meals I have ever eaten, washed down with a sample of the local grape of course. There must be about 100 wineries in the region, so best to get some overnight accommodation, and you can enjoy it. We stayed at Basildene Manor, and treated ourselves to a Courtyard Suite, where we enjoyed a simple meal of cheeses, hams, bread and some wine picked up on our tour of the day.
Also in this area you will find plenty of caves to explore, including Lake Cave, which is absolutely stunning. The stalactite and stalagmite formations are amazing, but remember it is a long way down, and you have to come back up again!
2. The Pinnacles. It is recommended you have a 4WD to get to the pinnacles, and you may not be allowed to take a hire car there. If you have no other option, take a tour bus. The Pinnacles are about 150 miles north of Perth in the Nambung National Park. The Pinnacles are a limestone formation and some of them poke about 12 feet above the sand in the desert. They cover a vast area too, and you can do a walking tour through them. 3. Wave Rock is another natural phenomenon and is about 200 miles East of Perth. You can generally find trips that take in several landmarks. This Rock looks like a massive Wave, hence the name! Tours here will often include visits to Hippos Yawn, another rock, and towns such as York and Hyden. 4. Follow the Brand Highway and then the North West Coastal Highway, and at least a day’s drive north of Perth, lies the very popular area called Monkey Mia. It is an unusual name, not least because the attraction for many lies in the fact that the Dolphins hear swim close to the waters edge, to play and enjoy human company. The bay here is known as Shark Bay, and the location Denham is the most Westerly point in Australia. You will also find the area known as Useless Loop! 5. Further north from Monkey Mia you will find the town of Carnarvon, which is famous as a Ground Station for NASA. The Big Dish communications antenna is 100 ft across. 6. If you are totally crazy, keep following the North West Highway round further and then go inland to the town of Marble Bar. This is known as being the hottest town in Australia and is known for its heatwave of 1923-24 when the temperature soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit for 160 days straight! Lots of people settled here because of the Gold in the region, although not many stay there now!
And finally, be prepared to enjoy the pace of life in Western Australia. In the east the joke is that WA stands for Wait-Awhile!
Bon Voyage! Gosh I wish I was back there now. And to think I gave it all up for the West Coast of Scotland instead. I am the one that’s crazy….
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