Perth's Delights

I thought after travelling through most of Australia's biggest cities, I would inevitably come across a few that I just couldn't wait to get out of. But, nope. So far I've loved them all! And Perth was no exception. But I do feel for poor ol' Perth. I guess it could get a little lonely for W.A's capital city, standing tall and trying to contribute a few sky scrappers to the city scape, in a state where long stretches of empty highway edged with red dirt out number the escalators and lifts in office buildings 20 to 1.

Perth has sooooo much going for it. And the best thing about the place, is that everything is within a 20-30 minute radius, so you can see a lot in just a few days. Here's a few touristy bits we thought were rave worthy.

The Swan Bell

Okay, not quite sure what the purpose of building this thing was, but I tell ya, when tourists pay $10 to climb the thing and ring the famous Swan Bells again and again... and again, I'd be taking ear plugs to work. It's down on the Swan River and there's a bunch of lovely little cafes overlooking the water close by for a lunch break or coffee stop. And word in the local news over here, is that the Swan Bell could be joined by a London Eye-type Ferris Wheel some time in the near future...

City Sights
The city of Perth kinda reminds me of Adelaide with its country charm and heritage churches and court houses squeezed in amongst new additions to the city business district. You can walk the shopping strip in an hour but there's plenty of quirky and fun art pieces and alleyways to discover that could see you easily spend a day or more exploring. One day when we caught the train into the city, what seemed like the whole of the Western Australian University were out in force, dressed up as anything from bumble bees to pirates, selling their Prosh newspaper (check out the website at http://www.prosh.guild.uwa.edu.au/) which is a satirical and hilarious report on current news events. Luke and I laughed out loud whilst reading it on the train back to Freo. This must be a common occurance though, as the suits and business-types, didn't look twice when passed by a hot pink bikepant wearing 21-year-old guy selling papers for charity.

Kings Park

This beautiful park and botanical gardens is the best place for amazing views across Perth, over the Swan River and surrounding waterfront suburbs. The gardens are gorgeous, the tree top walkway is excellent (and free!) and the water features, lush lawn and BBQ areas see this place resemble Sydney's Pitt Street Mall on weekends.

Perth Zoo

Not as impressive as Taronga in Sydney or Dubbo, but still full to the brim with interesting animals and great exhibits. The Orangutan enclosure is world class, with two new baby monkeys getting up to all sorts of trouble. Luke even managed to find himself a super-dooper sized numbat to ride - you don't see those in the wild!!

Hillary's Boat Harbour
You're best off heading back to Margaret River if you're after a wave in Perth, but the beaches are great for swimming and Hillary's Boat Harbour is a perfect little spot on the coast to kill a few hours. Marvel at the million dollar boats, swim in the protected beach, dine at one of the many restaurants or cafes or check out the markets. There's something for everyone.

We could have spent another few weeks in Perth, just checking out the laid back vibe of the city and we will definitely be back, maybe down the line when we have kids of our own because it's a great spot for little ones with so much to do.

Yours in the great outdoors,

Odette