Perth

[Guest Sunshine Sister]

Hi everyone,

A 5 hour flight from Sydney, on the western shores of this vast dry continent lies the fascinating city of Perth, where I recently spent a 2 week holiday. Return airfare from Sydney during the peakest of peak seasons (a few days before Christmas, what can I say, travel planning is a last minute affair in our household ) cost us $ 850 return per person. From Sydney we flew with Virgin Blue, an experience I hope never to repeat, especially while traveling alone with two smallish boys. Service was much the same as entertainment on the flight – non-existent. Prepare yourself to pay many a dollar for everyday snacks guaranteed to send the little people’s blood sugar/energy levels through the roof, with none of the hot meals advertised on the menu available.

Arrival at Perth’s tiny domestic airport was a taste of things to come as most things in Perth are of a much smaller scale than elsewhere. First impressions while driving to the city centre by taxi include clean, crisp, vast, sunny, loads of palm trees, wide sidewalks with few ppl, dry, open space, very little traffic and very few Asian ppl. The skyline of Perth is gorgeous and even though the city centre is tiny, it is also extremely clean. There is a large Japanese community in Perth resulting in many, high-quality Japanese restaurants and take-aways. I was struck by how well the traffic is regulated and having proper highways in all directions with 3 lanes in both directions without significant road works is a fantastic bonus. Ironic that the roads are so good, yet the driving is so bad. There are loads of parks in and around the city, with Kings Park and the Botanic Gardens beautifully situated just outside of the CBD. All along the river banks there are parks with facilities to braai/ gazebos for staying out of the sun and ample parking. Similar facilities are found all along the coastline. There is a very strong correlation between Perth and the West Coast of South Africa, even the climate, the wind in the afternoons, the heat and the shrubs are very similar !

The coastline…. and beaches…. I don’t even know where to start. Perth has of the best beaches in the world – no doubt about that. White, soft sand stretching for miles and miles as far as the eye can see run along crystal blue, clean, clear water. In the mornings when the wind isn’t blowing there is often not even a whisper of a wave, resulting in water so clean and clear that you can see the fishes swimming with you. In some respects the beaches and aquamarine water reminded me of Mauritius. The natural environment in and around Perth is unspoilt and in some areas seems untouched by human hand – fantastic. Cottesloe is a fantastic beach, with a large life saving club and it is a buzz of water related activities. Early morning swimmers collect in groups and swim to and fro on the main beach, while many groups of 4 or 5 ladies in their 40’s and 50’s share a captivating conversation, laugh, companionship, fresh air and a brisk walk along the beach and back. Next to the main road which runs along the beach all the way to the north, young moms and couples enjoy power walks with their strollers, while others walk leisurely with a doggy or two in tow along the long promenade curving its way along the grassy embankments.

My favourite beach is City Beach. This is the only place where we heard many different languages including Danish, Dutch, German, Spanish, many different British accents and a large contingent of Portuguese folks. Not even a visit on one of the busiest days of the year (Christmas Day) had an unpleasant element to it. Ppl were well behaved and because of the size and shape of the beach there was more than enough space for all to have a good time, without interfering with each other (from sandcastle building, through beach cricket, jogging and frisbee tossing, there was space for all). City Beach has loads of families with small children visiting and expected facilities like clean bathrooms, life saving/first aid and a beach kiosk are all there. The only beach I did not particular care for was Scarborough, with a distinct Margate end- of- year- break feel to it, there were loads of teenagers, boom boxes, scarcely clad girls and loud-mouthed boys. When you walk along Scarborough beach, just north of the hustle and bustle, you find a wide selection of fantastic shells of all sorts, shapes and sizes. There were also many Windsurfers and Kite-Surfers which made for interesting viewing. As there are so many spectacular beaches about I will be sure to give Scarborough a miss on my next visit. Another definite misser is the eye-sore of Perth’s Coastline – The Rendezvous Hotel. It might be the only tall building on the coastline, but except for the swimming pool, which is reasonably nice, it is one of the worst hotels I have ever contemplated staying at. Forget about the information and pics on their website, it is rundown, completely over-priced and not up to scratch. Service, sadly, as is the case in most of Perth is very poor and I was surprised to learn that Perthians are generally known as friendly (???), as I saw very little of this (excepting ppl in services, who are often point blank unfriendly). I did strike up some conversations (shocking, I know !! ) with some fellow moms and dads on the beach and interestingly those who weren't foreign, were mainly originally from Sydney !

Perth is a small city, with everything nice and close together. From West Perth to City Beach is a 15 minute drive. West Perth to Fremantle is 25 minutes and to Kallaroo/Hillarys is 17 minutes. Always be sure to pay for your parking as parking fines are steep and the traffic police don’t miss a thing, trust me they will catch you !! Subiaco is a very trendy part just to the north of the city, much like Melville it is arty and almost a little European with all of the coffee shops, art shops, specialist importers, etc. A restaurant I enjoyed is the Witch’s Cauldron, reasonably priced and a wide selection on the menu for just about every taste. Another must see is of course the historic harbour town of Fremantle. The waterfront with all of the fish restaurants and the Little Creatures Brewery (thanks JohanK for the tip) are well worth a visit. For children of 4 and older a rainy day visit to Scitech (thanks Lindy-Lee for the tip) just off Wellington Rd in West Perth is money well spent (once again be sure to get a parking voucher to place on your dashboard to avoid having your wheels clamped). The waterfront in Hillarys (thanks Noeks for that one) is also well worth a visit, and has loads of activities for children, including water rides, trampolines, an enclosed beach, a fun fare, mini golf, many restaurants, shops and loads more.

The influence of the harsh environment can be seen in the ppl and I found them rougher and harsher than their Sydney counterparts. Finding a beach body without a tattoo is the exception rather than the norm and grown men shopping barefoot is nothing unusual. While in Perth you do get a sense of what it means to be in the most isolated city in the world, and in a way I almost got the sense of it reflecting island living, with other forms of civilization being a plane flight away. Perth in my mind is a big town, rather than a city, with loads of shops, restaurants, petrol stations and coffee shops closed on bank holidays and some even for the entire festive season. From my short but extremely pleasant experience of Perth I deduce that choosing to live in Perth is a life-style choice and I can imagine it being a boring, isolated place with very little in terms of choice and opportunity for some. (depending on your mind set and frame of reference).

I lost my heart in Perth. The pristine beaches are even better than they look on the best of postcard photos and for someone who likes outdoor living with the convenience that a small city offers, this is an excellent choice. I can completely understand why so many South Africans choose to settle there. If you are lucky enough to find a high-paying job big enough to secure housing in one of the many fabulous and completely break-the-bank pricey neighbourhoods - the large Saffer community, well-organized highways, beaches, space, wine route and sunshine are all added bonuses.

Thank you very much to my dear friends for being so kind during our stay in Perth. Thanks to Lindy-Lee, Noeks and JohanK for your hospitality and advice. It was great to meet some of you (TMB, lovely to meet you too!!) and on my next visit I hope to meet more of you. To those of you off to Perth soon – Congratulations on your excellent choice and I hope you will be very happy there !

Love

Sunshine Sister

[Dedrei]

Klink of jy 'n heerlike tydtjie gehad het! Dankie dat jy dit met ons gedeel het.

Moet sê die strand laat my nogal dink aan die beaches op die weskus.

Liefde uit die Tropics

D

Het jy dalk nog 'n paar fotos? Jy hoef hulle nie te plaas nie, kan maar email as jy wil dedrei(at)SAaustralia.org

[JohanK]

That is Perth for you and very interesting to hear what people from the east coast think about our town. Hope you enjoyed Creatures as I can sit in that place and drink beer the whole day long, it is just so relaxed in that place. The Creatures that work there is very strange but I suppose part of the package.

[Guest Noeks]

It was an absolute pleasure meeting you, hubby & your two gorgeous boys at long last - actually, hubby not too shabby either !!! Thanks again for your lovely company! Must do it again sometime soon!

Lv Noeksie xxxx

[Guest Sunshine Sister]

Hi again,

Oh yes Dedrei, it is an understatement to say we had a fantastic time. I never realized that accessibility would make such a massive difference to our lives. Of course I will send you more pics ! I'm just waiting for hubs to download and mail all of the pics he has and then I will make a little album and send you the URL.

Yes Johan, you are right on the Creatures... My hubs is the same, I think he would also hang out there for days on end, if he could.

Ag thanks Noeksie !! It was also great to meet your fabulous fam ! I miss you and Lindy-Lee already. Do it again, soon ? Be careful what you wish for, ne munchkin. Before you know it, I am being fickle and phoning you from West Perth/Whitfords/Subiaco/Hillarys again !! Hehehehe. Giving a whole new meaning to the words "Now you see her, now you don't !! Hehehehe.

Chat again soon, give my love to Perth and the fam.

Love

SS

[JohanK]

SS, we went for sundowners yesterday at City Beach and man was it nice I had a cold one for you!!!

Come over to the dark side my child, we might be the most secluded city in the world but man do I love Perth, we just came back for a days jet ski and on the way back I told my dear wife I think WA is the best!!

[Guest Sunshine Sister]

SS, we went for sundowners yesterday at City Beach and man was it nice I had a cold one for you!!!

Hey Johan,

Thanks for that ! I miss it already, hope you had a wonderful time !

Come over to the dark side my child, we might be the most secluded city in the world but man do I love Perth, we just came back for a days jet ski and on the way back I told my dear wife I think WA is the best!!

I have to agree with you, it is very hard to beat !

Love

SS

(If I move to Perth I will need a surfer smiley.. )

[Guest Sunshine Sister]

Love

SS

[Russell]

Sunshine Sister,

Great post. I really enjoy all the story telling and pictures that go along with it. Riekie did a similar post on Adelaide which I also really enjoyed reading (Here: http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php?showtopic=2791)

I will look for similar posts for Brisbane, Melbourne and of course Sydney.

Looks like you had an absolutely fantastic time.

I wondering one thing, is the ocean cold there? You did say that is very similar to the West Coast in SA. Being part of the Southern Hemisphere and on the West Coast, one would think it was but after looking at the picture of JohanK's jetski post it looks as though the water is warm.

Regards

Russell

[Guest Noeks]

I wondering one thing, is the ocean cold there? You did say that is very similar to the West Coast in SA. Regards

Russell

Not at all as cold as the West Coast, SAf - the water's lovely here! Even in the winter, it doesn't get as cold as Cape Town and Weskus' waters!

[Russell]

After having initially having my doubts about Perth due to it's isolation, I really think it is well worth a look at on our LSD trip.

[Leon]

Thanks Sunshine Sister, it is always good to read what other people think about our great city. Coming from Pretoria it was a big issue for us choosing the right city but I can honestly say (after 2 years) Perth is Pretoria by the sea only better!!

Great lifestyle, good salaries, lots of work and really friendly people and of course Western Force Super 14 team with already a hugh supporter base after only 1 year in the competition. Looking forward to 2007.

We will be applying for citizenship this month and can not wait as that would be the last step in the process of moving to Oz.

[Ekke]

Hi

We are planning a lsd trip to Perth this year . Would it be possible to meet anybody living in Perth

for coffee , just to give us the buzz on the city .

Thanks

Ekke

[bokkie]

hi to all

Sunshine sister what a lovely post, my little family and i are hoping to move to Perth either by the end of this year or early next year (depends on the Visa)

we are currently living in the UK and have been here for 6 years now, cant wait to move (just depends on medical and visa now) i just cant wait to get settled and meet fellow Saffers

good luck to you all