Jul 31 2008
Re-discovering Perth
Flying to Perth it feels like you need a passport. From my hometown of Brisbane, it’s actually a much shorter flight to New Zealand, than it is to fly across to the other side of my own country.
A few weeks ago I came to Perth for a one day meeting. This time I was coming for two days, and decided to add on a few days and catch up with a good friend.
The flight over provided a few photographic moments – one I actually captured (below), and the other I didn’t – a man being escorted off the plane in Perth, by four policeman!
Perth is a pretty city. I don’t there’s a whole lot to do here, as a tourist, but there are things to do around the city, which I’ve done years ago and didn’t get around to doing this time.
Something I’d never done was go to Kings Park for a traditional Swiss cheese fondue picnic. My friend’s husband is Swiss, and they both seriously love their cheese! It takes a bit of preparation, but on the Sunday afternoon we gathered up the ingredients and the materials and headed for Kings Park.
This is such a fantastic location. I have never been to a city that has a park like this. The gardens are extensive, the views are fabulous, and it’s the perfect place to spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon.
The next day, my friend and I went on a self guided walking tour of Perth’s city centre. This doesn’t actually take that long, so we took our time.
One of the interesting things to see is the Bell Tower, which is made up of 18 bells, with 12 of those dating back to before 1770, and came predominantly from London’s St-Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square.
In keeping with the British feel to this city, there is also a very tacky arcade called ‘London Court’, which is aimed unashamedly at tourists – emphasising Perth’s ancestry.
If I’d had more time in Perth, I would have loved to visit Fremantle, the Margaret River wine region, and travel down to Esperance. There’s always next time…
