Perth (04-18 Aug)

The 4 hour flight to Perth was pretty basic in an A320 with Jetstar. Arriving to 7 degrees it was a bit chilly waiting 30 minutes in shorts for the bus which even dropped me off at my accommodation. As usual I stayed at the YHA which is centrally located just north of the CBD. 4-share and 6-share rooms had the same rate and so it was an easy decision.

The next three days it was not just raining but pouring and by the time the sky cleared up I became sick for some days. In the end it was either pouring or I was lying in bed with a fever.

So unfortunately I just had a few days to explore the city.

The Bell Tower

But on the upside I finally read the current Dan Brown book and was a bit disappointed. Sure the story is rich and compelling but there are just too many similarities to the other books with Robert Langdon.

Getting around the CBD is easy for there are three free bus lines (called CAT-Central Area Transit) and you just hop on and off as you like. The bus circles around the city center but only in one direction. This way you get a free sightseeing tour. Really nice.

Church just off Murray Street

Kings Park is situated at the south-western corner of the CBD and is very popular with locals and tourists alike. The alley’s trees leading to Kings Park were all planted exactly 50 years prior to my birth. Who can do the math?

As in every other city in Australia there is some kind of war memorial in the park or nearby. With the perfect sky in the background the pic looks almost shopped.

State War Memorial

The Botanical Garden, also a part of Kings Park, depicts plants from every region in Western Australia (WA) in a beautiful setting. There are several walking tracks within the park and I couldn’t even do the long track because of the approaching sunset.

There are lots of gorgeous ponds in the park and even an elevated walk lifting you up to about 12 meters. Just nice to walk next to the tree tops and you have an excellent view over the city.

Perth with the Swan River on the right

My favourite was a giant boab tree that has been transported all the way from northern WA to represent the Kimberly region.

boab tree

On another day I visited the Museum of WA. It was located comfortably within walking distance and admission is free. It has a big section on Aboriginals, their history and the way the whites dealt with them. Also you can see lots of stuffed animals, dinosaur skeletons and how the universe was put together. I spent there many hours and realizing I should have done the same in Bris.

Big highlight was the trip to Fremantle. Initially I wanted to cruise there on the Swan River but I have been on so many boats these last month that I figured the train will do, too. It also saved me $35 AUD.

Of course I picked the hottest day to walk around a city. But it has been uncomfortably cold during my time in WA and so I don’t complain. I am really not used to a colder climate anymore.

It takes just over half an hour to get there and I really digg the vibe of this town. Especially the relaxed cappuccino strip next to the town center. There is also a free CAT in Freo and so I started by riding around the city. Pretty busy place but it also was quite a nice day.

I got off at the city center and strolled around the shopping mall taking some pictures of the usual city hall and churches.

Afterwards I took a guided tour at the Fremantle prison that is now listed as World Heritage. It is a very depressing place and taking into consideration that is has been up and running till ’91 you cant help but wonder how conditions like these are possible in a modern country like Australia. Up till the end the inmates only had a bucket to do their business and the prison was heavily understaffed resulting in the usual prison gangs.

The tour was called “Doing time” and so we got to see all the procedures from registration until the prisoners were released or hanged.

Entrance to Freo Prison

detention cell with a hammock and a bucket

The city is very green with lots of palm trees that I would not have expected this far south. People are even more relaxed than on the east coast, probably resulting from the fact that this is one of the most remote capitals in the world. All in all a very nice town.