PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

I could not believe I was back in good old Perth, Western Australia when we finally landed on the 24th in the evening. The weather was brilliant (as expected) and I could not wait to check into our hostel and explore Perth again. This was my fourth time in Perth and every time I arrive, I feel like I am coming home. To me, Perth is the most beautiful place to live. There are so many beautiful suburbs, shops, parks and so much to do and see. 

Our excitement went down the cellar when we checked into our backpackers and found out that this place was everything but clean and comfortable. I stayed in backpackers most of the time when I travelled around Australia in 1998 but I never came across anything like this. 

I don’t mind if a backpackers is simple with no luxury at all but I do mind when I open the cupboards and the first thing I see are cockroaches en mass climbing in and out of cereals and other food that was stored there. 

I couldn’t even count them – there were so many of them! And did I mention our bedroom at all? 

Not that it is worth mentioning but I have to say that the room had a large window which was locked and could not be opened at all. As we were on the basement, it would have not been the best idea anyway but there was no air conditioning in the room and with almost 50 degrees Celsius it was impossible to breath, let alone sleep in this room. 

Looking back, I don’t know how we managed to survive this ordeal.

Unfortunately, accommodation was pretty much nonexistent during that week because it was in the middle of the summer holidays and because of Australia Day which is the most important Day for Australians and therefore a big celebration. People from all over Western Australia come to Perth to celebrate.

Nevertheless, we did enjoy our stay in Perth as the weather was fantastic and we never stood still. 

A friend of mine lives in Perth and so does my great uncle so I arranged a visit with them. My friend showed us his business and then he took us for a lovely ride in the late afternoon to the beautiful Swan Valley, definitely worth a visit. The beautiful vineyards left us stunned and the villages in between vineyards were lovely too.

My friend also took us to suburbs where the rich and wealthy live and the houses we saw were phenomenal. There are golf courses everywhere and when people leave the golf courses, Kangaroos take over and you can spot them all over the courses, relaxing on the lovely green.

Australia Day is a public holiday and is on the 26 January. Everybody was dressed up and there were thousands of Aussie flags, huts, flip flops and people’s faces had the Australian flag painted on. 

The atmosphere was amazing and the weather was incredible! It was 42 degrees Celsius and at 11.00pm at night it was still 34 degrees! Pubs were all crowded and must have made a fortune that day. 

A concert with an Aboriginal band was among the performers as well as dancing and kids entertainment. 

I was looking forward to spend Australia Day in Perth as they always have loads of entertainment and a very special firework display. (I have now experienced Australia Day three times in Perth and it gets better ever time!!!) So if you happen to be in Australia on 26 January, make sure you book your accommodation in advance and stay in a bigger city where you can experience the great atmosphere and watch the fireworks. I don't know what they are like in other cities but the ones in Perth are outstanding! If you go to South Perth early enough, you might find a place next to the river from where you can watch the firework display and have the best view of Perth skyline (see picture above).

The next day we went to my favourite beach, the Cottosloe Beach. We took the train from Perth city which took us to Cottosloe in 25 minutes.

My friend picked us up later in the afternoon and we went to his mothers place for dinner. B. is a good cook and completely spoiled us. Luckily B. offered us to spend the night at her place after hearing our horror story about the cockroaches in the hostel.

Fremantle was on our list of things to do and see so we decided to visit Fremantle the next day. 

Locals would play the didgeridoo (see picture) while tourists would stop and listen to this very skillful entertainment.

I absolutely love Fremantle! The town centre is gorgeous with lovely restaurants, cafes and pubs along the main street. At the end of the street is the Fremantle market, where you can buy everything you need to cook a lovely meal. 

Shopping in Perth is so relaxing and good fun. The shops are lovely and, very important - they were air conditioned so we spent a lot of time in shops cooling down.

The next few days we relaxed, went to the beach and got organised for our trip to the south west of Australia. We hired a car for 3 weeks and the plan was to go to the south west, return to Perth for a night and then head north.

I took John to a famous pub called the Brass Monkey in Northbridge on the night before we headed south. Northbridge is the entertainment area where you can find all kinds of restaurants, pubs, clubs, bars and games halls (pool, billiard etc.). That’s where most people go out on the weekend.

In my next post about Australia, I will take you to the beautiful south west to places like Margaret River, Esperance, Denmark, Augusta and many more. 

Western Australia truly is a magic place if not the most amazing one in my opinion. Australia as a country is so versatile – you have beaches, more beautiful than you can imagine, rain forests, deserts, cities and mountains (although not many). Flora and fauna could not be more beautiful and the amount of wildlife you can see is enormous.

So read on and be inspired! And please feel free to comment on my posts. I would really like to hear what you think about my stories.

--> More pictures of Perth and Fremantle