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MUST SEE ATTRACTIONS IN PERTH, WA

evedavies2000

Updated: Apr 8, 2022

Perth was probably my favourite city I visited in Australia. Perhaps I have an inflated fondness for the city as it has housed part of my family for almost 50 years. I'm not claiming I'm a tour guide of any sort but my auntie who immigrated to Perth 48 years ago, when the demand for skilled workers was high in Australia, fits this title perfectly. Brought by a ship from the UK to Fremantle Harbour along with thousands of other British immigrants, my auntie is deeply proud of her chosen home and enjoys showing her visitors from the UK around every nook of the city. So, having spent four weeks with family in Perth I've built a pretty comprehensive diary, including some of the best things to do in Western Australia, from swimming with Dolphins and chilling with a Koala to pottery painting and fine dining.


King's Park, Western Australia's beautiful botanic garden overlooking Perth city

It is a delight to arrive in Perth on Australia's west coast. Behind you stretches 1,700 miles of inert red emptiness all the way to Adelaide, before you, there is nothing but a featureless blue sea that runs 5,000 miles to Africa. The remoteness of the city - remembering it is the most remote big city on earth- gives it a relaxed aura. The centre is not too bustling, all shop workers are cheery and welcoming, and countless beaches always close by. The welcoming city centre, just a twenty minute drive from the airport, offers a variety of pursuits to keep visitors occupied. If unsure where to start I'd recommend visiting the tourist information hut perched just outside the train station.

If one thing is certain, it is that the modern city does not lack in culture. Perth's Cultural Centre houses the state ballet and opera companies, along with its own central precinct, including a theatre, library and the Art Gallery of WA. Admire Perth's ubiquitous street art. On the main streets, amid the biggest branded stores, there are vibrant paintings. Down side alleys that branch off the main streets, you will find rustic, abstract street art. At Elizabeth Quay - a mixed-use development project in the central business district, named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II during her Diamond Jubilee - you will find a ginormous mural featuring native flora and fauna from Kings Park and the Swan river. This modern piece celebrates Western Australia's beautiful and fragile environment. It was painted by Melski McVee helped by 500 people during the school holidays in October 2019 and proudly supported by the City of Perth and the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority MRA.

Head to London Court shopping arcade to be transported back in time and 9,000 miles across the globe. Walking down London Court, with its open-roof, memorial statues, and architecture mimicking that of the Tudor/Elizabethan eras, feels like walking down a virtual street in London during these periods. The arcade currently houses small speciality retail shops, Australian boutiques, cafes, a barbers, and a post office, making it a practical yet fascinating feature of the city.


One Thursday afternoon, we enjoyed afternoon tea at Perth's C Restaurant IN THE SKY - WA's only revolving restaurant located on the 33rd floor of St. Martin's Tower on St. George's Terrace. Here guests are invited to soak up a 360 view of Perth city over 90 minutes whilst fine dining. We received a warm welcome form staff and enjoyed afternoon tea and unlimited tea/coffee throughout our visit.



Western Australia is home to most of Australia's native animals, and where better to check them out than in Australia's sunniest state?


Regardless of the yellow diamond warning signs that are quintessential to Australia's roads, it is rare to actually have a kangaroo jump out in front of your car. This does not mean to say that they are hard to find. If you look in the right places they can be easily spotted, both wild and in animal parks. We spotted some energetic fellas at Rockingham Golf Course one balmy evening. Within half an hour we witnessed them bouncing from hole to hole, protecting their roos and fighting viciously. Contrary to my assumption of them being friendly animals, their anger seemed to match their energy. I was surprised how powerful their stick-like legs were as the males pelted one another in the stomach. Miraculously they never appeared hurt and instead returned the kick to their opponent.


Albeit, not all kangaroos in WA are like this. We met some very nonchalant kangaroos on our visit to Cohunu Koala Park - although, in this captivated environment, they would have been sedated or on the 'wacky backy' as my younger cousin termed it.

Here we came face to face with numerous mammals of Australian heritage including tepid koalas (hence the name of the park), beautiful brightly feathered peacocks, chatty parrots and tame wallabies. For an extra fee, we were able to cradle, feed and be photographed with a friendly koala called Albi. He was so placid and cuddly it felt as if I had a new-born baby in my arms. Although I am not one to eagerly handle animals, I soon discovered koalas to be the most smile-inducing creature I had ever encountered.


Days later, we met with WA's wild dolphins. We booked a boat trip with Perth Wild Encounters to go swimming with the amicable creatures for 75 AUD, and I can assure you it was worth every cent. We were picked up by a large speed boat and crew of five from the jetty just down the road from my relatives', with whom we were staying, home at 8am. Joined by roughly thirty people onboard, we were equipped with wetsuits, snorkels and a coloured belt to identify our group. The four of us were part of the orange group joined by an amiable French couple. We cruised around for about half an hour trying to locate the mammals. The instructors who did this day-in-day-out had a strong idea of where we'd find them. I revered their job, out at sea all day. To everyone's delight, there were soon dolphins jumping out of the ocean surrounding us. There was no messing around when called down to the back of the boat to slide into the sea with the dolphins. We were instructed to clutch the belt of the other people in our group with our right hand, forming a string of bodies with the guide upfront. The guide operated a motor to keep us all afloat, meaning we didn't need to kick our legs, as ripples in the water cause anxiety for the dolphins. The guide also had a shark shield attached to them - a long rope-like contraption which would electrocute any shark that came within a 10m radius of the swimmers. The guide swam up close to the dolphin, like playing with a pet dog. The dolphins were so tame, happy and loving. It was a vastly moving experience to have them loop around us. We were told that the female dolphins were more friendly and willing to socialise, and the instructors had names for the regulars - Sophia being one who they'd recognise by the chunk missing from her fin. We were told not to reach out to touch the dolphins as this harms their skin and that the dolphins could sense a human heartbeat through the water. A nice touch also included in the trip was the refreshments throughout the day; teas and coffees, a mid-morning fruit platter and lunch of chicken salad or a chicken wrap, based on preference. Overall, this was one of my favourite days in Western Australia!

Serpentine Falls

Our first hump day in Australia, it was a delightful Wednesday morning. We packed a picnic and loaded up the boot of my cousin's navy blue Hyundai i20 with refreshments, spare clothes, towels, and sunscreen, to head to Serpentine Falls. The drive there gave us a brief viewing of the Australian bush land. The country roads stretched for miles, flanked only by masses of woodland. Imagining these surroundings ablaze made me sympathise heaps more with the bush fires that were sabotaging South-Eastern Australian states at that time. I better understood the vastness and uncontrollability of such fires, realising that no amount of water brought by man could put a stop to them. The only remedy was rain.


Besides, we arrived at Serpentine National Park by late morning and located a parking spot in the shade, which seemed to be a ritual Australian's are accustomed to. We all know there is nothing worse than burning your bottom on and peeling sticky thighs from a red-hot leather car seat. A short walk through forest terrain brought us to Serpentine Falls. Set in a naturally beautiful cleft at the foot of the scarp, the falls stretch up the steep slopes of the Serpentine River valley. The foam-feckled white waters of the Serpentine River cascade down a sheer face of granite, polished by the rushing waters, into a swirling rock-rimmed pool fifteen metres below, where visitors bathe in the chill water and children splash away their summer holidays. The noon sun had climbed over the smooth carob rock and its rays struck the water, tinted shamrock by the reflection of the firmament. After a quick dip and chill on the (not so comfortable) rocks, we headed back towards the car park to the picnic area. We set up on a shaded bench to enjoy our picnic lunch, and were joined by some very tame Western Grey Kangaroos, who were there for the same reason as us - to graze their lunch.


Coogee Beach


It is a wonder to many thronging city-dwellers why two million free citizens would chose to live in such a faraway lonely outpost but climate explains a lot. Perth is Australia's sunniest city receiving around 3200 hours of sunshine and 138.7 clear days annually, and is flanked by some of Australia's most impressive beaches to enjoy it. During my time in Western Australia, I managed to visit a fair number of their exquisite beaches. My favourite of these beaches was probably Coogee Beach - a pristine stretch of white sand that curves 3.7km up the Northern side of the seawall, renowned for holding Omeo Wreck. A pale grey coated wooden staircase leads visitors directly into the crystal clear waters, giving the impression of physically walking into paradise. Here we snorkelled around the seaweed coated ship wreck, joined by schools of fish. Getting a clear vision through the clear water, we could closely examine what remained of the Omeo Wreck, which admittedly wasn't much at all, but, to me, Coogee Beach is spectacular and certainly worth a visit if in Perth.



Kings Park




Kings Park is a 400-hectare park perched on top of Mount Eliza (known as Kaarta gar-up and Mooro Katta in the local Noongar dialect), overlooking Perth Water and Perth's central business district. The park is fabricated by three components - grassed parkland, botanical gardens and natural bushland. The drive up Mount Eliza is beautiful; a single road, boarded by a thicket fence of gum trees,

winds its way up the hill, taking visitors to a large car park. Upon entering the park from here, you are greeted by the spectacular State War Memorial. This precinct is comprised of the Cenotaph, Court of Contemplation, Flame of Remembrance and Pool of Reflection, with memorials to various battles, military units, prisoners of war and other groups found throughout the parklands. Stroll further on to catch the breath-taking view of Perth city spilling over the Swan River. We followed the Lottery West Federation Walkway around the park, melting away in the intense heat at such an elevation, getting sweatier with every step. Soon we reached a brown wooden bridge which suddenly changed to glass, allowing visitors to walk over the city with a clear view, while turning their legs to jelly. It occurred to me that this 620m bridge synthesises the old aboriginal culture (the wood) with a modern city vibe (the glass) - an epitome of Australia as a diverse, modern yet cultural nation. We occasionally stopped to perch on a bench and digest our wonderful surroundings, shaded by a canopy of tall eucalypts. There were also plenty of water fountains around the park, where we stopped to rehydrate at regular intervals. We passed the mighty boab tree Gija Jumulu, a 750 year old specimen that travelled 3,200 km from the Kimberley region of WA.

As we sat having lunch, sushi and fries from the cafe come kiosk, my auntie said with a proud energy, "Eve you’re making history. I’ve brought your great grandparents, grandparents, father and now you to this park." She was radiant with pride due to what she had enabled the family to experience by moving to this wonderful country over 40 years ago.


Cottesloe


If ever I was asked to describe my idea of heaven, I would describe Boatshed Market, Cottesloe - an eden of Australia's finest seasonal produce, fish, meat, flowers & fine wine established in 1988. Entering the market hall, an array of colourful fruit, veg, and flowers blesses the eyes. Along the outskirts of the hall there is a cake counter, sushi bar, salad bar, and deli counter displaying olives, cheeses, and meets. In the middle of the room there are ginormous fridges filled with fruit salads. My favourite feature was the piles and piles of shiny red and green apples. I could have devoured it all, but whittled my options down to a salmon niçoise salad, chia seed pudding, and baked beetroot slices. From here, we headed to Cottesloe beach for a very windy picnic. We parked up on the strip of grass between the coastal road above the beach and the steep drop to the sand, and set out our delicacies on the picnic bench - salads, pastries, wraps, sandwiches.


Full up after our picnic, we headed into Cottesloe centre to enjoy a relaxed afternoon of pottery painting at The Painted Tea Pot - a small studio owned by an amiable English lady, making a living through a quirky independent business in Australia, living the dream in my eyes. Here we spent two hours painting pre-made pottery. Prices varied on what we decided to paint, larger pottery are obviously more expensive than smaller pieces, but still reasonable. I decided to paint a small snail (to represent my new nickname on this trip, thanks to my laid-back nature) and a coaster, not to take up too much luggage space, costing no more than $25 for the two. The girls all decided on painting a mug. The design is left totally to your imagination, allowing customers to get creative during their time slot. This was a lovely, relaxing and somewhat therapeutic way to spend the afternoon.





Another thing that shouldn't go amiss in WA is their fish and chip shops. They are certainly not what any Briton would expect, being so accustomed to finding greasy oil-soaked substance in these places back home. Situated at nearly every seafront and harbour, a Western Australian chip shop is not hard to find. Not only do these shops sell the typical greasy fish and chips, but their menus range much further. I was mega impressed with my octopus salad at a fish shop on Mandura Foreshore one Friday evening, which we spent strolling around Madura marina, watching the golden sun set over the water.


Twenty20



We were disappointed by the fact that we missed the Aussie rules footie season, however, we experienced the ardent Australian sports atmosphere at the recently constructed multi-purpose Optus Stadium, located in the suburb of Burswood, where we watched a Twenty20 cricket match. One roasting Friday evening, Perth Scorchers battled it out against Adelaide Strikers. The atmosphere in the new-born stadium was electrifying. The crowds of all ages roared. There were groups of dads with their sons, young couples on double dates, old couples and families, all interested in the three hour plus game. Perth's Optus Stadium is still in its infancy. It was only completed in late 2017 and officially opened on 21 January 2018. We walked around the circumference of the stadium to soak up the spectacular views of the Matagarup Bridge stretching over the Swan River, before finding our seats. The surroundings of the stadium were impressive, holding some of the most modern architecture I had ever seen, including a sensory playground and eccentrically designed shaded walkways. Environmentally conscious, the government also allowed the construction of platform six at Perth railway station to provide a direct train line and pedestrian bridge to the stadium to encourage visitors to use public transport. A car park was not built at the Stadium. Thanks to the generousity and efficiency of the Australian economy, this meant that public transport was included in our ticket for the match. Not possessing much knowledge in the area of cricket, we enjoyed the evening of sun, spectacular views and $12 vodka sodas. My limited knowledge of the game stretches far enough for me to tell you that in a Twenty20 game the two teams have a single innings each, which is restricted to a maximum of 20 overs - I'll leave that there to save us both confusion.


I will forever be grateful to have Welsh-rooted family settled in such a wonderful part of the world.

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