This week I have mainly been on a tour of the south coast of Western Australia, from Perth to Esperance. What can I say but wow, wow, wow?! It was brilliant. I left the driving to a professional this time and sat back to enjoy the view from the minibus. Nice!
Day 1: Perth to Augusta
We drove out of Perth in glorious sunshine and headed to Busselton where we admired the longest pier in the southern hemisphere. Being from Southend which boasts the longest pier in the world, I can't say I was that impressed. However, the pure white sand and clear turquoise water surrounding it did impress me. Much as I love Sarfend, it really can't compete with that. Just to top it all off, an ironman contest was taking place. Fit men, beautiful beaches and glorious sunshine - I was in heaven. They had to tear me away from the place with the promise of wine and surfers later in the day!
We managed to cram in a national park, a brewery, a spot of shopping and time to laze on a windsurfer beach too. Three of us girls were really quite enthralled by the sight of 'hotties in wetties' (translation: hot men in wetsuits), and again we had to be enticed back to the bus. A pretty good start to the tour!
Days 2 and 3: Augusta - Albany - Esperance
Days two and three were grey, cloudy and quite chilly which was a shocker. I had to chuckle when the Russian girl in our party was complaining about the cold, especially as she'd been regaling us with tales of partying in temperatures of -54 degrees! We tried not to let the slight chill spoil our enjoyment of the Karri forest, hikes through great national parks and our exploration of the stunning scenery. I haven't climbed a tree since I was about 10, but I did here - the bicentennial tree (rather tall as it goes!)
Day 4: Esperance
Day four was an absolute beauty. The sun shone brightly for us in the lovely town of Esperance. We spent the day moving from one stunning beach to another. This town is so spoilt - not one but about eight beaches of breathtaking beauty. All of them have pure white sand and clear, clear sea. We were practically the only people on them too. Being a self-confessed beach babe, this was utter heaven for me. I have been swept away by the beaches in Esperance and the Ningaloo reef up north. Western Australia really does good beaches. Can Bondi compete? I shall find out next week.
Back in Perth
So now I'm back in Perth for a few days before flying to Sydney next week. I'm staying in Cottesloe beach to lap up my last days of WA beach life in the sunshine.
It certainly doesn't feel like Christmas is just around the corner. It's more hot, hot, hot than ho, ho, ho here!
Showing posts with label perth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perth. Show all posts
Friday, 11 December 2009
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
G'day Western Australia
21st November: Perth, WA
Two days ago I waved a sad farewell to my cousin in Hong Kong, took a taxi, train, plane, bus and another train and arrived at Fremantle station to be greeted by my good friend Emma. We'll be travelling together in Oz which will be great - no more flying solo for a while.
I've been to Oz a few times before, but always to the east coast. Now's the time to discover if west really is best, as many have told me.
The first thing that strikes me in Oz is the vast size of it. It shouldn't surprise me, but it does. The roads seem wide. Shops, units and buildings seem so big. There are so many parks and open spaces. It makes me realise how cramped it is at home and in so many other parts of the world.
Then there's the Aussie friendliness. I exited Perth airport with my backpack, clearly looking vaguely lost. Within seconds, an incredibly helpful woman helped me find my best route to Freo (Fremantle - a suburb just south of Perth). She made it all so easy with her warmth and kindness. It was such a contrast to previous airport greetings in Asia where there's a frenzied descent of taxi drivers and touts vying for your trade, and in many cases, the opportunity to scam a naive tourist.
The other big surprise for me here is the high prices. With the current exchange rate, costs are about the same as the UK. After travelling in SE Asia, that hurts! I was able to live well for so little in Vietnam and Cambodia that I've got used to eating out. Price tags are irrelevant there as haggling is a national sport. That's not going to work here. I'm going to have to embrace the backpacker spirit, sleep in dormitory bunk beds and cook my instant noodles in the hostel's communal kitchen. Eek!
Fortunately, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and that costs nothing!
Two days ago I waved a sad farewell to my cousin in Hong Kong, took a taxi, train, plane, bus and another train and arrived at Fremantle station to be greeted by my good friend Emma. We'll be travelling together in Oz which will be great - no more flying solo for a while.
I've been to Oz a few times before, but always to the east coast. Now's the time to discover if west really is best, as many have told me.
The first thing that strikes me in Oz is the vast size of it. It shouldn't surprise me, but it does. The roads seem wide. Shops, units and buildings seem so big. There are so many parks and open spaces. It makes me realise how cramped it is at home and in so many other parts of the world.
Then there's the Aussie friendliness. I exited Perth airport with my backpack, clearly looking vaguely lost. Within seconds, an incredibly helpful woman helped me find my best route to Freo (Fremantle - a suburb just south of Perth). She made it all so easy with her warmth and kindness. It was such a contrast to previous airport greetings in Asia where there's a frenzied descent of taxi drivers and touts vying for your trade, and in many cases, the opportunity to scam a naive tourist.
The other big surprise for me here is the high prices. With the current exchange rate, costs are about the same as the UK. After travelling in SE Asia, that hurts! I was able to live well for so little in Vietnam and Cambodia that I've got used to eating out. Price tags are irrelevant there as haggling is a national sport. That's not going to work here. I'm going to have to embrace the backpacker spirit, sleep in dormitory bunk beds and cook my instant noodles in the hostel's communal kitchen. Eek!
Fortunately, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and that costs nothing!
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