RadioRoryDid you know that Australia is about the same size as the continental United States?
Yeah, neither did I until I started planning my trip there from Singapore.
I don’t hate flying, but the shorter the flight the better, so I hopped on a Scoot Airlines flight from Singapore to Perth. It was chance to ride on a new 787 Dreamliner again and get a business class seat for a reasonable fee. Scoot’s economy class seats are notoriously cramped but the cost of an upgrade can be relatively small since it includes your bags, food, and even a cocktail.
The flight from SIN to PER is about five hours and puts you on the country’s west coast. After being in hot China, humid Thailand, and sweaty Singapore, it was an absolute joy to have 75-degree weather and a beautiful waterfront.
Perth was also my first AirBnB experience. I whizzed thru Customs by scanning my passport at an automated kiosk, hopped an Uber, and was taken to the apartment located on top of an IGA supermarket (handy!). My host met me in the McDonald’s across the street, gave me a tour of the place, handed over the keys and I quickly settled in by doing a bag full of laundry.
All very millennial for this graying Gen X’er.
Perth’s light rail system can take you all over town and even out to Fremantle Beach in about 30-minutes for five bucks. The Esplanade there has all the shops, bars, and restaurants the name implies, including the Little Creatures Brewery. There you can sit outside and experiment with a flight of beers (or two). The Shipwrecks Museum is in the same area and chronicles the area’s long maritime history and the recent recovery operation to save a sailing ship that went down just off the coast. The tunnel that was used to haul whale carcasses onto the shore is there too.
Once you’ve mastered light rail to the beach, try the ferry that crosses from Victoria Quay to South Perth. It’s a quick trip on boats that reminded me of the old ships from “Space: 1999.” (Google that one kids).
The views of Perth from Sir James Mitchell Park are fantastic and the flat, picturesque setting is a draw for joggers, walkers, and people just kicking around a soccer ball.
For me, the highlight of Perth was Kings Park.
The botanical garden can be a bit of an uphill climb in parts, but you will be rewarded with all kinds of flowers, birds, fountains, and even a bridge through the trees.
So nice, you just want to dance.
And the view over the Swan River is tops.
Perth also has the first big war memorial I saw in Australia.
I would later discover that there are large war memorials all across the country honoring the soldiers who perished, often alongside Americans. Yes there are war memorials in the U.S., but they tend to be off to the side, adjoining a post office, or other municipal building. This is one of the many large memorials in prominent locations that have been built across Australia. You have to admire the respect they show to those who served and sacrificed.