A postcard from down under - Part 1

23 hours after leaving Birmingham and I was safely in Perth – and talked myself out of jet-lag by persuading myself that the total flight time was 5 hours or two films longer than the ‘4 nights in China’ trips which I have done frequently for work in recent years! The priority on this trip was always going to be catching up with family – but as it was my first visit to Perth, and only second to Australia (the first being over 20 years ago!), there was plenty of exploring to be done! 

I am in my happy place when I see a stunning sunset – they take me back to when I was 16 on a family holiday to Florida, and I was transfixed by a sky which was ablaze with a oranges, reds and purples – and a local commented ‘isn’t God the most amazing artist?’ So, fish and chips on Cottesloe Beach, watching the sunset and playing on the beach with my nieces was a perfect end to the 1^st day.

Sunset on Cottesloe Beach

The following day included a visit to the Botanical Gardens and the War Memorial – which showcased the Perth skyline – so together, the two days set me up well for the week to come!

Perth Skyline from Kings Park

Over the following days I took the opportunity to explore several of the Perth sites – interwoven with tennis, swimming lessons and a bit of crafting! 

If you visit Perth for the 1^st time, then a free orientation tour offered by the Tourist Board is well worth it. My guide struck the right balance between historical context and useful information - and took us to areas which I would have missed if it was down to me and the guide book. Importantly the best coffee spots were also highlighted! 

Being a Brit in Perth, it felt only right that I went and checked on the bells of St Martin in the Fields, London – now housed in the Bell Tower.  It seems that the bells were too heavy for the church in London and were due to be melted down and re-cast … until they found a home in Perth in exchange for the raw materials for new bells. A very costly project for the Aussies, as they needed to create a A$5.5million home for them – but the result is a pretty impressive building near Barrack Street Jetty.

Travelling away from Perth will generally involve several hours in the car … or a flight. However, just off the coast and 90 mins away lies Rottnest Island – originally discovered by a Dutch explorer, it has also seen part of its life as a prison island. Now all the original settlement buildings have been converted into holiday accommodation. That said, visiting in September I was in the low season – and having landed on a sunny day I had a stunning beach all to myself. 

Geordie Bay - my personal beach!

I had been instructed by my nieces to go Quokka hunting …. that wasn’t difficult – where there was food they appeared. What was more unusual was seeing baby Quokkas. I hadn’t come across a Quokka before – hardly surprising – the smallest member of the wallaby family, they are only found in south west Australia. I prefer to think of them in this way, rather than how they were described by that first Dutch explorer – he described them as ‘a kind of rat as big as a common cat’, and named the island Rottenest (Rat’s nest!). 

Meeting the locals!

Rottnest island is not to be explored on a windy day. I went on a calm day but it was still slightly disconcerted when the crew of the Rotto Express patrolled with sick bags, and I got the impression they would dole them out to anyone they assessed as looking a bit green! 

A stunning skyline arriving back from Rottnest to Elizabeth Quay, Perth

I like to think that I had chosen well on the tourist trail when the next day, the people that I sat by on the Rotto Express were on the same tour, as I explored some of the Vineyards of the Swan Valley and the town of Guilford. Guilford had a ‘colonial’ feel to it – but the highlight was brunch in in the Garden Design Centre and Café – a world away from garden centre cafés in the UK. It was a lovely precursor to my afternoon exploring 3 vineyards. My new travel buddies wanted to know what I was up to the following day – I half expected them to show up at a game of tennis with my brother!

Whilst in Perth there was also the opportunity for a family road trip and a long weekend in the Margaret River region. This is a must see area - in 2019 its has taken the top spot on Lonely Planet's must see places in Asia Pacific. Air BnB didn't disappoint and we had a lovely sea view rental in Dunsborough. 

Margaret River itself is a small town - and if we blinked we might have missed crossing the river! However the wider area is known for its stunning vineyards (we visited House of Cards, Amelia Park and had a beautiful meal at Xanadu Estate) and chocolate factories (Gabriel’s Chocolate was a particular highlight offering numerous samples!) , as well as some stunning coastal scenery at Canal Rocks and Surfers’ Point. From Surfers' Point there was also an unusual sight of the River meeting the Indian Ocean. No trip to Margaret River would be complete without making a little room in the hold luggage home for a bottle of wine, chocolate – and lemon curd! That said I think my nieces were perhaps more taken with the visit to Simmos Ice Creamery - but as their global award winning magic formula is based on an Irish recipe it would have been rude not to! Good food, wine and chocolate combined with some stunning views - I think a return visit might be necessary.