Travel Zette

Arriving in Perth after a 3.5 hour flight from Bali (Ubud High, Bali Low), the dry, cool air was welcoming.  I was thrilled to be spending the next 3 months in Australia.  I wanted to take my time and only booked my travel to the next destination about 2 weeks in advance. I had chosen to stay at an Airbnb apartment near Northbridge and within walking distance to downtown Perth for the first 5 days.

The west coast of Australia was discovered in 1616 by Dutch navigators and the land named New Holland. Many of the Dutch names have remained here including the Swan River.  The Swan River Colony was named Perth at its founding in 1829 based on the town with the same name in Scotland.

I walked into Perth CBD (Central Business District) from Northbridge to see The Bell Tower, a must see landmark along the Swan River.

The 18 Swan Bells in this tower include 12 royal bells from St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, England dating from the 14th century and recast in the 16th century by Queen Elizabeth I.  The antique bells were given to Western Australia to commemorate the country’s 1988 Bicentennial.  On level 6 of the bell tower is the open air observation deck, with splendid 360 degree views of Perth along the Swan River.  There is also a 26 bell carillon and for a gold coin, I played ‘Over the Rainbow’.  You can view all the bells on levels 4 and 5 including the oldest bell in Australia dating from 1550 which is on display here.  The area around the bell tower named Elizabeth Quay was under construction and scheduled to be complete in 2016.

 

I had met a lovely couple on my Far East Adventure cruise and they lived in Perth.  What a wonderful time they showed me, dinner in Northbridge one of my first nights.  They also took me on a wonderful day long tour of Fremantle.  We started at the Sail and Anchor Pub in Fremantle, dating from the early 1900s, with a stout beer and lemonade combo, quite tasty!  We walked through the local market and then had a great seafood lunch of scallops, calamari, shrimp, oysters and fish topped off with a lovely glass of white wine and view of Fremantle Harbour.  We walked back though town and they introduced me to Dome coffee…I was hooked!  It was a wonderful treat as we sat outside on a lovely autumn day.  In the evening, they provided a homemade chicken curry soup for dinner which was amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After five days in Perth, I rented a car and drove north.  My first views of the Indian Ocean with its jeweled blue green colors reminding me of Australian gems was stunning.  This part of the Indian Ocean Drive is known as the Turquoise Coast.  Huge white sand dunes, a distance from the ocean in the green scrub, were mesmerizing and looked almost like giant snow drifts.  I drove to The Pinnacles in Nambung National Park arriving in the late afternoon.  Just as I had seen in so many photos, magnificent, stone pillars bathed in tan colored sand.  I drove the 4 kilometre (2.5 miles) Pinnacle Loop twice.  It is not paved but easy to drive and marked by boulders with places to pull over and take photos.   There were persistent flies everywhere, getting into my eyes, ears and mouth.  A few people had netting attached to a hat but I was not prepared nor did I anticipate so many flies in late April.  I stopped at the Desert Lookout along the Pinnacle Loop to view the sunset.  The limestone pillars rising out of the sand with the deep blue of the Indian Ocean at sunset was enchanting.  I tried to enjoy this iconic view and get photos even with the incredible annoyance of the flies.  As I drove out of the Park not long after sunset, I saw a sign on the road to watch for kangaroos.  Not more than 100 feet from the sign, there was a large kangaroo just sitting by the side of the road.  I drove by slowly and when I looked in the rearview mirror, I saw him hop across the road.  Mighty kind of him to wait for me!

I spent the night in Cervantes and the next morning before sunrise, returned to The Pinnacles.  Not many people were around, it was quiet and cool with few flies until after the sun came up.  I had arrived just as the sky started getting light.  I walked out to the 1.5 kilometer Loop Trail and started walking along the path.  The landscape was beautiful and calm with the early morning light shining on the pinnacles (some up to 4 meters high) and casting long shadows in the warm beige sand with the sparkling jeweled blue of the Indian Ocean in the distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After stopping at the Pinnacles Interpretive Hall, I drove south for 5 hours to Margaret River, a popular wine growing region and tourist area on the western coast of Australia.  I had reserved another Airbnb in a lovely home for my 4 days here.

The first morning, I drove down to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, the tallest on the mainland at 123 metres (403 feet), and is at southwestern tip of the Australian continent.  I took the popular tour to climb the winding staircase inside the lighthouse and stepped out to see the awesome panoramic view of where the Indian and Southern oceans meet.  The waves crashing and dazzling blues of the water were amazing on this sunny day.  On the drive back to Margaret River, I stopped in Augusta, Hamelin Bay and drove along Old Caves Road through a beautiful Karri tree forest.  This is a popular vacation spot for western Australians and I can see why, beautiful scenery and spectacular coastal vistas.

On my second day in Margaret River and at the recommendation of my friends in Perth, I went to the Berry Farm, where I had fresh scones and coffee with local jam, a perfect morning treat!  I then drove out to the Ellenbrook Homestead which unfortunately was not open but I walked to a waterfall with an inspiring love story and butterfly showing me the way.  There was a beach nearby with spectacular waves breaking along the Indian Ocean. It was just me on the raised platform and I sat on the wood bench taking in the magnificent view of the waves crashing ashore as the sun came in out of the clouds.  On my return to my Airbnb, I stopped at the Colonial Brewery enjoying a burger and Porter, a delicious meal!

The next day, I took a Margaret River Winery Tour which picked me up mid-morning at my accommodation.  We visited six wineries enjoying great tastings and had lunch at the beautiful Voyager Estate that has an Australian flag mounted on a 30 metre flagpole and at 15 metres by 7.5 metres, is one of the largest flags in Australia.  We also made stops at a chocolate store and cheese shop as well. It was a nice, relaxing day with only three of us on the tour.

I drove back to Perth on ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) day taking in the views of the countryside and lovely blue coast of the Indian Ocean.  My friends in Perth had taken me to Kings Park my first night as it was preparing for ANZAC day ceremonies.  I had been to Turkey in 2011, a few weeks before the ANZAC celebration there and was very moved by the grounds and memorial at Gallipoli.

Checking into my next Airbnb, dark chocolate Tim Tams were my gift from the hosts.  It was my first taste of this Aussie cookie (called a biscuit or ‘bicky’ by Australians).  I loved them and would seek them out in grocery markets throughout my stay in this country! Before I turned in my rental car, I drove out to Cottesloe Beach to see some of the unique sculptures by local artists along the Indian Ocean.

On my last day, I walked into Perth, enjoying a Dome coffee and reflecting on the time spent in Western Australia.  Perth is a lovely city that in my opinion is on the rise.  Great weather, beautiful beaches, wine country and good restaurants.  No Starbucks here but not needed with a great coffee company called Dome in several locations.  Perth is not as popular a destination as Melbourne or Sydney for foreign tourists or Australians but the city is working on updating and adding attractions.  It reminds me of California before the rise in population and I highly recommend going to see Perth and Western Australia as I suspect it too will be much more populous in the future.