[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 10 November 2016]
This is a long overdue post about my short trip to Perth last year, but I thought I should still blog an entry for posterity sake. From 5 to 9 March 2015, I headed Down Under to Perth for a short getaway with my friend, VW. The main purpose of the trip was to catch one of my favourite rock bands, Foo Fighters, live in concert. My original intention was to travel alone, but I managed to persuade VW to come along with me in the end. This would be his first time in Perth and first time travelling overseas to watch a concert, so he was pretty excited about it.
On 5 March 2015, we took off on our Scoot flight, departing Singapore at 1:10pm and arriving at Perth International Airport at around 6:15pm. There is no time difference between Singapore and Perth. For the first night, VW and I went separate ways as I stayed over at my cousin’s place while he sought shelter at Emperor’s Crown hostel downtown.
Day 1: 6 March 2015
The next day, 6 March 2015, is officially the first day of the trip. That morning, I reunited with VW at the hostel. We had originally booked a dorm room but after seeing the place, he wasn’t too comfortable sharing a room with other people, so he changed our reservation to a private room instead. The price difference wasn’t much, so we only paid a bit more to get a small upgrade. It was worth it because the private room came with an attached bathroom, so it was more convenient and comfortable than the dorm room. After having breakfast in the café, it was time to explore the city.
This was my third time in Perth. The first time was when I was really young and I travelled with my family. The second time was in April 2008, when I travelled solo and I caught Foo Fighters in concert for the first time ever. They were so good that I knew I must definitely watch them live at least once more, so here I am again. For my previous trip, I stayed at two different hostels, Billabong Backpacker’s and the Perth City YHA hostel. I think Emperor’s Crown is better than Billabong as it is cleaner and tidier. Billabong had a more boisterous feel to it, and I remember the double decker beds creaked whenever the person sleeping on the upper deck turned around. The YHA was pretty consistent and was rather good as well.
Today, we explored the city on foot and our first destination was Kings Park. Perth’s city area is not that big and truth be told, there aren’t many attractions in Perth. Emperor’s Crown Hostel is located at 85 Stirling Street in the Northbridge area, just five minutes from the CBD and Perth train station. We walked down Barrack Street and down to the Swan River bay. I was dismayed to find that the area surrounding the Swan Bell Tower (the 82.5m tall structure is most distinct landmark in all of Perth) was undergoing improvement works. I remembered it was quite nice strolling on the riverside area last time round, with cyclists and joggers abound.
From there, we continued walking along the Esplanade and Mounts Bay Road, and found the staircase leading up to Kings Park. As Kings Park is located at the top of the hill, we had to climb a considerably long flight of steps before we finally reached the top. We came upon a long driveway, Fraser Avenue, flanked by stately trees at least 40m tall on each side. The lawns were green and immaculately manicured. It was very beautiful.
There was a viewing platform where we had a fantastic view of the Perth city skyline. I think it would be nicer to come here in the evening when the sun is setting. On this day however, the 11am sun was blazing fiercely upon us and the sky was a perfect blue with nary a cloud in sight. Even though the temperature was still quite cool, it was too sunny to be enjoyable, and we quickly sought refuge at an air-conditioned bookshop/gift shop. After a brief respite, we took a walk in the grounds to see what Kings Park had to offer.
Kings Park is 400 hectares and it houses the Western Australia Botanic Garden, home to over 3,000 species of WA’s flora. Two thirds of it is protected as bushland. There is also a treetop walk called the Lotterywest Federation Walkway. The whole walkway is 620m long, with the aerial section being 222m including a 52m arched bridge, which reaches a maximum height of 16m. In all, we spent about an hour at Kings Park.
To be honest, I feel that Singapore’s Botanic Gardens is nicer than Kings Park. Maybe it’s because our Botanic Gardens has more flowers and is thereby more colourful. Or maybe it’s just that our Botanic Gardens has an old school charm and conveys a feeling of grandeur, like an old dame that has stood resolute over the past century. Kings Park triumphs with its city skyline view though. As mentioned, I recommend visiting Kings Park in the late afternoon or early evening, when the sun is more merciful. I can imagine it would be rather nice to have a picnic in the park too.
From Kings Park, we walked down Harvest Terrace and Coolgardie Street and reached Watertown Brand Outlet Centre at about 12:30pm. When I visited in 2008, it was still called Harbour Town. Like all the other outlet malls around the world, Watertown contained popular brands like Levis, adidas, and Oakley. And like all the other outlet stores, the bargains are not that great and you can hardly find any good stuff worth buying. I did not buy a single thing in the end. We left after less than two hours, and decided to catch a tram back to the main city area instead of walking. The fare on the tram cost A$2.90 for a 1-zone standard ticket.
After lunch (I had a bowl of Vietnamese beef pho), we took the train from Perth City and alighted at Cottesloe Station at about 4pm. We then walked for about 12 minutes and we were soon greeted by the salty smell of the sea and a glittering blue expanse of Indian Ocean stretched out in front of us. It is little wonder that Cottesloe Beach is Perth’s favourite playground, especially on a beautiful, sunny day like this.
There was an art sculpture exhibition taking place at the time, and several installations were scattered all over the beach and on the grassy grounds. There was a good vibe all around and families were out in full force, even though it was a Friday afternoon. It was a nice day to be at the beach and we soaked it all in.
It’s true that some sunsets are more beautiful than others, and a sunset at Cottesloe Beach is one of the most beautiful of all. The sky was painted in hues of red, orange, yellow, light blue and dark blue, each colour merging seamlessly into the other, as if it was the work of a masterful painter. The ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, uninhibited and unencumbered by unsightly ships or tankers. It was a wonderful sight to behold, seeing the orange bob descending slowly until it suddenly just got swallowed by the ocean and disappeared into the horizon at precisely 6:48pm.
As soon as the sun set, the temperature turned chilly and I put on my jacket as we made our way back to the city. Dinner was a simple affair, a meal at fast food chain Oporto. End of Day One!
