28 November 2023, Tuesday

I was woken up at around 4am because one of my hostel room mates was snoring loudly. Since I was awake, I went to use the toilet. Perhaps also being awakened by my footsteps, he stopped snoring after that, thankfully. However, I couldn’t get back into deep sleep, and decided to get out of bed at around 6am. Despite the less than restful sleep, I felt physically better than yesterday. I checked the weather forecast and saw that it was 19 degrees C outside, with rainy conditions expected from 7am to 10am.

After washing up, I rented a bicycle from my G Hostel reception. There were five Papillionaire bicycles and they were available on a first-come, first-served basis. Hostel guests could use them for free and there was no time limit, which was really great. I picked the yellow one. It had three gears and it proved to be a very smooth ride. In Australia, helmets are mandatory while cycling, so a helmet was provided too. Luckily, I brought along my Singapore driver’s licence, as they required a photo ID to exchange for use of the bicycle.

The free bicycle rental was something I really appreciated because I had actually made plans to rent one from a shop called Cycle Centre near my hostel. It would have cost me A$30 (S$26.28) for a day’s rental. I ended up using the hostel’s bicycles on three days of my trip, so it saved me a good sum of money and a whole lot of convenience. For that, I give Hostel G Perth 5 stars!

I left the hostel at 7:30am and cycled to a café called Little Willy’s located at 267 William Street. While lazing in bed earlier, I did a search on Google Maps for potential breakfast places nearby. The rating and reviews for Little Willy’s were pretty good so I decided to give it a try.

Little Willy’s was a small and cosy eatery, with mismatched tables and chairs for furniture. There were a few other people dining in so I shared a large table with a couple. The lady boss was very friendly and she seemed to know many of her customers by name. Evidently, many of the patrons were regulars. I liked the vibes at Little Wily’s immediately. If I were ever to migrate to Perth, I would love to work in a place like that.

I ordered eggs on toast with bacon and a large cup of flat white, amounting to A$22.40 (S$19.62). The coffee was served in a huge cup. The bacon and scrambled eggs were very well done, especially the bacon, which was suitably greasy, just the way I liked it. The breakfast reminded me of a restaurant in Melbourne called Greasy Joe’s, which I visited in 2007. Overall, I was very pleased with my breakfast. It was an excellent start to the day.

After breakfast, I started my cycling expedition. I have been to Perth several times before but I never cycled around the city and suburbs so I thought this would be a good way to cover some of my favourite places and see them from a different point of view. Before going to bed last night, I devised my route so I roughly knew where to go. I also consulted the Destination Perth website (click here), which provides a lot of useful information about the various cycling trails around the city and surrounds.

From Little Willy’s, I cycled down William Street and soon reached Yagan Square, a public space located at a busy intersection between the Perth railway station, Busport, Northbridge and CBD area. Massive redevelopment works were taking place at Yagan Square to transform it into a vibrant new destination and hospitality offering. It will be very different in one or two years’ time. I then turned right and cycled along Wellington Street, one of the main roads in the Perth city centre.

It was quickly apparent to me that Perth is a very bike-friendly city. There is a comprehensive network of cycle and dual-use paths that are clearly demarcated. Many of the roads in the city also have dedicated bike lanes and holding areas marked out in green at the traffic junctions to indicate where cyclists can wait before making a turn. Cyclists can also cycle on pavements where there are no bike paths, and pedestrians seem tolerant of cyclists who do so. It is perhaps unfair to compare this with Singapore as our pavements are narrower and there are a lot more pedestrians in our dense city.

After cycling past RAC Arena, I made a left turn down George Street towards Parliament House. I initially wanted to drop by Kings Park and Botanic Garden but I couldn’t find the bike lane to Fraser Avenue. Furthermore, going to Kings Park required an uphill ride and I wasn’t feeling 100% yet so I decided to give it a miss this time round. Anyway, I had visited Kings Park during my last trip in 2015, and it is best explored on foot as the park is huge.

I found myself cycling on the bike path beside John Oldham Park and soon reached the Point Lewis Rotary roundabout. I cycled under the Kwinana Freeway and crossed the road to Birdiya Drive. From there, I cycled in a westerly direction on the bike path running parallel to Mounts Bay Road. This stretch of bike path was very enjoyable as it was uninterrupted and had a gorgeous view of the Swan River on my left, with a nice breeze and morning sun. Many locals were also cycling up and down this stretch.

At about 9am, I caught sight of the famous Crawley Edge Boatshed, also known as the Blue Boat House. This boatshed was originally built in the early 1930s and was first bought over by the Nattrass family in 1944 when they purchased the land behind the boatshed for their family home. It changed hands several times until 2001, when it was again bought by a member of the Nattrass family, Peter Nattrass, who was Perth’s Lord Mayor from 1995 to 2007. The Lord Mayor and his sons renovated the boatshed and repainted it blue. The refurbished boatshed was relaunched in 2004 by two esteemed Perth sailors Jon Sanders and David Dicks. The Blue Boat House has since become an iconic landmark in Perth.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were no other people at the Blue Boat House besides me. This is likely because of its location, as there are no carparks or roadside parking available nearby. It really is just a boat shed by the water’s edge along the busy Mounts Bay Road. I wasn’t complaining about the lack of crowds because it meant that I could take as many photos as I wanted.

Set against the backdrop of the vast Swan River, the Blue Boat House stood on its own in the water, connected to the land by a wooden jetty. It was a lovely morning with puffy white clouds hanging in the blue sky. The whole scene was simply perfect. I spent about 20 minutes at the Blue Boat House before I continued cycling west.

I soon reached Crawley, an affluent western suburb of Perth. There, I deviated from the path along the Swan River bank and cycled by the main road, where Mounts Bay Road merged into Stirling Highway. My curiosity was piqued when I passed by a beautiful building beside the road and decided to swing in to see what it was.

It was the campus of the University of Western Australia (UWA), the first university of Perth, established in 1911. The beautiful building that caught my eye was Winthrop Hall, built in 1932. It was shaped like a cathedral and had graceful arched columns and tall, slim windows. The hall serves as an auditorium and it can also host choral and symphonic performances.

In front of the hall was a reflection pool and a large grass patch. The other buildings around the hall also looked very classic. The entire setting was quaint and grand, and I stood there for a few minutes just to soak up the views of the beautiful university campus. I would never have discovered this place if I weren’t on a bicycle. That’s the beauty of cycling – you can stop whenever something catches your eye and discover some unexpected gems in the process.

After UWA, the bike path disappeared gradually so I cycled on the pavement. It was also getting chilly so I put on my jacket. Stirling Highway is a major thoroughfare linking the western suburbs to the city so the road was pretty busy. I cycled through the suburbs of Nedlands and Claremont before reaching Cottesloe Beach at around 10:15am.

Cottesloe Beach is Perth’s most iconic beach and a popular area for swimming and surfing. Out of Perth’s 19 white sand beaches, Cottesloe is arguably the prettiest and most charming. The Indiana Teahouse beachfront building is also one of Perth’s most recognisable landmarks. It houses the Indigo Oscar restaurant, a café, changing rooms and shower facilities. While I was there, the sky was overcast and it was drizzling lightly. As a result, there were not many people around and the beach wasn’t as pretty as it usually is.

When I last came here in March 2015, it was late-afternoon and the weather was much better. I lay on the beach and witnessed a beautiful sunset. There were also plenty of art installations scattered along the beach as it coincided with the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition, which takes place annually in March at Cottesloe Beach. Hence, I enjoyed my last visit to Cottesloe Beach more. Nevertheless, it was still a joy to see the open sea without any large shipping vessels in the water. We don’t get these views in Singapore.

I continued cycling north towards Swanbourne Beach. The beachfront houses lining Marine Parade road were gorgeous, with million-dollar views of the Indian Ocean. Many locals were enjoying their morning walk, some with their dogs. I can only imagine how nice it is to live here.

The further north I cycled, the better the weather became. The drizzle had fizzled out and the sun came out again. I decided it would be a pity to come all the way to Perth and not use the beach, so I stopped at Swanbourne Beach for some beach time. Arguably, Swanbourne Beach is nicer than Cottesloe Beach because it is quieter and much less crowded. It was nice to feel the soft, white sand on my feet and the warm rays of the morning sun against my skin.

After getting my fix of Vitamin Sea and D, I hopped on my bike again and headed to a café called Daisies for lunch. Once again, I did a search on Google Maps for cafes in the vicinity and Daisies popped up. Technology is really amazing – with affordable mobile data on a local SIM card, navigation on Google Maps and restaurant listings with ratings and reviews, it is now so easy to discover new places and move around in a foreign country without getting lost.

The scenery en route to Daisies was stunning. I especially loved the towering pine trees flanking Grant Street. Some of the bungalows along the road were quite posh and had beautifully-manicured gardens. The vibe here was very relaxing and nice. I could live here.

Daisies is located at the corner of Grant and Marmion Streets in Cottesloe. Besides being a café, it is also a delicatessen selling fruits, yoghurt, drinks and more. They even have their own range of merchandise. Daisies had a very laid back and chill ambience, a nice place for friends to hang out over coffee.

I asked the staff for recommendations on what to eat and she suggested a Jaffles special. I had no idea what a jaffle was, and she explained that it was a toasted sandwich. I also ordered a mixed berry smoothie because I was craving for something cold. The bill came up to A$18.50 (S$16.37).

As it turned out, the jaffle was a sandwich made by toasting two slices of bread together in a special jaffle iron. This iron device was created by an Australian man named Dr Ernest Smithers in 1949 and he named it “jaffle” because it was similar to a waffle iron. The jaffle iron seals the edges of the bread together, creating a pocket that is filled with various ingredients like cheese and ham. Indeed, cheese was oozing out of my jaffle. I love anything with lots of cheese in it, so this jaffles special was a winner. The smoothie was also very refreshing. In all, I enjoyed my lunch at Daisies very much. Highly recommended!

I left Daisies at 1:30pm and made my way back to the city centre. Instead of backtracking the same way via Stirling Highway/Mounts Bay Road, I decided to follow the Fremantle train line instead. Upon reaching Grant Street station, I was pleased to see that there was a bike path running parallel to the train tracks. That made the cycling so much more enjoyable as it was uninterrupted for most part compared to Stirling Highway, which had many traffic junctions in the residential areas. The weather was perfect for cycling too, as it was sunny but not at all humid.

I lost sight of the bike path when I reached Subiaco as the train line went underground for a stretch, so I cycled on the pavement along Roberts Road. I passed by the Subiaco Municipal Oval and went in for a quick look. This was formerly the grounds of Subiaco Oval, the largest stadium in Western Australia with a capacity of 43,500. It was used for Australian Football League (AFL) matches and concerts by major artistes such as Adele, U2, Bon Jovi and AC/DC.

Subiaco Oval closed in 2017 after the completion of the much larger Perth Stadium (currently named Optus Stadium, total capacity of 61,266) in Burswood, and the old stadium was demolished in 2019. What’s left are the historic entrance gates, the player dugouts and 250 of the original wooden grandstand seats. The oval playing surface has been retained and it is now part of Bob Hawke College.

Robert Street eventually led to Wellington Street and after cycling for a while more, I arrived at Watertown Brand Outlet Centre (click here) at 2:15pm. Located at 840 Wellington Street, Watertown is Western Australia’s original brand outlet mall offering a mix of international brands and Australian brands like Bonds, Smiggle and Cotton On. Touting itself as the home of big brand bargains, the website states that it has over 100 retailers. However, only 60-plus stores were open at the time of my visit; many were shuttered.

Shoppers looking for luxury brands will be disappointed as the stores are mostly catered to casual and mid-range shoppers. There’s no Coach or Armani Exchange, or even Nike here. Adidas, Levi’s and Puma are what you get. Most of the discounts in the stores weren’t great either. Perhaps the only good value items were the men’s underwear from Calvin Klein. At about 4:20pm, I left Watertown and cycled to Murray Street to check out the shops that I missed yesterday.

I went to the huge Myer department store at Forrest Chase mall and was happy to see that the Black Friday sales were still on. I bought a colourful shirt from Kenji, a streetwear brand known for its loud and vibrant designs. The shirt was on 40% discount and I was very happy with my purchase. I then popped over to Kmart to buy a padlock (S$5/S$4.38) because I forgot to bring one along with me from Singapore. After that, I cycled back to my hostel and arrived at 5:45pm.

I took a shower and packed my stuff, getting ready for tomorrow’s programme. However, it was then when I realised that the number padlock I just bought from Kmart was faulty as the combination could not be changed. It was also very flimsy and poor in quality. Exasperated, I grabbed the bicycle again and went back to Kmart to buy a much sturdier padlock with keys (A$7.50/S$6.57), and cycled back to the hostel. I ended up wasting more money and time, which could have been prevented if I had bought the more expensive key padlock in the first place.

I was also irked to discover that the sheets on my bed had been removed for some reason (they likely thought I had checked out), and I had to spread my bedsheet, pillow case and comforter cover all over again. It’s not the easiest thing to do when you’re occupying the upper bunk bed. All that added to my annoyance but I took them in my stride, because I know that not everything goes to plan when you’re travelling.

At 7:05pm, I left the hostel and walked to The Ellington Jazz Club (click here) located one street away at 191 Beaufort Street, arriving five minutes later. I paid a cover charge of A$30 (S$26.28) to enter. The cover charge does not include any food or drinks.

One of the things I like to do when I’m overseas is to visit a bar with a good band and listen to some live music. The Ellington Jazz Club prides itself as Australia’s best jazz club. It is open seven nights a week and presents more than 500 shows per year, featuring the cream of Australian talent, both local and interstate, in an intimate environment.

The programme for tonight was billed No Time For Talkers: Celebrating Niels Rosendahl. It was unlike any other night as it was a special tribute concert to celebrate the life of Niels Rosendahl, an Australian saxophonist, composer and arranger who passed away in September. A total of 27 artists, both from Perth and interstate, had come together to perform a number of Niels’ works for varied jazz ensembles. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to Niels’ family.

Hence, I found myself in a slightly awkward situation as everyone else in the room was a family member, friend or ex-colleague of Niels. I was the only one who had no connection to Niels. I knew about this special tribute concert beforehand as it was listed on the Ellington Jazz Club website, but I still chose to come tonight because this was likely my only available night. It was not a private event because tickets were available to the public, and they were also livestreaming the event on the Internet, so it wasn’t wrong for me to be present, just a little out of place. But perhaps my being there was an affirmation of the legacy left behind by Niels – that his music and life could be shared with not just the people he knew, but a complete stranger from Singapore as well.

The doorman who sold me the ticket initially told me that they were fully booked for tonight, but he squeezed me in seeing that I was a solo guest. He assigned me to a long table with high chairs, which had a pretty good view of the stage. I was famished so I ordered a Potato & Prosciutto pizza (A$33.69/S$29.85) and a Ginger Ale (A$5.10/S$4.52). The pizza was huge and it came with garlic potato, caramelised onion, Prosciutto (thinly-sliced dry-cured ham) and Rocket leaves. I felt a bit self-conscious seated at the table while many other guests stood behind me, but the pizza helped to justify my seat as I needed a table for my food; the rest of the guests were only having drinks.

The programme started at 7:35pm. An emcee set the tone for the night by explaining the intent of tonight’s performance, which was to celebrate and remember Niels’ life. A five-piece ensemble comprising a trumpeter, saxophonist, bassist, drummer and pianist kicked off the proceedings by performing two of Niels’ original compositions. Niels’ wife also performed two songs. The first was a song she wrote for Niels, and she sang it while strumming the ukulele. The second was an instrumental tune she co-composed with Niels. I was very impressed by her drumming.

While the first set was more personal and felt like a tribute to Niels, the second set was more like a conventional jazz set. The 17 members of The Western Australian Jazz Project squeezed onto the stage and dazzled with their musicianship and chemistry. Niels was the artistic director of the ensemble for a gig earlier this year. The band was very tight musically and Niels would have been proud of their performance.

There was also a sombre moment when the Commanding Officer of the Air Force Band (whom Niels was previously a part of) went on stage to present a medal and plaque to Niels’ wife. We all rose as a bugler performed the mournful Last Post, a cavalry trumpet call typically used to commemorate those who had died in war, like a final farewell. It was a heartrending moment as sobs could be heard around the room.

I am not a stranger to these proceedings as I was coincidentally also in the Air Force Band during National Service. However, I was a drummer and not a bugler or trumpeter. I have heard Last Post being performed on a few occasions, and it always brings a tear to my eye. The concert ended around 10:10pm and I took a short walk back to my hostel. I quietly plopped myself into bed, trying my best not to disturb my room mates who were already asleep.

I thought about the concert as I lay in bed that night. Even though I did not know Niels at all, I felt moved by the whole experience. I thought that was the best way to celebrate a person’s life – not through tears, but through music. The anecdotes and stories that some of the members shared during the concert were very touching. In a way, it was cathartic for his closest family and friends as well, as they were able to laugh together as they reminisced those special moments. Perhaps they even learned things about Niels that they didn’t know before, as the stories covered various aspects of his life and career.

It was a celebration of life, and I would very much like to have something like that when I eventually leave this world…a gathering of my closest family and friends, with a live band playing some of my favourite songs, sharing stories about what we went through together in school, band, army, work and life. Happy tears, not sad ones. Yes, I would like that very much.