A long old flight from Manchester via Qatar. I found myself in a middle seat in the near 11 hour leg from Doha to Perth, and I am already contemplating paying to select my seat on my return home in April…
I arrived in Perth at around 7pm on a Sunday evening full of good intentions to use public transport to get me to my accommodation in the centre of Perth. However, Sunday evening public transport was not fully operating, and, as I was absolutely knackered, I opted for an Uber. 25 minutes later I was checking in to my hostel in Perth’s Northbridge area. (The train runs from the airport to the city centre in 20 mins or so, but was not doing so on this particular Sunday evening)
At this point I hadn’t slept in over 24 hours and so I pretty much crashed out as soon as I got to my bed
As I was staying in a hostel (https://www.spinnershostel.com.au) I headed out the next morning to the local IGA supermarket to get some provisions. Then after brekkie I decided to try and get my bearings by wandering around Perth CBD, firstly to Elizabeth Quay, and then through the malls in search of lunch.
After lunch I headed towards the museum Boola Bardip to learn about Western Australia. To my surprise, they had a special exhibition about the Terracotta Warriers on display. This, unbelievably, is not the first time I’ve accidentally seen the Terracotta Warriers. In my ‘New York to Chicago’ post, I wrote about seeing them unexpectedly when in Chicago almost 10 years ago. They were just as incredible this time round. And I also learned a bit about WA in the rest of the museum from the indigenous populations to the early European settlers. It’s certainly very interesting to read the histories of these populations…
The Terracotta Warriers at the WA Museum Boola Bardip
After a lot of walking it was time to head back to base for dinner and sleep as I try (and so far fail) to sort out my jet lag.
My plans for the next day involved taking the train out to Fremantle and Cottesloe. A leisurely morning following by an approximately 30 minute train ride ($10.40/£5.20 for a day ticket) from Perth CBD out to Fremantle, and despite the 30c+ heat I found some AC in the Maritime Museum. A well timed visit on the 2nd Tuesday of the month meant that entrance was via donation instead of the usual fee. A nice way to spend an hour in a cooler environment. Afterwards I walked through Fremantle town, I loved the relaxed vibe here, and the more colonial-style buildings. Perhaps it would have been better to visit on a weekend to coincide with the Fremantle Markets, but I can’t have everything. But look at the blue sky…
I then took the train back a few stops to Cottesloe, another relaxed beach-side suburb of Perth with a beautiful beach which was surprisingly busy at 3.30 on a random Tuesday afternoon. A sign of the lifestyle here. After a wander and a gelato, I headed back into Perth and readied myself for a very early start the next day for a trip south to Margaret River
I am in and around Perth until the 26th so there will be a part 2 at some point…
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