Like Adelaide, Perth was more of another rest leg of my Australia trip, an opportunity to sit down, relax, and recover from all that occurred the week before. I don’t think I would even be including Western Australia in my itinerary if I had no family to visit there, not to mention the cheapo flight ticket I got from Air Asia X. And so that is clear, I did not go to Perth for sightseeing, although we still managed to squeeze in an attraction or two in the form of Kings Park and Botanic Garden.
What about Perth? Well, it lies within the same time zone as Manila and is considered to be the most remote city in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I think I read that somewhere online. If you consider distances, though, a simple glance at the map of Australia will show you how isolated and far away this city is from all the other state capitals down under. It’s as if all of their ancestors scrambled to get a piece of land on the eastern seaboard and just realized later on that there’s still a lot of real estate left in the west.
In terms of creature comforts, I’d say that Perth is just fine. It is not, in any way, a hassle to live there. The residents seem to be well taken care of by the government just like everywhere else in the country, although I understand that there seems to be some sort of discrepancy in terms of business and job opportunities which I heard from some news bits on television. Would I relocate to Perth given the chance? Yes. Would I die of boredom there? Probably. But hey, anywhere that is more convenient than Metro Manila is better, no?
And so in between sleeping, catching up with family I haven’t seen in almost a decade, and watching the latest episode of Game of Thrones despite the fact that I’m not even done with Season 3 yet, we found ourselves driving to the park, which is not bad at all. It was cloudy and raining, which is always a bummer, but the drizzle gave way when we got out of the car and allowed us to explore the place. It was wet and slippery but it was a nice stroll nonetheless.
One of the good things to note about Kings Park is that it is located on elevated ground which grants you a good panoramic view of the CBD and the quay right next to it. If you love cityscapes and panoramic shots, then you will be getting both as a bonus if ever you decide to go there. As for the park itself, well there are shops, cafes, toilets, and even restaurants if my eyes weren’t tricking me. Everything you need for a family day break not far from the city can be conveniently found there.
We went there on ANZAC Memorial Day so there were traces of the celebration that happened earlier that morning as well as preparations for the commemoration later in the arvo. At the middle of the area close to the parking lot was a blazing flame surrounded by colorful flowers. An obelisk had been erected right by the viewing deck to commemorate Australia’s war heroes. The background consists of the skyscrapers of the CBD to the left and the vast body of water right next to it to the right. All in all, the view is really pretty.
The drive through the CBD going back home reminded me of San Francisco. Well, just a little bit! Perhaps it was the ambiance and the relatively colder temperature that day because of the rain. I remember wanting to go back to the CBD the next day to explore but it rained really hard and I opted for more sleep before the early and rather long flight waiting for me the next day. In a way, this Perth trip just gave me a glimpse of life in WA, and I am definitely coming back. I mean, hello, Air Asia X is always on sale!
Just a week before I arrived, a friend on Instagram kept posting photos of WA, but not particularly Perth. It seems as though there is a lot to see for nature lovers but it involves driving for around two to three hours to get there. And so if I may suggest, do yourself a favor and rent a car. If you can drive anyway, I’m sure you’re bound to find good spots scattered across the state without trying too hard. I don’t drive, so I guess I’ll drag someone else who does when I go back!
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