First time to Perth for me and I have to say, it wasn’t at all what I expected. I’m not sure why, but I thought that it would be crowded & busy – and I was pleasantly surprised. It is a huge city – spread out but it did not feel crowded at all. And the coastline was beautiful (not as beautiful as NZ mind, but then again, you’d expect me to say that wouldn’t you?).
We spent the first few days exploring the city. The 3 CAT buses (FREE transport – yes that’s right, completely free, hop on, hop off) allow you to pretty much explore all of Perth City for no cost at all). There’s a double-decker bus tour as well (which brought back memories of my travels to Madrid & Rome) so I couldn’t resist a bit of trip on that too.
The Highway. Hardly a car on a road! Such a change from Bangkok!
A visit to Perth Mint is a must. They no longer pour the everyday gold bars there anymore – only the commemorative bars, and commemorative coins are poured there. It’s very security conscious still, and no photos can be taken inside. We watched a gold pour – the same gold has been melted down, made into a gold bar, then melted down again for the last 20 or so years and it’s still 96% pure gold!
Outside Perth Mint
The Esplanade was in walking distance from our hotel, and home to the Bell Tower. We climbed up the many steps inside the Bell Tower (but not during the time the bells ring, thank goodness!). The view from the top was worth the climb, and the bells themselves where quite impressive.
Tomorrow, we’re off to see koalas and kangeroos and catch up with my Uncle, whom I haven’t seen for quite a few years!