Thanks to the extension of the Circuit Breaker, I have had more time on my hands and my itchy fingers naturally found its way back to WordPress again. Amidst all the gloom and doom of not being able to travel, recounting my travelling experience makes me feel a little better.

Background

• Two of us on a 7-day trip during a Good Friday long weekend in April
• Both are introverts
• We wanted to buy our first pair of sunglasses
• Halal food is preferred for one, but generally open to vegetarian options
• One of us loves thrill, while the other leads a peaceful life
• We were not allowed to drive (so we used public transport)
• Perth was our home base, and we traveled out daily
• Stayed at Parmelia Hilton Hotel (recommended for its very good location!)

General Observations

Australians take their Good Friday very seriously, so the city centre was quiet and most shops were closed during the weekend when we arrived on a Sunday. The shops were also slow to open on the next working day. It may be good or bad depending on how you see it.

Perth’s public transport system, was a little difficult to understand – in terms of the stops and the ticketing process. Which is pretty ironic, because their routes and lines are really simple and sparse. We got around using Google Maps or Transperth mostly. There are free buses to get around the city centre at the Central Area Transit bus stops which helps you get around slightly better, but sometimes better off walking to get to your destination due to time and space.

In the city centre, there are so many bus stops, but you have to figure out which bus stops where. We missed our stop a few times, and the Bus Captain was kind to drop us at a bus stop before it left the City. We were also stumped when we took the train at first because we didn’t know how to purchase the tickets and read the train lines. Some trains do not stop in-between stations, similar to Japan.

Oh also do note, if you buy a cash ticket, it will have an expiry time printed on it. You can ride on any number of bus, train or ferry services to complete your journey provided you get on board before the expiry time. Just hop on the next bus and show the ticket to the bus captain.

We were also not used to the culture, probably? We had to walk a distance to get to the bus stop, had a long wait at the bus stops, with an average bus timings of 15 to 20 minutes, and on top of that, the operating hours are insanely short! We were at Cottlesloe Beach for dinner and their last bus was like 8.00pm (if I remember correctly). We had to walk so far through housing estates with VERY LITTLE lights, we just kept running as much as we could to get out of this black space…to catch another last bus at another bus stop.

It was difficult to flag a taxi if you are in the suburbs late night. May be easier to book via apps. We did eventually flag a taxi, but it took a while. Fares were relatively affordable given the distance traveled from the suburbs to our hotel.

Itinerary

This itinerary was not the best as it was really packed, but I was satisfied being able to explore as many things as we could given the limited 7 days. I had a ball of a time as I completed my bucket list.

To fully experience what Western Australia has to offer, more than 7 days is needed for sure.

Day 1	Relax and Unwind	Watertown Outlet Elizabeth Quay	-Kebab at Watertown -Gusto Gelato -Fish& Chips by the Quay
Day 2	The City	Graffiti Lanes Target Woolsworth Target Watertown JB Hi-Fi Cottlesloe Beach	-Koko Black (Hot Chockee and chocos) -Utopia (Bubble Tea!) -Toast Face
Day 3	Exploring North of Perth	Klook Tour: Pinnacles Koalas & Sand Boarding 4WD Adventure Caversham Wildlife Park in the Swan Valley Rock lobster processing factory in Cervantes Pinnacles Desert 4 wheel drive over sand dunes in Lancelin Sand boarding	-Lobster Shack (Halal option available) -Dinner at Hotel
Day 4	Exploring South of Perth	Klook tour: Margaret River Day Tour from Perth Busselton Jetty Market town of Margaret River Premium winery Taste fine chocolate made from freshly roasted cacao beans at a Chocolatier Stop Yahava Koffee Works	-Crooked Carrot -Lunch at a Margaret River Vineyard -Room Service for Supper
Day 5	Fancy a Quokka Selfie?	Rottnest Island Skydiving Cycling	-Simmos (yummy Ice cream) -Lane Cafe
Day 6	Seaside Treats	Blue Boathouse Fremantle Market Salvation Army Fremantle Prison Art galleries Kmart	-Lunch at Cicerello (Most enjoyable lunch for me) -San Churros
Day 7	Top of the World	King’s Park Northbridge Coles	-Northbridge -Chimek

Fun Things to Do

1. Shopping at Watertown Outlet Mall and Thrift Shops

The items are really cheap, as compared to buying it in Singapore. Also managed to buy our first pair of sunglasses with the staff’s help at Sunglass Hut comfortably! First thought here was to bring the family over just to shop. Fossil and Puma had such a huge discount at that time as well.

There were many thrift shops to check out at Fremantle too. My favourite was the Salvation Army, which were more well-kept so that the quality was better maintained as compared to the other thrift shops.

2. Klook Tours

Because we couldn’t drive on our own, we booked Klook Tours, and both tour guides were wonderful in their own ways. On Day 3, we had a senior looking man driving us (and talking to us simultaneously!). I remember he had to stop some times as he told us there were many vehicles on the road and he has to be careful. Basic census knowledge of Western Australia was also at his fingertips. His accent was strong so it was a little hard to catch, but I enjoyed it.

He explained clearly how things were formed over millions of years at The Pinnacles. These rocks were made from calcium and trees, and stones and fossils formed over time. He also begged us to not be like the other idiots who stand on these rocks, and to appreciate the efforts of nature in actually forming these over a long period of time.

My favourite was definitely the Lancelin Sand Dunes! It was so fun sandboarding, and the 4Wheel Drive which made us jump in our seats. The guide was so fun and laidback, and we even stood at the bottom of the Idiana Ocean, where the sand is always whiter and softer than normal sand. Amazing!

As we had so many locations to visit in one day, the timing for each place we visit was efficient. At the Caversham Wildlife Park, we were lucky enough to be the only ones in the Park and interacted with the kangaroos, wombats and koalas all to ourselves.

On Day 4, it was a Margaret River Drive with an all women team, with eventful incidents. Someone fainted during the tour and had to be sent to the hospital, on board was an elderly solo lady with a walking stick, and people with carsickness, and we stopped by the road to catch a breath.

The silver lining was that we were treated to another beautiful location not in the tour, and a beautiful sunset at a detour of Busselton Jetty.

3. Catching Sunsets

Truly, experiencing it first hand feels magical, no matter how many times you see it in Western Australia.

Sunsets at : Cottlesloe Beach, Lancelin Sand Dunes, On a Ferry from Rottenest Island, Busselton Jetty.

The night view is also pretty with the skyline at Elizabeth Boat Quay. Spot their famous ‘Spanda’ in the background, a 29m tall design represents ripples and links the Swan River, land and sky.

4. Graffiti Lanes

See them at Wolf’s Lane, Grand Lane, Prince Lane, and His Majesty’s Theatre. The Graffiti Lanes are pretty near each other. We went to the places before lunch on a weekday and spotted only two to three small groups visiting the area like us. Plenty of space and time to take those Instagrammable shots.

We also spotted some near Watertown Outlet.

5. Rottnest Island

Heart was full when I saw the QUOKKAS.

You can enjoy many land, air and sea activities here. You can even snorkel at the Little Salmon Bay.

Cycling allows more opportunity to explore the paths and stop whenever you see quokkas, but is very tiring as you have to keep cycling up and down countless hills. Another option is to take the bus that you can hop on or off anytime at specific spots to explore.

6. Skydiving

Decided to book a 8,000ft skydive at Geronimo Skydive. Views, thrills plenty! Although I do recommend going higher than 8,000 ft as the free fall time was quite short. A roller coaster feels scarier though.

7. Kmart/Coles/Woolsworth/Priceline/Target

Also remember to bring your own grocery bags when you head to their markets as some don’t provide plastic bags. So many items that I didn’t know I needed till I visited them.

Do buy Panadol in Aussie. Super cheap and in bigger quantities, it was my most favourite buy for the family.

8. Comic Shops and CD Shops

Comics are so affordable here and they have the latest and old titles. There is ComicZone and Quality Comics in the city centre. And their CD shops still sells disc-man and boombox! Will def get one when I have my own house.

9. Blue Boathouse & King’s Park

Also known as Crawley Edge Boat Shed, many people visit this to take photos. Be prepared to queue. It is also in the middle of nowhere, and public transport is a chore. Beautiful despite all the troubles though.

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King’s Park is green and natural, equipped with a long suspension bridge to run about. There is also multiple paths to walk on, and a space dedicated to honouring soldiers during the war they were in. There is a free bus to get here.

All Photo Credit in this Post goes to Janice and Umi