perth05

PERTH

       ~2005~

        Perth - January 2005
        Washington D.C. - February 2005
        Stockholme - February 2005
        Chiang Mai - December2005


        My Reflection
        My Overseas Travel
        My Local Travel

The hotel room was cozy, equipped with kitchenette and microwave oven, if we want to indulge in simple cooking.

Day 2 - Pinnacles and sand-boarding
We left the city and headed north to Yanchep National Park where we stopped to view koalas and kangaroos. I spotted one miserable kangaroo on the way. Most probably the rest were hiding in the bushes avoiding the scorching sun. We took a break at the Shipwreck Caf� at the small fishing settlement of Lancelin before going for the thrilling experience of 4-wheel driving over massive sand dunes. Our bus got stuck on top of the sand dunes for more than an hour.

It took some strong men to shovel the sand to put the bus into motion again. Some of us got the chance to try sand boarding while waiting.The journey passed through wildflower country and along beautiful white sandy beaches. We stopped at the Rock Lobster town of Cervantes for lobster picnic lunch. Afterwards we visited Nambung National Park, home of the amazing Pinnacles Desert. Here we walked through parts of fascinating landscape covering over 400 hectares and have a lot of photo shots.

Day 3 - Valley of the Giants and Tree-top walk
We headed south through the towns of Rockingham and Mandurah. We stopped at Donnybrook for morning tea and ample time to purchase some apples and stone fruits. We continued our journey through the rolling farmlands of the Blackwood River Valley.

We stopped at the Diamond Tree, one of the three towering trees used as a bush fire tower. We had another round of lobster picnic lunch. Some attempted to climb to the wooden watch cabin at the top of the 51 meter tall tree. We continued our trip through stunning section of Karri forest before reaching the Valley of the Giants. Here we experienced the Tree Top Walk, a 400 meter elevated walkway constructed through the canopy reaching up to 40 meters above ground. The view of the forest was sensational. Later we walked through the Ancient Empire, where wide girthed trees, goblin like in appearance grow up to 5 meters in diameter at the base. Later, we enjoyed our afternoon tea in the forest before heading back to Perth via different route.

On the way, we visited William Bay then seaside town of Denmark. Then we headed inland via Mt Barker and Kojonuo where we stopped for dinner at The Kodja Place Visitors Centre, a contemporary tourist complex combining aboriginal culture and rural heritage. We arrived Perth around 10.30 p.m. exhausted and famished.

Day 4 - Free and Easy City Tour
Today�s tour is free with the two tours we took yesterday and the day before. Starting in Perth city, the tour includes all key attractions and historical point of interest, starting with Kings Park botanical garden, where we have time to experience the new tree top walk through the trees canopies. Later we continued to Cottesloe Beach before arriving at historic Fremantle.We were free to venture into Fremantle town but we decided to spend more time in the Fremantle Market where we bought some souvenirs. I bought a pair of beautifully embroidered cushion covers at a discount. We had kebab for lunch then returned to Perth with the coach, spending most of the journey catching up with our sleep.The afternoon was spent in the room to cool off and nap till late afternoon. Went for a stroll along the Swan River and had late dinner at Mc Donalds.

Day 5 - Perth Mint & CATS
We had to drag ourselves out of bed. If not because we want to visit The Perth Mint this morning, we would have continued sleeping until check-out time. The Perth Mint is Australia�s leading precious metals house, as well as being the oldest operating mint. We had the opportunity to watch the gold pouring session and later visited the coin museum where a wide range of coins produced were on display. Here we minted our own medallion for souvenirs. We spent the rest of the morning travelling on the CAT, Perth�s free bus service. Bus services depart every ten minutes or so and you can ride the full round of the journey. We checked out at 1.00 p.m. then took the shuttle bus to the airport. Have some time for lunch and last minute shopping before we boarded the plane.Argghh... Feeling so very tired but happy.