Western Australia 7 Winter Days Travel Journal

The thought of visiting Australia has been embedded in my mind long ago. I have a peculiar admiration of surreal landscapes in the island continent, comprising of tropical rain-forest, desert and savanna grasslands, apart from hosting the world largest reef complex and unique animals such as kangaroo, wombat, koala and many more. However, the self inferiority casted on own-self, especially the fear of unable to get a decent income to fund overseas trip has rendered the thought visiting Australia diminished gradually.

After years of mingling in the society with an average job and thanks to the availability of budget airlines, we finally got ourselves a pair of AirAsia ticket to Perth, Western Australia on 2016 Hari Raya Break for only RM 400 per pax (excluding luggage). What a real bargain! As a matter of fact, the tickets were booked a year earlier before the actual date trip, and we have been living with exciting mood anticipating the trip.

This trip is slightly different for us too, as we opted for self driving and exploring in Western Australia by renting a car instead of relying solely on public transports. We were surprised as the car rental was not expensive. It cost only AUD 190 for a Kia Rio for 6 days (excluding insurance, which you may opt to purchase from either the car rental company directly or self purchase at different insurance firm). However, be sure to check the car condition in details and mark any scratches spotted on the car before marking your journey officially. 

We did not realize it is Winter in Perth during our trip, and the weather is relatively cold compared to Malaysia. The temperature can drop to 3°C at night in outdoor settings while afternoon is about 10°C. When the breeze wafts our face during day time, we can feel there is a sharp chilling and my body shakes involuntarily initially as it is still not customized to the temperature there.

Driving across Western Australia is in fact, boring. The distance between destination is far, and typically requires hours of driving. There are not much things to see during driving, and adherence to the speed limit is a mandatory unless you would not mind summons sent to your house in your hometown. The vegetation is similar across Western Australia, predominantly hummock grasslands and deserts. Therefore, it is best to have a company to take the steering in case you feel sleepy. 

Food wise, the portion here is relatively larger, and sometimes a plate can feed the stomach for two. Quote an example for a big breakfast we had at Lancelin's jetty, the platter is doubled the size of what we had in Malaysia, and of course the price tripled if you convert them (just ignore the conversion rate to enjoy the vacation). Another example will be a tasting plate we had at Cicerello's, one of the famous seafood restaurant at Freemantle. The platter comes with both traditional and grilled fish, prawns, calamari, mussels and we find the quantity was enormous for two of us. 

If you on a budget trip like us, try to look for Airbnb or hostel that allows you to have access to their kitchen and you can buy some raw ingredients from the store such as Coles and cook them yourself, thus effectively reducing your budget on food. Some friendly owner even offers us complimentary breakfast such as muffin and oat, but you have to be nice as well by ensuring the cleanliness of the kitchen after using it.

Anyhow, if you really happen to be in Perth, remember to go Ciao Italia for a gastronomy pilgrimage during dinner time! They serve awesome Italian cuisine and is always pack with customer, hence be prepared for a long queue. We had one of the most wonderful Tiramisu over there and the taste still mesmerizing in our mind till today.

We had a lot of first times in Perth and indeed this made the trip memorable. This may due to the huge cultural and geographical differences between Malaysia and Australia. For instances, we experienced:

When we first booked the flight to Perth, we actually though the trip will be confined at Perth city only. However, we managed to explore a lot of places within 7 days there. Our Itinerary is basically as detailed below and not many places we can go within a day as the travelling journey is time consuming and long hours were spent in car instead. Besides, there ain't many activities you can do at night other than spending it in room, with the exception at Perth city as you may visit the landmarks there.

Day 1: Arrival at Perth, go to Lancelin Sand Dunes and The Pinaccles Desert.

Day 2: Seal Island Cruise at Rockingham, Lake Clifton

Day 3: Bunbury Wildlife Park, Ferguson's Valley, Gnomesville, King Jarrah Tree, Wellington Dam, Bunburry Farmer's Market

Day 4: Stroll in Busselton jetty and town, Meelup Bay, Eagle Bay, Cape Naturaliste, Ngilgi Cave

Day 5: Margaret River - Lake Cave, Mammoth Cave, Jewel Cave, Amaze'n Margaret River, Chocolate Margaret River Company

Day 6: Perth city - Caversham Park, Kings Park

Day 7: Freemantle, Blue Boat House, Pannington Greyhound Racing, Perth's Bell Tower

Our trip combs through a few cities and towns in Western Australia, namely Lancelin, Perth, Mandurah, Rockingham, Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River, then somehow miss out Albany, Augusta, and all the areas above Lancelin. The itinerary covers some urban, semi-urban and a lot of smemocenic natural view locations, which is one of memorable moments during our trip. The nature here is well preserved and largely untouched by human still, making we feel the entrance fees were worth paid and channeled rightly to the conservation fund. 

If there is place that you must go to leave a footprint (photograph) for Instagram purposes, the Blue Boat House at Perth would top our list. It is unique in the sense that a standalone building at the river with nothing surrounding it. Nevertheless, expect a queue before your turn to take a shot here and probably you will rush the photo session as others will be waiting for you still. 

The nearby car park is a distance away and we walked about 500m under strong wind to reach the blue Boat House. Chill to the max! 

Kings Park is nearby to the Blue Boat House with a driving time probably about 5 minutes. If you happen to nearby, might as well check into Kings Park to tick it off from your must visit place in Perth city.

Even it was winter during our trip to Perth, we still paid a visit to a few beaches but it was mostly empty. We reckon the beaches will be hyped up during summer time. Nevertheless, we were surprised to see some of the beaches are pet-friendly! Look how happy the dogs playing around in Lancelin jetty beach. 

What about souvenirs then? I am sure Perth city offers plenty of souvenirs for you to purchase, particularly at various tourist hot spot such as Freemantle Prison. Alternatively, you may try to stroll across Freemantle market for local produces, handcrafts, food and etc. Besides, this is the place where we get to sample kangaroo meats as well. It tasted like beef but with harder texture.

Otherwise, there are a few places you may consider in Margaret River, such as Chocolate Margaret River Company that offers a variety of chocolates or the neigbouring Providore with a selection of home made jams, chutneys, preserves and sauces, a heaven for homecooks or chefs. 

You may try a variety of samples at both places but personally we felt Chocolate Margaret River Company is a very commercialized setting. We bought some chocolates to try and it was not really impressive. The long queue for the ice cream prompted us to try it as well but we felt it was ordinary. AUD 4.80 for a cone of rum and raisin ice cream probably is a setting specifically catered for tourists in fact. 

A must try, and buy in Australia would be their Macadamia Salted Nuts! It is available in majority of the Coles, with dozens of different macadamia nuts for you to choose. The taste is amazing! You would not regret it!

Well, that basically sums up our trip to Western Australia. We will be detailing our itinerary of different days at different posts. Be sure to check them out! 

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