WA Road Trip: Perth City

Perth is the largest city in Western Australia. Accommodation is expensive here so our previous stays had us staying in towns outside of Perth, such as Fremantle and Rockingham and then driving into Perth for a day trip. Be prepared to spend loads just on parking fees.

We visited the Perth Mint and attended their interesting tour on the mining history of Australia. Photos are not allowed during the making of the gold bar but overall we liked the tour as it was informative and the guide was entertaining.

Kings Park is a large park overlooking Perth City with lots of trees with open spaces and playgrounds for kids to just run about. There are trails to walk through and restaurants to sit down and have a meal. There are even free BBQ pits with electric grills to have a family BBQ picnic!

The back of the Kings Park also leads to Blue Boat House, famous place for wedding photos and scenic shots; although you need to cross a rather busy road to reach the house. Sadly it seems that we are no longer allowed to walk on the platform.

 

 

WA Road Trip: Albany Day 2

We were up bright and early the next day and drove to Porongurup National Park for a gentle hike to Castle Rock.

Next up was Stirling Range National Park, where we hiked up the Bluff Knoll. This hike was pretty challenging, we had to climb up a stream at one point so footwear is extremely important! We took about 2 hours to get to the top and another 1.5 hours coming back down; thankfully our parents did not follow us for the entire trail. It does get pretty cold towards the top so remember to bring along some warm clothing!

WA Road Trip: Albany Day 1

Albany is a much larger town compared to Pemberton or Bunbury but also felt more isolated, perhaps due to the fact that it’s all the way down south. Our accommodation is the local Albany Bay View YHA where we stayed in a spacious room for six; the kitchen and bathrooms were shared.

We visited the Albany Wind Farm, a impressive renewable energy project that powers the town. Visitors can walk right up to the base of the turbines and get a good look at all eighteen turbines from the lookout points near the carpark. Personally, the man was very impressed by the wind farm and thought that this is the perfect place to stay in the event of an energy crisis or a zombie attack.

We also visited two coastal attractions called the Gap and the Bridge which are rock formations created by water erosion on rocks of differing hardness. We didn’t manage to visit the Blowhole due to time constraints but the Gap and Bridge are pretty impressive by themselves already!

WA Road Trip: Denmark

We left Lavender Berry Farm reluctantly and drove further south towards Denmark. On the way, we stopped by various business selling honey, sauces, wines and chocolate. We were supposed to visit the Valley of the Giants and set up camp on Parry Beach but the rain didn’t let up; and so we ended at this lovely chalet place called Riverbend Caravan Park in Denmark. This wonderfully comfortable accommodation was a recommendation by the Tourist Information Centre; we were pretty impressed by the facilities in the park. They have a small garden where we can pick fruits and vegetables and the owner gave us a huge basket of eggs!The weather cleared up the next day and visited scenic locations nearby; Greens Pool, Elephant Cove and Waterfall Beach. Green Pools had, well lovely waters that appeared green.

Elephant Cove is so named because of the many rocks eroded and ended up looking like a herd of elephants.

The water flowing from the rocks created a nice little stream that flows to the ocean; hence the name Waterfall Beach. Had the flow of the water been larger, the waterfall would have looked more impressive and cut deeper into the sand bed.

Unfortunately we didn’t bring along our swimming gears, this would have been a great place to spend the day swimming and having a picnic!

WA Road Trip: Pemberton

We stayed in Pemberton for one night in 2011 and decided that we had to go back for a longer stay; all because of this place called Lavendar and Berry Farm. Apart from the peaceful accommodations that the farm has to offer, Pemberton is close to quite a few natural attractions. As it is surrounded by karri forests, so the scenery around is tree-centric.

The Cascades and the Beedelup Falls are a series of rapids. The parking lot was practically empty when we visited and took a short thirty minutes walk through the quiet and beautiful forest. The trails were all properly maintained with restrooms and parking areas. The trails are part of a one thousand km long trail called Bibbulmun Track, marked by their snake signage. How we wished we can afford the time to do a proper fortnights hike.

Big Brook Dam is a lake area which is also a beach, so families could come for a swim or use the BBQ facilities. It is a popular spot in the summer we heard, but the water was too chilly in May when we visited. A picnic here is also highly recommended. Once again, we were the only ones around to enjoy the surrounding tranquilty. Two thumbs up for off-peak travelling!

We visited the Gloucester Tree, a fire lookout tree where you can climb up seventy meters and take in the surrounding scenery over the treetops. From our two visits, only one out of the eight of us climbed all the way to the lookout.

There is also the Pemberton Trams that takes visitors on old train tracks and winds its way through the surrounding forests, over bridges and along rivers and streams. We didn’t ride on the trains but did stop by for some phototaking.

W.A. Road Trip: Margaret River, Augusta

After Ngligi Caves, we set up camp at Big Valley Campsite. It is located in a quiet valley with grazing sheep and surrounded by luscious forests.

The next morning, we continued our trip down south. Along the way, we stopped by Hamelin Bay where we hoped to see some giant stingrays but we didn’t. But we thoroughly enjoyed the view of the ocean and its crystal clear waters, something extremely rare in Singapore.
We then visited Cape Leeuwin where the point where the Indian and Southern Ocean currents meet can be seen just off the coast. We signed up for a tour which got us to the top of the lighthouse where we had sightings of dolphins! It can get pretty windy at the top, so hang on your hats and cameras!

W.A. Road Trip: Busselton Stopover, Yallingup

In 2011, we made a quick stopover at Busselton as we head down south; Busselton Jetty is the longest timber built jetty in the world, the 1.8 km long walk offers fantastic views off Australia’s southwestern coast.

After Busselton, we drove to Yallingup Caravan Park, set up our tents for the night and took a short walk to Yallingup beach. The park had a kitchen and toilets which were quite clean but kitchen utensils are limited so be sure to bring your own. We were able to have a quick simple dinner that night and a hearty breakfast the next morning before moving out.

We visited the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park which was famous for Canal Rocks and Ngligi Caves, both which were a short drive from the caravan park. Canal Rocks is a patchwork of rocky islands sculpted by the waves of Indian Ocean, the water penetrates the rocks resulting in an unusual pattern of coastal erosion that resemble canals. We were able to climb on to the rock formation to view the waves crashing onto the rocks but perhaps the most significant thing we could remember were the flies. Flies everywhere – in your nostrils, eyelids, mouth; we had to wrap ourselves up to prevent involuntary snacking.

The Ngligi Caves is an underground limestone cave, it maintains a constant temperature of 20°C, a welcome escape from the heat and flies.

W.A. Road Trip: Bunbury

Bunbury is a large town situated about 1.5 hours drive away from Perth, since the flight in from Singapore lands around afternoon, this town is a ideal place to stop for the night before continuing the drive down south.

Back in 2011, we crashed at the YHA Dolphin Retreat for the night. This youth hostel had a range of private rooms and bunk beds with a communal living room; we had a total of six adults so our family took a triple room. The place was clean and relatively quiet but being a youth hostel, it depends largely on your neighbours. Most of which are pretty understanding and will lower their voices after some kind reminders.

We stayed with Airbnb in 2014 since we had to cater to different needs and you can find the review here. Generally, accommodation options are aplenty in Bunbury but watch our for an annual concert called Groovin’ the Moo where the minimum stay is two nights and the prices go up.

Bunbury is a pretty small town but food is still readily available. We had our dinner at Nandos in 2011, the portion size and quality of food put the Singaporean outlets to shame.
Dolphin Discovery Center is the go-to place when you visit Bunbury. Dolphins are frequent visitors to the lagoon and it is recommended that you should visit the center as early as possible to catch the dolphins visiting. Each entry ticket allows three visits to the lagoon, we haven’t managed to see any dolphins after two trips. Nevertheless, the center does have a indoor area where they have small exhibits on some information about dolphins and marine conservation in general. The lagoon is a great place for families to relax, enjoy the breeze and kids generally enjoy the playground and the small exhibits.

We visited Bunbury Farmers Market on our way out to Pemberton. We initially thought that the farmers market would have about a dozen stalls in ‘pop-up’ style in a field or carpark. This market however is located in a building much like a supermarket and have a large variety of food from around the area. Fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, bread, meat and even homemade sauces and soup, we took the opportunity to stock up for our following meals. This is a must visit if you come to Bunbury!

Australia – Where I Truly Belong!

I only have been to Australia thrice; once when I was still in Primary School and my parents took me and my sister to Gold Coast, the second time was in 2011, my sister planned the itinerary and we made the road trip together with my parents and our men (boyfriends at that time) and the third was just recently in 2014, the man and I made a short trip with his mother, sister, sister-in-law and their two kids. Both times were trips to Western Australia.

vector art designed by jimmygleeson

I only remember bits and pieces of my first trip but there was this memory that stuck: it was the time when my sister and I waddled to a sand bar on this beach and just sat there with the waves crashing on us. It was such an exhilarating experience for us; you never get waves like this where we live; and the sand bar allowed us to enjoy the water without the fear of drowning (we weren’t good swimmers).

The second trip was a fourteen-day self-drive around Western Australia, this was when I fell in love with this place.

• Day 1: Bunbury
• Day 2: Busselton, Dunsbourgh, Yallingup
• Day 3: Margaret River
• Day 4: Augusta, Pemberton
• Day 5: Walpole, Denmark
• Day 6-7: Albany
• Day 8-14: Perth and surrounding

The man and I decided to visit this place again in 2014 but only for eight days, so we didn’t travel as far down as before:

• Day 1: Bunbury
• Day 2-3: Pemberton
• Day 4-7: Perth and surrounding

Preparation Work
Clothing
In summer, it is essential to have a thin scarf or buff to prevent the flies from getting into your nostrils and mouth. YES. Flies. Lots of flies. No one has any idea where they come from but they are annoying as hell. Otherwise, light clothing with lots of sunblock will suffice. Do pack a jacket especially if you are going further south as it can get pretty cold, even during summer. For autumn, the usual casual attire with a jacket should do; no flies in this season!

Transport
Australia is a great place to explore through self-driving, especially since both Singapore and Australia drive on the right. For those super long drives, some cars even have a ‘cruise control’ option so that drivers can take their feet of the pedal; the real challenge is staying awake. So always aim to have at least two drivers in the group so that there can be some rotation and plan for pit stops along the way to break the monotony.

For our first trip, we had a total of six adults of which four are drivers. For the second trip, we had a total of five adults and two childs of which three are drivers. For both trips, we booked a vehicle in advance and collected it at the AVIS car rental right outside the airport. We had a Honda Carnival for our first trip and a Hyundai iMax for our second. The iMax offers about 30% more space than the Carnival. During the booking, do remember to account for luggage space!

Food
Eating out in Australia is extremely expensive, be prepared to fork out around 15 AUD per meal. Fortunately, the supermarkets are well-stocked with meat and fresh vegetables so we tried our best to eat in for dinner and packed our lunches; shopping at Woolsworth, Coles and IGA was probably one of the highlights of our trip. Most supermarkets operate till 9pm daily and close a couple of hours earlier on Saturdays and Sundays; the ones in smaller towns like Donnybrook and Pemberton may have different operating hours so do check their website to avoid disappointment. As we were travelling with children on our third trip, we ate out a lot more often since we were not able to packed lunches. Hence, we picked a few pocket-friendly restaurants with the help of Urban Spoon; always have alternatives too as they tend to have varying operating hours.

Others
A data sim card was essential for the trip as we used Google Maps for navigation. If you have a GPS navigation app that already has maps preloaded i.e. TomTom Australia, then data will not be necessary. We tried Optus and Vodafone so far and Vodafone works better than Optus. However in the suburbs, signal strength was still pretty weak. Others have mentioned that Telstra has the widest coverage but it is also more expensive.

Sky Report: SQ213 Singapore to Perth

In May 2014, we flew as a group of seven from Singapore to Perth on SQ213 which is a 7.35am flight. Three of us, including my mother, were flying on business class while my sister’s family of four was traveling in economy. We spent some time checking out the Terminal 3’s Silverkris business class lounge before heading the gate A14 to board. Tip: to save some walking, take the sky train near the T3 Silverkris lounge elevators. It will take you to A15 where you just need to double back a bit to A14.

The flight was operated on the older generation SQ 777-200 variants, featuring the older spacebeds with 2-2-2 configuration. The seats were not the fully flat version but comfortable enough for the daytime five hours flight. We were seated in the last row 19D,19E and 19F. It was my Mum’s first time sitting in SQ business class so naturally she is very impressed by the generous amount of space on her seat. Foodwise, we started off with selections from the bread basket followed by a fruit platter. My mother likes their croissants while my wife and I prefer the well-known SQ garlic bread. Wanton noodles from the menu were too salty while BTCed choices (nasi briyani and waffles) were quite delicious.

We arrived in Perth 15 minutes early. As Singaporeans, we were able to take advantage of the Smartgate that allowed us to clear customs much faster than before. My wife however, had longer hair in her passport photo and Smartgate rejected her ‘face’ and she was directed to another counter to verify her passport. Nevertheless, the entire process was done within 15 minutes and we were in the arrivals area shortly.