So where the bloody hell are you - PERTH
Quick Australian geographical facts.
There are 6 states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania) and 2 territories in Australia (Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory). The biggest of them all is Western Australia with Perth as its capital city. It occupies the entire western coast of the continent and because it’s so big, the sights, scenaries, foliage and natural formations vary depending on which part of WA you’re at.
If my 1st impression of Sydney was that I hated it (and eventually turned into loving it), Perth was the exact opposite. I love this city and I still truly do. The city skyline (especially at night), the food, the sights and the people are the things that make it so special.
If you want to see what Perth and Western Australia has to offer, you need to stay for at least 2 weeks. If you do the typical 3D/2N, you would think that Perth is boring and that’s because you’ll be limited to just looking around the city and Fremantle when there’s a whole world of things to explore. As for me, I lived here for a year and a half.
Some say the best years of their lives were their high school years. Mine would be graduate school. I met the most intresting set of friends and no surprises here, but we were the coolest gang on campus (at least for grad school). We were like a walking United 
Colors of Benetton ad which made the experience memorable. The whole cultural experince made me more worldly as they were ambassadors of their respective cultures. The funny thing is that all of my classes were composed mostly of international students and there were less than 5 Australian 
born and bred classmates. So you can just imagine our class presentations and discussions having a lot of "From where I come from…" flying around.
One of the things I love doing around Perth is to drive around. These are my favourite driving routes:
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Cottlesloe and Fremantle via Sterling Hwy - Start from the city centre then enter Sterling Hwy. Turn at Eric St to get to Cottleloe via Marine Pde. Make sure you stop by Indiana tea house or the Blue Duck cafe preferably before the sun sets. Have coffee or tea while watching waves of the Indian Ocean gently kissing the shoreline. Go back to Sterling Hwy and make your way to Fremantle.
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Applecross and Garden City via Canning Highway - From the city, take Kwinana Hwy (South) and exit at Canning Hwy. Turn right at Riseley St to enter Applecross. Enjoy the city view from the park and expensive houses with magnificent river views! Make your way back to Riseley and keep going til you see Garden City Mall. Tip: Applecross has a lot of great cafes along Riseley! My personal favorite would be Merchant and The Cross for their Chai Latte. There’s a Gelare’s cafe that serve the best waffles in the world and they are half price every Tuesday. Similarly, movie tickets are also half price every Tuesday for some moviehouses like Hoyts @ Garden City.
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South Perth via Riverside Dr - From the city, take Riverside drive headed towards East Perth. Enter Causeway and exit to Great Eastern Hwy. Turn at Mill Pt Rd. South Perth has the best view of the city with the Swan River at the forefront, and there’s a lot of really nice apartments here too!
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Sunset Coast - From the city make your way to Scarborough via Mitchell Fwy then Scarborough Beach Rd. Enjoy Scarborough beach and Observation City. Hop back in and head to West Coast Hwy. Traverse the entire West Coast Hwy and enjoy the million dollar houses that face the Indian Ocean. You will actually end up at Cottlesloe beach then Fremantle if you keep on going further.
Personal picks:
Eat!
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Gelare - Did I mention Gelare earlier? Well this place is so good that it is worth mentioning twice in this blog. With branches all over Perth, there is no excuse for any visitor NOT to drop by and enjoy the fabulous waffles. It is considered an institution in Perth. My personal pick is the Applecross branch and my usual order is a freshly baked waffle with Cookies and Cream ice cream.
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Cicerellos @ Fremantle - You go here to experience Australia’s best fish and chips. The batter they use is so good that til now (which is approx. 9 mos since the last time I ate there) I can still taste and smell the barramundi I ordered. To add to the experience, you dine outdoors beside docked boats and truly get a feel of the Fremantle port (complete with sea gulls of course).
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Oriel Cafe @ Subiaco - This place probably holds my fondest memories of university life. Oriel is a 24 hour cafe located in the upscale suburb of Subiaco. Since it is open 24 hours, you can already expect a lot of students here when they need a break from their long night spent studying or preparing for a project. However, that does not mean that the ambiance has a university campus feel to it - far from it darling - the best way to describe Oriel is that it is posh and young yet casual. My favourite things on their menu: Tiger Spice Chai Latte, their Chips with aioli dip and of course for breakfast, Oriel’s Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine. It surely does not help that I’m writing this while I’m hungry. Arrgghhh! I want my eggs benedict and chips right now!
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Asian Campervan @ Murdoch Uni - A favourite food joint for Murdoch and non Murdoch students for lunch. I was surprised during my last visit to Perth that there are now tables and chairs for its patrons! Their satay and polo chicken are just soooo good and cheap. It’s located near one of the carparks inside the campus. I think it’s carpark #4.
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Taurus Hawker Food @ Willetton - Another Perth classic especially for Asians. Food is cheap yet is tastes great. I often order their Char Kway Teow, while a good friend of mine often gets their combination roast.
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Ohnamiya Japenese Restaurant @ Applecross- A classmate of mine who back then did some part time waitressing work at this restaurant recommended their Japanese chicken curry. I never regretted ordering it and I have always ordered it whenever I find myself craving for Japanese food. Their Karaage chicken is also very good as it is deep fried to perfection.
Live!
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Accommodation - As I mentioned in my entry for Sydney, when vacationing in Australia go for serviced apartments. Medina is always a good choice and so is Saville.
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Accommodation for incoming international students - What I would recommend is to go for a home stay arrangement where you would get to regularly interact with an Aussie family. While there’s the challenge of adjusting to the lifestyle of the Aussie family you are staying with, the benefit of it is that you can join family bbq’s and get to regularly interact with people outside university life. I stayed with a wonderful Aussie family and love every minute of it. Your university’s International Student Centre can definitely arrange this for you.
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Good places to live in if you are moving to Perth permanently/semi permanently. - If I had the money I would get a house with water views in Applecross or Cottlesloe or Peppermint Grove. South or East Perth are also good options. I would not live in the city since it’s pretty boring on weekends.
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Nightlife - One word, Northbridge. There are pretty good clubs and bars in the area. The classic Brass Monkey, Church (the club, not the religous kind), The Deen. Rise and so many others. Feel free to go bar and club hopping all night!
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The Ultimate Perth and Western Australia vacation - As I have mentioned earlier, you need at least 2 weeks to enjoy the Perth and the Australian West Cost. Below are the things and places to see for an unforgettable vacation:
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Kings Park @ night. Apart from the city skyline to enjoy from the edge of the park, the multi coloured lights which illuminate the tree lined path are really pretty at night.
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Hillary’s - A very nice place to spend an afternoon with a
nice cuppa’ (cup of tea). If you want to feel Australia’s laid back attitude, then Hillary’s is a must see. -
Fremantle - The City Centre makes you forget you are in Australia - you would think you’re in Europe.
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Swan river - Enjoy the sails and the yachts on a lazy afternoon.
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North of Perth: New Norcia and York - Historic towns not too far from Perth (about 1-2 hours away by car). New Norcia has a monastery and it was here that I saw an artistic representation of the stations of the sross - it was done graffiti style. York is a picturesque town that will surely bring you back in time.
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South of Perth: Mandurah- Best time to go to Mandurah would be every March for the annual Crab Fest! Yummy!
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South of Perth: Busselton - A bustling town about 2 hours away from Perth. Busselton has the world’s longest jetty that stretches 2km into the open sea. You can choose to either walk to the end of the 2km stretch or take a mini choo-choo train. We walked since the train was busted that day and it took me 25-30 mins to reach the end of the jetty which
leads to a natural underwater observatory. What is unique about this observatory is that the structure was built in the middle of the ocean and you would have to go down several meters beneath sea level to enjoy the creatures in their natural habitat. -
South of Perth: Margaret River - I don’t even know where to begin so that I can describe this magnificent place. A lot of people say that the best Australian wines can be found in
Margaret River. I’m no wine expert so I can’t really validate that. But what I can say is after having been to Hunter Valley (NSW) and Yarra valley (Victoria), Margaret River is still a much more enjoyable to visit. The best wineries I’ve seen here would be Brooklyn, Voyager and Cape Lavender (which actually use lavender extracts in their wine making process). However, the thing that I really like about this place is that there are so many things to do and see : a) Go to the caves and 
discover a whole new world. I would recommend Lake Cave since it is the best out of them all. b) Drive your way to the river mouth 
which is the starting point of the Margaret river. The coastline also offers magnificent ocean views. Imagine being on the sandy shores facing the ocean and when you turn around, you are actually facing the river (or the start of the river for that matter). c) Make your way to Cape Leewuin @ Augusta - what makes this place 
special is the viewing deck where 2 oceans actually meet (Indian and the Southern Ocean). It’s absolutely amazing! -
South of Perth: Walpole - There’s an exciting activity awaiting visitors who drive further south from Margaret river and that
would be the Tree Top Walk. As the name suggests, you would be walking over a suspension bridge and get the feeling that you are walking on top of the trees and certainly on top of the world! 
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Tip: To fully enjoy Perth and Western Australia, rent a car and I would recommend M200 or Bayswater for their dirt cheap rates - provided you rent it at least for a week.
Shop!
- Fremantle Markets - This market started opening its doors to patrons since 1897. There are several shops that can be found only in Freo and some specialty shops as well. Check out my picture where I’m trying out Medival inspired clothes.
- Murray and Hay St Malls - Every major Aussie brand has a shop in the city centre and the it’s good place to go people watching.
- London Court - Ah, London calling! This small arcade is tucked neatly along St Georges Tce and it definitely has that British flavour to it.
- Garden City (Booragoon) and Crousel Mall (Cannigton) - Indoor shopping at its finest. To get to Garden City, take Riseley St. To get to Carousel, take Albany Hwy.
Next on Trippin’ - So where the bloody hell are you - Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
