Perth
Young, vibrant, clean, safe, wealthy, picturesque, modern, relaxed are just some of the adjectives that describe the city of Perth. Situated on the beautiful Swan River, the city offers a great number of attractions for the visitor. Today the city is home to 1 million residents and I think that they have chosen a fantastic city to live in and it boasts over 5 million visitors each year.
The city of Perth was founded in 1829 by Captain Charles Fremantle, a British Naval Captain, and he was followed by the first Governor of Western Australia, Captain James Sterling. They sailed up the Swan River and into what we know as Perth, which derived its name from the Scottish city.
Perth is a city of many famous buildings and on the western end of Front Street, you will find the Barracks Arch, all that remains of the barracks built in 1863. You can visit the oldest building in Perth which is the old court house built in 1836 and is located in Sterling gardens, next to the Supreme Court.
As well as the usual city tours, you can visit the Perth Cultural Complex which houses the Western Australian Museum. This features some of the best of Aboriginal culture, and the Art Gallery which displays a fine collection of Aboriginal, Australian and European works. The Perth cultural complex is also the home to the State Library. As you can tell, a walk around the city might be the way to go. You can find walking maps in almost all major hotels.
Shopping in Perth is a pleasure as it still has a friendly ambience that makes you feel at home. The main shopping area is the Hay and Murray Street Malls which will keep any shopaholic happy.
The Botanical Gardens are wonderful to wander through and the best views of the city are from Kings Park. For the gamblers out there, Perth has the famous Burswood Casino only a short drive from the city. Scarborough, City Beach and Cottesloe are the closest surf beaches to the city and are very popular among the locals.
Fremantle is the city to the south and is a very historic old town, it used to be an old maritime port. A real Victorian village with great pubs and the venue for the 1987 America's Cup which was won by the Americans yet again. (Not now though Ha Ha Ha we finally have that auld mug back in the southern oceans.)
The logistics - Airport 12 k's away, hotels, transport, - plenty, 2 hour time change from the east and 3 hours during the summer daylight savings period. 5 hours flight time from the eastern seaboard and operated by both Ansett and Qantas Airlines. International connections to Indonesia and other Asian ports from here.
Something that you will not see anywhere else in the world is at the Perth Zoo. This is the only location that you can see Numbats.
Next on the must-do list is a cruise along the Swan river for a different aspect of the city. This also includes a day trip to ROTTNEST ISLAND. The city has the usual variety of accommodation ranging from 5 star to backpackers and city tours.
For more details or information about Perth, Please just Mail Tourism Review's Travel Department and we will be happy to help.