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Melbourne Bike Share

December 1, 2010 tikus No comments

I booked my accomodation via agoda.com and Booking.com

Melbourne Bike Share

Bike Share is also in Melbourne, Australia. I recently visited Melbourne and I really love this travel conceptMelbournians and especially all overseas visitors get to experience the convenience of a public bike system. That is such a wonderful idea for both the young and old. Bike sharing is an alternative means of urban transport that is both healthy and versatile.

I was in Europe and had seen with my own eyes how the system works and it is such a creative way for tourist to use ‘paddle power’ instead of fuel.

Melbourne Bike Share is a convenient way to make a short trip in the city. Apparently all we have to do is to purchase a subscription that suits you, take a bike when you need it and then return it to one of the 50 bike stations throughout the city.

Check out the picture of bike share in India !. Looks like they are more advance than the more developed world.

In Italy, it is similar. You pay for a daily or hourly fee and take a bike. When you get to your final destination or at your designated hour, you return the bike to the person in charge. It is usually a person sitting there.

Isn’t this exciting? Whether you’re commuting to work, running an errand at lunch or going across town for a meeting or lecture, Melbourne Bike Share extends your public transport options and makes the CBD more accessible than ever before. Will this replace using trams? I believe that could be in only certain cases. Anyway tourists can see more of nearby places on a bike than the tram..

Individual and corporate subscriptions are available.
1-year subscriptions will be available online. Daily and weekly access will be available at the pay station of every Melbourne Bike Share dock. Payment will be made with VISA or MasterCard.

Personally I like to use it occasionally so I chose to buy the daily pass to help me get from my destination to another. As an individual you can purchase a subscription for a day, week or year and as long as your trips last less than 30 minutes that’s all you’ll pay. A daily subscription is $2.50 per day or a weekly subscription is$8.00 per week.

Annual subscriptions is only $50 a year giving you access to a bike anytime of the day or night. Once you subscribe, a key will be sent to you in the mail. How cool is that!

Corporate keys are available for $200 per key. These keys may be transferred between employees and the first hour of each trip is free. Can you imagine yourself cycling, excising during your lunch break? That is a wonderful thought!

I stayed at http://www.travelbugholiday.com/?page_id=1709 It is very close to the train station and other public transport. Very clean and private and very reasonable as room can accomodate 2 adults and 2 kids. Better than in a hotel.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment using the form below to share your views. We’d love to hear from you.

Australia Australia, bikeshare, cycling, Melbourne, victoria

Fremantle, Perth, Western Australia

November 11, 2010 tikus 2 comments

I booked my accomodation via agoda.com and Booking.com

After a very long drive the previous day to the Yamchep National Park, we decided to head to Fremantle, approximately about 20km south-west of Perth CBD, only 20 mins drive from the CBD, where it straddles the harbour on the edge of the Indian Ocean at the mouth of the Swan River. It is the original port and still supports a major maritime industry. It is very much a laid-back city. It’s a place of sidewalk cafes, restaurants, bistros, buskers, museums, craft shops, painters — and boutique beers. It has an excellent range of Italian and Greek Restaurants as well as Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Turkish. You can also find traditional Australian fare as well. There are lots of al fresco cafes for coffee culture and an excellent collection of antique shops.

Fremantle is actually part of the continuous built up area that we call “Perth,” but most people especially the locals considered Fremantle to be a different city. Here, an artificial harbour was built in the 1890s which turned Fremantle into the seaport of Perth. Fremantle had virtually grown into a beach-side suburb of Perth. The locals would consider Fremantle small enough to walk around comfortably but as a tourist, I feel it would take 2 days if you want to see everything in Fremantle. There are many attractions, such as the Maritime Museum, which houses many interesting exhibits from the shipwreck of the Batavia. The Fremantle History Museum is housed in a convict-built building and has an excellent selection of exhibits about the region. The Fremantle Prison is an imposing structure with reminders of the regional history. The convict-built Old Fremantle Prison is open daily. You may want to join one of its eerie candlelight tours on Wednesday and Friday nights. Fremantle is considered one of the best preserved 19th century seaports in the world, with more than 150 buildings classified by the National Trust.

The Fremantle Market on South Terrace, open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, sells craft items, antiques, jewellery and various other interesting items.It is indeed a colourful attraction and buskers are ready to entertain you. Take time to potter through the market for fresh produce or gifts. Shopping (being a tourist) would certainly take up half a day in the market however the market is not as big as the Victoria market in Melbourne, Australia. Fremantle is popular with the locals as a place to go for a coffee, along the famousn’cappuccino strip” and is even more laid back than Perth, a place the locals from Perth would head down to Fremantle for the weekend. If you rent a moped or sometimes called the scooter here, you will certainly get through Fremantle in one day. I noticed that access for people with disabilities is readily available.

Before I went to Fremantle, I had done some reading (as I always do) before I visit a place. It is a historical site of colonial convict buildings with many of the building kept or restored to its former glory such as buildings from the 19th Century. There are splendid examples built during the early Gold Rush days as well.

Fremantle history is certainly one of the aspects of this town that interests me. I read that when Fremantle was first established in 1829 at the mouth of the Swan River, it was meant to serve as the main port for the new Colony. However, it really did not play that role till the end of 19th Century, when a suitable harbour was dredged. Like Perth, Fremantle started to really grow with the influx of convict labour which built the town’s earliest structures, many of which have now been listed for protection and conservation by the National Trust

The town failed to grow until the gold was discovered in the 1890s. However Fremantle lit up again when the Western Australian yachting and Royal Perth entered a new era in 1972 when Alan Bond brought the 12 metre yachts Gretel I and II for training purposes, and built Southern Cross for the 1974 challenge for the America’s Cup. He repeated that effort in 1977, 1980 and finally won the cup in 1983, ending a 132 year winning streak by the USA.

The 1987 America’s Cup, staged in Fremantle by Royal Perth, is regarded as the most successful ever in terms of event management, world-wide promotion, national and international goodwill and corporate success.

The Cup defence was held off Fremantle in 1987 in a sea duel which saw America regain its Cup (but which it lost again, later, to New Zealand).

Nowadays, Fremantle is a very much alive, yet laid back coastal city with a thriving port for commercial shipping as well as pleasure craft. It also has a thriving nightlife scene, with a growing collection of restaurants, pubs and eateries. At Fishing Boat Harbour, there are waterfront restaurants with great views to Rottenest Island and grand ocean sunsets. This is where you will find the freshest fish and chips, whilst enjoying Fremantle best views.

If you have the time, you must visit Rottnest Island. It is simply stunning and peaceful, popular for snokelling, scuba diving surfing , swimming and even whale watching. This place features a picturesque scenery and some of the world’s finest beaches and bays, is located just 19 kilometres off the coast of Fremantle. At visit to this island is just a short ferry trip away, about 30 minutes from Fremantle. Originally occupied by the indegenous people of the Nyoongar Tribe some 6500 years ago, the island has been made use of, in many ways since the arrival of European settlers. This include farming the island for salt and using it as an Aboriginal penal colony. The prisoners who were kept here from 1838 0 1904 are responsible for the construction of many of the buildings around the island, including the lighthouse.

The arts and culture are well represented here, numerous art galleries inhabit the restored buildings, and you can also visit the Fremantle History Museum and Arts Centre. Located in a restored Gothic design building originally it was built as an Asylum for the Insane. Now it houses exhibitions, music concerts and display works of by Western Australian artists.

There is an Art and Culture Trail that explores the artistic and creative side of Fremantle. Taking in many of the studio galleries and art galleries, this walk takes you to more than 30 Fremantle places that exhibit and sell Australian arts and works.

I visited one of the famous museums, the Western Australia Maritime Museum. The Batavia, a ship of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) that was shipwrecked off the coast in 1629, is one of the main features of the Western Australia Maritime Museum. A story of mutiny, murder and cruel justice, the Batavia tragedy continues to fascinate.There are other shipwrecks, including the Zuytdorf, the Zeewijk and the Gilt Dragon, with artefacts and displays of what and where it happened.

I also stopped at the Roundhouse, built in 1831 and the oldest surviving public building, originally a gaol. Entrance fee is by donation. The caretakers here are very friendly. If you are lucky they can unlock the padlock and let you put your head and arms through the wooden ‘goal’ for you to have your photo taken.

Nearby is the Fremantle Museum and Arts Centre, also worth a look. This museum on Finnerty St, originally a convict-built lunatic asylum, houses a fine collection relating to the settlement’s early history, the whaling industry, and Dutch East India company ships which first discovered the western coast of Australia.

Other places worthy of a look is the old Fremantle Jail, built by convict labour. Tours of the jail are available.

The convict-built Old Fremantle Prison is open daily. You may want to join one of its eerie candlelight tours on Wednesday and Friday nights.

If you happen to be in Fremantle, from November 4 to 14, be sure to take part in the 2010 Fremantle Festival. Its is a celebration of the unique, stimulating and colourful culture that enriches Fremantle and invites participation of all cultural, ethnic, arts and community groups.

The festival traditionally includes a number of free events, and this year these include more than 70 festive offerings ranging from large spectacles to intimate visual art.

Some of the highlights of this year’s festival program include art exhibitions, the Children’s Fiesta on November 5 at Samson Park, the return of the Kite Extravaganza at South Beach and Wardarnji in its new location in the beautiful grounds of the Fremantle Arts Centre. If you happend to be around Fremantle on Australia Day, check out the Fireworks at the Fishing Boat Harbour. Fremantle skies come alive with bursts of colour as fireworks light up the night.

In March/April there is the Fremantle Boat Show. This is a showcase of all apects of boating activities from luxury cruising, sailing, fishing and scuba diving to jet skiing, water skiing and wind surfing at the Fremantle Esplanade.

Easter Long weekend is a great time to visit Fremantle as well. You will experience the supreme skill and outrageous bahevious of the world’s best baskers at Fremantle street Art Festival. The streets of Fremantle will ignite over the Easter weekend with more than 100 performances of wildly entertaining acts.

Another festival in Fremantle not to be miss are the rainbow of floats meandering through the streets. This will be in November.

One way of getting an overview of Fremantle’s attractions is to take the historical tram tour which leaves hourly from Town Hall. For the price of the ticket, you get a full commentary on points of interest along the route.

Since we had a car, there was no trouble getting to Fremantle. However if you don’t have a car, there is a regular train service to Fremantle from Perth from the City Railway Station. Buses are available from Perth City Centre Bus Terminal. In Fremantle, there is a free CAT bus service leaving from the Fremantle Train Station. It is only a short drive of approximately 20 mins south west from the Perth CBD (Central Business District).

If you’re coming from Perth, the easiest and probably cheapest way is to take the train to Fremantle which runs at 15-minute intervals. There are buses, too, or you may prefer to go by water and take the ferry.

Other exploratory walks around Fremantle concentrate on history, hotels and breweries, Aboriginal heritage and the waterfront. For a different kind of experience, take the Fremantle Aboriginal Heritage Walking Tour. I didn’t join the tour as I didn’t have time but I read these from a brochure. It sounds like a great tour.

Many aspects of the life and history of the Aboriginal Nyoongar people come to light in the Fremantle Aboriginal Heritage Walking Tour.

As Aboriginal guides trace the path of indigenous culture and history in Fremantle, you realise that the Swan River is very much part of the Aboriginal Dreamtime and that Aborigines see it as the most significant Dreaming trail in the area of Wagyl or the winged Rainbow Serpent.

In the body of Aboriginal beliefs, the fabulous creature that is the Wagyl or Rainbow Serpent inhabited the reaches of the Swan River and is attributed with the formation of the river bed when it slid through the sand with its huge body. In the Nyoongar belief system, the Swan River was thus created and is evidence of Wagyl’s existence.

The story of Wagyl, and aspects of Aboriginal history in the Fremantle area, is learned in the course of the Aboriginal Heritage Walking Tour.

For instance, Fremantle’s Round House, built in 1831 on Arthur Head, is not only Fremantle’s oldest building and was originally a local prison. In later years it was used to hold Aboriginal prisoners before they were taken to prison on Rottenest Island.

Aboriginal resistance hero Yangan, one of the first prisoners in the Round House, rebelled against the treatment he received from the white settlers and was hunted down and killed in 1833. His head was separated from his body and was brought to England where, after being displayed in a Liverpool museum was buried in a mass grave in 1964. The head was exhumed in 1977 and an Aboriginal delegation brought it back to Perth.

The Fremantle Aboriginal Heritage Walking Tour starts at the Fremantle Maritime Museum near the waterfront and wends its way through the city to the Round House before returning to the museum.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment using the form below to share your views. We’d love to hear from you.

Hillarys Boat Harboar, Yanchep National Park,Perth, Western Australia

October 31, 2010 tikus 1 comment

I booked my accomodation via agoda.com and Booking.com

My 3rd day in Perth is kind of interesting. It is more of a trip into nature. I decided to drive up north from Perth, travelling along the coast as much as possible with my group. My final destination is Yanchep National Park. With my usual non-planning, flexible routine, I was not sure of getting there in time, but I managed in the nick of time.
My first stop up north is the City Beach. I had breakfast in one of the few cafes along the main road. Not great bacon and eggs but edible. I decided to visit City Beach as I wanted to see where the locals from Perth City go in their summer. It is a beautiful beach with a small light house at the end of the one lonely pier with waves crashing against the rocks at the light house. Waves up to a couple meters high. I can see how it can be dangerous if kids go too close to the end can be swept away. Hmmm.. Because I am here during the spring, the beach is deserted as the wind is just too cold for any beachgoers. Upon saying that I did see an older gentleman in his Speedos swimming against the waves. Either a brave soul or a stupid one.
Next beach to City Beach is the Scarborough Beach. Same picturesque view of the Indian Ocean and only seagulls visiting aside from the few of us at the beach. We went to check out a few real estate windows and quickly realised that real estate in Perth is kind of pricy, especially the houses facing the beach, all along the West Cost Highway. There goes my dream…
Next stop is the beautiful Hillarys Boat Harbour. Talk about real estate for houses? Well here in Hillarys Boat harbour, you have the “real estate” for boats! These boats are literally just parked here and there is signboard on every single boat here and they are for sale. Pretty amazing and beautiful sight. It is certainly an interesting tourist spot for young and old as they wander along the boardwalk and dream away which boat they like. Some just sit in an outside café, drinking their latte or cappuccino and pointing out to their love ones which boat they like. There are lots of cafes and restaurants and I can imagine this place coming alive in the evening. Those who are not into boats and the sun can browse through the many shops here. I bought a leather belt, a scarf and 2 sunglasses for a bargain here.
The Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA) is located at Hillarys Harbour – built to accommodate the huge influx of people when the America’s Cup was held in Perth several years ago. Entrance fees for adults are $28 per person. Quite pricy so only a few of us went in. I don’t think I was actually prepared for the quality of the exhibitions that I saw. I thought it was going to be just another aquarium, you know some fish in tanks, and I’ve done a few by now. The creatures on display are very well presented and overall I felt that this was a superb experience. Everyone will be blown away when they walk amongst the sharks and rays I the shark tunnel. You see the sea dragons first,( in the hallway leading to the tunnel). Then you get on a moving beltway that slowly takes you through a HUGE tank that includes all kinds of sharks, HUGE sting rays, logger head turtles and schools & schools of fish. The touch tank is kind of small – but all kids like this. Don’t miss the outdoor tank of rays – which is kind of hard to find (past the touch tank, over a bridge and down a staircase). For a relatively small and Western Australia is pretty remote, this is an AWESOME aquarium

You can also eat at AQWA, we found the food tasty and reasonable (for Australia – where it all seems pretty expensive, but isn’t SO bad when you realize the sales tax is included AND you don’t have to tip).

AQWA is located north of Perth’s CBD – about 1/2 hour or so. The sandy beaches next to it are great for children. Fisherman can fish off the jetty. I saw a father and son enjoying the beautiful spring sun fishing at the jetty. There is also a mini-golf and waterslide play park. There are lots to do out this way if you want to make a day or more of it. I would have preferred more time but…….
I would consider the next stop at Joondalup to be a must for both the young and old. Bird ‘feeding’ at Neil Hawkins Park, Apparently these birds just flock to stand on your head or hand. There is a very small notice that says not to feed the birds. Well, somebody must have as these birds are here and there are literally about 50 or more. You don’t have to feed them (we didn’t bring any food with us, as we didn’t know about this park). I believe they must be well train or fed by the locals, to be attracted to outstretched hands. The minute you put out your hand, pretending that you have food in your hand, many will just literally fly towards you and sit on whatever parts of your body they can land. How lovely and enjoyable to be able to be so close to birds such as these. It is such a lovely feeling to be able to so this. This Neil Hawkins Park is home to many parrots including the Australian ringneck and cockatoos. Sadly I have to move on as time is catching up with me I need to drive to Yanchep National Park.
Yanchep National Park is just 45 minutes north of Perth. I had read that Yanchep National Park offers a choice of nine interesting walk trails ranging in length from 500 metres to 55 kilometres, where one can witness spectacular scenery and panoramic views from the sea

to the scarp. One can also see
collapsed cave systems, gorges, pristine coastal wetlands, beautiful lakes, or haunted historic remains. The collapsed cave system is the one that interest me the most. Crystal Cave in Yanchep National Park exhibits a multitude of incredible stalagmites which you can view as you wander amongst the picturesque lakes. With our tour guide, we explore the mystical underground world of Crystal Cave. The guide explained how the limestone cave was formed, what features exist within the cave environment and explain to us what the caves were like not too many years and where the water used to run and where the canoes used to glide but look at it now. The world climate ahnd changed and looke like it had affected the environment at Yanchep National Park drastically. Now they have to pump water into the caves and yet it does not even look like a lake, more a small puddle of water. Lots of rain water had been pumped in. I canot remember exactly how many litres but it is a HUGE quantity indeed. Very sad indeed. Even though, this cave is one of the smallest I have seen, it is still interesting.

I managed to get to the last Crystal Cave tour at 3pm. I had to miss out on all the other places of interest at this National Park. There are tours from 10.30 am, 11.30am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. Ticket prices are reasonable. Adults $10.00, Australian Senior concession $8.00, Children $5.00 (5-16 years), Mini group (2 adults, 2 children) $25.00.
I would have liked to discover the ways of the people that live in Western Australia’s south west and learn about the seasons used by the Nyoongar people and discover how their knowledge was shared and passed on, how Nyoongar people constructed their “Mia” shelters and how they utilised local plants and animals for food, medicine, clothing, shelter and tools, but I ran out of time. The place shuts at 5pm and alas I have to leave and travel back to Perth. The journey back seems a bit long as we were all tired. Dinner ended with just roast chicken back at the apartment. Too tired to be social in a restaurant.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment using the form below to share your views. We’d love to hear from you.

Swan Valley, Perth Western Australia

October 10, 2010 tikus 1 comment

I booked my accomodation via agoda.com and Booking.com
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Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia

My 2nd day in Perth is more productive. After breakfast, we drove to the Swan Valley. Our first stop was Caversham Wildlife Park (half hour from Perth), situated at the entrance of the Swan Valley. Tourist mostly go by car but you can also get there by bus. Entranec fees are reasonable. Adult ticket are Aud$22 and children between 3and 14 cost Aud$8. There is a concession ticket for seniors but they have to be resident of Australia.

I had done my researched on the internet on places to see in Perth. Apparently the No 1 place to visit in Perth for families is the Caversham Wildlife Park voted by majority of tourist. It opens quite early at 8.30am but we didn’t get there until approx 10am. Caversham Wildlife Park is located in Whiteman Park, in Morley (on the way to Swan Valley, travelling along Reid Highway to Lord Street to Whitman Drive East Rd). There is a fantastic map (at the back of the Swan Valley tourist booklet) that you can pick up at either the airport or at the Park itself. It shows you the various places (including to Caversham Wildlife Park) that you can visit during the day whilst at the Swan Valley. I would suggest visiting the Park first as there are quite a few things to see in there. If you have children, this place is a must for them. I would even say that it is a must for those who like to literally mingle with the Kangaroos, touch a Koala bear and stroke a lizard, touch a wombat or take a photo with one of all of these animals. You need at least half a day at the Park. Here we can enter the enclosures not only to mingle with, but also feed the animals like kangaroos, sheep, camels and rabbits. Those animals are trained to be friendly with us and it’s easy to pose with them. Even the koalas are ever ready to pose with us! They are located at their special enclosure and there are specific time when the area is open to visitors, when would like to touch the Koalas.
The animal show included a blue tongue skink, wombat, spotted quoll, kangaroo, and wallaby, parrots which could be touched but not held. You could also take a free photo beside any of them. There are 3 sessions time for meeting these animals and birds. 11am, 2pm and 3.45pm. You don’t have to rush there at the exact time unless you want to hear what the trainers say about each animal. Photo taking can be a long queue or none at all, depending on the no of people visiting the park that day or on the weather as it is out in the open. So if you are late by a few minutes, I am sure the animals are still doing their duties, posing for their visitors. Usually the busiest time in the morning session as this arena is nearer to the entrance. You can see much different kind of animals & different species of birds from all over Australia (in cages of course). There are the Flying Foxes, Koalas, Cassowary Owls and Lorikeets from North East Australia. Then there are the Possums, Koalas, Flying Foxes, Quoll, Wallaby, Gliders, and Pottoroos from South East Australia. The pottoroos were very active, while most of the others slept. There are also the Possums, Quokka, Egrets, Quoll, and Rail Ducks from South West Australia. We even saw Eagles, Bustard, Curfew, Echidnas, Dingos, Emus, Turtles, from Northern Australia. We also saw the Tasmanian Devils. The Emus, Kangaroos. Joeys and Wallabies roam freely in their respective areas. You can feed these animals but watch out for the Kangaroos, especially near their “food bin”. Yes, there is a huge “rubbish” bin where you can grab a few handfuls of Roo food and feed them and take photos of yourself and your kids feeding the kangaroos. We were immediately mobbed by a horde of hungry free range red and grey kangaroos, including albinos, which clustered around us to be hand fed from a bin of free roo food. These Kangaroos are so smart. They know where their food is so they normally congregate near the food bin. My girlfriend was cornered by as many as 10 – 15 kangaroos near the bin and they refused to let her out of the circle. So be mindful of smaller adults and children. We also saw a wallaby with a joey just out of the pouch and also a joey feeding off the mother. It is a very interesting experience and well worth the visit.
The best time to visit this place is early morning as you will then have enough time to wander around and not rushed to the Farm show (10am, 1pm and 3pm). Moreover, morning is the best time to feed the kangaroos because they are still hungry! At the Farm show, there are view sheep shearing demonstration, check out what a working sheep dog do, see how a stockman work on horseback, a chance to crack the whip, (I tried but was obviously not meant to be a country girl!, but had a good laugh…) , milk the cow or swing a billy tea pot. Some lucky children can volunteer to bottle feed the lamb. Afternoon is their nap time … they may not stand up or eat if you try to feed them.
At Molly’s Farm, everyone can mingle amongst the Emus, goats, kids, sheep, lamb, chickens, ducks, rabbits, turkeys, chickens, donkeys, ponies, llamas and even deers. It is especially a great experience for children who didn’t grow up with farm animals.
There were also numerous native plants in the park. Caversham Wildlife Park & Zoo is situated in Whiteman Park and houses one of the largest collections of native fauna in Western Australia.
There are plenty of picnic areas, barbecues and a restaurant available within Whiteman Park, Tram and Train rides, Motor and Tractor Museum, Pottry Gallery, Handicraft Shop, Ice creamery and English Lolly Shop, just a four minute walk away. We had our lunch inside the Park as it was drizzling that day. Bit unfortunate, as it would have been lovely to have a picnic for lunch.
After lunch, we drove out towards West Swan Road to visit the Margaret River Chocolate factory for free chocolate tasting and to view how chocolates are being made. Aside from chocolate tasting, there are also jam and other condiments to taste as well. Yummy….but pricy. I suppose you pay for good quality products. Next we head off towards Great Northern Highway.
I felt that there are a lot more interesting places to check out along this route. We stopped at about 3 vineyards to taste their wine and cheese, visited the Mondo Nougat factory to view the making of nougat. The nougat sold there are not that cheap but fresh as we found that the prices of nougat in Perth or Fremantle markets are relatively similar price to that sold at the factory if not cheaper. Further north is the House of Honey. There are various types of honey to taste and we did taste them including honey vinegar, great for salad. The 500ml bottle is sold for Aud$19. Pricy but worth it, in my opinion. It taste yummy and I had read I the internet, previously that if I have a tablespoon of vinegar & honey each day, it will relieve the stiff aching and prematurely old joints. I bought 2 bottles.
Anyway, the rain came around the time that most places closed, approximately 5pm. Time to head back to Perth and just in time to head back to the apartment, rest a bit and head out to the local pup for dinner. Overall, it was a very productive day.

The other place I wanted to go is the Margaret River Chocolate Company. I heard from friends and on the internet that it is worth the trip. However it was raining and time had run out for me, so I didn’t managed to go there. I understand that it is one of Western Australia’s most popular tourist attractions, with manufacturing and sales facilities in both Swan Valley and Margaret River.

The company’s Swan Valley factory is located in the heart of Perth’s historic Swan Valley, just 20 minutes from the Perth city centre. The original Margaret River factory is located on a picturesque rural property just 20 minutes from Margaret River and is surrounded by award-winning wineries, hotels and resorts.

I read that both sites treated tourists to free chocolate tastings and they also have viewing windows for young and old to watch the chocolate products being made. Both factories sell a huge, award-winning range of gourmet chocolate delights, as well as novelty chocolates, cookies, ice-cream, chocolate milk and a variety of chocolate desserts.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment using the form below to share your views. We’d love to hear from you.
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Australia Caversham Wildlife Park, Cheese, Chocolate, Factory, Honey, Nougat, Perth, Picnic BBQ area, Swan Valley, Western Australia, Wine Tasting, Zoo

Perth, Western Australia, Kings Park and Accomodation

September 18, 2010 tikus 6 comments

I booked my accomodation via agoda.com and Booking.com

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Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia and Perth’s accomodation

I finally made my first trip to Perth on 5th Sept 2010, after hearing so much nice things about this mining state in Western Australia. I flew by Virgin airlines and it cost me Aud$355 for a return flight. I happened to be in Melbourne, one of the eastern state of Australia this time so travelling to Perth is only a short hop away. It took me 4 hours to get from Melbourne to Perth. I was meeting up with friends from Malaysia so we decided to catch up half way, thus the reason for me being in Perth. I arrived in Perth domestic airport at 10.30pm Perth time. The international travellers arrived at 9pm and waited for us at the international terminal. I actually thought I can walk across the airport from domestic to international side of the airport. How wrong was I ! It is a 20 minutes drive from domestic to international. Lucky I had prearranged my accommodation and car in advance as it was very late when we all arrived at our apartment. After being picked up at the domestic airport by Mr Drake, the owner of the apartment, he drove me to the international airport and picked the rest of the group. It was a very chilly night. Lucky I brought my parker from Melbourne. (Melbourne was freezing when I depart late in the night)
I was a bit concern about milk and breakfast essentials for the next day as there were 2 small children with the other overseas visitors. I had previously searched the internet and had not found any information on where to get emergency food supplies. Infact I even brought 2 packet of UHT milk, ration of coffee with me from Melbourne. (for emergency). I need not have worried as Dr Drake pointed out to us that there were 2 convenience stores open 24 hours. It was on our way towards the apartment. Sorry… cannot remember where exactly it was now…. We were shown the 24 hours McDonald Store, a shell petrol station that open late into the night and they sell a variety of food products and drinks as well. Looks like wee were not going to be starved.

What a lot of worry for nothing. My friends from Malaysia came over with instant noodle and 3 in 1 coffee sachets but they were confiscated at customs as the coffee powder contain dairy products and the noodle… not sure why…so beware, overseas travellers, forget about bringing instant noodles or coffee sachets.

Dr Drake seems a very nice fellow. Made us feel very welcome. I was a bit apprehensive as I had read in the various reports from Trip Advisor that travellers were not made to feel very welcome and some even had altercations with Mr Drake. Well, I was most relieved that I didn’t feel the same way as the other visitors. I had also read in Trip Advisor that the rooms were very crappy and were no more that an upgrade version of a caravan. You can imagine how stress I felt after reading theses comments in Trip Advisor. I read the comments after I had booked and paid the deposit and made all the arrangement with my overseas friends, thus it was far too alte amd inconvenient to cancel everything and re arrange flights & accommodation. I didn’t even mention to any of the overseas visitors my concern on the apartment. I was praying that the apartment would be al least decent. I had even found an even better and cheaper house for weekly rental through another website, owner’s rental. Unfortunately, as mentioned previously, I had already prearranged everything prior finding this other website.

The price for our standard 3 bedroom apartment cost me for 6 nights at $265per night with car and an extra $25 for the extra person even though the child sleeps with the mum and with taking the car past 10am cost me an extra 1 day car hire of $85. Total Aud$1,825 for the six days accommodation and 7 days car hire.

Anyway, I stepped into the Drakes apartment, expecting the worse.I peered into the lounge room and rushed in to quickly check the 3 bedrooms and bathroom/toilets. (We had the standard 3 bedrooms apartment). You should have seen the relief look on my face. It was like what the photos on their website shows you, down to even the same colour bedspreads! Infact we had 3 bedrooms that had a double and a single bed in each room and a very reasonable large lounge/dining room and kitchen. I felt the tension leaving my body. Thanks Dr Drake for not letting me down. They even help us out by lending us power adaptors for electrical plugs required for charging mobile phones etc. Overseas visitors, please remember to return the adaptors back to them so that other visitors like us can have access to emergency adaptors without having to buy them. Karen, the manager mentioned that they used to have 10 of these monsters but the tourists who borrowed them never remembered to return them. I certainly slept like a log that night as I always feel exhausted after any night fights.

We all woke up late on our first day in Perth and decided to just visit Kings Park and drive around the city area to get our bearings. We walked to the “Federation Treetop Boardwalk” under the beautiful Perth 20 degree centigrade weather and checked out the beautiful flowers at the Botanical gardens. Kings Park is not a highlight for me as I had seen many beautiful botanic gardens all over the world. Even though I went during the ‘Wildflower festival’, I was a bit disappointed. The board walk above the treetop is a bit of a let down as well, short walk and not a very tall structure. But if you had nothing better to do, by all means visit the Kings Parks to see the 400 hectares of natural bush and parkland. Pictures on these website for this article are taken that day from Kings Park. You can enjoy a walk or bike ride along one of the walking trails, pet a few friendly dogs ( if their owners let you), chase some wild ducks ( if your parents let you !), visit the State War Memorial, check out the colourful birdlife and the wildflowers in bloom in spring time. Kings Park is very wheelchair friendly. The treetop board walk is set up for the disabled as well as pets. Kings Park is home to Western Australian Botanic garden, featuring a beautiful refurnished Water Garden and a Banksia garden and remember to smell the flowers and relax and reflect upon your busy life as you sit and contemplate in this tranquil environment. Kids normally watch the ducks and birds fly pass them and laugh happily with glee. Kings Park also has BBQ facilities, a picnic area kiosk and a restaurant. By all means go to Perth, if you haven’t been there before. A much quieter place than any other states of Australia.