| Perth
Tourist Attractions |
Kings Park
Check out the superb views from Kings Park, the lungs of the city centre.
The park includes a 17 hectare (42 acre) Botanic Garden and a section
of natural bushland, which represents Perth as it was before the white
fella got here. In spring, there's a cultivated display of Western Australia's
famed wild flowers. The park also has some pleasant bike tracks - you
can hire bikes just outside the park - and a coffee shop.
Museum of Western Australia
The museum, in Northbridge, has an excellent gallery of Aboriginal culture,
a marine gallery with the skeleton of a 25m (82ft) blue whale, vintage
cars, a gallery of dinosaurs and a good collection of meteorites, including
the 11 tonne Mundrabilla specimen. In the courtyard, set in its own preservative
bath, is Megamouth, one of the largest species of shark. Only about five
of these benign creatures have ever been captured.
The museum complex also includes Perth's original prison, built in 1856
and used until 1888 - a favourite spot for hangings in the past.
Berndt Museum of Anthropology
This is one of Australia's finest collections of traditional and contemporary
Australian Aboriginal art and artefacts. It combines material from Arnhem
Land in the Northern Territory and the south-west, desert and Kimberley
regions of WA. You'll find the museum in the University of WA, in Nedlands.
Underwater World
This is not your run-of-the-mill aquarium. Underwater World, north of
the city, has a 98m (321ft) underwater tunnel aquarium displaying 2500
examples of 200 marine species, including sharks and stingrays. If you
turn up at the right time you can watch the sharks being fed or, if you're
a qualified diver, join in the feeding yourself (hopefully in a not-too-participatory
manner). There are also interactive displays inside such as a touchpool
and Microworld.
City Beaches
Perth has some of the the best city beaches in Australia, though they
can get a bit unpleasant and windy in the afternoon. There are calm bay
beaches on the Swan River at Crawley and Peppermint Grove. Or you can
try a whole string of patrolled surf beaches on the Indian Ocean coast,
including Perth's very popular nude beach at Swanbourne. Scarborough is
known for its beachside café society, and is great for experienced
surfers and sailboarders. Perhaps the best beach of all is on secluded
Carnac Island, frequented by the odd marooned human and some sea lions.
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| Getting
Around Perth |
A few overseas airlines use
Perth as their gateway to Australia, but most visitors come to the west
after passing through the eastern states. There are direct flights to
Perth from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Uluru, Darwin and Alice Springs.
You can also fly to regional centres such as Albany, Carnarvon, Esperance,
Exmouth, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Monkey Mia, Meekatharra and Wiluna.
There are daily bus services from Adelaide
to Perth, or you can make the 56 hour journey to Darwin. Buses also go
to regional centres. The Indian-Pacific train line runs from Perth to
Sydney via Adelaide, and is one of the world's great train journeys. There
are also trains to York, Kalgoorlie and Bunbury
Getting
Around
A privately-run bus theoretically meets every flight into Perth airport
and travels to the city, hotels and hostels. It will cost about $5 for
your fare. There is also a suburban bus which runs every hour or so and
costs substantially less.
Perth has a central public transport organisation called Transperth which
operates buses, trains and ferries. A free transit zone, including all
Transperth bus and trains, is provided every day within the central city
area. Cycling is a great way to explore Perth, and there are many bicycle
routes around the city and its environs. Ferries cross the river every
half an hour (more frequently at peak times) during the day. |
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| Perth
Airport Information |
Perth Airport Information
Perth - Perth International Airport
Perth International Airport (PER) is located 8 miles (13 kilometers) northeast
of Perth city centre. There are two terminals at PER: one international
and one domestic. Given the cities isolated situation, it is not surprising
that Perth International Airport is one of Australia's busiest airports
for domestic flights.
There are ATMs at both terminals of PER with an additional machine available
on the first floor of the international terminal. In addition, there are
various bars and eateries in the International Terminal. There are many
shops at Perth International Airport with international travellers able
to take advantage of the duty-free areas.
For those wanting to hire a car on arrival in Perth, Avis, Budget, Thrifty,
Hertz and National are all represented in the terminal buildings.
There are excellent car parking facilities at Perth International Airport
with both the international and domestic terminal providing a number of
parking options. These include long-term parking, short-term parking,
disabled passenger parking and secure garages.
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