There is really only one word to describe how we felt when we touched down in Perth, Australia: Giddy.
This is in no way said to diminish our time in Southeast Asia. We experienced a truly epic 78 days there, and our Asian adventures surpassed our wildest expectations. But after five months on the road, we were hungry for familiarity and routine, and even though we had never visited Australia before, it felt so much like the United States, it was able to deliver.
Without further adieu, our glorious four days in Perth!
Day 134: Travel from Bali to Perth
We had an early morning flight out of the Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali but were able to enjoy a really nice airport lounge breakfast before boarding our plane. The flight to Perth was an easy two-ish hours, and when we landed in Perth, it was only around 9:00 AM or so.
Landing in Perth felt like landing in America. Signs for Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s as well as adorable little coffee shops greeted us, and all of the announcements were in English, spoken with an Australian accent of course. The immigration process was easy, and we headed out past baggage claim outside to catch a city bus.
And then we were really excited because it was cool outside. In November, it’s their spring, but it felt like fall to us. After having summer extend into September, then October, then November, we were outside and not sweating! It felt like a miracle.
I cannot say enough about Perth’s public transportation system. We hopped on one bus at the airport, bought our tickets on board, and received really helpful instructions from our bus driver about where to transfer and where to get off. About thirty minutes later, we got off the bus and walked an easy five minutes to our AirBNB.
Settling In
Rich and I dropped our bags and headed to lunch. We found a burrito spot, and Mexican also felt like a treat after so much rice and noodles. It also just so happened that we landed in Perth on the day of the Melbourne Cup, an Australian Horse Race that I assume rivals the Kentucky Derby, and even though we landed on a Tuesday, there were swaths of people enjoying big hats, dresses, and, umm, plenty of libations. I had to google what was going on– after so much Australian partying in Bali, we thought Tuesday afternoon revelry might just be part of being in Australia!
We headed back to our AirBNB after lunch, and Rich declared it his favorite setup of any place we had stayed on the entire trip. It looked to me like it had once been a commercial space so it was really spacious with a well-equipped kitchen, big table, washer AND dryer, and huge couch. We made immediate use of the couch by settling in for long afternoon naps!
When we woke up from our naps, we walked about 15 minutes to a nearby grocery store that was nearly indistinguishable from any Giant in Washington, DC. As I have shared here before, Rich LOVES to grocery shop so he was in heaven. We also had done practically zero cooking in Asia, so we were both so excited to have the opportunity to cook and eat at “home.”
We walked home, cooked pasta, and watched Modern Family on TV before falling asleep. Perfect.
Day 135: Exploring Perth
As I shared in my last post on Canggu, sidewalks in Southeast Asia could be truly hit or miss. In contrast, Perth was incredibly walkable. There were wide sidewalks on both sides of the street anywhere you would want to go.
Running Outside!
We decided to take advantage of the ample sidewalks to go for a run. It was our first run outside since we had been in Sicily, and as any run after a long break from running, it was both glorious and painful– ha! The weather could not have been nicer, but Rich and I were both a bit sore when it was over.
Exploring the CitY: The King’s Botanical Garden, Elizabeth Quay, and the bellTower
After showers, breakfast, a little bit of work, and a lunch in of grilled cheese and tomato soup, we hit the streets of Perth by foot. Perth is a large city with a population of nearly two million people, but while having many resources, it has a smaller community feel.
Rich and I walked about 45 minutes to reach the King’s Botanical Garden. The walk was through beautiful neighborhoods with cozy cottages, and then the views from the garden were spectacular. The gardens overlooked the Perth harbor and the city below.
From the gardens, we walked into downtown. It was fun to see the hustle and bustle of young professionals leaving work. It almost made us miss being those young-ish professionals ourselves!
Then on to Elizabeth Quay! I had to admit to myself that I didn’t actually know what a quay technically was— which I have had to admit to myself about several English words that are not commonly used in the United States. In case you also are wondering about a quay, it is basically a wharf, a long platform where ships are unloaded. #themoreyouknow
Elizabeth’s Quay was a pretty waterfront area in downtown Perth. We took a few pictures, but it was getting rather breezy and cool so we decided to check out the bell tower and head home.
On our way home, we passed a hip-looking bar where local Perthians were enjoying a happy hour beer. We figured that in order to have a truly local Perth experience, we should have a happy hour beer too! Besides a weird mix up where a porter was listed as being on special but then we were charged full price, despite being able to point to where it was listed as a special, we had a really nice time relaxing. Being at happy hour in a western-feeling bar felt so familiar, and, as a result, so special.
We walked home and enjoyed leftover pasta for dinner.
Day 136: Run, Work, Art Museum
For the second day in a row, Rich and I went for a run. We ended up running back to the belltower we had visited the day before.
When we got back home, Rich and I enjoyed a slow morning of coffee and blogging/planning. We ate lunch and then walked to the nearby Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Rich and I loved the city set up in Perth. There was a whole cultural area that included the art gallery, a huge library, and a community theater. We wandered through several of the galleries in the Art Gallery and then enjoyed a flat white sitting outside. While a flat white may just be a weird marketing gimmick at Starbucks in the US, it is an art in Australia. It’s basically a latte with a different foam to espresso ration, and the Australians get it just right.
After our leisurely day, I made a proper “home-cooked” meal of pork chops, fried zucchini, and mashed potatoes– food you can’t get in Asia! Staying in to eat felt so luxurious and comforting too.
Day 137: Lunch and Wine Tasting at the Faber Vineyard
Rich found a great Groupon for lunch and a wine tasting at Faber Vineyard, a small, family-owned vineyard about 45 minutes outside of Perth.
We got up and ran again (woot!) before heading out. As I mentioned, Perth’s public transport, as they call it, was fabulous. We took one bus to the metro station, then took the cleanest train I have ever seen about twenty minutes out, and then caught another bus that took us within 100 yards of the vineyard. It was seamless.
The only small drawback to Perth was that it is home to some really pesky flies that like to land directly on your face. We battled them on the walk to the vineyard and then opted into sitting inside– and out of the flies’ reach– for lunch.
The family at Faber Vineyard was lovely, and Rich and I had a really nice afternoon. The son, who was about our age, brought us wine after wine to sample and described what we were tasting while also providing some insight into Australian wine (beyond the Australian wine with kangaroos on the bottles– looking at you, Yellowtail!). Lunch was a huge platter of cheese, olives, bread, crackers, and meats. It was such a different travel experience for us, and we loved it.
Closing Thoughts on Perth
We could live here. Seriously. It was super walk-able and convenient. Perth was clean, the people were friendly, and we loved the art gallery as well as the whole cultural area near our neighborhood. We were able to really settle in– cooking at home, exercising, and washing clothes. All of our favorite at home things! (If you are not sure about washing clothes being a favorite at home thing, I invite you to live out of one backpack, stay somewhere with a washer AND dryer once a month, and then reconsider.)
Perth was the only city we visited on Australia’s west coast, and in a lot of ways, it reminded us of the west coast in the United States, particularly northern California. The weather was mild and comfortable, there was great wine country, the coast is full of beaches, and there was plenty of green space. Perth was the perfect first stop in Australia for us, and we really appreciate that because we have a full month in Australia, we are able to explore some of the smaller cities and coastline in addition to the larger Australian centers of Sydney and Melbourne.