Western Australia
Western Australia is perhaps known a lot less to most people, as the East tends to steal the limelight with such sights as Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru in the centre. Western Australia can be an extremely rewarding place and extremely beautiful with rugged coastlines, massive forests in the south and beautiful beaches further north. If you are arriving into Western Australia you will no doubt fly into Perth. A short bus/taxi ride will get you from the airport to Perth.
Perth
Perth is a sunshine city, its has the most hours sunshine than any other city in Australia and is also the furthest city from anywhere, being nearer to the Indonesian Islands than to either Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney. As a result Perth seems totally different to any other city in Australia (with the exception of Canberra!) Perth is set in beautiful surroundings on the x river, with the picturesque port of fremantle only 15mins by train. The centre of Perth is centred around a business district and as a result if your looking for nightlife or cheap accommodation head to Northbridge or one of the suburbs.
Places to Stay
As I stayed with friends I cannot recommend any specific places to stay, but head to Northbridge as there are plenty of good value backpacker hostels and cheap hotels to be found
Places to Eat/Drink
Hotel Redrock (Claremont) - Large pub near Claremont Station serving from 2 bars with pool tables, comfy sofas and DJs with a great atmosphere, closes 10pm on Sundays though.
Bellissimo (Claremont) - Italian restaurant next door to Hotel Redrock, with BYO, fast service and very nice food in a basic settings.
Sail and Anchor (South Terrace, fremantle) - Spacious traditional pub with a contemporary style including a micro brewery and restaurant. For $15 you can get 6 taster beers to sample their selection.
Norfolk Hotel (South Terrace, fremantle) - Supposedly English Style pub with a nice courtyard serving food and playing great music.
Little Creatures (40 Mews Road, across the park) - Bar/Restaurant/Art Gallery set in a warehouse with its own brewery and very high ceilings! Playing arabesque music when we went, this place was built especially for the Americas Cup
The Moon (323 William Street, Northbridge) - Bar/Cafe which holds curry night Wed/Thu playing cool tunes, although the clientele can be over pretentious.
Thai Elephant (William Street, Northbridge) - Beautiful thai restaurant with lovely food, friendly service and at good prices (approx £9 for main course and starter). BYO. Try the Apple with prawn chili, cucumber and coriander starter.
Brass Monkey (William Street, Northbridge) - Mixture of bar/brasserie and comedy/music venue, with a variety of different rooms depending on your tastes.
Grapeskin (William Street, Northbridge) - Cocktail bar adjoining the Brass Monkey with modern fittings. Drinks are on the expensive side and the service seems indifferent, as do the clientele
What to do
Kings Park - Take a walk round the park, see the monument and the great views of the city.
The River - Hire a bike and ride along by the river
fremantle - Visit fremantle and see a historic port, with prison and maritime museum
Rottnest Island - Well worth a visit, get the ferry from fremantle (turn right at train station). The trip across takes about 45 mins, costs about $12 and leaves at 10.30am. Once at Rottnest be sure to hire a bike as cycling is the best way to see the island, its approximately 25kms around the whole island so it is possible to do the whole loop in one day before getting the ferry back which leaves at 16.30pm. If you want to see the Quokkas, which are unique to Rottnest, head for the lake just 5 mins walk from the ferry port, and follow the path round, although they quite often appear at the tearooms on the front.
The South and Denmark
About 5 hours from Perth along the Albany Highway to the South is a small place called Denmark, this is a great place to stay overnight allowing you to explore the surrounding area.
Places to Stay
Rivermouth Caravan Park - Set in idyllic surroundings on the Denmark River and Wilson Inlet this park offers a powered campervan bay for $15. Make sure you get up early to watch the mist rolling off the water and the wonderful birdlife. The park has hot showers. The Park is about 10 minutes walk from Denmark centre.
Places to Eat/Drink
Denmark Hotel (Holling Road) - Local pub nearest to Rivermouth with pool tables, darts, sports TV and a restaurant next door serving average food. Be warned in the winter months the restaurant and bar shut at 9pm.
Denmark Tavern (Lot 623, Coastal Highway) - Bustling pub with a great restaurant, about 15 mins walk from the centre, can get busy in the evenings and in the winter months the restaurant shuts at 6pm.
Places to see in the area
Green Pool - Lovely quiet beach with smooth round rocks, a great way to while away a couple of hours
Waterfall Bay - Beach with a mini waterfall
The Valley of Giants - Do the amazing treetop walk amongst the giant Karri Trees
Shark Bay/Denham
About 8-9 hours drive from Perth, your destination will be Denham to stay overnight before going to Monkey Mia the next day.
Places to Stay
Shark Bay Caravan Park - Pleasant family site with all facilities including swimming pool, $19 a night
Places to Eat/Drink
The Old Pearler - Beautiful restaurant made entirely out of sea shells, has a wonderfully cosy atmosphere with really friendly atmosphere. If you like fish, this is this is the place to come, the seafood platters are amazing.
Heritage Resort - Touristy bar/liquor store with pool table and video jukebox, a good place to meet people, open till 12am.
Things to do
Most people come to Shark Bay to go to Monkey Mia, this is about 25mins drive from Denham and costs $9 for a day pass. Get there at about 10pm to see the dolphins, who come and 'visit' humans by the waters edge, realistically they are just waiting to be fed. You can't touch or swim with them but you may be asked to help feed them. A word of warning, in the summer months it can get really busy, so winter can sometimes be the best time to come. They normally visit until early afternoon. There is also a cafe and visitor centre with a small museum and giftshop. Also recommended is the boat trips, a catamaran trip is about £15 per person and is well worth it as you can spot dolphins, cormorants, turtles and maybe tiger sharks. Dugongs are also popular in this are, but in the winter months they move further north. Trips can be booked in the giftshop
Also worth a look in on the road out of Shark Bay are the Stromatolites in Hamlyn Bay which are ancient organic 'rock' lifeforms growing in the sea, there is also the Old Telegraph Station in the nearby caravan park which may be of some interest, but beware of the moody owner who likes to throw stones at campervans!
Kalbarri
About 5-6hrs drive from Perth or 2 hours from Shark Bay is the Kalbarri Resort and national park. The area offers some great hiking and camping opportunities as well as some spectacular coastline and boat hire.
Places to Stay
Murchison Park Caravan Park (opposite beach on front) - Centrally located with campervan berths, hot showers, laundry, BBQs and pelican feeding
Places to Eat/Drink
Echo beach bar and cafe - Newly opened. Located upstairs with ocean and river views. Sexy interior, cute bar staff, booth seating and lounge seating, balcony daydreaming. Head chef Ross Palmer has customers follow him from all over Australia....
Grass Tree Restaurant - Modern restaurant with verandah overlooking the beach. Serving beautiful vegetarian, asian and seafood dishes. There is also a toy museum open in the day. BYO
Gilgai Tavern - Lively pub with live music open till 12, also serves food, ATM and has an adjoining pool bar. Popular with tourists
Kalbarii Motor Hotel - Local pub with pool tables, dartboard, betting, sports TV and a daily anagram competition. This place can get quite busy at night, but is a good way to mix with the local nightlife.
Things to do
Rainbow Forest (take the main road to the left out of Kalbarri) - A beautiful sanctuary for tropical birds, includes ponds, whale watching tower and has an amusing talking parrot! A good idea is to hire some bikes from the centre and ride along the coast.
Pot Alley Gorge - Impressive gorge with crashing surf
Red Blush - Lookout over Chinaman point
Chinaman Beach - A popular place for fishermen and bathers
Ross Graham Lookout - Not as popular as the gorge at the Loop, but some great walks can be had alongside the river
Hawkshead Lookout - Viewing platform with spectacular views
The Loop/Natures Window - 4 hour hikes can be done from here, as well as viewing the Nature's Window, an impressive geological feature. To get here drive back along the entry road from the highway and take a 20km drive along an unsealed road, it is advisable to check whether the road is open in wet conditions
Z Bend - Viewing platform, abseiling is also done from here
Kalbarri Boat Hire - Take a boat ride down the river, approx $33 for 1 hour with a $20 deposit
The Indian Pacific
The Indian Pacific is more than just a train, it is a community while you are on it. It is a great way to travel from West Australia to East Australia, giving you spectacular views of the vast Nullabor Plain. Depending on your budget there are 3 options: Day/Night Sleeper which is the cheapest option (approx £99) on a reclining seat, Red Kangaroo Sleeper where you get your own cabin with bunk beds (approx £200) and Gold Kangaroo Sleeper which is first class and is a lot more expensive! There is a buffet car on board serving hot meals and canned alcoholic drinks open till 10pm at night. There is a also a lounge car where you can relax and socialise with the other travellers. The Indian Pacific runs from Perth via Kalgoorlie where it stops for 3 hours then onto Cook (where there is an hour stop) before getting to Adelaide. It then goes from Adelaide via Broken Hill to Sydney. The prices I have quoted are based on Perth-Adelaide. Trains run on Wednesdays and Sundays and take about 43 hours. For more info go to the official site.
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Info supplied by Andy Webb and Helen Barlow
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