Perth - what can the 2 of us do in one week in mid-Dec?
Sep 15, 2012, 8:35 pm
#1
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Perth - what can the 2 of us do in one week in mid-Dec?
We Have visited eastern Australia a few times, but never the western coast.
We will staying at a timeshare (about 30-40 miles north of Perth) from Dec 15-22.
We will likely rent a car.
What can we do in 6 full days, plus the 1/2 day of arrival (we leave on Dec 22 first thing in the morning).
We will staying at a timeshare (about 30-40 miles north of Perth) from Dec 15-22.
We will likely rent a car.
What can we do in 6 full days, plus the 1/2 day of arrival (we leave on Dec 22 first thing in the morning).
Sep 17, 2012, 12:54 am
#2
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Rather an unfortunate location for a holiday :_)
Much nicer in Margaret River, which is 3 hours drive to the south (so too far for day trips). Or in Monkey Mia. Personally I find Perth a good place to leave these days, absurdly over-priced due to the mining boom which has also destroyed most of its charm. You'll be competing with truck drivers earning $250,000 a year for the tourist dollar
Much nicer in Margaret River, which is 3 hours drive to the south (so too far for day trips). Or in Monkey Mia. Personally I find Perth a good place to leave these days, absurdly over-priced due to the mining boom which has also destroyed most of its charm. You'll be competing with truck drivers earning $250,000 a year for the tourist dollar
Sep 17, 2012, 1:24 am
#3
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I have to agree with number_6, Perth is overpriced (the mining boom) and fairly dull. You wouldn't think you were in a city of close to two million. It seems to close at 6pm. The best part of WA is the south-west. Around Perth, Fremantle is worth a look as is Rottnest Island.
http://www.afr.com/p/opinion/praying...rs9ZUTENTqsPJJ
My friend and I were charged $58 for two martinis a couple of Fridays ago (yes, just in case you thought it was a typo: we were slugged $29 for each martini).
It was like copping a gold-plated fist punch to the face. I nearly choked on my olive.
We were at The Heritage Brasserie and Bar, a welcome addition to Perth’s dining and bar scene at the base of BHP Billiton’s sparkling new West Australian headquarters.
The Grey Goose vodka martini – straight up – was good.
But my mate and I, both well travelled, couldn’t think of a place where we would have been asked to pay more. Even with our choice of a premium spirit.
According to the American Express website Travel & Leisure, Perth would top the list in its survey of global martini prices. It surveyed martinis sold at hotels around the world. Paris topped the list at $25, followed by London and Rome at $23 while Sydney came in at $21.
We were not in a fancy hotel. We were in a new bar (admittedly a nice looking one) in the heart of the Perth CBD.
...
One executive I spoke to this week was slugged $9 for a piece of banana bread. Did I miss something? Wasn’t that savage cyclone that hurt Queensland banana crops nearly two years ago?
...
Getting cheaper drinks can be a bit harder, in part because thankfully Perth’s pubs don’t have pokies and a supplementary revenue stream.
So beers can be $10 a pint, not the $6 I paid at my old faithful in Melbourne. But they are not always the $15 that some Perth publicans feel audacious enough to charge.
It was like copping a gold-plated fist punch to the face. I nearly choked on my olive.
We were at The Heritage Brasserie and Bar, a welcome addition to Perth’s dining and bar scene at the base of BHP Billiton’s sparkling new West Australian headquarters.
The Grey Goose vodka martini – straight up – was good.
But my mate and I, both well travelled, couldn’t think of a place where we would have been asked to pay more. Even with our choice of a premium spirit.
According to the American Express website Travel & Leisure, Perth would top the list in its survey of global martini prices. It surveyed martinis sold at hotels around the world. Paris topped the list at $25, followed by London and Rome at $23 while Sydney came in at $21.
We were not in a fancy hotel. We were in a new bar (admittedly a nice looking one) in the heart of the Perth CBD.
...
One executive I spoke to this week was slugged $9 for a piece of banana bread. Did I miss something? Wasn’t that savage cyclone that hurt Queensland banana crops nearly two years ago?
...
Getting cheaper drinks can be a bit harder, in part because thankfully Perth’s pubs don’t have pokies and a supplementary revenue stream.
So beers can be $10 a pint, not the $6 I paid at my old faithful in Melbourne. But they are not always the $15 that some Perth publicans feel audacious enough to charge.
Sep 17, 2012, 1:45 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: PERTH,W.AUSTRALIA
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A case of 24 Crown Lager beer can be bought for about $42US so lots of Perth folks load their bulk purchase into a refrigerator.
Perth has great white sand beaches, surf that is not too dangerous and is pretty relaxed.
Heading south you would tend to go to Yallingup and Margaret River for surf and wine. It is cooler in the south west during our summer.
On the south coast you can drive to Albany and Denmark and the country is quite pretty.
Yes you will find food expensive because of the exchange rate but there is no tipping and our mining slow down may fix our inflated currency.
We live in Perth and you must know not to land here without having your accommodation booked as some nights there are no rooms within 30 miles of the airport.
Perth has great white sand beaches, surf that is not too dangerous and is pretty relaxed.
Heading south you would tend to go to Yallingup and Margaret River for surf and wine. It is cooler in the south west during our summer.
On the south coast you can drive to Albany and Denmark and the country is quite pretty.
Yes you will find food expensive because of the exchange rate but there is no tipping and our mining slow down may fix our inflated currency.
We live in Perth and you must know not to land here without having your accommodation booked as some nights there are no rooms within 30 miles of the airport.
Sep 22, 2012, 9:38 am
#6
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We are headed to Western Australia at the end of December. We will be spending time in Albany and the Margaret River, and concluding our trip with 4 days in Perth. We would welcome some advice on where to eat & drink.
Sep 26, 2012, 2:40 am
#7
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Rather an unfortunate location for a holiday :_)
Much nicer in Margaret River, which is 3 hours drive to the south (so too far for day trips). Or in Monkey Mia. Personally I find Perth a good place to leave these days, absurdly over-priced due to the mining boom which has also destroyed most of its charm. You'll be competing with truck drivers earning $250,000 a year for the tourist dollar
Much nicer in Margaret River, which is 3 hours drive to the south (so too far for day trips). Or in Monkey Mia. Personally I find Perth a good place to leave these days, absurdly over-priced due to the mining boom which has also destroyed most of its charm. You'll be competing with truck drivers earning $250,000 a year for the tourist dollar
Get a car and head out of the city and you will enjoy yourself, and the wine a lot more.
Oct 7, 2012, 5:25 pm
#8
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With a car rental, are there any day trips we can make - especially national parks and/or unusual scenery (eg vegetation, waterfall or rivers, rock formations/cliffs/mountains/canyons etc)?
Someone has told me there is a town south of Perth with canals? - the Venice of Australia?
Someone has told me there is a town south of Perth with canals? - the Venice of Australia?
Oct 7, 2012, 5:36 pm
#9
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Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
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Swan valley is 30 min drive from Perth and well worth visiting. Margaret River is 300 km so a bit far for a day trip for most people, but also worth it if you stay overnight. As for canals, that sounds like Mandurah which is less than 100km from Perth. Not terrrifically scenic or worth the drive, imho (while Margaret River is worth it!).
Oct 9, 2012, 10:37 pm
#10
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You could probably head north up towards Cervantes and Leeman, there's the Pinnacles National park about 2-2.5 hours up the coast that isn't mindblowing but still interesting to visit.
I'd definitely try and get down to the Margaret River and Pemberton areas, and probably spend a day in Fremantle/Rottnest as well.
Hillary's Boat Harbour can be nice to kill a little bit of time - but mostly just chill out on the beach December can be a beautiful time of the year!
I'd definitely try and get down to the Margaret River and Pemberton areas, and probably spend a day in Fremantle/Rottnest as well.
Hillary's Boat Harbour can be nice to kill a little bit of time - but mostly just chill out on the beach December can be a beautiful time of the year!
Oct 22, 2012, 3:58 am
#12
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 341
We are going to Perth for 3 full days in July. We've ruled out Margaret River as it would likely be too cold and rainy. Any suggestions on Swan valley (how to get there what to do?)
We are planning to head to the Pinnacles. If we were to stay longer as we initially planned we would have gone to Kalbarri for the National park. Might be worth it for the OP as they will be North of Perth to start with.
We are planning to head to the Pinnacles. If we were to stay longer as we initially planned we would have gone to Kalbarri for the National park. Might be worth it for the OP as they will be North of Perth to start with.
Oct 22, 2012, 10:11 pm
#13
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Without copying what others have said, or what you've all likely read on Trip Advisor, etc, I'd recommend the following to any traveller to Perth:
Plan and book your accom well in advance. Due to the mining boom there are times when there are no, I repeat NO (not suites, NOTHING!) rooms available within 50km of Perth. Things are also very expensive. You'll pay more to stay at the Formule 1 in Perth than you would to stay at the InterContinental in Athens or Bucharest, for example.
If you like to drink alcohol (outside of a bar) plan on visiting a shop before 8 PM otherwise you'll either have to hunt around or do without. Late night and Sunday shopping is also heavily restricted.
Car rental: Not quite as bad as hotel rooms, but also expensive and sometimes scarce.
Something that wasn't really mentioned is a day trip to the wheatbelt (when wildflowers are in bloom) or to the town of New Norcia (about 132km North of Perth on the Great Northern Highway), where there is an old monastery and some other fun things to see. There is also a European Space Agency ground station (think HUGE satellite dish) not too far away. I'm not sure if you can visit it or not but it's quite a surprise when you see it if you're not expecting it.
Plan and book your accom well in advance. Due to the mining boom there are times when there are no, I repeat NO (not suites, NOTHING!) rooms available within 50km of Perth. Things are also very expensive. You'll pay more to stay at the Formule 1 in Perth than you would to stay at the InterContinental in Athens or Bucharest, for example.
If you like to drink alcohol (outside of a bar) plan on visiting a shop before 8 PM otherwise you'll either have to hunt around or do without. Late night and Sunday shopping is also heavily restricted.
Car rental: Not quite as bad as hotel rooms, but also expensive and sometimes scarce.
Something that wasn't really mentioned is a day trip to the wheatbelt (when wildflowers are in bloom) or to the town of New Norcia (about 132km North of Perth on the Great Northern Highway), where there is an old monastery and some other fun things to see. There is also a European Space Agency ground station (think HUGE satellite dish) not too far away. I'm not sure if you can visit it or not but it's quite a surprise when you see it if you're not expecting it.