Perth and Melbourne, Australia

Perth on the Swan RiverPerth is considered to be the most remote city in the world and was the first stop on our Australian tour.  It is located on the Western side of Australia and is one of the fastest growing areas in the country.  The mining industry is booming.  With miners making $120,000 a year, prices in Western Australia have shot through the roof.  Indeed as we have come to realize, prices in Australia are very dear when you are traveling with American dollars.

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When we arrived on 28 December, it was an oppressive 42 degrees Celsius. (107.8 degrees Fahrenheit) We had expected it to be hot since this is summer “Down Under”, but not this hot.  Happily our room was air-conditioned and the oppressive heat lifted over the following days.

British Museum exhibit

The Swan River flows through Perth and offers the city a lovely waterfront.  Perth’s bell tower is the tallest in the world and has a distinctive chime.   Perth has three free city bus routes that take you all over central Perth.  While we were there we enjoyed the Western Australia Museum.  The Museum introduced us to the animals of the region and had a special exhibit from the British Museum entitled Extraordinary Stories.  This exhibit was awesome; the commentary offered on the displayed pieces helped to give the viewer cultural and historical insight into the artifact.  I found it absolutely fascinating!

One day we traveled about 30 km to Freemantle at the mouth of the Swan River and on the Indian Ocean.  Freemantle is an old port town.  We met a crusty Australian guide at the Roundhouse, the oldest building in Freemantle.  It was built to house local citizens who got into trouble with the law.  As we learned, prisoners were not sent to Australia until the 1850s.  Upon their arrival in Western Australia they were put to work building the Perth Goal (jail).  It is a beautiful building but much of what went on there was anything but pretty.

In Freemantle we also visited the Shipwreck Museum.  In order to reach Malaysia and to take advantage of the Spice trade, many ships found it quicker to sail to Australia and then head North toward Malaysia.  Unfortunately, the coast of Australia is treacherous and many ships never made it.  The Shipwreck Museum tells their tragic tales.

Koalas sleep a lot

Who is watching who??

We had a blast at the Perth Zoo where we actually got to see and learned about many of Australia’s indigenous animals.  The Tasmanian Devil is cute until you see it gnawing on a dead rat.  Koalas sleep 20 hours a day and spend the rest of the time devouring eucalyptus leaves.  Indeed they can devour so many leaves that the tree might not survive.  While we were on the Great Ocean Road (more about that later) we saw whole swatches of dead eucalyptus that had been ravaged by koalas.  We were able to pet a kangaroo that had wandered on to the path in search of leftovers in baby strollers.  The kangaroo was incredibly soft!  We also met an orangutan (not a native of Australia) whom finds people incredibly interesting.

Tasmanian Devil

Checking things out

Perth’s Kings Park and Botanical Garden was lovely.  Perched on a hill overlooking the Swan River, we wandered throughout the park photographing bushes, trees and plants indigenous to Australia.  We walked up to Kings Park on New Years Eve.  The park was chockablock with families picnicking.  We had heard that Perth was not having fireworks for New Years Eve because they chose to have them instead on 26 January for Australia Day, but with all the people gazing out at the river, we thought perhaps that we had misunderstood.  We finally asked a woman what was going on.  She confirmed what we had heard.  “No there aren’t any fireworks this year.  It is just a tradition that people gather at Kings Park for New Years Eve.  So I guess we are all just doing that.  It is sort of funny.”  Yes, it was.

Melbourne

After 5 days in Perth, we flew to Melbourne five hours Southeast.  Melbourne was recently voted the most “liveable” city in the world.   I would heartily agree.  The city center has a bit of everything from chic shops to classical buildings, museums, beautifully groomed gardens, an accessible riverbank, multiple parks, an elaborate tram and bus system and tree lined boulevards.  There is something for everyone.

Our first stop was the Immigration Museum.  This museum, housed in the Old Custom House, offers an excellent introduction to the people who have immigrated to Australia.  The parallels with American immigration are interesting.  We also enjoyed the exhibit on Victoria’s history at the State Library, an Aborignal Art exhibit at the Ian Potter museum and the history of film at the Moving Image Exhibition in Federation Square.

Beautiful Aboriginal Art

Melbourne’s Botanical Garden was first rate offering helpful signs and a dazzling array of trees, flowers and vistas.  We felt lucky to have visited it a few times during our stay.  Like Canada and England, Australia appreciates its gardens and works diligently to maintain their beauty.

Melbourne arcade

Adjacent to the Botanical Gardens was the Shrine. It is a World War I Memorial that has a crypt on the ground floor and towers several floors above to give a magnificent view of downtown Melbourne. Mark and I thought the Shrine was a very dignified memorial to the veterans of World War I. It has also been updated to incorporate the veterans of all Australian campaigns, including World War II, the Indo-China War, and Vietnam.


We also made it to Queen Victoria Market where we tried some yummy wines and even Chocolate Port! On one of our city walks, we ended up in the Italian section of town, near Melbourne University.  We overheard a woman mention that she and her husband were from Boston.  When we inquired where they lived in Boston, they said that they were from Medford, Massachusetts.  Having once lived in Medford, we started talking with them and their Australian relatives.  What a small world!

As in Perth, the public transportation in Melbourne is excellent.  They have a free tram system in the central business district along with an extensive public transportation throughout the area.  If there is a drawback to our time in Australia, it has been the lack of free Wi-Fi.  Despite the fact that we have our own computers, the hotel in Perth charged $15/hour for Wi-Fi while our hotel in Melbourne offered us only a limited number of MB per day.  I have found this frustrating, irritating and totally unexpected.

Some of the Apostles

Visiting the Great Ocean Road was amazing.  Located about one and a half hours from Melbourne, the road follows the Southern Coast for about 100 km.  We opted for a tour so Mark could enjoy the trip rather than having to concentrate on driving the narrow road on the left side.  I am so glad we did.  The tour offered us a running commentary on the area along with stops to see parrots and koalas (we saw one koala sleeping in a tree), the site of a famous shipwreck, the Twelve Apostles (eroded limestone cliffs that now are only pillars which look like they have been plunked harry-carry in the ocean), and miles and miles of magnificent beaches.   We lucked out; the weather was perfect!

Off the Great Ocean Road

baby penguin

However, I think one of our favorite adventures while in Melbourne was seeing the little penguins (literally the littlest penguins in the world) in St. Kilda.  The penguins live in the rocks at the end of the pier.  Adult penguins co-share parenting their young.   While one penguin is out fishing all day, the other stays home babysitting.  This arrangement continues until the young penguin is able to fend for itself.  At dusk you can see the penguins return from the sea to feed their young.  The penguins are mesmerizing and oh, so cute.


We are off again, this time to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

Nature abounds in Australia