The AFL Grand Final ~ Melbourne

Published 7 October 2013, by Jess

AFL is the Australian Football League, our countrys National sport and one I happen to absolutely love! The AFL Grand Final is the equalivant to the NFL Super Bowl in terms of it is the final game that decides who is the champion of AFL for that year.  In comparison to the Super Bowl it is on a much much smaller scale, however this was the best example I could give to provide a better understanding.

Flights

$1000 each return with Qantas from Perth.

The earlier you book flights, the cheaper they are.  I know of people who flew via Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore & Hong Kong to Melbourne and their flights were cheaper than a direct flight to Melbourne.

Last minute tickets, if you could get on the flights were around $1500 return.

I also know people who paid approximately $800 return to Adelaide and then drove a car to Melbourne.

The Week Lead Up for 2014

There is a lot on in Melbourne in the lead up to the AFL Grandfinal, never a dull moment.

Federation Square during Grand Final week

Sunday – 21^st September 2014

VFL Grandfinal at Ethihad Stadium

Monday – 22nd September 2014
10am – The Brownlow Medal panel and fashion parade at Federation Square.

5pm – Red carpet presentation at Crown followed by the Brownlow Medal Count

Tuesday – 23^rd September 2014

10am – Auskick where the kids enjoy activities at Federation Square, meet players and stars from the NAB AFL Rising Star program.

Wednesday – 24^th September 2014

Live Music in Federation Square at Noon

Variety Great Grandfinal Luncheon at Crown Palladium

Thursday – 25^th September 2014

12.30pm – AFL Premiership Cup on display at Federation Square

Noon – 9pm – Grand Final experience at Crown Riverside

The AFL Footy Show spectacular at Rod Laver Arena

Friday – 26^th September 2014

Players and coaches.
Noon – Parade makes its way through the city from Victorian Arts Centre (St Kilda Road) travelling along Swanston and Collins Streets before finishing at the OldTreasuryBuilding (Spring and Collins)

Jarrad Roughead – Hawthorn

Paul Duffield – Fremantle

Lance “Buddy” Franklin – Hawthorn

Luke McPharlin – Fremantle

 Saturday – 27^th September 2014

Grandfinal at the MCG

2:30pm Live on the Big Screen at Federation Square the AFL Grandfinal

The Home of the AFL Grandfinal – the MCG

AFL Grand Final Breakfast/Ticket Package

$1795 + credit card fees & postage fees = $1826 (Silver seating at the game)

The breakfast was sponsored by CGU and ran for approximately 2 hours.

Hosted by Tim Watson

Entertainment included Daryl Braithwaite, Mike Brady, Rusty and the Other Guy & Vince Sorrenti.

Panel of footy experts including; Brian Taylor, Billy Brownless, Jobe Watson, Matthew Lloyd, Matthew Richardson, Jonathan Brown, Cameron Ling, Luke Darcy and Danny Frawley.

Tables of 10 were set up with beer and champagne all inclusive. The actual breakfast included fruit, danishes, croissants, muffins and Eggs Benedict.

Other breakfasts of interest are the North Melbourne Breakfast held at Etihad Stadium.  I’m told this is extremely well done & one of the better breakfasts.

Each of the football clubs hold breakfast for anyone to attend.  Contact the individual clubs for details.

AFL Tickets

8000 tickets are released and sold on the day of the AFL Grandfinal.

Tickets can also be sold through ballot systems from each team playing in the Grand Final.

AFL Members and other members can also buy tickets.

The AFL Grandfinal

What a spectacular experience, and now I can finally say I’ve seen one.

I attended the 2013 AFL Grandfinal where the Hawthorn Hawks were victorious over the Fremantle Dockers.

This was the Dockers first appearance in a Grand Final since entering the competition 19 years ago.

The ground was filled with each of the teams colours, wherever you looked yellow & purple were everywhere and the atmosphere was electric.  Being somewhat of a neutral supporter it was fantastic to see these two teams battle it out.

I was cheering on the Fremantle Dockers for two reasons;

1.  My Dad was a Fremantle Dockers member since the club joined the competition in 1995 attending every home game and even a few games in Melbourne.  Unfortunately in 2008 he passed away and never lived to see Fremantle make a Grand Final.  My family & I always said that if Fremantle ever made the Grand Final, we would make the trip in my Dads honour (hopefully next time they can come away with the win for him).

2.  Being a proud West Australian, when my team The West Coast Eagles aren’t playing, I always support the Fremantle Dockers.  I grew up in a house of Fremantle supporters and that’s just the way our family is, support WA before other clubs.

The players lined up for the National Anthem

Pre-game entertainment at the 2013 AFL Grand Final was ‘The Birds of Tokyo’, a well known Australian band from Perth, Western Australia.  All players who retire from the game that season are also given a lap of honour along with the Winner of the Brownlow Medal and the Winner of the Rising Star for that year.

Half-time entertainment included ‘The Hunters and Collectors’ and ‘Mike Brady’.

The MCG is a fantastic venue, lines for drinks and food were minimal and quick and exiting the arena was relatively fast and flowed.  The MCG is also the place where the line for the mens bathroom was bigger than the womens line, there’s a first for everything!

Whether your team is at the AFL Grand Final or not, it’s well worth the experience.

Another thing to ticket off my bucket list!

Melbourne, Australia ~ Part Two

Published 1 July 2013, by Jess

Getting To and From the Airport.

A taxi from the Melbourne airport into the CBD will set you back approximately $70-80 AUD including the toll fare. This depends on the time of day, as traffic will obviously play a big part.

The Skybus runs to and from the Airport to the Southern Cross Station on Spencer Street in the CBD and costs approximately $17AUD for an Adult one way and takes approximately 20 minutes.  See the link below for schedule times.

 http://www.skybus.com.au/fares/

 The CBD

 Melbourne’s CBD is energetic, fast paced and quite beautiful, with a mixture of historic and modern architecture co-existing in close proximity.

Flinders Street Station is the CBD’s hub for the train network. A truly beautiful building, and a perfect centrepiece for the city. 

Federation Square is located opposite Flinders Street Station, it is the culture precinct of the city and civic centre and opened not long ago in 2002.  A strange building I must say, but somehow it works and marries the mix of modern and historic architecture that I spoke of earlier being so closely built to Flinder Street Station.

Queen Victoria Markets opened as a small market in the 1850’s, it is now the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere located on 17 hectares. A major tourist attraction, the markets offer fresh fruit and vegetables, hand made arts and crafts, clothing and shoes. The markets have a great variety of products.

Laneways – Melbourne have some really cute laneways that they have made excellent use of, including for Shopping, Restaurants and Bars.  During Christmas, the Royal Laneway in the CBD is beautifully decorated and a great place to walk through to get into the festive spirit.  Hardware Lane is a fantastic option for bars and food.  Do yourself a favour and checkout Hardware Lane, you won’t be disappointed.

Royal Arcade Laneway

Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

Built in 1853, and known to locals as ‘The G’ – The MCG hosts Test Cricket and is home to the Australian Football League (AFL) hosting games throughout the year and the Grandfinal each year. 

In 1956 it also hosted the Olympic Games for track and field events. Besides sporting events, the MCG also holds music concerts including U2, The Rolling Stones and Madonna to name a few.

Whether you are a fellow Australian visiting Melbourne, or an overseas traveller, I highly recommend catching an AFL game at the MCG.  The atmosphere is fantastic, the stadium is well set up and it’s a chance to see our National game played in the largest stadium in the country with a seating capacity of 100,018.  Recommended games due to atmosphere would be Carlton vs Collingwood, or Essendon vs Richmond.  Friday night football also tends to draw a big crowd.  With most of the leagues teams residing in Melbourne (10 out of 18), games against two Victorian teams naturally draw a larger crowd at the MCG.

Make sure you rug up at the G – It gets cold!

Having a beer during Friday night footy!

The MCG is a short distance from the CBD, a short tram or train ride or approximately a 20 minute walk.

The Great Ocean Road

While I am yet to do this one myself, it is most definitely on the bucket list and therefore I had to add it as a must see. Australian Heritage Listed, the Great Ocean Road stretches between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool for 243 kilometres.

The road was built by soldiers who had returned from war between 1919 – 1932, it is the world’s largest war memorial.  It was built in honour of World War 1 casualities. 

A highlight I’m told is the 12 Apostles limestone stack formations in the water.

Melbourne, Australia ~ Part One

Published 26 June 2013, by Jess

Melbourne is the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria and the second most populated city in Australia with approximately more than four (4) million people.

Melbourne is a mix of hipster meets grungy street artist with various funky cafes, bars and shopping.  This is particularly evident in suburbs like St Kilda.  If you’re a lover of multiculturalism and the arts, then Melbourne is the place for you.

This city has a lot to offer, having been there five (5) times already, each time seems to be a new experience, with restaurants and bars ever-changing.

When leaving your hotel room, I suggest you be ready for the craziness that is Melbourne weather.  Melbourne is well known for its ‘4 seasons in 1 day’ weather, so take a jacket, an umbrella and sunglasses, prepare yourself for anything.

Places of Interest

 St Kilda

I think St Kilda would have to be my favourite part of Melbourne.  It offers travellers a mix of everything that is Melbourne – from the beach, to the shopping, to the bars and restaurants.  St Kilda has it all!

Acland Street is a must for any traveller to St Kilda.  Lining one side of the street is cake shop after cake shop, if you can resist what’s on offer then you have more will power than I do. 

Be aware that cakes on Acland Street are not cheap. Portions are big however I wouldn’t agree that the price tag is warranted. I paid $6.50 AUD for a Peppermint Chocolate slice.

Shopping

On the opposite side of Acland Street is the shopping.  The stores are very ‘one of a kind’ orientated, offering some pieces that I hadn’t seen anywhere else in Melbourne shops….and I shopped a lot! There was a great mixture of prices, from fantastic sale items to the completely ridiculous.

The Beach

The beach area is a great place to enjoy a beautiful Melbourne summers day.  You will find a few restaurants and cafes with some great views of the beach.

St Kilda Beach

Luna Park

A very old amusement park and somewhat the centrepiece of St Kilda as it is the first thing you see.  All five times I’ve been to Melbourne, LunaPark was closed each time I ventured to St Kilda.

Locals Recommendations

While I haven’t been to any of these places, I was told by a local that these are great spots to check out while in the St Kilda area;

Bars – Vineyard, The Branch and Veludo

Food – Radio Mexico and Za’Ba

Shopping Recommendations In Melbourne

Bourke Street Mall – Myer, David Jones. Myer puts on an amazing Christmas Window in December.

Chadstone – Large, multi-storey shopping centre/mall

Direct Factory Outlets (DFO) South Wharf – Between the CBD and Docklands, fantastic cheap shopping, highly recommended.

Discount Outlets Spencer Street Station – Discounted, last season items. You can find a few bargains if you really look hard.

Melbourne Central – multi-storey shopping centre/mall

Bridge Road – Located in Richmond, popular for DFO’s and up and coming local designers.

Chapel Street – Known for its Exclusive upmarket fashion designers, the shopping tends to have a hefty price tag here.

Food and Bars

Mamak – An incredible Indonesian restaurant on Lonsdale Street.  Incredible not just for the quality food, but for the price. Between 4 people, we ordered 4 dishes + rice, 2 desserts and a drink each and only paid $25 a head.

The Hardware Societe – Located on Hardware Lane. Do yourself a favour and have breakfast here, you won’t regret it.  The interior design is very industrial, the seating varies from private tables to communal benches and the food is fantastic. The best scrambled eggs of my life!

The Merrywell – The Merrywell can be found in the Crowne Casino and offers an upmarket pub style alternative. The food is great, I hear the Angus Burger comes highly recommended but my recommendation is the Pulled Pork Quesadilla’s.

Drinks at The Merrywell while waiting for food.

Tequila & Tapa’s Bar – Found on Hardware Lane, the ambience created has resulted in a very cute and cosy bar. The bar is small in size though, so finding a free table can sometimes be an issue.

Lygon Street – Located in Carlton, Lygon Street is an extremely popular among tourists for its Italian influence.  Personally, I think the hype is a little over-rated.  Italian men stand outside their restaurants and if you stop and look at the menu, you’ve as good as sat at one of their tables, there is no getting away.

The Crown Casino – A great mix of bars and restaurants for everyone, plus the casino if you are a gambler.  Highly recommend checking out the Crowne.

Rooftop Bar/Cookie – Located on Swanston Street, the Rooftop Bar had a really great vibe to it.  I think this would be an excellent place to hang out in the summer months. During winter, it was a little on the cold side, it also didn’t help that half of the outdoor heaters were off for some unknown reason.  Cookie was more a restaurant style bar, tables all set up like a restaurant and didn’t really invite mingling amongst others which is what I think a bar should offer. Good cocktails though.

Drinks at Rooftop Bar.

Corner Hotel – Close proximity to the MCG and found on Swan Street. Great idea to check this place out before seeing a football game. The rooftop is big and it’s a great atmosphere before the game.

Perth, Western Australia – Part Two

Updated on 14 March 2014, by Jess

In 2013, Perth ranked in the top 10 most liveable cities in the World by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), coming in at 9th position.

Perth is beautiful, clean and friendly – all three factors I believe to contribute to a great city particularly for travellers/tourists.

Perth CBD & Waterfront

The Perth CBD has something for all ages offering art museums, retail, cafes, entertainment, small bars, fitness options and big open spaces.  The CBD is undergoing many changes, adding an even more inviting and tourist friendly atmosphere to what is already a very beautiful and friendly city, in my opinion. While many of the heritage buildings were pulled down decades ago to make room for more modern buildings, some of the heritage buildings still remain and are simply stunning.

Kangaroo statues outside of Council House and the Supreme Court Gardens

St George’s Cathedral

Retail

The CBD offers a wide variety of retail options with a great mix of department stores and unique designer brands.  The city is made up of many arcades lined with shops including the older Carillon City, Piccadilly Plaza and Trinity Arcade and the newer enex100 and Wesley Quarter.  Hay Street and Murray Street offer a large selection of jewellers, fashion retail and souvenir shops where as King Street is for the more sophisticated and well lets be honest…those that have money to burn.  King Street offers the high end brand names including Fendi and Tiffany and Co.

London Court also offers a variety of shopping in a European setting.  This arcade is beautifully designed with ornate clocks and European style facades.  London Court is popular among tourists and locals alike and a chance to see some of our older architecture.

London Court at Christmas time

Monday to Thursday	9am – 5.30pm (some retailers open later)
Friday	9am – 9pm
Saturday	9am – 5pm
Sunday	11am – 5pm
Public Holidays	11am – 5pm

*Extended shopping hours apply during the Christmas period.

Coming Soon

The construction of Elizabeth Quay is underway and is intended to merge Perth’s waterfront with the city and bring our focus back to the beautiful Swan River.  Construction is due for completion in mid 2015 and will see newly built inner city residential options, hotels and significant commercial space. For more information visit the link below;

http://www.mra.wa.gov.au/Projects/Elizabeth-Quay/About-the-Project/

Waterfront

The SwanRiver divides the city of Perth into two areas.  Perth locals will often make reference to this when asked what suburb they live in by responding either “North of the River” or “South of the River”.

The city waterfront presently has made very little use of actually building on the waterfront, only opting for views of the river (however this will change significantly with the construction of Elizabeth Quay).  The area known as the Barrack Street Jetty is however located on the waterfront and is where you will find the BellTower.

The Bell Tower is uniquely designed as a result of a major architectural competition and boasts some historic content – the Swan Bells, given to Perth as part of the National Bicentennial celebrations in 1988.

The Bell Tower

Fountains in front of the Bell Tower

Barrack Street Jetty is also home to ‘The Lucky Shag’, a pub on the SwanRiver that is very popular during the summertime (December – February) for “Sunday Sessions” (Sunday afternoon drinks).  Bookings and reservations are not accepted, and if you have attended a private function on a boat that departs the Barrack Street Jetty, it is highly likely you will be refused entry.  The pub in my opinion is very Perth – laid back, traditional pub food and a relaxed atmosphere in a beautiful setting.

East Perth Waterfront

Has become very popular in recent years with the construction and renovation of bars and cafes along the waterfront. A definite must for a relaxing drink with lovely views.  Sunday sessions at The Royal are also popular among the younger generations.

View from The Royal

St Mary’s Cathedral

Located in the centre of Victoria Square, opposite the Royal Perth Hospital, St Mary’s Cathedral is a Catholic church.  It is officially the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

The church was constructed in 3 phases;

Phase 1 – Completed in 1865

Phase 2 – Repairs originally to commence in the 1920’s but these were halted due to the Great Depression and instead completed in the late 1990’s early 2000’s.

Phase 3 – New design added and completed in late 2009.

Even if you aren’t religious, the cathedral is a beautiful piece of architecture worth seeing.

The Perth Mint

The Perth Mint offers guided tours for;

$10AUD – Adult

$4AUD – Child

$26AUD – FamilyPass

The Perth Mint is Australia’s oldest currently operating Mint and played a central role in the development of WA’s gold industry.

Perth Mint created in October 2011 the world’s largest, heaviest and most valuable gold coin at approximately 80 centimetres in diameter and 12 centimetres thick, 99.99% pure gold. It features a red kangaroo on the front of the coin and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the reverse. It is legal tender in Australia with face value $1 million AUD, at the time of minting it was valued at $53.5 million AUD.

Fremantle

Fremantle is a suburb in the Perth metropolitan area and was the first area settled by the SwanRiver colonists in 1829.  The Fremantle port serves as the port of Perth

Places of Interest

The Harbour

Where you’ll find many restaurants including the award winning Ciccerello’s, famous for their amazing Fish & Chips.  The Harbour is also home to the Bon Scott statue, a tribute to the late Bon Scott of ACDC fame. The Harbour provides a great relaxed atmosphere and is particularly beautiful on a summers day.

Bon Scott Statue

Round House

The Round House is the oldest public building in Western Australia, it was completed in 1831 and originally used to house colonial and indigenous prisoners until 1886 where they were moved to the Fremantle Prison.

Fremantle Prison

The Fremantle Prison was built in the 1850’s by convict labour, used from 1886 as a gaol for locally sentenced prisoners, it was closed as a prison in 1991 and then reopened as a historic site.

The gallows in the prison was the only legal place of execution in Western Australia between 1888 and 1965, the last prisoner to be hanged was Eric Edgar Cooke.

Tours through the prison are available and are really quite interesting.  You will visit the gallows in the tour, if you think this may be distressing to children, talk to your tour guide who I am sure would be happy for them to continue on through to the solitary confinement yard.

Day tours, night tours and tunnel tours are available. See link below for details;

http://www.fremantleprison.com.au/Visit_Us/tours/Pages/default.aspx

The Gallows

Little Creatures

Little Creatures is a local brewing company originally established in 2000.  It has won a number of Australian International Beer Awards and other awards.  The brewing site is open to the public with a restaurant/café offering great meals and outdoor dining.  Next door to the Little Creatures brewery is The Loft – also a part of Little Creatures and offers a great alternative in the winter months (June-August), play Pictionary, Scategories or Connect Four board games with your friends while you drink.

Fremantle Markets

A public market on the corner of South Terrace and Henderson Street and was built in 1897.  The markets offer some great food options, I suggest you try the chocolate coated strawberry skewers – they are amazing!

Places to Eat

The Fremantle cafe strip can be found on South Terrace and is an entire street lined with cafes,restaurants, pubs and bars.  My recommendations on the strip would be Cafe Bella Rosa for their amazing pizza.  Other places of interest include Cicerello’s for the best fish n chips in Perth and Little Creatures.

Nightspots

Crowne Casino – Formerly Burswood Casino, has recently had a makeover in 2012 and is now the Crowne Casino. There are many and various bars to choose from;

Groove Bar: Offers 80’s & 90’s music from the live band

The Merrywell: Relaxed chill and chat bar or to have a really good meal

The Carbon Sports Bar:  For all sport lovers

Minq Bar:  The cocktails are amazing but they have the price tag to match – A Peach Bellini will set you back $19 AUD.

There are also some amazing restaurants including Nobu, The Merrywell, Yu Chinese Restaurant and 88 Noodle Bar.

Northbridge – The main nightclub and bar precinct in Perth.  Northbridge offers a variety of entertainment spots for all ages and all tastes.  I’m not sure if it is the whole “Older and Wiser” scenario but the older I get, the less appealing Northbridge has become.  Police patrol the streets but that doesn’t seem to stop the pointless fights and brawls and girls seem to be joining in on the action these days too.  In my opinion, do not go to Northbridge by yourself, if you do go, pick a club in Northbridge and stay there all night, when you leave, walk to the taxi rank and be aware of your surroundings.

Recommendations: Mint (Top 40, 80’s & 90’s music), The Shed (For a very stereotypical Aussie vibe).

Subiaco – Frequented by the more “sophisticated” and some would say “pretentious” crowd, Subiaco offers a variety of bars, nightclubs and pubs.  The dress code is quite strict so make sure you do your research first.  Clubs have long lines so expect to wait.  Subiaco is also frequented by the local Australia Football League (AFL) team, The West Coast Eagles as their home playing ground is in the Subiaco suburb.

Recommendations: The Subiaco Hotel, Llama Bar and Gold Bar.

Subiaco Oval – AFL ground

West Coast Eagles vs Fremantle Dockers AFL Match

The City Nightspots

The Perth CBD has come a long way in terms of nightstops. It has a Melbourne vibe to it now offering laneway bars and small wine bars and eateries.

With the construction of Brookfield Place on St Georges Terrace came the influx of small but trendy bars.  These are generally very busy on a Friday night for after work drinks and frequented by the “suits” crowd.  The bars are somewhat expensive however they are the norm for Perth these days, finding a cocktail for under $15 is a struggle all over the city.

Wolfe Lane located just off Murray Street offers some small bars along a small hidden laneway and is also a great spot on a Friday and Saturday night.

Recommendations: The Stables Bar, Ginger Nightclub, The Aviary, The Belgian Beer Café, The Trustee Bar, Tiger Lils, Print Hall and Halcyon.

Perth, Western Australia – Part One

Updated 14 March 2014, by Jess

Perth is located on the West Coast of Australia and is the Capital city of Australia’s largest state – Western Australia.  It is approximately a 4.5 hour plane flight from Sydney and Melbourne on the East Coast of Australia and is the most isolated city in the world.  The cities population is approximately two (2) million people.

Perth is popular for its laid back atmosphere and outdoor lifestyle including some of the world’s best beaches.

Kings Park

KingsPark is one of the largest inner city parks in the world at 4.06 square km’s (1,003 acres) and is larger than the very famous Central Park of New York City at only 3.41km.

KingsPark provides the greatest view of Perth on a whole. Behind the State War Memorial is the SwanRiver, to the left of the SwanRiver is the Perth CBD and to the right is South Perth.  From Kings Park you will also get views of Crowne Casino (Formerly Burswood Casino), The Old Swan Brewery and Nedlands/Matilda Bay.

KingsPark is the most visited tourist attraction in Perth and for good reason.  The grounds are kept immaculate, the views are stunning and there is something so very peaceful and serene about KingsPark.  Pack a picnic and head to one of the many family friendly picnic areas, ride along bike tracks or go for a walk, the activities are endless.

Trees lining the entry to Kings Park heading towards the State War Memorial

The State War Memorial resides on Mount Eliza in Kings Park and overlooks the CBD.  The Kings Park War Memorial comprises of Cenotaph, Court of Contemplation, Flame of Remembrance and Pool of Reflection.

The war memorial is a backdrop to the ANZAC (Australian & New Zealand Army Corps) Day dawn service held every year on the 25^th April at 5:30am.

2013 saw KingsPark hold the largest dawn service in the Nation, with 50,000 people in attendance.

The Bali Memorial is dedicated to the 16 Western Australian victims, the injured and those who helped the survivors of the Indonesian terrorist bombings in Bali on the 12^th October 2002.

The Botanic Garden consists of 2000 species of West Australian flora and is a great location for some beautiful photo opportunities.  The Botanic Garden consists of the Lotterywest Federation tree top walk, Pioneer Women’s Memorial fountain and water garden and the Boab Tree.

Lotterywest Tree Top Walk

Pioneer Women’s Memorial Fountain

The Kings Park Festival is held in September every year to promote the beauty of Western Australia’s native wildflowers. The festival attracts over 500,000 people each year.

The Kokoda Track is a tribute to the Australian soldiers who fought in Papua New Guinea from 1942 – 1943 and comprises of 150 steps that ascends a height of 62 metres.  The track is also used by many Perth residents for fitness.

Jacob’s Ladder is a set of 242 steps from Mounts Bay Road up to Cliff Street and is also used by many Perth residents for fitness purposes.

Queens Gardens

The Queens Gardens is a beautiful garden located in East Perth and named after Queen Victoria in honour of her Diamond Jubilee in 1899. Surreal to find such a peaceful and beautiful resting spot amongst city life, however Perth manages to offer a number of these “great escapes” throughout the city.

The garden is surrounded by Hay Street, Plain Street, Hale Street and Nelson Crescent, East Perth and sits opposite the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) ground.

The garden covers 3.3 hectares and includes the park bench made famous in the movie ‘Notting Hill’ starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.  The bench was anonymously donated after a man used it to propose to his girlfriend, she declined.  The bench reads “To June who loved this garden from Joseph who always sat beside her”.

Government House/Gardens

Government House is the official residence of the Governor of Western Australia and is located on St Georges Terrace in the Perth CBD. Government House makes a beautiful backdrop to the well kept gardens that surround it, another peaceful resting spot amongst the city.

Supreme Court Gardens and Stirling Gardens

Located along Barrack Street in the Perth CBD these gardens are a city workers dream to escape the office and the lunch time hustle and bustle.  The Stirling Gardens is regularly frequented by office workers for a lunch time picnic and to read a book.

Stirling Gardens

The Supreme Court Gardens is frequented more by the fitness enthusiasts for lunch time soccer matches, personal training workouts and exercise classes.

The Bell Tower is a beautiful backdrop to the Supreme Court Gardens

Beaches (Cottesloe/Scarborough/Trigg)

 Perth and the state of Western Australia have arguably some of the best beaches in Australia and the World.  The popular beaches in Perth line 12,000km of the Indian Ocean including the three most popular among locals and tourists;

 Cottesloe Beach –   Cottesloe Beach is affectionately known to locals as ‘Cott’ and is a 15 minute drive by car from the Perth CBD or you can catch the Fremantle train line (the blue line) to the Cottesloe train station and walk 600 metres to the beach.  Cott is popular among swimmers, snorkellers and the occasional surfers.  Cott also has a lively atmosphere on the weekends, with the street directly opposite the beach lined with cafes and pubs.  Popular among the younger crowd are the Cottesloe Beach Hotel (The Cott) and the Ocean Beach Hotel (The OBH).

Scarborough Beach – Is a 20 minute drive by car North-West of the Perth CBD or you can catch the Joondalup train line (The green line) to Glendalough train station and then catch the bus to the beach.  Scarborough is popular among teenagers, surfers, bodyboards, kite surfers, wind surfers and swimmers.  There is a larger amphitheatre which holds many events in summer including ‘Sets on the Beach’ (Beach parties with live music) and beach cricket events.

You can also take surf lessons at ScarboroughBeach, see the link below.

http://www.learntosurf.net.au/

Trigg Beach – Is a 20 minute drive by car North-West of the Perth CBD along the sunset coast.  Due to the reef break just offshore, Trigg is popular among surfers and bodyboarders.  Trigg also offers some good beach fishing and hosts the surf lifesaving carnivals.

Other Beaches

Metham’s Pool, CityBeach, FloreatBeach, CoogeeBeach and RockinghamBeach

Hillarys Boat Harbour

Approximately a 20 minute drive from the Perth CBD by car North-West.  Hillary’s BoatHarbour comprises of the harbour, a man-made beach, restaurants, bars and retail shops.  The Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA) is also located at Hillary’s and offers an amazing insight into the creatures of the sea.  www.aqwa.com.au

Opposite the man-made beach is The Great Escape, a waterpark with great fun for the whole family.

Swan Valley

The SwanValley is a 25 minute drive by car East from the Perth CBD and is Western Australia’s oldest wine region.  The SwanValley is buzzing with over 70 restaurants and cafes, amazing picnic spots, gourmet local delights from olives, cheeses and preserves to chocolate, nougat and ice creams plus some award-winning boutique breweries and various wineries. During the summer time the SwanValley also puts on many summer outdoor concerts like ‘A Day on the Green’ which has hosted Michael Buble, Ronan Keating, Lionel Richie, Alicia Keys and many more.

My recommendations – Elmars in the Valley (German brewery offering amazing Pork Knuckle), Houghtons Winery (pack a picnic) and the Margaret River Chocolate Company.