Perth Revisited

The first time I visited Perth was over a decade ago. Now with my family in tow, I've decided to revisit this small, laid-back Australian city with fresh eyes. After a red-eye flight, we took a Transperth bus from the airport to Perth city and then transferred to two more shuttle buses before we finally reached the Murray Hotel. 

Though it is more like a bed-and-breakfast inn than a hotel, it has everything including a small pool and a cafe. The room is very simply furnished but clean and cosy. The beds are also very comfortable. My only gripe is the bathroom is rather small and tight, the shower area is separated by a curtain instead of a glass door and the sink has no counter to put all our toiletries. There is also no lift in this motel so it would be wise to ask for a lower floor, especially for the elderly and those with very young children, prams and luggage in tow. The good thing about this hotel is that the free city bus is just at the door-step, and there is even a happy hour where free beer, wines and apple juice for the little ones are served.

Our motel is a few bus stops away from the Watertown Brand Outlet, which used to be named Harbour Town. Other than the name change, not much has changed compared to a decade ago. There is a good mix of ladies' and men's apparel, as well as kids' wear, sports shops and even pharmacies. You can get some really good discounts here. Eateries are quite limited though. 

As we arrived on a Friday, we decided to check out the Twilight Farmers Market, which only happened on Fridays, to soak in the atmosphere. It did not disappoint. There were so many food stalls selling a myriad international foods from the more common Korean, Spanish, Thai to the more exotic Moroccan and Argentina cuisines. After our hunger pangs were satisfied, we walked around the area, watching buskers performed in the open-air market. The cold night air was chilling so we didn't stay long and headed back to our cosy hotel. 

Breakfast at the hotel's only cafe was a simple affair. There were only cereal, toasted bread and a pancake-making machine that churned out piping hot, delicious pancakes in a minute! My girl loved it so much she could lap up six pancakes at one seating! 

After breakfast, we decided to take a leisurely stroll around the city centre. We stumbled upon the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and decided to pop by to see the interesting art exhibits. It was quite an eye-opening experience seeing how the humble sugar could be moulded into beautiful, multi-colored sparkling candy sculptures in various interesting shapes and sizes. 

Those who love chocolates would not want to miss the Margaret River Chocolate Concept Store. We have had a great time sampling the various different kinds of yummy chocolates and candies. My girl was most excited, flitting around like a happy butterfly sampling chocolates and candies to her heart's content. 

We love visiting traditional cathedrals when on vacation, so it was a delight when we stumbled upon this beautiful Anglican church while strolling around on a quiet weekday afternoon. Both the exterior and interior architecture of the cathedral were magnificent and very well-maintained. I especially loved the stained glass windows, the wooden pews and the beautiful altar. They even have the main traditional organ with huge trumpet pipes which we would not find in many modern churches these days. It was a rare gem!

Although I had been to Fremantle over 10 years ago, this time visiting Freo (nickname for Fremantle) with my family was a totally different experience. We took a train from Perth city to Fremantle. It was quite a long journey, about 30 minutes, but we just relaxed and watched the scenery outside. 

 

The E-Shed Market @Fremantle still looked the same as 10 years ago. We had fish and chips for lunch before heading to the bigger and busier Fremantle Weekend Market. It was really crowded with locals and tourists. There were so many stalls selling souvenirs, handmade crafts, scented soaps and even a caricature artist at work. There were also many food and fresh produce stalls selling delicious piping hot food, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.

 
Since we were in Fremantle, we decided to drop by the Australian Museum of Shipwreck Galleries to have a look. It turned out to be quite interesting as we learnt about the history of some shipwrecks, among which the Batavia shipwreck stood out with its macabre tale of brutal mass murder, sex slavery and eventual retribution for the culprits. We also saw the broken hull of the Batavia ship and many remains left behind in the shipwrecks like old coins, broken bottles, ceramic wares, spices and even weapons like swords and cannon. 

If shopping is your cup of tea, make a trip to Hay Street and Murray Street malls including the signature Tudor-style London Court. There are several quaint and bespoke shops there. We had wanted to visit the Western Australian Museum but when we reached there, we were disappointed to find it was closed for major renovation and would only re-open in 2020. 

As the Perth City Library was nearby, we decided to drop in to take a rest from all the shopping and sight-seeing and to browse some books. The library was such a cool respite from the scorching 37 degree Celsius outside. We were so comfortable in the library that we almost missed the Bell Tower visit. 

By the time we arrived there, it was half an hour before closing time. As we had missed the last bell-ringing at 2.30pm, we didn't get the unique personal experience of ringing the bells. However, we did get to hear the beautiful chiming of the bells and to view the stunning 360 degree Perth city view on the observation deck. We also learnt much about the history of Bell Tower and saw for the first time the various ancient church bells and temple bells from different countries. As the Swan River was just a stone's throw away, we took a leisurely stroll to the jetty and took in the beautiful scenery of the Swan River.

The last day of our holiday was spent visiting a suburban mall to soak up the up-coming Christmas festive atmosphere, and catching up with our relatives over dinner.

Revisiting Perth brought back a lot of memories. Some of the places might still be the same, but the loved ones who have now shared these memories with me made a difference.