My entire 2018 is all about counting down to this day when we are finally able to have a family getaway to Perth. Brother leaving Malaysia for work (for almost 2 years), changes in life and etc. has made it just so difficult to set a time when all of us are available for a trip. But fast forward to today, this long awaited wish has finally been realized.
Day 1
It was a 7D6N trip which we basically rented a car travelling around Perth City, Busselton and Dunsborough. We took a 12am flight and touched down around 6am. Despite early morning, the sky was already so bright. We called the car rental company, Bayswater Car Rental to pick us up to their office for the car which was just around 10 minutes drive. The car we chose was Toyota Corolla Sedan which cost us $272 for 7 days rental. I strongly recommended this car rental company as this was best rate I could get based on a few comparisons from the Internet. The process was just so simple and we had no hassle returning the car even after office hours as we just had to place the car at their designated parking and drop the car key in a postbox.
It was a 7D6N trip which we basically rented a car travelling around Perth City, Busselton and Dunsborough. We took a 12am flight and touched down around 6am. Despite early morning, the sky was already so bright. We called the car rental company, Bayswater Car Rental to pick us up to their office for the car which was just around 10 minutes drive. The car we chose was Toyota Corolla Sedan which cost us $272 for 7 days rental. I strongly recommended this car rental company as this was best rate I could get based on a few comparisons from the Internet. The process was just so simple and we had no hassle returning the car even after office hours as we just had to place the car at their designated parking and drop the car key in a postbox.
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| It was just 6a.m.... |
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| Picking us up to their office |
As it was still too early to check in, we travelled around Perth city and grabbed our breakfast. One thing I really enjoy doing in foreign countries is taking a leisure walk around the city to observe the people, their lifestyles and the designs of the building while enjoying the chilliness in spring. September is the beginning of spring and hence you could imagine how lovely the weather was. It is nearly impossible to do it in Malaysia because we would probably sweat like nobody's business in this scorching weather if we are at outdoor for more than 1/2 hour.
We visited Elizabeth Quay, Bell Tower and walked around Swan River. From my simple observation, I realized that Perth seems to be a financial hub as you could notice there are many financial services institutions such as KPMG, EY and etc. During our walk, we have been constantly hopping over the cafes for some hot coffees to keep ourselves warm. I literally had 3 cups of coffees on the first day. However, I realized the coffee there was actually quite "mild" that it didn't give me the "hype" after drinking as it was supposed to be.
We visited Elizabeth Quay, Bell Tower and walked around Swan River. From my simple observation, I realized that Perth seems to be a financial hub as you could notice there are many financial services institutions such as KPMG, EY and etc. During our walk, we have been constantly hopping over the cafes for some hot coffees to keep ourselves warm. I literally had 3 cups of coffees on the first day. However, I realized the coffee there was actually quite "mild" that it didn't give me the "hype" after drinking as it was supposed to be.
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| Scenery from Elizabeth Quay |
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| Bell Tower (This was actually taken another day as the picture in that morning wasn't nice..) |
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| My daily dose |
We stayed in Bailey Motel for 3 days which cost us around $27/person/night. I would strongly recommend this motel as besides being affordable, the location was truly strategic as it was at the center of the city. Besides that, some kitchen necessities were provided including toaster, fridge, microwave, knives and chopping board which are very convenient to those who want to have some light cooking in the motel.
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| Bailey Motel |
We were brought to the casino, Crown Perth by my dad's friend for dinner. A significant difference between Western and Asian casino is that Western casinos are less crowded and smoking is not allowed within the casino. It seemed more like a place to socialize and chill rather than gamble.
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| Dinner in Crown Perth |
Day 2:
You definitely have to put The Pinnacles in your list if you visit Perth. The Pinnacles was located in Nambung National Park which is a 3 hours drive from Perth City. It was a natural splendour which was formed by the erosion of the area by the Indian Ocean's coastal winds, leaving the limestone pillars exposed to the elements 25,000 to 30,000 years ago. I initially thought this was gonna be the same thing I used to see in some limestone caves, but NO. It has vastly exceeded my expectation! Believe me, you would still intermittently have flashbacks of the magnificent view of unusual white dunes spreading across the desert even after some time.
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| The view of Lancelin |
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| Warning: Only light vehicles are allowed to drive into Lancelin...haha |
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| Sandboard rental service |
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| ATV riding was provided in Lancelin too |
We visited the much sought-after Blue Boat House and we were quite shocked to know that this tourist attraction was actually located at the roadside which looked a bit odd. There was still a long queue despite late in the evening but luckily we were able to take a few shots here.
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| The queue... |
Day 3:
We went to Caversham Wildlife Park which was famous for hand feeding the kangaroos, meeting furry fellas such as wombats, possums, tiger quolls, quokkas & koalas! I found this park kinda unique as unlike zoos where we felt the pitiful animals being cramped in the designated areas, this park actually provided spacious areas for the animals to move and roam freely. It was indeed a "wildlife" park where the animals didn't feel like being caged and at the same time we were privileged to have a closer contact with them.
The biggest star of the park was undoubtedly the wombat! We have to queue up for the photo session at the specific time. However, it was a slight disappointment that we couldn't have a direct contact with the wombat during the photo session and we were only allowed to touch his legs. Similarly, you definitely don't want to miss the chance to take pictures with the adorable koalas. Despite looking cute, the koalas actually behaved quite sluggish and we had a hard time to find the best angle for the photos. lol.
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| The star of the park - wombat |
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| The cute and yet sluggish fella |
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| When this fella looked straight at you |
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| Possum |
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| Spotted Tiger Quoll |
Don't be deceived by his look. Your finger can be broken with just a bite.
Not to forget the national animal of Australia! Too bad that I failed to take a nice shot with them during the hand-feeding session *sob*. However, my dad and mum were so fortunate to have a gorgeous shot with the kangaroos which they looked straight into the camera!
On a side note, the farm show was pretty interesting that we got to witness how sheepdogs herded a flock of sheep. It would be such a relief if herding children was as easy as the sheep *giggle*. It was amusing as well to watch the sheep shearing during the farm show when the poor sheep sat quietly as its wool was being cut off.
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| First time milking a cow |
We dropped by Yahava Koffee Works to buy some coffee beans as souvenirs. Besides coffee beans, they also sell a broad range of hand made chocolates, brewing equipment and ice coffee + flavoured essence. The staff was very helpful and patient to explain about their products during the coffee tasting session.
After a jam-packed schedule, it's finally time to go on a leisure cruise along the majestic Swan River. We joined Captain Cook Cruises for the Twilight Cruise package ($35/person) which started from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Isn't it just so great that we managed to end our day at a slow pace while taking in the aesthetic city skyline as we slowly cruised around Perth at sunset? As the sky gradually changed its tone into a dusky purple shade, the picturesque cruise took in the Old Swan Brewery, South Perth before heading towards the Claisebrook Cove. Complimentary drinks were provided during this tour where you can choose from soft drinks, white wine and red wine. Me being a wine lover, I definitely wouldn't miss a chance to take a sip on red wine *wink*. I felt so blessed being able to join this cruise as this Twilight Cruise is only available from September to May on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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| The bridge behind them is named as Swan Bridge due to its resemblance. |
Thanks to the Malaysians we met yesterday, we got to know about Chemist Warehouse which is apparently the cheapest drugstore in the Perth. We went on a crazy shopping spree for the Australian supplements: Blackmores. Indeed, the price there was way cheaper that all of us stocked up on it. I guess the amount of products that my dad bought is easily sufficient for 2 years! Apart from supplements, I bought myself a hair care product: Argon Oil of Morocco. Each bottle costed around $8.99 which is equivalent to approximately RM 28 when it was sold around RM70/bottle in Malaysia!
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| This was only half of the amount we bought.. |
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| My personal achievement |
We traveled down to Busselton which was in the south west region of West Australia for another 3 days. Busselton was such a quiet town as if a silence fell upon the town, not even the sound of traffic can be heard.
You would find Busselton Jetty on the top 3 when you were searching the tourist attractions in Busselton. Indeed, being the longest wooden piled jetty in the southern hemisphere (1.841km long), Busselton Jetty was worth paying a visit especially in the early morning. Several activities were offered there including Jetty Train, Underwater Observatory and Discovery Tour. We just joined the Jetty Train tour which cost around $13/person. The train departed every hour from 9 a.m until 5 p.m. It was too bad that we weren't able to get the 5 p.m. slot as it was fully booked even a month ago! Therefore, we had no choice but to choose the 4 p.m. slot which was slightly toasty that we could feel the presence of the sun ray roasting the planet. We sat back at ease as our train driver took us on a 1.7 km journey across the clear waters of Geographe Bay. From watching the seagulls resting on the wooden barriers against the clear blue sky to espying the people fishing on the jetty, we quietly experienced the Busselton Jetty on this 45 min journey.
We dropped by Gelato Buonissimo for homemade Gelato. This shop was ranked 5 stars which caught our attention. The taste was actually more mild compared to Malaysia's. The taste of milk outweighed the taste of chocolate / cookies which was slightly different from what I had in Malaysia.
We stayed in Airbnb which cost $27/person/night. I guess explanation wasn't needed as the video below has done its part. Being 5 mins away from the supermarket and jetty, it was so convenient when it comes to shopping for the groceries. The host was very helpful as well and almost all of our inquiries were responded immediately. Perhaps one of the only drawbacks was that we only had 1 bathroom/ toilet. However, the host was actually very considerate from the design as the bathroom and toilet were separated which was more convenient. I didn't see this as a big trouble as none of us occupied the bathroom way too long (who wants to take a long shower in such a cold weather?!).
Day 5:
Our highlight of today was whale watching in Dunsborough! Naturaliste Charters offered several whale watching experiences all year round in various locations of Western Australia depending on the whale migration seasons and it cost around $90/person.
[Dunsborough : Sept - Early Dec, Busselton : Sept - Nov, Augusta : May - August, Bremer Bay : Jan - April (killer whale watching!)]
It's totally exhilarating to have such a close encounter with the majestic Humpback whale. We were literally left with amazement on how the whales responded to the tour guide and whistled as if to greet us (Watch video below). How comforting it was to see the whale pod swimming freely in the ocean and once again it reminded us of how small and puny we are in the face of nature.
We were planning to go to Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse afterwards. However, we were too late for the tour and therefore we decided to take a trail in the park. We encountered 4 wild kangaroos while we were walking which utterly shocked us!
Imagine when you suddenly saw 4 wild kangaroos which appeared out of nowhere and they were literally looking at you in the eyes! We finally decided to head back to our car and went back....Geez..
Day 6:
Finally came to the mosssssssssssssssssssst exciting part of my trip, the 14,0000 feet skydiving! We chose Skydive Geronimo due to its overwhelming highly rated reviews. They offered the experience in Busselton, Rottnest Island and Broome from the height of 10,000 ft to 15,000 ft. Apart from that, you could choose skydiving package such as skydive+whale watching, skydive+ride thrill and skydive+wine tour. Yes, we bought this package online together with the whale watching which had quite a discount on it ($615/person for skydive+whale watching package)
We firstly met in the Busselton regional airport where the Skydive Geronimo was located besides the airport. We were greeted by the lovely staff named Emma. My brother and I got ourselves instructors namely Tom and Paul.
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| Getting ready look |
We took a small plane which could fit the 5 of us (My brother, Paul, Tom, the pilot and me). Seeing the view of the beach getting smaller with the distance through the plane window, my heart was literally racing! I was so fortunate to have Paul as my instructor as he was a very humorous and cheerful guy who kept on chatting with me. This definitely helped to ease my nervousness prior to the jump.
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| Leaving the pilot alone while we were busy taking photos... |
On the opening of the door at 14,0000 feet, I could literally feel the wave of cool air rushing over me. The "getting ready" moment was always the most terrrrrrrrrrrrifying one as I sat on the edge of the opened fuselage door having my legs dangling out of the plane and seeing the ground thousands of feet below me!
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| I looked like I was smiling but my mind was probably blank at that moment... |
And, finally the jump! We had a 60 seconds of free fall before the opening of the parachute. During the free fall at 120mph through the sky, all my senses were magnified and everything else faded to nothing that I just focused on what I saw and felt. My every single view was so vivid with only air between me and the Earth. Everything happened so fast that I didn't really have time to process anything. My mind was trying to comprehend the sensations and sights I was seeing. I guess this is what we call " sensory overload"!!
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| <3 |
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| The horizon |
When the parachute was opened, I was yanked back to the reality and as I slowly descended through the air, I took my time to appreciate the views of cerulean ocean and white sandy beach coastline beneath me. The instructor taught me how to drift with the parachute and yes! This was when you would feel the "stomach drop" while drifting!
The skydiving ended with a good note as we had a very smooth landing. Hence, a good instructor was indeed important!
Would I do it again? Definitely yes! My words couldn't do its justice to this experience that made me feel like a million bucks :D
This came to the end of our getaway!
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| Me smiling like a kid after the jump XD |
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| Peace! |
Other costs:
Flight ticket - RM 891.54/person
Meal - Around RM 30/meal
You would expect spending around RM 4000/person if you are to join the skydiving. Otherwise, I believe RM3000 or below is sufficient to go for this trip! :)
[Perth : 17 September 2018 - 23 September 2018]
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