Perth sometimes gets a bad rep and a lot of travellers skip it. I can kind of see why. For starters, it’s a hassle to get to. It was also a real backwater for many, many years. A city-sized village far away from everywhere, the (or at least one of the…) most remote city/es in the world, devoid of culture, entertainment and attractions. Then came the mining boom and Perth has, by all accounts, profited in myriad ways. From what I saw, all those mining $$$s are being put to excellent use, with modern architecture, public art and urban infrastructure amongst the main beneficiaries.
On the one had, you can still see Perth’s provinciality shining through. The city has more inhabitants than Munich (over 1.5 million), yet you will often find yourself wandering the streets, wondering “where the hell is everyone?” (in the suburbs, apparently). It has plenty of pubs and since the licensing laws were changed to make it easier to open a small venue, there’s lots of great bars, too, but god forbid anyone try to procure alcoholic refreshments after midnight… On weekends, it’s a challenge, during the week, downright impossible. Plus, there’s no denying that, thanks at least in part to the constant influx of fly-in-out mining workers, the city is a bit rough around the edges. Oh, and it’s expensive, often ridiculously so.
On the other hand, Perth has a lot going for it. The climate is pleasant almost year-round, it has lots of great beaches (or one big, long beach, really), plus the river, parks and other easily accessible recreational areas like Fremantle and Rottnest Island. I enjoyed the city on both visits and – although I couldn’t see myself living there – would not recommend giving it a miss simply because it’s far away from the rest of Australia’s cities.
In addition to the sightseeing shots above, here are some randoms:
Aurelio Costarella: A 30 Year Retrospective, at the Western Australian Museum Perth
A night out in Northbridge, with the delightful Scarlett Adams, Queen of the Court, Douglas the Frenchman, who has too many holes (although the holes are Scarlett’s favourite thing), a homeless guy and us – the T-shirt party!
