Busselton beach With my mate Don Perth from Kings Park Perth Skyline across the River Swan
We've been to Oz a couple of times before and don't like the journey about as much as we love the country. So breaking up both outward and homeward bound legs with stopovers seemed a good idea. See Part 1 of this series for my thoughts on Kuala Lumpur. For the rest of the trip we wanted to explore pastures new. Our son had raved about Tasmania and best friends about Melbourne and its surrounds, so our focus for after the wedding was those two places.
If you've read my California piece from last year (Fair Exchange Is No Robbery) you'll know we ventured into the world of house swapping, with some success. Within twenty four hours we had further ringing endorsement of the benefits of exchanges through the Homelink website. Three confirmed offers in each of Perth, Tassy and a Melbourne suburb. The Perth offer was to enjoy hospitality in the separate guest wing of a couple while they were in their home. They'll use our house in the summer of 2018.
I'd lost contact some years back with a very old friend I first met at infant school, who I knew lived somewhere in Western Australia. We used to write letters in the old days but seemed to get out of the habit when our respective children came along, just about the same time as email addresses, which we never got round to exchanging. One move of house each saw us out of touch pretty much ever since. I'd tried searching the internet the first time we went to Oz but hadn't managed to track Don and wife Helen down. This time I did so almost instantly, as he now works for a government department sharing with would-be entrepreneurs his wisdom from the businesses he built and sold over the years. I was genuinely thrilled when Don replied to my email saying he too shared my regret at allowing us to lose touch and invited us to stay at theirs for a night.
Similarly, we looked forward greatly to an invite from a friend I used to play tennis with in our village at home when he first moved here. Simon and his family had emigrated to Perth 4 years ago. With those two events arranged we just had to fit in getting together with the 5 of my brothers and sisters also out in Perth with their partners. A busy week in prospect.
We reached Perth from Kuala Lumpur at 1.15am, pretty much at the same time as two other long haul flights. Prepared for the usual slog through immigration and customs we'd experienced in Sydney twice before, we were amazed to be out of the airport and in the hire car within 30 minutes. Not wishing to disturb our hosts at such an ungodly hour I had conjured a cunning and romantic sounding plan to drive to the coast, sleep in the car for a few hours and wake to dawn breaking over beach and sea.
The reality wasn't quite so romantic.
Mr Hertz's Perth representative had told us the Nissan X-Trail we'd hired didn't have sat-nav, and that they were all out of GPS machines. Now I'm pretty useful at finding my way around without too much guidance, but usually work out my headings from the sun – conspicuously absent at the time. As was my smartphone I'd intended as a sat-nav substitute. I'd left it charging in my bedroom in the UK. I had a rough idea of where to aim for though, and thought when passing an all night petrol station that a map of Perth would help us greatly for the whole week.
Three garages later and still no map. They don't sell them. The explanation? Everybody uses sat-nav these days… Irony or what? We eventually found our way to Scarborough beach on the northern outskirts of Perth, parked facing the water and settled in for a few hours napping.
Shortly before 5am a car alarm interrupted with a vengeance our fitful dozing– cars still aren't a comfortable place to sleep properly. We bolted upright to see a woman in a bikini jumping around the guilty vehicle clearly with no idea how to stop the noise. 30 seconds later she managed to, then rushed off for her swim without a by-your-leave. Settling down again proved impossible. A procession of vehicles arriving and cheery greetings between their occupants as they prepared to join alarm-lady in the water suggested we had interloped onto the busiest beach in the region for early morning exercise.
We considered "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em", but decided we were just too damn tiredto sort through our luggage, find cozzies and somewhere to change, then drip-dry afterwards for the lack of a towel. We went for a walk though and paddled in the Indian Ocean, before a welcome hot drink at the aptly named and very welcoming C-Breez Kiosk.
Slightly refreshed (but still mapless) we set off trusting we were heading towards Yokine, more in hope than expectation of finding our home for the week by 8am as we'd agreed with hosts Richard and Esme. On an unwanted tour of many of Perth's northern suburbs we learned that they don't have directional road signs to areas of the city, just to road names at upcoming junctions. Doesn't that rather assume you know your way around anyway? Eventually resorting to being guided in by phone by Richard (from not too far away – my instinct and memory of Google maps proving not too far off the mark), we got to their beautifully furnished, recently constructed house with fantastic guest accommodation. A full English and pleasant chat later we climbed into the ever so welcome proper bed for a few hours.
Setting out to meet Don for an after work drink that evening (he was up in Perth for a meeting) I noticed there was after all a button for sat nav in the car. Even though I know Hertz routinely have it removed from vehicles supplied to them, I thought I'd try it. Lo and behold, it proudly sprang to life.
A drink turned into dinner at The Vic in Subiaco. Sadly, the strange tasting butter soaking into my beautiful looking schnitzel breadcrumbs turned out not to be an unusual cheffy creation, just rancid - as 15 minutes after finishing the plate I suddenly felt like vomiting, and reached the loos just in time to avoid redecorating much of the restaurant. I was very disappointed with the lack of interest in my experience by the pub's management.
Next day we met up with family in Kings Park, which sits high above the confluence of The Swan and Canning Rivers, offering stunning views across to the city's waterfront. We like city parks, and although relatively small compared to some (like the city itself), Kings Park is up there with our favourites for the dramatic views it delivers and its immaculate landscaped gardens. One niggle though, was the Botanical Café.
We were warned that food to order would take 45 minutes because the kitchen was so busy on such a beautiful day. Fair enough, and good to be forewarned. It helped us decide to have one of the delicious looking baguettes from the cold counter instead. I was gobsmacked to be told that would be 45 minutes too. I suggested to the server that reaching one metre to the left to pick out a sandwich, hand it to me and take my money would take all of thirty seconds. She said she'd take my money in that time, but food delivery had to go through the kitchen… which had a 45 minute wait time.
Just about the most bizarre and stupid way to lose a customer I think I've ever come across – especially when she was able to pour me a drink to enjoy immediately with the sandwich I then bought from the kiosk next door.
A visit to Fremantle was a disappointment too. To us it seemed the town was dying on its feet, with too many boarded up shops, its major department store opening only for limited hours between Thursday and Sunday, and a general air of decay since it was last spruced up over 30 years ago for its heyday as the Americas Cup yachting regatta host. The remaining colonial buildings don't outweigh the sense of despondency we felt. Even the tourist officer overseeing the daily 1pm firing of a cannon said to us privately not to bother with a couple of the museums there. Shame.
On to more of the many highlights though. We'd wanted to take Richard and Esme to their favourite restaurant for dinner. They'd told us about Prego in Floreat before we left the UK, so I'd looked at and been impressed by the menu's fine dining Italian dishes. We were even more pleased to discover two things: that Tuesday to Friday Prego offer a five course degustation menu drawn from à la carte dishes that still offers plenty of choice; and that Richard and Esme's interior design taste is matched by their palates. The food was sublime, every morsel a superbly cooked, visual and taste treat. Service was attentive but the right side of informal you expect in an Italian trattoria. At $55.90 pp it's an absolute bargain.
Don lives in Bunbury, a couple of hours south of Perth. We spent a lovely day driving leisurely along the old coast roads where possible rather than blasting along the freeway. We went a little further south than Bunbury, to Busselton, where the construction work along the Esplanade didn't detract at all from wandering along and chatting on a superb beach with almost mill pond like water in the sheltered bay.
Our evening with Don, Helen, Sarah and Ross (their very impressive eldest and youngest kids - the middle twins live in Perth) was tremendous fun. We were amused that as well as shared memories, we often recalled events from our childhood, youth and early twenties that the other had forgotten. We enjoyed the retellings though, and drank too much of Don's excellent wine store in the course of doing so. I'm sorry if I made you late for work next day mate.
We'll definitely be back someday to explore more of what Don insists is Australia's best kept secret – the South West coastline below Margaret River.
Next evening with Simon and Debbie was just as enjoyable. They'd moved for the dream of owning a big plot of land and building their own house. The grin on Simon's face as we admired their huge modern ranch style home in 7 acres, comprising garden with swimming pool and forest with brook, told us immediately how happy he was with the decision. All for roughly the same amount as the rather small detached house they'd sold in our village.
In Bullsbrook, only forty kilometres (25 miles) from Perth city centre, and considerably less from its northernmost suburbs, they are off the grid in many respects. That they are completely reliant on a 350,000 gallon water tank that gathers rainfall from their extensive roof seems to matter not a jot though. Another lovely evening of good food, good wine and convivial catching up with really good people.
And so to the reason for being in Oz again – the wedding. A blisteringly glorious sunny day in the splendid setting of Hillary's Marina north of the city bode well for it.
The bride, Gill, who ordinarily looks stunning anyway, managed to look even more so. My brother Pete, her father, lowered any tension by his partial pratfall down a shadowed step as he delivered his daughter to the waiting groom. With a pleasingly large number of family from the UK on both sides present, there were more great catch-ups as well as meeting Gill and John's new friends. A really good time was had by all in the hours before the happy couple departed their wedding night in the Scarborough hotel behind the car park we'd happened upon on our first night.
We spent the day after on Perth's waterfronts. The city side's smart redevelopment continues. A short ferry ride ($6 return) to the south side offers pleasant riverside walks. We enjoyed excellent coffee and tea overlooking the water on the terrace of South Perth's officially Best New Restaurant, Rambla on the esplanade immediately opposite the landing pier. Although a later dinner commitment prevented us from eating there, the food served to the surrounding tables looked superb.
Our later dinner was back at Hillary's with a couple of my sisters and their hubbies. The restaurant above Breakwater's smart bustling bar served very good food - if a little pricey - with nice harbour views. A couple of dishes weren't as warm as they could be when they hit the table, which had nothing to do with the welcome breeze through the open glass doors. Just enough time to spend a final day with family, before flying off to Tasmania – via Sydney - overnight.
We liked the feel of Perth, its suburbs and the little bits of Western Australia we visited. We loved the opportunity to see family and old friends in such a different setting. It's one we'd very much like to explore more in good time, and will do someday.
After all, I did promise Don.
The Facts
Although we booked BA flights through DialAFlight, from Kuala Lumpur to Perth (5½ hrs) was operated by One World Alliance partner Malaysian Airlines. No doubt due to the tragedies suffered in recent years, we were still a little surprised by the amount of room on the plane, which enabled us each to choose rows of four economy seats and enjoy a more comfortable sleep.
Car Hire in Perth was through Hertz. Having used them for years and generally been very happy, I'm rapidly losing my affection for Hertz. On this rental, as well as the sat-nav misinformation, I was not offered the Fuel Pre-purchase Option by the representative on pick-up of the car, but noticed two days later that the rental agreement indicated I accepted it. When I commented on this to the representative when dropping off the car, she assured me it would only have been offered as an option at the rental desk rather than assumed to be part of a pre-paid arrangement. It was of course too late then to change it. I don't like the return empty option at the best of times and would never have accepted it if offered -or if I'd noticed in the middle of the night. I don't see it as any benefit to the renter.
Judging how close to come to the risk of running out of fuel isn't in my opinion enhancing Hertz's customer service in any way. It's simply another attempt to maximise revenue by charging in advance for a full tank when they know they will only have to refill it with a lesser amount of fuel. On top of that, the return rep then told me the system was asking her to charge me an extra day's rental. She couldn't explain why, and readily accepted my refusal to pay, with a promise that she'd refer it to a superior to follow up. A couple of days later I got an email from a manager saying only that she attached the invoice copy I requested. I had to respond with an explanation of what I'd been threatened with and await another 'investigation' before the threat disappeared.
Also, I'm wondering why I bother to fill out the post-rental surveys Hertz ask me to. I reported all the above factually and dispassionately, but have heard nothing from them nearly four weeks later. Does a human being read the comments? Simply not good enough Hertz.
Prego restaurant. http://www.pregorestaurant.com.au/ Menu download https://www.zomato.com/perth/prego-restaurant-floreat/menu#tabtop
Homelink. Membership of £115 pa, or less if multiple years paid in advance. www.homelink.org.uk As well as the terrific places we stayed on this trip I have 7 weeks Homelink accommodation arranged with members in New Zealand for June and July, where I'll be working to produce a book recording fans' experiences following The British & Irish Lions rugby tour there.
That will be another few parts of this series later this year.
2017 Travels Part 3 will feature Tasmania.