Will and I used to spend a fair amount of time in downtown Perth when we lived on
Scarborough Beach (about 15 mins away) in 2009. At the time, I worked in finance and my initial visits to the city were for a work training program at the company's headquarter building downtown. I would spend my hour-long wandering around the city where I soon realized there are a lot of cool things about Perth, notwithstanding:
- Heath Ledger, Emma Booth, many Australian celebrities and most Australian supermodels came from here (ie: insanely attractive people!)
- It's completely surrounded by pristine beaches, beautiful wineries and truly breathtaking destinations for a family or romantic getaways
- It's the capital city of Australia's western state
- Most remote capital city in the world
But the one thing I found the most remarkable about Perth - probably the thing any visitor would notice - is that this westernized city coexists with an abundance of native wildlife and vegetation / a rare and thought-provoking sight in a busy modern city.
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| Perth from my iPhone 2009 |
Kings Park has the best view of Perth's skyline and it's where these photos were taken. The massive river flowing through the city is so clean that it's home to many native animal species including dolphins, sharks, pelicans, parrots and black cockatoos; but it's called Swan River in honour of the State's bird, the black swan - which also calls it home. The botanical garden at Kings Park is seriously awesome and worth checking out. I haven't seen more native species of plants or animals in one location anywhere else in Australia and if you aren't afraid of heights, you'd enjoy the tree-top walk:
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| Photo from: .ytravelblog.com |
Perth's most impressive and revered war memorial stands at the very center of Kings Park overlooking the city and humbling all before it:
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| Photo from: temari-addict-australia.blogspot.com |
In terms of architecture (like most Australian cities) Perth is a blend of universal modern and old Bristish. Many buildings are simply stunning - but what really sets Perth apart is London Court!! It's my favourite place in the city by far: as it not only reminds me of my favourite book series, Harry Potter: but also of my favourite location within the books: the magical Diagon Alley.
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| London Court from my iPhone, Perth WA 2009 |
If you've read Harry Potter and know what I'm talking about, then you too will find that stepping through the archway into Perth's London Court is a lot like stepping through the arched portal into the hidden, magical town of Diagon Alley. You'll also expect to find this little alley littered with magical wares and the shops to sell all manner of mysterious artifacts. It's a really wonderful, albeit slightly anti-climatic, experience for you'll soon realise the shops actually sell jewellery, leather-goods and other souvenirs. But definitely worth the trip in any case, just to experience the momentary thrill of discovering your very own alternate universe where magic exists!
Anyone who wants to experience raw and real Australia in all her glory should absolutely add Perth to their bucket list!
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