Currency:
Australian Dollar

Highlights:
Activating our PR visa, spending time with Craig and Sash again, awesome beaches, Rottenest, wine tour

Our Adventure:

When we woke up on our last day in the Maldives we were extremely sad to say goodbye to paradise but our pain was slightly eased when we woke up to some light rain! We had a long 48 hours in front of us which consisted of a number of flights to get to Perth which consisted of the following route:

• A sea plane from Lhaviyani Atoll to Male
• A flight from Male to Bangalore
○ We confused Indian immigration as I was travelling in transit and they let me through without a visa
○ I had to get a special transit visa letter from Air India which meant that I had a number of stamps in my passport that were incorrect and that had to get cancelled
○ Many confusing conversations later we finally got everything in order and we jumped on the plane to Dubai
• A flight from Bangalore to Dubai
○ After a 4 hour flight we had a 10 hour stopover at the Dubai Emirates Terminal 3
○ After wandering around for some time we decided to bite the bullet and check into the pay by the hour Dubai International Hotel
○ Woke up the next morning in the airport - which was quite strange - and jumped on what we thought was going to be the A380-800 to Perth
○ Unfortunately they had tricked us badly and the gate did not go to the plane we could see outside the window so there was no A380-800 for us
○ You can see our photos here:
§ 2010-02-18 [United Arab Emirates, Dubai] A Night at the Dubai International Hotel
□ http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=392781&id=713415257&l=26a64688e8
§ 2010-02-19 [Australia, Perth] Flying in the Airbus A380-800 (Well Almost)
□ http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=392780&id=713415257&l=150905d671
• A flight from Dubai to Perth
○ We finally arrived at midnight in Perth and had the friendly, smiling faces of Craig and Sash waiting for us at the airport which was a real treat
○ We jumped in their car and headed for their house in Innaloo and after a catch up hit the sack in preparation for our day out in Perth the next day

Perth is in the south west area region of the vast state of Western Australia and is one of the most isolated cities in the world. It is based around the Swan River on a flat coastal plain down from the Darling ranges, and has a population of around 1.5 million. The many uncrowded beaches along the Perth coastline define the lifestyle: Perth is laid-back, quiet and safe. What a perfect stop to activate our Australian Permanent Residency and spend some time with good friends.

Day 1:

We woke up and were treated to a home cooked breakfast which after eating in so many restaurants is a real treat. Craig and Sash had planned a day out for us with Out and About Tours which would take us on a tour around the wineries, breweries and chocolate factories that make up Swan Valley.

The Swan Valley Region is steeped in history and is one of Western Australia's oldest wine regions. The region is home to more that 40 vineyards, many of which are still run by the original families which started the wineries many years ago.

After breakfast we walked down to the bus stop (Sash was mistaken for a 17 year old by the bus driver) and headed for Stirling Station to jump on a train to Perth City. Perth City Centre is located alongside the peaceful waters of the Swan River, twenty kilometres inland of the Indian Ocean on the West Coast of Australia. The Perth city centre bustles with activity and offers a range of choices for shopping, eating and drinking.

We met up with Graeme and Kat who would be joining us on our little excursion and completed the tour team for the day. We jumped on the Out and About tour bus and joined up with the rest of the crew which ranged from Irish, English, Canadian and some Japanese tourists and along with our tour guide Rob it was guaranteed to be a great day out. And that it was.

The summary is as follows:

• We started our tasting boozing at 10h40 and averaged around 12 "tasters" at each winery. The Aussies are definitely a lot more generous with their portions as a taster is a half a glass!
• We visited the following wineries:
○ Waters Edge Winery
○ Lancaster
○ Windy Creek Estate
○ Sittella
○ Edgecombe Brothers
○ Elmar's Brewery
○ The Margaret River Chocolate Company
• We finished the tour at around 17h30 at which stage we were all very merry and had had a superb day out

After picking up a few more beers and finding a drive through bottle store (awesome) we headed back to Craig and Sash's spot - where Steff and Rick joined us - and we finished up the night with steaks on the braai a good few more beers and lots and lots of laughs.

What a great first day in Western Australia!

You can see our photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=392782&id=713415257&l=8c8a308bec

Day 2:

After getting to bed in the wee hours we were awake bright and early to jump on a ferry and head out to Rottnest Island (or commonly referred to as "Rotto" by the locals). Rotto is just a short ferry ride from Perth or Fremantle and it is a popular holiday destination which offers a very relaxed atmosphere. On the island you can meet the Quokka which is a unique little marsupial and is responsible for the island's name (the founders thought it was a rat so the direct translation is 'rat nest').

The four of us (Craig, Sash, Lara and I) headed back into Perth City Centre and on the way we checked out the Perth City Centre skyline as well as some of the popular tourist destinations including the Wheel of Perth, Kings Park (which we saw from a distance), the Swan River, and the Bell Tower.

We met up with Graeme and we jumped on the Rottnest Express headed for Rottnest Island. From the boat we had a sneak peak at Millionaire Mile which is on the banks of the Swan River and is home to Australia's most expensive home at AUS$ 85 million. Shoowee!

Rotto is around 20 km off the coast of Perth and after a number of rather large swells and a few threats of motion sickness we arrived at Perth's Island Playground, Rottnest Island. On arrival we "biked up" (Sash following on her 17 year old form got given a kiddies bike) and we headed to Quokka Joes to settle the stomachs and absorb some of the alcohol from the previous nights festivities with some Aussie pies and some homemade rolls.

After we filled our stomachs up we jumped on our bikes and explored Rottnest Island, which included several beautiful beaches, breathtaking views, the lakes and salt lakes in the middle of the island, the lighthouses, the holiday homes and campsites and the golf course and cricket pitch which make up the island.

After cycling around in the scorching heat we found a great spot called Armstrong Bay where we had a walk around on what seemed to be our own private beach. We then walked around to Armstrong Point where we spent the rest of the day snorkelling and lapping up the Western Australian sun. We finished our day off with a couple of ice cold pints at the Quokka Arms which looks out over the harbour at Rottnest Island.

We jumped back on the Rottnest Express and after another bumpy ride we finished off another great day out by heading to Nando's to get our first Nando's fix in a while and then we took full advantage of Craig and Sash's comfortable couches by chilling out and relaxing by watching some TV to end off a great few days in Perth.

You can view our photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=392785&id=713415257&l=07344a30a8

Day 3:

It was Monday morning and Craig and Sash had kindly taken the day off work to show us around Perth so that we could explore the beaches and get to know the neighbourhoods and see what Perth had to offer.

For the first time in a while there was no waking up to an alarm which was a welcomed change and we got up and enjoyed a fry up compliments of Craig and Sash.

The plan for the day was to head out on the Sunset Coast Tourist Drive. If you enjoy long relaxing walks along clean sandy beaches, swimming in the surf on a warm sunny day, or perhaps lazing on a beach towel while watching the world go by, then a visit to the Sunset Coast in Perth is definitely for you.

So off we set and the first stop of the day was to Cape to Cairo (a great South African shop in Perth) to pick up some well deserved South African treats including biltong and fruit and chutney Nik Naks! Oh yeah.

Our Sunset Coast Tourist Drive consisted of the following:

• We wandered around on the white sands and were amazed by the see through blue seas of Sorrento Beach
• We drove through Hillarys Boat Harbour and saw all the cafes and restaurants as well as took a drive through the up market Hillarys neighbourhood
• We headed north to Joondalup (which is well known for being home to lots of South Africans) and wandered around Burns Beach and looked out to Burns Rocks
• We headed back to Trigg Beach in the City of Sterling and watched the surfers enjoy the Perth waves hoping that one day that might be us
• We headed to Perth's most well known beach - Scarborough Beach - which is an awesome beach and is a very popular kite surfing spot in WA
• We jumped back in the car and stopped in at John Street Cafe for some unbelievable food (I had the Lamb Sandwich which was amazing) in a neighbourhood called Cottesloe (one of Craig and Sash's favourite areas)
• We headed to Cottesloe Beach which is lined with grass banks that looks down on the white sands and blue seas of the Indian Ocean. From Cottesloe Beach you can also see Rottnest Island and this is where the start of the annual Rottnest swim takes place. The Rottnest swim is a 19.7 km swim through the ocean from Cottesloe to Rottnest Island. Crazy!
• We headed to check out Craig's rugby club, the Cottesloe Rugby Union Football Club, which has an amazing view of the Indian Ocean from the fields
• We then crossed the Swan River via the Stirling Bridge to Fremantle (or commonly referred to as "Freo" by the locals). The Port city of Fremantle lies just south of Perth on the coast of Western Australia. Fremantle is a popular spot, particularly at weekends when you will find markets, entertainment and plenty of alfresco style cafes and eateries. Here we wandered around the Freo Harbour, checked out the boats that we one day will hopefully be buying and finished our tour with some ice cold beers at the Little Creatures Brewery looking out over Fremantle Harbour

After a long and great day out and about exploring we headed back to Craig and Sash's place and cranked up the Weber and had our last delicious dinner together which was Roast Chicken accompanied with a few beers and some great Australian red wine.

Another great day in the sun!

You can view our photos here:

2010-02-22 [Australia, Perth] Out and About Exploring Perth - Part 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=393124&id=713415257&l=5089c377ab

2010-02-22 [Australia, Perth] Out and About Exploring Perth - Part 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=393128&id=713415257&l=93e69da84b

Day 4:

Craig and Sash unfortunately had to go back to work but they kindly offered us the use of their car for our final day in Perth. As Lara and I did not get a chance to see any of the Australian wildlife last time we were in Australia we decided to head to Whiteman Park and more specifically to the Caversham Wildlife Park.

Caversham Wildlife Park showcases many of Australia's unique native animals, including koalas, wallabies, possums, Tasmanian devils and wombats - providing visitors with the opportunity for a close-up encounter with some Australian icons!

So off we headed to Caversham Wildlife Park and we arrived just in time for the wombat show. We met the Wombat and his friend the Spotted Quoll and had a great time stroking them and taking photos of these beautiful animals.

We then wandered around the park and got great view of many Australian animals with some of our favourites being:

• Bushtail Possum
• Agile Wallaby (We did get a photo for the Herriotts so they know what they are naming their first born after)
• Dingo
• Emu
• Tasmanian Devil
• Quokka

Without a doubt the highlight of the day was the koalas and the kangaroos. After hearing from multiple people that koalas and kangaroos were quite dangerous we found ourselves in the koala enclosure stroking the koalas and getting up close and personal with them and we hand-fed the kangaroos. What an absolutely amazing experience.

The rest of the day was spent wrapping up some admin before heading to the airport with Craig and Sash and heading off to our final destination Dubai, UAE.

We had an absolutely amazing time in Perth and we can definitely see why Craig and Sash are so happy there.

You can view our photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=392786&id=713415257&l=5da52d90f9

Just one more update!
Leise + Lara