Day 52 The flight was much better than the one from Heathrow to Beijing which was with British Airways and this one to Perth was with Qantas. We had loads of room with comfortable pillows and not only an evening meal and breakfast but a menu with meals to choose from. This was the most luxury we have had for two months. We both funnily enough opted for Chinese chicken with pak choi and rice which was delicious followed by vanilla cheesecake and MnM's for dessert washed down with white wine for the lady and a beer for myself. After watching films- one being 'The Dictator' which we watched in synchrony and got shushed at by the couple next to us for laughing so much, we got a couple of hours sleep so were tired by the time we arrived. We spent an hour or two in the airport using the free internet to find somewhere cheap for lunch and read through leaflets on things to do. We couldn't go to our couchsurfer's (Bronwyn) until half one as she had an exam so though we would spend some time in Kings park. We got our first taste of Australia's extortionate prices with the shuttle bus to the centre which lasting only 30 mins cost us £12 each! Gob-smacked. We found the place we chose in the airport to eat- Taka, a japanese restaurant, so once again we picked up our chopsticks and dived in. After walking for about ten minutes towards Kings park we gave in, not because it was hot or that we were lost but because of the unbelievably annoying flies. They were everywhere and our bags were covered in them, buzzing around our ears and eyes. Horrible. So we got the bus to Bronwyn's early, we managed to get there no problem what with us actually being to speak in English to the bus driver, once there we just waited a little while. She pulled up and we both felt quite nervous as we were completely new to the whole experience but it was brilliant. Bronwyn was lovely and really helpful, letting us tag along to the shops and ask her endless amounts of questions about prices. We managed to find some good deals on fruit and veg amongst other things so we could make meals to try and save money. We just relaxed the rest of the night and watched a film with Bronwyn.

Day 53 We awoke early as Bronwyn said she would drop us off at the harbour where we would get a ferry to Rottnest Island. It was Tuesday and the prices were half but once at the kiosk we were told it had to be booked online with a printed boarding pass. We couldn't really go any other day as the usual price was a staggering £48 each which we simply couldn't afford. So we asked where the nearest internet cafe was and got to work. Once we managed that we had just missed the 9:30 ferry so decided to get the train to Fremantle to catch the next one at 11:30. Fremantle is a small town which was the main port on the South-Eastern coast and sits on the coast at the mouth of the same river Perth lies on, only 30 mins away by train so on we jumped. After a long and very frustrating morning we were finally on the ferry to 'Rotto'. It only took 25 mins getting us there for 12ish and after looking around noticed a free Quokka tour was starting at 1pm. So we did the tour which was good, he showed us some of the Quokkas and told us all about them (they are small mammals which looks like a cross between a wallaby and a squirrel -ish). Then there was another free tour at 2pm which was more on the history of the island and colonisation of the West coast focusing on the Aboriginals and convicts that were imprisoned on the island. We had a look about ourselves around the museum and chapel, wandering up to the lookout point and then onto the ferry back to Fremantle. It was getting windy and slightly chilly so just went straight back to the house and tried to plan the next few days. Bronwyn had made a lovely chicken korma so we all ate together.

Day 54 Last night wasn't very successful and we ended up researching up to midday this morning and jumped on the train to Fremantle. We found Fremantle prison and chose the 'Doing Time' tour which would give us a brief history and then put us in the shoes of an inmate. The tour took us into the waiting rooms, cells, exercise yards, canteens, punishment yards, solitary confinement cells, death row and finally the execution hall. It was brilliant and really informative and our guide- who we immediately noticed had a North-Eastern accent, was from Billingham who "after practising the Ozzie accent for 39 years still hadn't perfected it". We then strolled around the town which was quite empty and after an hour of roaming around went into the Little Creatures brewery which was a brewery with a bar inside, it was great to see the big beer fermenter's and all the equipment they use. Eve went with Pipsqueak Best cider and I got a single batch dark lager, both went down far too nicely and were sad to leave it at one but our wills are strong, we popped to a supermarket before heading back. We still hadn't ate so once in Perth tracked down an Indian Bronwyn told us about. Now this wasn't any Indian, this was an all you can eat, pay as much as you want buffet Indian, so as you can imagine we were pretty damn excited. It was busy as we expected but found a seat and dove in. It was all vegetarian and for the sole reason of it being a Buddhist establishment. The reason for its policies are because it was initially set up for the poor who could not afford food and therefore pay as much as they could but given its amazing location on the river front and fabulous views it has attracted a wealthier crowd. In a way this is a good thing as these people are generous, some even paying with cards, yet there is still a fair amount the poor eating there. What we also noticed is this type of eatery is perfect for travellers and it certainly attracts them with people like us two making up half the people there!

Day 55 This morning we decided to spend some time in Perth centre and realised how small it actually was taking us no longer than 30 mins to walk down most of the main streets or malls as they call them. We came across a little alley called London Court which was nice and resembled an old Tudor street with white buildings and their black beams selling souvenirs and little cafes. We then walked around the CBD and the skyscrapers which compared to Hong Kong were tiny but still impressive in it's own right. We had a packed lunch and walked up the bank to Kings park- claimed to be the biggest park in a city centre in the whole world. It was huge! We walked down the river and picked a brilliant bench for lunch which overlooked the whole city and the river that wound round it. We then walked another 30 mins to the botanical gardens showcasing plants and trees from all over Australia and even the world. After looking at a map we noticed we hadn't even covered a small fraction of the park, most of it is just bushland but even so, it's size is impressive. We hopped on the bus back and met Bronwyn at the house as she had a half day at Uni. The three of us went to Swan Valley which is known for its Wineries that line the road for miles. Firstly though she took us to a chocolate factory which was brilliant. There was so much choice of chocolate, fruit preserves and other goodies. There was also a bowl of white, milk and dark chocolates, needless to say we filled our hands so much that by the time we finished they were covered in melted chocolate. We bought a macadamia and a cashew truffle which turned out to be gorgeous. Next up a winery which we spotted gave free cheese and wine samples. Heaven! So after a few cheese samples and wine tasters, Bronwyn caved and bought a bottle- we would have as well but the budget is a strict mistress. On the way back we stopped at a small town called Guilford and looked in a few of the shops. We had a lovely day and ended it off by finally finding a tour company to take us to Uluru!

Day 56 We decided to do some bush walking and found a perfect trail East of Perth. It was a railway heritage reserve trail which followed some of the old train tracks that went from a town called York through Perth to Fremantle. We had to get two trains and a bus there but it was straight forward enough and started walking. We passed through John Forrest national park and saw loads from when the track was operational and along the trail were boards giving you more info. It was great walking through proper bushland and we could have been miles and miles from anywhere. It took us about 3 hours and by the end we were swarmed in flies- covered! I felt like I was in central Africa somewhere, we weren't aware they were such a problem but apparently they are, and it gets worse as summer progresses! Anyway it was great anyway and ended in a country village called Parkerville, which actually only consisted of a Town Hall, Post Office, cafe and no more than 5 houses. We found our bus stop and saw that the bus we wanted stopped running at 14:40, this was at 15:20, we didn't think in a million years that it would stop so early. So we asked at the post office and he said we should be able to catch the school bus- which the public can use as well however we had already seen a school bus turn the corner as we arrived so we were sure we had missed it, we waited 10 mins and then went back to ask him again, he said another school bus not meant for the public terminates at a town called Mundaring where we can get another bus to the train station. It arrived and I asked her but to no avail, at that point Eve was trying to ring Bronwyn from a phone box for help at which point the school bus we waited for turned the corner and drove away with me chasing it. It didn't stop. So we went back to the man a third time and pretty much said we were stranded so needed directions to the nearest motorway about an hours walk away to try and flag a bus down there. That would be fun. Luckily for us a young man walked in and the post office worker out of the blue asked him to take us to Mundaring to get the other bus. We didn't want to do this but he already said yes and was looking at us and the post office worker insisted. So hesitatingly we went with him to his huge Landrover and as we opened the door milk cartons fell out, it doesn't get much more stereotypical teen slasher movie than that. He drove up and turned left, which I knew was wrong and when I asked him he said it was a shortcut. Great. Luckily he wasn't a crazed axe murderer and not only did he drop us off at the bus stop but he was really nice, talking to us the whole way. We waited a while for the bus then got the train back to Perth and went to the Indian for tea again.

Day 57 During the night two French lads arrived as they were couchsurfing the next few days so we all went to the centre as we all needed a couple of things. We went to the Japanese cafe we went to on the first day for some cheap lunch. The weather was unusually bad for Perth and was raining heavily so just drove back to the house and sat there researching and booking more of the trip. Then we had to pack for our flight and Bronwyn very kindly insisted on taking us to the airport which was brilliant, it was sad to say bye as we got on really well but at the same time really excited for Uluru.