I'm so excited to be here in the land Down Under! Home of kangaroos, koalas, Neighbours, fair dinkum friendly people and flaming ghalas! Our flight from Singapore seemed like a short hop at five hours, after all the 12 hour bus journeys we've taken so far. In fact, there was even an outdoor swimming pool at Changi Airport so we could have started the journey with a dip if we'd known. Oh well. After landing on Friday afternoon we spent the rest of the day mooching around the city. And it seemed absolutely tiny compared to Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. We walked across the Central Business District in about 20 minutes and with only a handful of skyscrapers, it feels quaint and homely. Unfortunately 1960s planners demolished most of the colonial buildings and replaced them with freeways and flyovers, so it does feel like small town America with its dependence on the car. The city's best assest, so says the guide book, is its perfect climate - endless sunny days. Unfortunately we're here in the middle of winter. We were freezing when we first arrived but the sun has managed to shine for us on a few occasions. The Aussie winter here is very much like a British day in April; a mix of sunny outbreaks and showers. After spending our first night with our fellow backpackers from the Underground hostel at a cool indie club where free beer flowed for two hours (!), we recovered on Saturday with a trip to Kings Park and Botanic Gardens. This is one of Perth's premier tourist attractions, a huge 400 hectare park with an abundance of flora and fauna. We whiled away a few hours meandering around and enjoying the sights over the city and the Swan River. Yesterday we visited Fremantle, a port about 20kms from Perth. It's a pretty little seaside town full of cafes, resturants, markets and pretty colonial buildings (the 1960s planners didn't get this far, thank goodness). It was great, and we're actually booked into a hostel there for two nights next week, so we'll be able to explore it more then. And from there we can get the ferry to Rottnest Island, a former penal settlement that is now the main holiday getaway for Perth families. So we'll hire some bikes and hope the rain holds out. Till next time... Lots of love, Nikki xxx