Truth be told my adventure to Perth was sparked by a huge desire to see the world’s largest plane, the Antonov 225 land at Perth Airport on May 15th. The tourist stuff I did was just a bonus on this. If you’re interested in the plane, head over here.
Day 1
I arrived in Perth on Virgin flight VA555 around 2pm on Saturday the 14th. After hiring a car at the airport I headed off to find some food. I ended up quickly on the Great Easter Highway heading towards the city and it wasn’t long before I found the only thing on the left side of the road was McDonalds so I stopped off here. There was plenty more food further on but who was to know.
After a quick feed I again headed towards the Perth CBD. Thankfully Perth is well signed and finding the city was relatively easy. The city itself seems quite spread out and not at all cluttered like Sydney. It’s very beautiful with a mix of new skyscrapers nestled between old 2-3 story buildings.
Some quick Google searching lead me up the hill towards Kings Park. This area is not only the home to the Perth War Memorial, it also has a lot of parkland and some awesome views.
After exploring this area for a while it was time to head back to my budget budget hotel close to the airport. I have to admit I didn’t put a lot of effort into finding a hotel online, I just picked the closest and cheapest thinking they’d be quite booked out. I ended up staying at Sanno Marracoonda Hotel in Redcliffe. The staff here were extremely friendly but the place reminded me of a seniors facility with units spattered about the grounds. Mine was off in a corner behind some others and while OK for the money it had a single bed which was a huge turn off and in the end was not at all comfortable nor did it reward me a good nights sleep. Oh well, I’ll know better next time.
After checking in I drove to the Airport Viewing Platform to scope out the location and setup, only staying for 15 minutes before the mozzies started eating me alive. I decided it was time for dinner and headed to the Crown Casino to see what was on offer. I didn’t take any photos of the casino but I can say a few things. 1. There is free parking outside right near the entrance. 2. The staff were friendly and helpful. I ate at Carvery which is an all you can eat … carvery serving up various roasted meats, vegetables and desserts. It wasn’t very expensive and was OK for a quick meal.
Around 10pm I headed back to the hotel to settle in for the night (didn’t work out so well) and was up at 4am to get ready to meet Alex and head to the airport to wait for the Antonov 225.
Day 2
Day 2 started at 4am with me getting ready and meeting Alex at a nearby McDonalds at 5am before heading to the Airport Viewing Area. You can read all about this over here.
Following the plane landing and disappearing off behind a terminal building I headed back to the car and made my way south.
I had planned to visit my wifes first Australian home and see the school she started in Australia at. These took a little while to find but after a while I found both and took some photos for her to reminisce to.
After some stories of the past over the phone I was told of the “worlds best fish and chips in Fremantle” and I had to go etc. etc..
I drove towards Fremantle looking for the worlds best fish and chips and found myself with a few restaurants on a wharf both proclaiming to have WAs best fish and chips. Not sure of the name my wife lead me on a walking tour of the area taking photos in the hopes something would jog her memory. Eventually eureka and I settled in for a late lunch.
Arriving in Fremantle I found a car park, took some photos of the water then went off in search of this mysterious fish and chip shop. Turns out it was Cicerello’s Fish ‘N’ Chips.
After a hearty lunch at Cicerello’s I wandered outside to checkout the Skyview Wheel (large enclosed ferris wheel) on The Esplanade outside.
I’m not normally a huge fan of heights the last few years but decided to go on anyway to get some photos from up high.
That big ass cloud formation you can see coming in in the above photos. Well about 30 seconds after I stepped off the ride it poured, and I don’t mean a shower, it was really really heavy rain. By the time I get to cover I was dripped wet and had to change clothes back at the car in the carpark…. Shame.
Drenched and Unhappy
After taking a few more photos of the ocean and beach I headed off to find some markets to get gifts for back home.
Gorgeous WA Sunset
I found some markets near the Inner Harbour docks and ferry terminals called the E Shed Markets. I bought a few souvenirs and gifts and as darkness was setting in I headed back towards Perth and back to the airport to go home.
I stopped along the way at a Chicken shop i’d seen (which is a chain in WA) called Chicken Treat just to scope it out. They had some interesting stuff even though it almost feels like a knock off Red Rooster. For the record I just got a small snack of Roadies chicken strips.
After arriving back at the airport I had a nice hot shower to try and de-stress my joints after a long day. I have to say by this time I could barely walk and my back injuries was throwing pain all over my body.
I checked in, settled in to the Virgin Lounge for some light dinner and to charge up my mobile before the flight. At 10pm I boarded the plane and flew back to Brisbane and then on to Sydney and home.
Flights
Just cause I’m super AvGeek here’s the flight routes taken on the weekend for those interested. This was my first time in an A330 so had added another notch to the plane belt.
Love the sunset photo. You need a food directory as well as a road directory so that you can find somewhere more interesting to eat than McDonalds.
I ate plenty besides my small snack at McDonalds.