Australia Must-Sees

Bob and I will be sailing the South Pacific, on the HAL Amsterdam, in November. Our ports in Australia are Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane. This will be our first time in Australia and we will most likely book ship's tours. With only one day in each port, what should we "not miss" in each city? Or is there something to "not miss" outside of the city? We're able to book tours online this early, so any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

PERTH

You'll actually berth at Fremantle, about 11 miles downstream from Perth. Fremantle is, in itself, very interesting. Within walking distance is the new maritime museum (you'll pass it coming into harbour). If you are into museums, it's well worth a visit. You can also walk into Fremantle city centre. If you're there on a weekend, the markets and cappuccino strip will be well and truly alive. There's also Challenger Harbour, again within walking distance (about 20 minutes), with some very, very good fish 'n' chip eateries and other restaurants/bars on the water, as well as the Little Creatures brewery. If you like boutique beer, this is worth a visit. Getting up to Perth is going to be fairly expensive by taxi, but there is train station almost directly opposite the passenger terminal. The trains are relatively cheap and fast.

In Perth itself, a visit to Kings Park is a must.

http://www.kpbg.wa.gov.a

This park sits over the top of Perth city and the views are quite spectacular. There are heaps of different gardens to see, as well as a "treewalk", a restaurant and the war memorial. On the river at the base of the park is Barrack Street Jetty, a smallish restaurant precinct and the location for most of the major river cruise companies. You can also get a ferry across the river to South Perth from there for about $2.60 return. Within Perth, there is a free CAT bus sytem over fixed routes, to help save your legs.

The city itself is like most others. On a weekend it is fairly dead, but there is good shopping during the week. Try the Hay Street and Murray St malls, and have a stroll through London Court.

http://www.londoncourt.com.au/

North of the railway line is Northbridge, a sort of "cosmopolitan" multicultural dining/drinking/nightclub centre. I'm not big on it myself, and I wouldn't recommend strolling there late at night!!!

For all other sorts of information, this is a good site:

http://www.perthtouristcentre.com.au/

Just a tip, and this is a personal thing: I don't recommend a trip to Rottnest Island. I know a lot of people love it, but I regard it as primitive and over-rated, with little to do other than swim or drink or eat. Just my opinion. Young people love it.

In November, daily highs should be round the 75 - 80 mark, while overnight it should be around 60. But it can get hotter -- up over 90 during the day.

Off the top of my head, that's about all I can think of. If you'd like more info I'm happy to oblige. Just let me know your areas of interest (e.g. shopping, surfing, museums, galleries, eating, drinking :D whatever), and I'll see what I can find.

Oh, yes -- I do live in Perth (well in a northern suburb on the coast about 20 miles out from the CBD.)

Regards

Bruce

Pat,

I've been to Australia 5 times (never by ship) and I hope you're going to spend more than one day in Sydney. If not, then I guess taking the ship's tour will get you to all the "check list" places like a tour of the Opera House.

For Adelaide there are some nice options. Adelaide is beautiful and a bus ride through the hills of Adelaide will show off some very unusual and beautiful landscapes......bring a camera. If you like wine, then a tour of the Barossa Valley would be wonderful. However, if you have an option to go to Kangaroo Island, I would say that's not to be missed.

Bruce,

We're going to Australia again next Feb. and will be visiting Perth for the first time, so your information is greatly appreciated and most timely! Why would you not recommend going to Northbridge at night? Is there a lot of crime there making it a dangerous place?

We're also planning to drive to Margaret River for a few days, so any input you have on that would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jane

Well, for the Brisbane "bit"! Queensland is well known for its beaches and one hour north of Brisbane is the Sunshine coast with a magnificent stretch of beaches from Caloundra up to the beautiful Noosa Heads and its national park. One hour to the south is the Gold Coast , another great stretch of beach but in my opinion not as scenic but great for surfing and swimming. If you are into the crocodile hunter and the associated australian wildlife you can combine his park with a trip to the sunshine coast or the beautiful hinterland area. The Gold Coast has a great hinterland too with Tamborine Mountain, O'Reilly's in Lamington National Park with its guest house and rainforest walks Happy to help with more details should you decide you like one of these options. Sue

Bruce, Jane and Sue,

Thank you for all your valuable information and suggestions. We do only have one day in each port, unfortunately. We'll try to make the most of it and see the best sites available on the ship's shore excursions and with your help, we can make good choices.

Bruce,

We're going to Australia again next Feb. and will be visiting Perth for the first time, so your information is greatly appreciated and most timely! Why would you not recommend going to Northbridge at night? Is there a lot of crime there making it a dangerous place?

We're also planning to drive to Margaret River for a few days, so any input you have on that would also be greatly appreciated.

Hi Jane

February, eh? Well, you can expect it to be warm! Traditionally, it's the hottest month of the year, with daytime temperatures up around the 95 - 105°F mark every day. Generally, however, it's a dry heat, and there's usually the "Fremantle Doctor" (the afternoon sea breeze) to cool things down at night.

As for Northbridge, I'm probably a bit biased, since one of my brothers is a police officer whose beat included Northbridge. He used to say it was not too bad until midnight, but then all the weirdos came out of the woodwork.

It's really just a couple of city blocks of boutique-style pubs, eateries of all persuasions and styles, nightclubs (for young people) and the State Library and WA Museum and Art Gallery.

Don't get me wrong, it's immensely popular and, under normal circumstances, quite safe. There has been some trouble though with, specifically, youth drunkenness and crime. Stick to the crowds and the bright lights and you'll be OK. There's really very little problem during the day, but not everything is open, either. If you like good food/cheap food/different cuisines, it's definitely worth a look-in. Please don't be put off by my remarks -- but I still wouldn't wander round there late at night or down the backstreets looking like a tourist, either. Get a taxi there and back and you'll be fine.

Now for Margaret River. Firstly, I'm prejudiced because this is one of my favourite parts of WA -- the south-west. What can I tell you? February isn't its best month, it will be pretty dry and brown. I prefer it in winter (June, July) with the greenery and mists and rain.

However ... here's a few pointers that might help.

• The area can be quite pricey, especially for accommodation, with a number of 4-star (or higher) places opening up in the last couple of years. This is mitigated a little by your dollar being worth about a $1.25 here, but you need to know it's not always cheap (though it can be reasonable in the "off" season; like February. The up side is, of course, the facilities are generally good.

Here's a good web page to poke around in:

http://www.margaretriverwa.com/frontpage.asp

• The area is, of course, a premium wine-making region, and abounds with vineyards. These offer tastings and, usually, meals. Some are more upmarket than others, but I have yet to taste a "bad" wine from the region; there's just good and better. Generally speaking, I find our wines to be more full-bodied, with greater "mouth-feel" than, say, Californian wines.

This is one of the most famous vineyards: http://www.leeuwinestate.com.au/

And this one is one whose wine I recommend (though a little pricey):

http://www.mosswood.com.au/

And this has very good wines and food in a pleasant environment:

http://www.cullenwines.com.au/

And if you're sick of wines, there's one of my favourites, the Bootleg Brewery. (Just realised, I sound like an old drunk, don't I? :D) Good food, good beer, but it's wise to book on the weekends if you want to eat there.

http://www.bootlegbrewery.com.au/

• The area is famous for its surf, too, and the rugged coastline. Here's another good site to waste a couple of hours on:

http://www.margaret-river-online.com.au/

and here are some of the towns:

http://www.margaret-river-online.com.au/cape/towns/towns.htm

• Timber! The karri, marri and jarrah forests are quite spectacular (those that are left!), especially the old forests. There are lots of national parks, controlled by the State government. Here's one:

http://www.calm.wa.gov.au/national_parks/previous_parks_month/leeuwin.html

• Art and crafts! There are many galleries devoted to marvellous art/craft using local timbers, stone and other materials. Really fascinating. This is just one:

http://www.boranupgallery.com/

• The Chocolate Factory - not recommended if you are dieting!

http://www.chocolatefactory.com.au/

• Simmo's Ice-cream (Couldn't find a URL)

• Caves (if you're not claustrophobic)

http://www.showcaves.com/english/au/region/Margaret.html

I may have missed a few things, but you can always ask again.

A final website for you to look at:

http://www.atn.com.au/wa/south/atract-b.htm

One final thing: petrol (sorry, gas) costs: on today's prices, petrol will cost you the equivalent of US$4.10 a gallon. I can't imagine it will have gone down by February next year ... ;)

All right, better go and do some work. Hope this helps.

Cheers

Bruce