Perth and Fremantle

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Perth is a friendly and attractive little city, set in an impressive location on the banks of the Swan River. The banks of the river are covered in grass and are home to some pleasant parks, only a stone's throw away from the city centre.

We arrived in the city on the morning of Anzac Day and as soon as we were settled in the hostel, we headed back into town to see the parade. The whole town was out, lining the streets and clapping.

A friendly little city, set in an impressive location on the banks of the Swan River

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We only had a couple of days here so we whizzed down to Fremantle to look around and then spent a few hours on the way back looking around Kings Park. This is a huge area of parkland on the banks of the river that contain the Botanical Gardens and a canopy walkway, from which you can great views of the city's skyline.

The next day we set out on a tour to Rottnest Island, a really attractive city getaway where there are some fantastic beaches. To get to the island we had a beautiful hour's cruise down the Swan River, before transferring to a larger boat at Fremantle for the crossing to Rottnest.

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There is hardly any traffic at all on Rottnest so the easiest way to see the island is by bike. We spent most of the day cycling around the island and admiring the fantastic coastline and white sandy beaches. Along the way we saw lots of the local wildlife, namely the quokka, a small wallaby endemic on the island. They were mistaken for bush rats by the early settlers, hence the name of the island being a derivation of 'rats nest'. They are friendly little critters and would come right up to you.

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This was our first taste of wild Australia. While we like the cities, we really came here to see the wildlife and scenery of the outback. After this we couldn't wait to head up the coast.