Needed a short getaway and spent a super productive 60h in Perth!
Day 1
Landed at Perth airport at 4am on Friday and took less than half hour to clear immigration, and it was so early that the train station wasn't even open! So I sat around until 515am when the station opened and proceeded to buy the DayRider ticket for 7 bucks, although technically I could have just tapped my credit card! The Perth public transport system is really good, and the airport line goes to Perth Station in the CBD in about 20min, then it was a 15min walk to The Melbourne Hotel.
It was too early to check in so I stored my baggage before heading to Elizabeth Quay. Really peaceful with amazing views. I was surprised to see so many people heading to work before 8am though, because most people in Singapore
start work around 9am.
I just walked around and chilled till 745am before finally heading to my first stop of the day, Howards Groove coffee. I specifically wanted to try their oat mont blanc, and they only open on weekdays and serve this drink from 8am, hence all the stalling in the morning! I was
starving by now so I also got a satchmo babka that was toasted
with more butter and so yummy. Oat mont blanc also lived up to expectations!
Now the real itinerary starts. Headed to the train station again to
take the Fremantle line to Fremantle (or Freo for short). Had my second breakfast at Moore & Moore cafe. Spoilt for choice, but eventually decided on the blueberry hotcakes which came in a
massive stack of 3 and lots of fruits. The first layer was amazingly fluffy and packed with blueberries, but
the second layer was strangely hard.
Thoroughly satiated, I headed to Fremantle Prison to join the Behind Bars tour. There's three types of tours, and I did time my visit to join this tour which starts at 10.30am and goes into the period where the facility housed prisoners after converting from a convict prison. The tour costs $24 so not the cheapest, but it's fascinating and the tour guide was fantastic!
Next
stop was Bathers Beach for views.
Then visited the Round House, which has a small exhibition, and to watch the
canon fire at 1pm. The staff actually let a visitor press the button, and we were very close so it was super loud!
Next was a visit to the Shipwrecks Museum to learn about the gazillion shipwrecks
off the coast of Western Australia. There's also the Maritime Museum, but this is free and the exhibits were actually very good.
Was
nearly 3pm by now, and I was starting to get hungry, so it was time for some feeding at Fremantle markets. It's only open from Fri-Sun so time your visit to Freo accordingly! I did my research beforehand and had a few spots to target. First up was Eggspot, where I got the pulled pork egg sandwich. This is not my typical choice of food (way too sinful, even though I already asked for no hashbrowns and less sauce), but super delicious.
Then headed to The Honey Cake shop to get a slice for takeaway. Very yummy, but pretty pricey at 8 bucks for a tiny slice!
And finally The Coffee Collective as they have an array of interesting beans. Went with dutch vanilla and I could definitely taste
hints of it, but the coffee wasn't my favourite.
Spent more time walking around Freo, checking out FOMO Freo and E Shed Markets near the jetty.
Time to head to the next location - Cottlesloe beach! I was pretty lucky because there's a Sculpture by the Sea exhibition that occurs yearly and it happened to be the first day! Took many pictures while burning under the blazing sun.
I wanted to watch sunset here, but it was only 5 plus, so I ended up
sitting at a shaded bench and chill. My holidays are always jam packed, so this was a nice respite.
Absolutely beautiful sunset by the beach.
Managed to hurry back to Cottlesloe station to catch the train back to Perth CBD, and finally checked in to my hotel. So I chose this hotel primarily because the gym is 24 hours, while the other hotel I was considering was slightly nearer to the station but the gym closes at 10pm!
Freshened up a bit before heading out for dinner at Balthazar. I had made a reservation specially for Friday night as they only serve the set menu on Saturday, because all iI reallywanted to try was the kangaroo meat. It's usually served rare and I don't typically eat rare meat (the number of times I've sent lamb and duck back to kitchens...), so I requested medium well, but the waitress said they can't do that as kangaroo is a very lean meat that becomes too chewy. In the end she agreed that I could have it just a little more done, which worked out as my piece came out around medium doneness so none of the raw red meat. Some of the sides were indeed a little hard to chew, but I much prefer that than the raw bloody meat haha. The dish also came with apricots, goats curd and macadamia, and I added a side of mixed leaves that was really just a massive plate of leaves haha.
Day 2
Day trip to Rottnest Island!
Started the morning with a 20min
walk to Mt Street Breakfast Bar and tried the french toast. The bread was THICC. Topped with ricotta cheese and peaches. Super yummy!
Hurried to Barrack St Jetty to catch the 8:30am Sealink ferry. Most ferries to Rottnest depart from Fremantle but i intentionally took the 1.5h ferry from Perth CBD as you get an extra tour along the Perth waters to Fremantle. I roamed around quite alot during the 1.5h because I wanted nice views, but it was just so hot!
Landed at Rottness slightly after 10am, then headed to Pedal & Flippers to join the massive queue for bike hire. Recommend booking in advance if your plans are firmed up to avoid wasting time! Took nearly 30min to reach the counter, and paid $33 for the bike. They also take a $50 deposit, and request for quite a number of details. Subsequently, you can choose your bike, but I stupidly took the first bike in the small section, not realising the gear knob was broken and it was an XS, not S.
It was nearly 11 by the time I was ready to explore, and I immediately struggled on the first uphill since the bike is small plus I couldn't even tell what gear I was in. Eventually figured it out, but even on the easiest gear, riding uphill with a small bike was still a challenge.
Finally made it to my first stop at Little Salmon Bay, and hopped off to take a few pics with the gorgeous waters.
Headed on to Wadjemup Lighthouse, with numerous stops on the way cos the coast is just too pretty. Also spotted some quokkas along the way.
Finally reached the lighthouse and just nice, there was another solo tourist so we had a tour just for 2 of us by a friendly old man. Really interesting seeing the inside of the lighthouse, and the views at the top of the lighthouse were amazing.
By now, I was quite behind time and exhausted from cycling, so I decided to skip going all the way to the end, and just cut across the island to head to Geordie's Bay where there's a cafe. Got a greek salad for 22 bucks - definitely overpriced haha. Spotted some quokkas roaming around!
Then rode onwards to Bathurst lighthouse for more pretty views.
And finally headed to the settlement where I got a massive acai bowl at The Lane cafe! Super yummy.
It was nearly
1525, and I managed to catch a quick glance of the Wadjemup museum just before it closed.
Was quite fed up with the bike by now (since it's a hassle having to lock it up every time I dismount), so I went to return it. There was a bit of a queue, so definitely plan to return it about an hour before your ferry departure!
Had some time so I went around the stores and got a super cute coaster from the general store before heading to the ferry. Was so exhausted that I just knocked out on the 30min journey to Fremantle.
Dinner was at Manuka Woodfire! Sadly, the dishes are mostly meant for sharing so I couldn't order much. Just got a main of tiger prawns which was very delicious!
Since dinner was a quick affair, I managed to make my way to the beach to
catch a glimpse of sunset! Absolutely gorgeous.
Finally took the train back to Perth CBD and headed to the gym to torture my legs more lol.
Day 3
Headed out at 645am to Sayers Sister which is a 20min walk away. Went for the grilled halloumi toast which comes with spinach, avo and 2 poached eggs. Yummy but it was a bit too much for me. Also got the flat white which was pretty decent, though I've to say the coffee here hadn't blown my mind.
Miller + baker next door is a pretty popular bakery, so I popped in to get a cardamom bun.
Followed by Chu bakery a few streets
away, which is super popular and had a long line. Luckily it moved pretty quickly, and I was out within 20min with a tiramisu tart! Everything looked so good but I had to limit myself to one.
Next stop was the Blue Boat House, which was a 30min bus ride away. Unfortunately, I missed the bus and had to wait 15min :( Anyway, the blue boat house is really just a house sticking out but it's so picturesque!
I wanted to take the bus from the opposite stop, but missed it AGAIN, which meant another 15 min delay. By the time I reached the side entrance of kings park, it was nearly 930am, so I had to speedily climb up and make my way to the State War Memorial.
Also managed to catch a quick glimpse of the Botanic Gardens, and sat down to gobble up the tiramisu tart that was sooooo good.
Then it was time to head back to the hotel to check out. So I actually rearranged my itinerary as I realised the Bell Tower has a bell ringing concert on Sundays from 1030 to 1130am. Luckily managed to reach the Tower in time to catch the last 15min. It's really a bunch of people pulling ropes at the bottom to swing the bells to create the music.
Spent about 45min there to visit all the floors, including the observation deck at the top. Managed to catch the Aztac bell ringing at noon too!
Final
stop was the Boola Bardip museum which was another 20min walk away in the hot sun. It's mostly focused on the unique features of Western Australia, including the unique flora, fauna, marine life, super early forms of life from billions of years ago, as well as the history of the region from the aboriginal inhabitants up till England came to colonise (as usual). Spent close to 2h there but wish I had more time as I had to speed through some of the exhibitions.
Can't
leave without getting gelato, so stopped by Cuccina and got a double scoop of pistachio and dark choc sorbet. Soooo delicious, but it melted so quickly in the hot sun!
Hurried back to my hotel to pick up my luggage, and headed to Perth station for the tenth time this trip to take the train to the airport. Can't believe 60h flew past like that, but it was definitely super productive and a much needed recharge for me.