I will like to write about a recent short trip I did to the lazy city of Perth. The City of Perth is an Australian capital city located on west side of the Australian continent. Moreover, the city is a local government area and body. It is pretty much self-run under the legislation laid by the Australian Parliament. Notably, the local government is commonly known as the Perth City Council.
Technicalities aside, though the city is not small by geographical size, the central Perth metropolitan city area has a small total ground area of 20.01 km². Also, it is home to about 22 thousand inhabitants. The City covers the Perth city center and surrounding suburbs. Also, it is surrounded by Greater Perth with a total population of about 2 million. It is the fourth-most populous city in Australia.
Panorama of Perth city central at night
A chill (but otherwise boring) city
Additionally, the main city center of Perth is where most of the action is. The numbers of tall skyscrapers home to a couple of big MNC names are also an indication of the central activity hub of the city.
Furthermore, a main shopping district resides here too. You can find a number of big global name stores such as H&M and Zara, as well as a small number of independent boutiques here too. However, most of the shops here are from large brand retailers found everywhere, it appears stale and screams nothing too special.
In the mornings, you can find independently-run family cafes serving hot breakfasts. Here, you can get your food fix early in the day at the start of work or your holiday trip. This is before most of the mainstream shops starts to open from 10am onwards.
Sights with very slow pace of life
In comparison to Singapore, Perth is chill and slow. It is a small lazy town. Perth is also largely known by Singaporeans as a retirement village. Hence it is a place where most retirees spend in preference of the slower way of life there.
Moreover, to illustrate my point, shops in the city center closes early at near nightfall. Notably, there is little to no signs of nightlife in the city at all. It can be quite a bore if you are looking for places to eat or to hang out.
Moreover, this is largely reflected by the seemingly lack of people here on the streets. Especially at night, the roads are devoid of people. You will be quick to be bored here in the city. This is stark in comparison to other major Australian cities such as Melbourne and Sydney with big buzzing nightlife.
Things to do
There are a couple sightseeing to do within the city, such Kings Swan River which runs along the city and the City Park, Perth Zoo & Botanic Gardens.
Moreover, a main attraction in Perth will be the Rottnest Island. It is what I would otherwise call the “quokka” island. You can do a day trip excursions and is about a 30 minute ferry ride out from Fremantle to Rottnest.
Furthermore, the island is a popular holiday and resort destination. It has large open bays, beaches with nice views of the Pacific Ocean and surfing waves. Also, it is an enclosed sanctuary for quokkas. They are large rodent-like marsupials about the size of a domestic cat, which would otherwise be extinct if it were for natural predators like those found on Perth mainland.
A mix of cultures
Moreover, Perth is one of the many cosmopolitan cities in Australia with a strong Asian community. Hence there is very close assimilation of western and eastern culture here. Given the familiarity of the people here with Chinese communities, you see a close bond between people of different races. Xenophobia here is not as bad as those seen in other major Australian cities, such as Sydney.
Furthermore, the Oriental Chinatown located near the city center offers a large number of open oriental dining options as well as Chinese and Japanese food cuisines.
However, food options start to get quite limited when late. There are a couple of cafes and restaurants which open tad before late, but that is about it. You will have better chances finding traditional late night food establishments such as those offered by Lord of the fired and JSPA Kebabs.
A well connected city
In the city centers sits the central trains and bus station which sits square. Public transport is pretty good in Perth. The city is pretty well connected via a network of buses and trains. They are modern and clean.
Moreover, Perth is served by an international airport and is within a 30 to 40 minute car ride into the city center. In addition to taxis, Uber is also available in Perth (and pretty much most of Australia too) so you can get your ride share fix if you still miss them following their exit from Singapore.
All in all, you are good in the City of Perth for about 2 days tops. There isn’t much to actually do here unless you are here for a reason other than tourism, like visiting your friends. Otherwise, Rottnest island a nice place to relax on an island with nice views of the Pacific. But if you are looking to thrills, and more scenic sites to visits, then Perth is not quite the city I would recommend.
