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Perth: The End of Australia

Monday, December 6th, 2004

Perth was the end of Australia both literally (in the sense that it’s the furthest city away from the population centres on the east coast) and figuratively (in the sense that my days there would be the last I’d spend in the beautiful countrynent.)

I arrived in Perth at 07:00 on the bus from Coral Bay, 1200km to the north. This was a good thing. I like arriving in a new city with a fresh new day in front of me, especially when I’ve managed to get as much sleep as I (surprisingly) had on the bus. It gives you time to get your accomodation and plans for the coming days sorted out without any time (or daylight) pressure.

Ironically I had no trouble with either in Perth, and would have managed equally well had I arrived at 19:00. I stepped off the bus with a new friend Holly. She was planning on heading to the YHA and I was content to share a taxi there. Shortly thereafter we met Martja, a Dutch woman who said she was about to be picked up by the owner of another hostel, The Witch’s Hat. I was even more ready to follow her. A free ride, plus the fact that Martja was a repeat customer of The Witch’s Hat convinced me to stay there.
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Heading Up The West Coast

Monday, November 29th, 2004

When last I wrote, I was just getting off the Indian Pacific train in Perth, preparing to head up the west coast with Grant and Bec, a couple from Victoria, Australia. This was something of a change to my plans.

Western Australia is big. Really big. At 2.5 million square kilometres, its bigger than Canada’s largest province (Quebec) by over 65%. The vast majority of this bigness lies to the north of the capital of Perth. Not only is the northern part of the state big, it’s also empty, with 1.3 million of the state’s 1.8 million inhabitants living in Perth and most of the rest of them to the south of it.

Because of this, I’d decided that I’d have to limit my travel in WA to the southern part of the state. Some of the most interesting parts lie north of Perth, but the distances are just so vast and the points of interest so far apart (and often off of the main roads) that there’s no easy way to visit them as an independent traveller. Tours are expensive, as are rental cars (and my experience in SA made me wary of them anyway.) Buses are a possibility, but schedules, and the remote nature of many attractions make using them problematic.

With all of this in mind, Grant and Bec’s offer of a spot in their car while they spent a week driving up the coast as they moved to the mining town of Port Hedland was nothing short of miraculous. Not only were they offering me a “free tour” of the west coast, they were inviting a guest along on the first real holiday they’d ever had together. Hooray once again for the kindness of strangers!

With just a bit of rearranging the contents of their car, we soon had my pack and walking stick stowed and were ready to hit the road.
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Westward Ho! South Australia and The Indian Pacific

Saturday, November 27th, 2004
Well... It's been ages since I last wrote, and much has happened, most notably my having moved from the east coast to the west. The journey to Western Australia started with the overnight train trip from Melbourne to Adelaide. I'd ... [Continue reading this entry]

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Chillin’ Out in Melbourne

Saturday, November 13th, 2004
I woke up (very) early on the Spirit of Tasmania, headed for Melbourne and decided to go for a wander to look for some form of entertainment. Lo and behold, I found an international rugby match (Australia vs. Scotland) ... [Continue reading this entry]

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Tasmania Part 2: The Overland Track

Monday, November 8th, 2004
The Overland Track is probably the best known multi-day bushwalk (as the Australians refer to hiking/trekking/tramping) in the country. It winds its way over 78.5km across Tasmania's central plateau, through Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park. This park ... [Continue reading this entry]

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Tasmania Part 1: Hobart + The East Coast

Saturday, October 30th, 2004
Leaving Sydney proved to be slightly more stressful than I'd planned. Despite a 10:00 flight (an entirely civilized time to be flying) and the fact that the Kostrevskis live a mere 10 minute drive (under normal traffic) from the ... [Continue reading this entry]

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First Days in Australia: Sydney

Sunday, October 17th, 2004
My trip to Australia began with arrival in Sydney following the three hour flight from Auckland. First activities after disembarking were short wait to collect my bag and a less short trip through customs and quarantine inspections (Australia is ... [Continue reading this entry]

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