Perth 7D/5N Itinerary

A friend of mine recently asked for help for her trip to Perth. Having spent 3 whole years in Perth, I wanted to show her a different side of Perth that is different from the packaged tour company offerings. The beauty of Perth is being able to experience the city like a local, rather than a tourist. Live in an apartment or someone's house, rather than a hotel. Their group size is a husband & wife, with 2 children aged 6 and 7. Also a big dilemma is the odd flying times offered by AirAsia from Kuala Lumpur. This is what I came up with:

Saturday 26 May 2012 - Day 1
- Depart Kuala Lumpur 11:55pm


Sunday 27 May 2012 - Day 2

1. Arrive Perth International Airport 5:25am

2. Choose a Car Rental company that opens at 5:30am, so that you can return your car upon departure from Perth. Only one company fits the bill - Avis (www.avis.com.au) Opens: 5:30am - 3:00am


3. Have a big breakfast at Cottesloe Beach, and enjoy the morning beach view. Choose:

John St Cafe. Not cheap though. Photo credit: http://rayisalwayshungry.blogspot.com

a) John St Cafe, 37 John Street, Cottesloe Beach
   Fantastic free-range eggs and organic toast, coffee and juices

Review: http://rayisalwayshungry.blogspot.com/2011/08/john-street-cafe.html

Lemon Station Cafe. Photo credit: http://www.lemonscafes.com.au

b) Lemon Station, 7 Station St, Cottesloe
   Great coffee, spanish omelette and the naked egg
Menu here: http://www.lemoncafes.com.au/UserFiles/lemonstation.pdf

4. Drive to Fremantle and walk around the markets (http://www.fremantlemarkets.com.au/Visitor-Info/Location.aspx) Parking is available using a ticket machine

5. Head to The Shipwreck Galleries (Cliff Street, Fremantle) for a good maritime museum. See the Batavia section which is worth looking
  http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/museums/shipwrecks/#shipwrecks/getting-here

The Shipwreck Galleries. Photo credit: http://www.museum.wa.gov.au

6. MUST have lunch at the Fisherman's Wharf @ Fremantle. Choose:
a) Sweet Lips for the best Fish @ Chips in Freo
   http://www.sweetlips.com.au/ (Review: http://libertineeats.com/2011/02/sweetlips-fremantle/)

Sweet Lips. Photo credit: http://libertineeats.com

b) Cicerellos for the Seafood Platter
   http://www.cicerellos.com.au/

Cicerello's a long time ago. Photo credit: http://www.cicerellos.com.au

7. Check-in to your accommodations at Como Bed & Breakfast (http://www.como-bedbreakfast.com.au/)

8. 5pm head to UWA to have a look at the oldest University in Western Australia. Take a photo at the Winthrop Hall clock tower as below

Winthrop Hall, UWA. Photo credit: Brett Earl

9. Drive up to King's Park for a view of the city

View of Perth city from King's Park. Photo credit: http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au

10. Drive to Northbridge for dinner. Choose:
a) Tra Vinh, 149a Brisbane Street
   One of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Perth, fresh beef in the pho
   Review: http://simonsayseat.net/2011/11/16/tra-vinh-northbridge/

Tra Vinh's excellent Vietnamese beef noodles. Photo credit:http://simonsayseat.net

Tra Vinh's excellent Vietnamese beef noodles. Photo credit:http://simonsayseat.net

b) Oliver's on James Street, 160 James St
   Modern-Australian with steaks, pastas, wood-fire pizzas, and great fish

Oliver's at Northbridge. Photo credit: http://www.oliversonjamesstreet.com.au

Chargrilled Black Angus Rib Eye. Photo credit: http://theaussiebite.blogspot.com

Monday 28 May 2012 - Day 3
1. Start your day right with this delicious breakfast menu @ Como B&B
  http://www.como-bedbreakfast.com.au/images/menu.pdf

2. Drive to Caversham Wildlife Park (28km, 36mins) and arrive before 10am
  http://www.cavershamwildlife.com.au
  Have a fun day out with the koalas and kangaroos, with daily farm shows at 10am, 1pm and 3pm

3. Drive downtown to Miss Maud's Perth (97 Murray Street) for some awesome pies. Park at the multi-storey carpark at the corner of Murray and Pier street.

Miss Maud's pies. Photo credit: http://www.thefoodpornographer.com

4. Go shopping along Murray Street mall. Be sure to check out London Court

London Court in perth. Photo credit: http://www.happytellus.com

5. Head back to your accommodation for some rest

6. Dinner nearby, many choices. Ask your host to recommend a restaurant for tonight

7. After dinner, head to South Perth Esplanade for dessert and to take photos of the stunning Perth City views from South Perth. Try out Bellhouse Cafe, Coco's or Incontro, worth the view!

Inside Incontro with stunning views of Perth City at night. Photo credit: http://www.centurion-magazine.com

Tuesday 29 May 2012 - Day 4
1. Breakfast at Como B&B, and pack your bags for a 1 night stay at Margaret River. Head out at 9am (after morning traffic) for your 3-4 hour drive to Margaret River.

2. Drive 216km (2 hours 40 minutes) to your first stop, Busselton. Locate the Busselton Jetty which is 140 years old and 1.8km long!  Pay $75 for 2 adults and 2 children for the newly built Underwater Observatory and Jetty Train Tour. This tour allows you to see all types of underwater species without getting wet. Enjoy the train ride back without having to walk 1.8km again. Check out: http://www.busseltonjetty.com.au/

Busselton Jetty. Photo credit: http://www.busseltonjetty.com.au/

3. Have a simple lunch at Busselton. Choose:
a) Chings Dynasty Chinese Restaurant (20 Queen Street) for simple aussie-chinese lunch
b) Equinox (Queen Street) for simple Aussie lunch
c) Coco's Thai (55 Queen Street) for simple Thai lunch

4. Drive 69km (1 hour) straight to Mammoth Cave, Caves Road, Margaret River. This region has quite a number of caves, but Mammoth is more suitable for children. Admission is $48 for 2 adults and 2 children.
Photo credit: http://margaretriver.com/pages/mammoth-cave/

5. By 4pm, head to a winery for some wine tasting and tour of the winery. Choose:
a) Cape Lavender on Carter Road, smaller scale winery that infuses lavender into their wines. Try the liquers. They also sell many lavender based products
http://www.capelavender.com.au/contact-cape-lavender.html
b) Laurance Winery on Caves Road for a huge spectacular winery. Try the Laurance White and Aussie Jeans Pink
http://www.margaretriver.com/accom_result1/laurance-wines/
c) Xanadu Winery on Boodjidup Road. Long history of excellent wines in this region
http://www.xanaduwines.com/index.php

6. Head to a grocery store to buy some breads and fillings for a simple breakfast at your farm unit tomorrow.

7. Check-in to your hotel at Sunflowers Farm, 5561 Caves Road
http://www.sunflowersfarm.com/

8. Head out for dinner in town. Choose:
a) Settlers Tavern, 114 Bussell Highway, Margaret River. Kid-friendly, great atmosphere and awesome fish & chips http://www.settlerstavern.com/

Settlers Tavern. Photo credit: http://www.margaretriver.com

b) Gnarabar @ Margarets Beach Resort, 1 Resort Place | Gnarabup, Margaret River. Kid-friendly, very popular, reservations are advisable by calling +618 9757 1583
http://www.gnarabar.com.au/

Gnarabar Restaurant. Great to stroll on the beach after dinner. Photo credit: http://www.gnarabar.com.au

Wednesday 30 May 2012 - Day 5

1. Have an early breakfast, before giving breakfast to the farm animals. Watch out for the llamas!

2. Check-out of your farm and head to the Margaret River Chocolate Company, 415 Harman's Mill Road. Opens 9am - 5pm. Get to taste yummy chocolates.

3. If you're interested in Cheese, check out the Margaret River Cheese Company on Bussell Highway.

4. Head to Eagles Heritage, 341 Boodjidup Road. Opens 10am-5pm. Try to catch the display time at 11am and 1:30pm. http://www.eaglesheritage.com.au/

5. Grab a quick lunch before departing Margaret River at 12:30pm for the 3 hour (216km) drive to Mandurah

6. Arrive Mandurah by 4pm for the Dolphin Cruise. Tours are Wed-Sun, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm. Tours last 1.5hours and cost $25 for Adults and $12 for children. Head out to sea to find dolphins!
http://www.mandurahdolphintours.com.au/

Join a dolphin tour @ Mandurah. Photo credit: http://www.mandurahdolphintours.com.au/

 7. Drive 67km (54 mins) back to Perth city and check-in to Como Bed & Breakfast again

8. For dinner, head to the neighbourhood of Subiaco to try out the trendy cafes:
a) Witch's Cauldron, 89 Rokeby Road, Subiaco
b) Dome Cafe, 26 Rokeby Road, Subiaco
c) Funtastico's, 12 Rokeby Road, Subiaco

Thursday 31 May 2012 - Day 6

1. Have a hearty breakfast by your lovely host

2. Head to Sci Tech, City West Railway Parade | at Sutherland St. A great place for kids and adults to learn about Science with hands-on experience. Opens 9:30am - 4pm, $38 for 2 adults and 2 children
Photo credit: http://www.scitech.org.au

3. Head to Garden City Shopping Centre at 125 Riseley Street, Booragoon. Shops close at 9pm on Thursdays only. It has 8 major department stores inside

•     K-mart discount department store
•     Woolworths supermarket
•     Coles supermarket
•     Myer department store
•     David Jones department store
•     Dymocks
•     City Beach
•     Hoyts

as well as a host of individual shops for you to spend the rest of your day here. For lunch or dinner, try to locate Sushi Sushi Kiosk K43 for very good soft shell crab sushi. Prices range from $2 - $3.50. Review: http://perthfoodengineers.com/2011/05/14/sushi-sushi-garden-city-shopping-centre/. Kids must check out "Australian Geographic" shop

4. What do I buy home from Perth?

• Corica Apple Strudel (only available from Northbridge)
• K-Mart Decadent Choc Chip Cookies
• Arnott's Tim Tam, Scotchfingers and Shapes Biscuits
• Cans of Tuna by John West
• Jeans from Cotton On
• Clothing from Billabong Australia
• Clothing from Quicksilver Australia
• Clothing from Sussan, Katie's, Suzanne Grae
• Rebirth Placenta Facial Cream

5. What are the Must-Eat foods in Perth? Make sure you try each of these before coming home.

• Chilli Mussels (a MUST MUST MUST try)
• Aussie Pies
• Carbonara Pasta
• Fish & Chips
• Pizzas
• Steaks
• Vietnamese Pho

Friday 1 Jun 2012 - Day 7

1. Wake up at 4:00am and target to arrive the Perth International Airport by 5:00am, return car at 5:30am.
2. Depart Perth 6:50am, Arrive Kuala Lumpur 12:30pm