Perth and Surroundings

I’ve spent a week in and around Perth. My film arrived last Tuesday, so I was then able to head out into the countryside.

Perth is a very relaxed city of 1.4 million people. It is quite pleasant to hang out here. My hostel is two blocks from what they call “Chinatown”, but should really be “Asiatown”. There are plenty of Vietnamese, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, Indian, and Chinese restaurants here. Perth has a “free transit zone” around the city centre, and the hostel is just at the edge of it, so I can hop on a bus to the core (or it is only a ten minute walk).

There are plenty of critters around here. I saw many kangaroos and emus. Most were roadkill at the side of the highway, but I did also see some live ones. A parrot committed suicide by flying in front of my camper, with a resounding “thunk” and cloud of green feathers. Fortunately, the camper was not damaged.

In the national parks to the south of Perth, the Karri tree is the big deal. It is the third tallest tree in the world, following the California Redwood and Sequoia trees. The Karri is tall, but it does not reach anywhere near the girth of the Sequoia.

To the north is Nambung National Park, featuring the Pinnacles. These are a great photographic subject.

Here is my third camper. This one is a Toyota Hi-Ace van, converted to a camper. The arrangement inside was quite nice, as the kitchen area had the sink and stove conveniently located. It also had much better fuel economy than the 4wd vehicles.

I rode in many Hi-Ace vans in China. It is the standard vehicle for small tour groups. For that purpose, it is fitted out with four rows of seats (including the driver’s row), and a standard low top.

It takes some getting used to, when driving the Hi-Ace. You sit on top of the front wheels, so your judgement for turning and parking is thrown off. It is also quite long, and care must be taken when reversing.

There is a nice aquarium north of Perth. It features a large shark tank, with an acrylic tunnel under the tank.

Today, I fly on to Adelaide. I will stay in the city for a couple of days, and then head out again in another camper.