Finally, away from the floods!

Perth! As we landed, the pilot very casually mentioned that it was 39°c, which is fairly warm to put it mildly (puns!). The first afternoon, I decided just to head out to see what was about, Perth is a fairly small city, and I like to have some idea of my bearings when I arrive somewhere new. I wandered through a traditional Victorian England street, past the Belltower (an 82.5m glass belltower which chimes every hour), along a picturesque riverside walk, and eventually stopped at a charming bar where I could buy a pint of locally brewed beer (Feral brewery’s Belgian style “White”), and enjoy the live music; an interesting mix of guitar and didgeridoo on classic tracks such as “Sweet Child O’Mine”, “In the Air Tonight”, and so on. To top it off, their TV screens had England beating Australia at cricket!

Saturday was a more relaxed start, a casual walk along Hay Street Mall, Murray Street Mall, London Court shops (which were delightfully Victorian English in appearance), and naturally, a call into the best shop in the whole of Australia;

Perth is a much more “lived-in” city, and so by midday, I’d meandered through all the shops with tourist appeal, so I headed up to Kings Park, for what is apparently the best view of the city. No-one had mentioned the legwork involved, 242 steps up Jacobs Ladder, which in the mental heat of Perth, felt like a lot more. Wandering along to the Botanic Gardens though, it was worth it. The view was simply incredible, the city and the Swan River glinting in the Sun.

Through the gardens, over a charming glass bridge, and back towards the city, though at this point, the weather turned. I don’t know if this was related to the cyclone expected to affect the SW coast, or whether Perth sometimes just needs to rain, but it was sudden and heavy, and drenched me! Or rather, it drenched my back and bag… the wind kept my front almost entirely dry. It was soon over though, and after a brief sojourn (I have no idea if that word makes sense, but the heat of Perth is sending me a little bit crazy) back at the hostel, it was on to the stadium!

Name unknown
Attendance (Capacity): 5,576 (20,500)

Perth Glory 0-2 Sydney FC

OK, so the name probably is known, but it does have 3 names on it. Perth Oval, presumably its original name and purpose is still above the gates, while most maps list it as the Member’s Equity Stadium. I believe its current official name is the nib Stadium, though I don’t know how long it has been so. Finding it was pretty easy, and the game itself wasn’t too bad. Perth have star player Robbie Fowler playing up front, which is both a blessing and a curse for any A-League side – his ability in the penalty area is undeniable, but he runs about as much as you would expect from a 33 year old Scouse feller playing in the heat of the Perth summer. As it was, they didn’t manage to tee him up for the perfect chance, while his lack of movement seemed to spread into Perth’s defence as Sydney strolled through to score two easy goals.

This should have been the conclusion of my A-League tour, but having missed the Brisbane match, I’m not giving up yet. With the Roar set to win the league, that guarantees at least two more matches at the Suncorp stadium in the complicated play-off system of Australian football.

At this point, I was half-tempted to walk to Heirisson Island, a small patch of land nestled in the Swan River to the East of Perth, and just a small walk from my hostel. However, once I realised that this would involve walking through an island inhabited solely by Australian wildlife at night time, I decided better of it. The next day however, was a different proposition, and I took great delight wandering round the kangaroo enclosure. The warning signs were reason enough to keep a safe distance from the Aussie marsupials, but the island still afforded a wonderful view. Check out my photobucket for snaps from Heirisson Island.

A stroll back along the banks of the Swan River afforded more picturesque views of the city, although a light shower had started to spread. Given how warm it had been though, this was actually rather relaxing, and allowed for some spectacular photography around Perth as night began to fall. I also stumbled through into the gardens of the Supreme Court and Council Office, where I was amazed by the colours, and of course, the giant bronze kangaroos. I must have spent a couple of hours both here, and at the Belltower taking photos, but from it all, this is probably my favourite

On the way back to my hostel, I accidentally found St Mary’s Cathedral, which really goes all out for looking spectacular at night time, but to save you from boredom, I’ll leave it there for now, and pick up Perth Pt 2 in a few days.

And finally, here is perhaps the most confusing sign ever, in Wellington Square. I found it on the way to the nib Stadium, and it raises so many questions! What does it mean No Driving Animals? Why does it specify no driving or parking vehicles – why not just no vehicles? What kinds of missiles would the council allow me to throw?