Remembering Perth
I realised today it’s five years, now, since I returned to Sydney from Perth.
The cause for this realisation was the need to provide a friend with some ideas about things to see and do in Perth, as he’s going there tomorrow.
He’s only there for three days or so, and he’ll be there with his older (elderly?) parents for some of that time.
And so I concluded a boat cruise from Perth to Fremantle (or in reverse), along with a boat cruise in the Swan Valley (with associated wine tastings) was probably a good way to see a lot in a short period of time.
Perth and Sydney are actually similar in many ways. Both have a similar climate. And both are built around magnificent waterways.
Culturally Perth is more similar to Melbourne. Partly that has to do with AFL. And partly that has to do with both cities being a little more Euro.
But climate-wise, and perhaps in mindset, Perth and Sydney are quite similar. There’s a wonderful sense of optimism in both places, I think.
I also recommended dinner one night at the Indiana Tea House at Cottesloe Beach which is a wonderful experience, as you enjoy a nice, though not expensive meal, as the sun sets into the ocean. It’s a pretty gorgeous place. Such reminiscence made me think it’s probably time to pay Perth a visit again.
This was all discussed, as were many things over a few beers at our usual Wednesday night at the pub.
Otherwise, it was a very fine day, as I achieved quite a bit at work and had a few “wins” along the way.
interesting your impressions of Perth. I was there recently and disagree with some of the comparisons you’ve drawn. I imagine it would have been quite different though pre mining and real estate boom. I also think it makes a difference as to whether you are a visitor or whether you actually live there. People in Perth are quite cliquey and as one local put it if you live on this side of the bridge you aren’t too familiar with what lies on the other side…okay, maybe that’s one similarity to Sydneysiders, lol.
I agree with you about the north-south divide. I travelled the other side of the bridge only a few times during my year in Perth. I was only there five years ago, and although mining and real estate were happening then, it was on the cusp of them arriving at Sydney-style property prices. A colleague at the time told me the main difference between Sydney and Perth was that “in perth, you’ve got to remember, we’re a bunch of bogans with a bunch of cash”. :)
oh my gosh! that last line is exactly how I describe perth when people ask me, I thought it would be too rude to actually write in my first comment but hey, you’ve quoted it off someone else ;) and a local at that!
I remember when we took that photo!