Tuesday 28 May 2013

A Visit to Fremantle, WA


Fremantle is a port city settled at southwest of Perth and many heritage buildings in the city are still remained until today.
Commonly, visitors who come to Fremantle will try a meal of locally and freshly caught seafood, typically 'Fish & Chips'. I tried it once with my friend Cloud at Cicerello's which is located at 44 Mews Road, Fishing Boat Harbour. We're overlooking the Fishing Boat Harbour while enjoying the meal.
 
Cicerello's  at Mews Road

 In Fremantle, South Terrace is also called 'Capuccino Strip' and it is a busy dining place. Here has a combination of restaurants, cafes and pubs. It is a great place to enjoy pizza, pasta or a cup of coffee.





Besides dining, patrons may find good shopping at some shops and Fremantle Markets. There are variety of products can be found from the market. 



Entrance of Fremantle Markets



One of the stalls selling body care products


If you like chocolate, then visit Fremantle Chocolate shop should be in your visiting list too. It's located at Atwell Arcade, Corner Market & Cantonment Streets. Many chocolate items sold in the shop are award-winning products and there's free tastings of milk, white and dark chocolate offered for all patrons. It's a great option to scout for souvenirs for friends, family or yourself. Even if you're not intend to buy any bar or box of chocolate, you may just pick from the individual unique pieces of chocolate. I tasted two of them which cost $1.50 each, not bad!

I took a free CAT bus to visit Fremantle Arts Centre and Army Museum of WA. Fremantle Art Centre is built in a historical premise but there're not too many artworks displayed in the art centre, so I didn't spend as much time as I used to spend in other art galleries throughout other cities.

1 Finnerty Street, Fremantle
9432 9555


Artillery Barracks,
Burt Street, Fremantle
9430 2535


Just a short distance from the city centre, there's another interesting tourist attraction which made Fremantle popular and that is the Round House. The Round House was used from the year 1831 to 1886 for the purpose to hold criminal person. In fact, the building is claimed as the most historical public building in Western Australia. The building is open for public every day from 10.30am – 3.30pm and free admission.
 
 
 

Thursday 28 March 2013

A Quiet Christmas Day in Perth



Streets in the city were well decorated and celebrations were held before the actual Christmas. However, it was extremely quiet as expected when it comes to 25 December.




My friend Yuka and I met up for a drink in the city and we had a walk in the evening. As shown in the photos, merely no pedestrian was hanging out on the streets. It may be somewhat lonely for individual travellers who spent the day in the city.







 

Sunday 13 January 2013

My Second Trip to Australia – Perth, WA


Almost one year after I left Australia, I returned to the land of kangaroos for extended visit; to visit Perth which is set in the region that I hadn't been to – Western Australia.

 
Perth is the capital city of Western Australia and it's the 4thmost populous city of Australia after Brisbane. I could sense some differences among Perth and other cities in Australia. For instance, it's more likely to meet Aborigines in the city of Perth.

Places that I visited while in Perth city include Esplanade, Bell Tower, London Court, Kings Park, City Beach, Cottesloe Beach and Harbour Town.


The Esplanade


Bell Tower

Built at Barrack Square, Bell Tower is one of the remarkable icons in Perth. Interestingly, visitors may see padlocks shaped in love or known as love locks fixed to a public structure to symbolize endless love of a couple.

Kings Park is a very popular recreation place visited by millions of visitors every year. The large park consists of distinctive bushland, relaxing parkland and botanic gardens, a cozy cafe and gallery. It is virtually a habitat for hundreds species of flora as well as fauna. During day time, many local and abroad visitors enjoy walks, scenic views over Swan River or picnics at the park.

Some stunning views of city and Swan River from Kings Park...




The park is also perfect for those who like sports such as jogging and cycling. I went to Kings Park twice; my first visit was in the early evening and I revisit the park at another night. It is also a great experience and popular to enjoy night scenes at there. In fact, Kings Park with its over 400 hectares area is the largest city park in the globe and it has become the most well-known destination in Western Australia. To browse more information, please visit www.bgpa.wa.gov.au

Set on Sunset Coast, Cottesloe Beach is Perth's iconic beach and crowded with many beach lovers especially during hot Summer.





The attraction of its unspoilt white sandy beach with blue and clear water makes it a hot spot for locals and tourists come to swim, sunbathe or just relax. Other than Cottesloe Beach, City Beach, Scarborough Beach and Trigg Island are also popular sites for beach activities. However, beach visitors are always advised to apply sunscreen and wear a hat due to the harshness of the sun in Australia.

Harbour Town...a real bargain shopping!! This outlet could be found in most of the larger cities throughout Australia. Harbour Town is my favourite shopping place since it is a hub with over hundred brand outlet stores and I could find pretty good deals most of the time. Levi’s, Nike, Adidas, Esprit, Cotton On, Valley Girl, Ally, , City Beach and many more... stores are open 7 days from 9am - 5.30pm(Mon-Thu), 9am -9pm(Fri), 9am -5pm(Sat) and 11am - 5pm(Sun). Perth's Harbour Town is not far from the city and could be reached easily by taking a free Yellow CAT bus on Wellington Street.

Sunday 9 December 2012

Melbourne - Final Destination of My Work & Holiday Journey


Melbourne was my first destination upon arrival in Australia and it’s also the last point before my leaving. In fact, my first arrival in Melbourne was only 2 days and of course it’s not sufficient for me to sightsee and explore.

This time, I spent more time exploring things and places in Melbourne as much as possible, before I end my work and holiday journey in Australia.
Royal Arcade at Bourke Street Mall
National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)


Melbourne Chinatown

Sunday Market at The Art Centre

Crown Casino
Colourful bathing boxes at the Brighton Beach

One of the suburbs of Melbourne - Fitzroy

The Explanade Market on Sunday at St. Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne

A1 tasty Middle East food at Sydney Road, Brunswick, also a suburb of Melbourne

Words could hardly express my opinion and feeling towards this lovely city at this moment. Perhaps photos could do the talking.





At night, Melbourne CBD is embellished with the lightings almost everywhere…





Thursday 22 November 2012

Fascinating Architecture in Melbourne


As a former student of Housing, Building & Planning, I’m fond of architecture and design. One of the reasons I loved being in Melbourne is because I easily surrounded by those heritage as well as contemporary buildings with sense of arts and design. Some of them were captured into my camera while I had casual walks on the streets. Therefore, please don’t mind me putting all these photos of building :P
 






 

 


Well, this last photo is none too much about architecture; it’s just the accommodation I used to stay – Hotel Discovery at 167 Franklin Street, Melbourne.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Learn to Surf Experience in Gold Coast


Surfing was always what I dreamed about and wanted to do while in Australia. I chose to learn in Gold Coast as the weather is warmer and it’s a popular surfing destination.
 
 

 
One of my days in Gold Coast, I called up the Get Wet Surf School and decided to join for the first surfing lesson for beginners. In the afternoon, a crew came and picked me up and three others to The Spit, north of Surfers Paradise. At the beach, we were taught the basic steps on how to stand on the surf board and some restrictions before we headed to the water.    

Four of us took turn to perform and I was occasionally able to stand on the surf board when the waves came.  Still, I once forgot what the crew warned and I faced the huge waves with the surf board when I was not ready to jump on it yet. Oh my god! I was badly hit by the surf board caused by the waves and injured. What a shame! In truth, I initially intended to take consecutive 3 surfing lessons. However, I eventually gave up the other 2 lessons after my first surfing experience.