Perth Day 6 - 8 December 2014

We hit the theme park today!  The girls had been eagerly requesting to visit Adventure World and although I'm not a theme park person, I had to include it in our itinerary as I didn't want  to disappoint them.  It was a fine sunny day at 25 degree celsius today and a wonderful day for a theme park outing!

We started our day with kiddy rides as a warm up such as Dragon Express, The Barnacle and Sky Lift. Thereafter, the girls went for extreme rides such as Abyss and Black a Widow! I gave these rides a miss as I I'm height phobic and won't be able to withstand all the twists and turns and extreme drops! The only thrill ride I took was the Bounty's Revenge which made my stomach churn!  Check out the videos of some of the adrenalin pumping rides below!

We also took some family fun rides such as the Paddle Boats and Bumper Boats which were enjoyable too!  I made the mistake of not bringing along my swimwear as I didn't expect so many water rides. There were a number of aqua attractions such as Aqua Super 6 Racer, Rocky Mountain Rapids, Water Mountain Mat Slides and Kahuna Falls which the girls enjoyed thoroughly!

We are going to Penguin Island for a day of fun tomorrow! Stay tuned for my updates tomorrow!

Perth Day 5 - 7 December

We had a fun and fulfilling day today!  Our itinerary started with a trip to the Caversham Wildlife Park. It's located at the border of the Swan Valley and houses many of Australia's wildlife. We got up close and personal with kangaroos, koalas, wombats, parrots, owls, farm animals and more! It's an awesome attraction for all young and old alike!

After leaving the wildlife park, we made our way to Swan Valley for a tour of its many attractions. We stopped over at Lamont's first for lunch and wine tasting.  The lunch was yummy and wines were of the finest quality! We bought 3 bottles of wines there. 

Our next stop was the House of Honey.  I was amazed by the wonderful collection of honey products such as raw honey in numerous flavours, skincare, confectionaries and more! We bought honey, candies and jam.

We went for our second wine tasting at the Oakover Winery. The wines being served were too dry for my liking and we didn't buy anything. 

We carried on the tour with a visit to the Mondo Nougat and Morish Nuts stores, followed by the famed Margaret River Chocolate Co.  Bought lots of nuts, nougat and of course chocolates!  There are so many varieties of chocolates available, we are spoilt for choices!  

There was another winery named Providore beside the Margaret River Chocolate Co which we popped in to visit too. They serve excellent high quality wines which are sweet on the palate! In addition, they also produced lots of sweet sauces, salad dressings, chutneys and seasonings which were really yummy! We bought a few bottles of wines and chocolate liquor while Uncle Jerry bought me a bottle of vinaigrette for salads. 

Cape Lavender was our last stop for the day. This shop housed a gift shop cum restaurant. There were quality lavender products on sale such as skincare, room sprays, jams and essential oils. I left with a room & linen spray and a bottle of essential oil.

We left for home about 5pm.  It was a long & tiring day but one that is the most enjoyable in our itinerary!

Perth Day 4 - 6 December 2014

It's another awesome day of fun shopping in Perth! Today, we headed for shopping in Perth City, starting our retail therapy at the Watertown Outlet Shopping Centre. Over there, we were so overwhelmed by all the well-known brands such as Just Jeans, Adidas, Cotton On, Forever New, Rip Curl and more! 

We only had 3 hours and there was unfortunately not enough time to browse all the shops! 😞 We left the place with tee & shoes from Cotton On, jeans from Jayjays, skirt, jumper & blouse from Forever New and bikini & surf shorts from Rip Curl (plus lots of damages!).  The prices are amazing, as most items are marked 50% and more below cost! Wished we had more time there. 

We went to Perth City after Watertown for more retail therapy. The ultimate intention was to visit the T2 shop at Hay Street for tea. Bought 6 boxes of tea for myself and friends.  Total damage is 84aud, equivalent to almost 100sgd! 😱 I'm a tea lover and it's just irresistible seeing the extensive variety of tea available there. The shop wasn't as charming as the Tea Rooms I visited in the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne, but good enough to entice all tea lovers!

Sadly, there's only time to visit the T2 shop, as most shops close at 5pm!  We took the train from Perth Underground Station to Cockburn Station, as it'll be fun to experience taking the public transport in Perth.

Here's a snapshot of some loot we've gotten in Perth so far!

We have an exciting itinerary tomorrow as we are going to the Caversham Wildlife Park and Swan Valley. Stay tuned for my updates tomorrow night!

Perth Day 3 - 5 December 2014

Shopping was our main agenda today! Auntie Dreena gave us a lift to Frementle, so we could visit the markets. We started our shopping trip at the E Shed markets, where we found interesting commodities ranging from arts & crafts, teddy bears, apparel to homewares and antiques. 

After a hearty lunch at E Shed, we took a leisurely stroll to the Fremantle Markets. Today's weather was excellent! Though it was drizzling slightly at times, the cloudy weather conditions kept the sun away. The Frementle Markets is indeed a great place to visit in Perth as there were lots of quality products on sale, such as homewares, apparel, skincare, souvenirs, foodstuff and more! We bought a couple of homewares and gifts at the markets. 

After we shopped to our hearts content at the Fremantle Markets, we made our way to the Fremantle Arts Centre, where there was a Christmas Bazaar taking place.  I'm so glad I did my homework to check out the craft markets in town as the bazaar was so awesome! There were numerous stalls selling handmade crafts ranging from ceramics, jewellery and botanics to skincare and toys. I'm so amazed by the creativity and talents of the artisans here and hope to see the same in Singapore!  There's really so much I can learn from these crafters!

We had a fulfilling day today & look forward to more tomorrow, as we intend to do more shopping in the Perth city!

Perth Day 2 - 4 December 2014

I had a good night's sleep and was fully recharged for today!

Today, we started our itinerary with a trip to Kings Park and the Botanical Gardens. It was a nice leisurely stroll in the park and gardens on this sunny and breezy afternoon. I love the spectacular views from Kings Park overlooking the Swan and Canning Rivers, the city skyline and the Darling Ranges. Home to numerous species of flora, fauna & wildlife, it's indeed an awesome place to spend a summer afternoon!

We even found a family of ducks and ducklings waddling in the pond and strolling in the park! How cute!

There was also the State War Memorial Precinct located on Mount Eliza overlooking Perth Water. The precinct comprises of the Cenotaph, Court of Contemplation, Flame of Remembrance and Pool of Reflection; with memorials to various battles, military units, prisoners of war and other groups found throughout the parklands.

We lunched at The Partisan, a charming cafe beside a waterfront which serves excellent food. I chose an item from the All Day Breakfast menu, as I always love all day breakfasts! The lunch was fulfilling and definitely didn't disappoint!

After lunch, we headed for the Western Australian Museum. I feel that it's important to understand the history and culture of every country I visit and always make it a point to visit the local museums. It was divided into a few sections such as Australia's native wildlife, aboriginal history and dinosaurs & diamonds. 

We returned to Uncle Jerry's home for a short break and spent some time watching the birds and exploring his garden before heading for dinner and ice cream at Gelare.

Perth Day 1 - 3 December 2014

We finally arrived in Perth in the early hours of 5.10am today. Weather was perfect, though a little chilly at 12 degrees.  David kindly offered to pick us up at the airport despite the crazy timing, which was really nice of him!  It was a nice 30 minutes ride to his home in Atwell on a Wednesday morning. 

Uncle Jerry showed us round to his beautiful garden, which had strawberries, mulberries, apples, grapes and herbs growing which we were utterly impressed!  There was also a bunch of cute parrots which came by to feed on the food prepared for them.  It's so great to be close to nature, smelling the fragrance of flowers in the summer breeze and hearing the chirping of birds in the wild. This to me, is a sanctuary and paradise in its own way.

As we were all suffering from fatigue due to lack of sleep on the plane, we decided to keep today's itinerary a relaxed one.  David and Uncle Jerry brought us on a sightseeing tour to Fremantle, where we visited the nostalgic victorian-style buildings, Fremantle Prison and beautiful Bathers Beach. Last but not least, we tucked into what Fremantle is renowned for - fish & chips at Sweetlips!  True to its fame, the fish & chips was so yummy, the batter was done in just the right way and this has to be one of the best I've ever tried!  We should be back to Fremantle this weekend for the markets at E-shed, and I also hope to visit some vintage shops I've read about. 

Guess I need to have an early rest tonight to catch up on sleep, so we can have the energy to check out more places tomorrow!

One Day More!

Time flies and before we know it, tomorrow is our long awaited family vacation to Perth!  :D

It has been a few crazy months of work, preparing for PSLE exams and trying to cope with fulfilling my craft business orders all at the same time.  I guess it's high time I take a break from all this craze, let down my hair and chill with my loved ones in Perth!  We just can't wait for tomorrow to come!!!

It does feel that I've not done much with the travel preps as I'm just too overwhelmed with all that has been happening around me (as I'm writing, the packing is still not done!!!). The itinerary was also done in a haste and rather half-heartedly.  But the good thing is, we'll be staying with Uncle Jerry and David, so we'll be in good hands and most things should be well-taken of!  Haha...

Here's how our 9-day itinerary looks like:

Day 1 (3 Dec)
- Arrival in Perth
- Visit to Kings Park & Botanic Gardens
- Visit to Art Gallery of Western Australia
- Visit to Western Australian Museum

Day 2 (4 Dec)
- Visit to Rottnest Island

Day 3 (5 Dec)
- Shopping at Fremantle Markets/E Shed Markets
- Visit to Fremantle Arts Centre & night bazaar

Day 4 (6 Dec)
- Shopping at Watertown Brand Outlet Centre, Kings Street, Murray Street, Hays Street & London Court

Day 5 (7 Dec)
- Visit to Swan Valley (Yeah...lots of wine tasting and gastronomical experiences)
- Visit to Caversham Wildlife Park

Day 6 (8 Dec)
- Visit to Adventure World (Erm....this is the least favourite of our itinerary but it's on the kids' to-do list, so I had to give in!  :P)

Day 7 (9 Dec)
- Visit to Margaret River (more wine tasting and gastronomical experiences!)

Day 8 (10 Dec)
- Visit to Penguin Island/Shoalwater Islands Marine Park
- Chill at Victoria Quay Carnivale Night Market

Day 9 (11 Dec)
- Departure to Singapore

That seems like a lot to cover for our 9-day trip!  I had wanted so much to visit the much raved-about Wave Rock at Hyden, but I was told the trip to and fro takes 16 hours!  Guess I had to give this a miss, else I'll be eating into the itinerary and wasting too much time in travelling.   Sobzzzz.....

There seems to be quite a fair bit of summer and christmas markets during this period which is so exciting!  Will try to include more into our itinerary if time allows.

Hello Perth....here we come!  :DDDDD