PERTH
Postcode: 6000
Area Code: 08
The city of Perth is located on the coast of Western Australia,
which is Australia's largest state. The city is the most isolated capital city on Earth,
however, Perth's domain is huge - the metropolitan area accounts for nearly 90% of the state
population. With a cultural diversity that reflects the city's proximity to Asia, Perth offers
a tantalizing array of experiences unique to this part of the world.
Perth is the world's sunniest capital city receiving an average of 2847 hour's sunlight
per year. The weather ranges from hot in summer, with an average daytime temperature of
29C (84F) with extremes of up to 42C (107F), to mildly cold in winter, with a daytime
average of 18C (64F) and nights down to around 4C (40F).
Commercially, Perth provides the distribution point for West Australias wheat industry, the burgeoning wine industry and the states vast mining operations. Tourism is booming and the city also is an education centre for a large number of students from Asia.
With four universities, a modern, well-designed city centre and a culturally diverse population,
Perth manages to project a cosmopolitan atmosphere while at the same time being disarmingly friendly
and laid-back. Perth enjoys a
lifestyle defined by endless sunny days, lots of space, and ready access to sailing, swimming,
and magnificent beaches. Most of the nightlife clusters around Northbridge, particularly
Lake and James streets. Pubs, bars and teeming dance clubs are crammed into a
compact area of little more than a square km. Thursday's edition of the West Australian
has the lowdown on what's going on and offers tips on the hottest places to go.
Quick tips/suggestions
There are so many things to do in Perth and the surrounding area that you could spend
months here and never hit it all-- what's better is that the things to do at night are
completely different than those you'll do during the day. Here are a couple of things
you MUST do while you're here: King's Park at night, The Cott on a Sunday, a cocktail
in Subi, go out in Northbridge, head to Little Creatures, swim at City Beach, go to
Rottnest Island, eat at Sorrento Quays in the Hillarys and go to Margaret River.
Best Way to Get Around
Public transportation actually works Down Under and is extremely easy to manage. Boasting an impressive skyline, inner-city
Perth seems to have been designed with people in mind. Its attractive malls and elevated walkways make
it pleasant to navigate on foot. Both of Perth's central bus stations, as well as the local train stations one stop on either side of
the main train station, are with the Free Transit Zone (FTZ). Most buses passiling through the FTZ offer free travel within it, as do
the snazzy CAT buses serving the city centre.
Even though there aren't ticket coppers on every train, it's advisable to buy a ticket
because the one time you don't, there they'll be. Here's a link to the CAT
Schedule... you can also download a copy of the route (and a free map to the city).
If you don't have a car, you're gonna have to rely on your own two feet to get around. It's actually easier because parking can be gruesome!! Plus you never know what you may stumble upon when you turn down a random corner...
If you have a car it's no worries, but parking can be a nightmare and be forewarned -
they have, out of nowhere, just totally random breath checks, so if you've been drinking,
DO NOT drive.
If there's a place you've been but we haven't listed, review it for us!
|
|
Bars