a glance at australia vacations

sunset at fremantle harbour

Some of my friends think that Clayton is a fortunate boy. He took his first plane trip when he was barely one year old and last year, we took him to Perth. Australia remains a country that is very close to my heart as I did my postgraduate in Curtin Uni for a year and a half.

My favourite past time was to have a takeaway lunch with my research books in South Perth, along the famous Swan River. On sunny days, I would take the bus to Cottesloe for a nice cup of coffee and on weekends, Fremantle markets was my favourite. The wildflower festival that takes place every year in Kings Park is worth a visit if you love exotic and wildflowers. It will be nice if I can revisit Perth during the International Arts Festival. For some reason, I'm always out of the country during the feb/march period.



As I'm writing this post, I'm missing Perth again. Alot of people have lots of misconceptions of this lovely city. They say it's boring, slow, too quiet... but hey, it's a great place to live! Unlike Sydney which has a lot more people, designer boutiques and definitely busier, Perth is less busy and should I say - peaceful - lol. I do like Sydney too. We did the Bridge Climb few years ago when we were visiting a couple of our friends. The Opera House and Sydney Harbour were my favourite landmarks. I only wished we had more time exploring New South Wales.

I haven't been to Adelaide and I should when we migrate to down under in a few years' time. Well, if you are visiting any of these lovely cities, hotels in Perth are categorized in various classes, depending on your budget and personal style. We prefer to stay in the serviced apartments as it's nice to have a kitchen where we can prepare light meals. Eating all three meals in Australia can be costly for a family of three :)

Travel sites like Cheaperthanhotels offers good deals for hotels in Adelaide, Sydney, Tasmania, Melbourne accommodation and all other suburbs and states. You can search for a hotel in Margaret River or a bed and breakfast in Victoria at the site, it is easy to navigate with the powerful search tools on the site.

The Sunset Suites, Perth

I admire nice interiors and fine quality furnishings when I travel.

In our last trip to Perth, the apartment I liked most was The Sunset Suites (in Cottesloe and Fremantle). The owners of these self-contained apartment had looked into every detail to make the place comfortable, luxurious, relaxing and appealing.

The one in Cottesloe has a wonderful view of the ocean and is situated 50m from the beach. It was unfortunate that it was raining that evening... so there goes my sunset. At least Clayton could walk to the beach and have some fun at the playground.

The warehouse-converted apartment in fremantle is cosy, a total contrast from the exteriors!

I love the way the shower area is opened to the long bath... what a clever thought by the designer. The only 'headache' I had was to keep Clayton away from the steep steps to the bedroom which is on the mezzanine floor.

So if you are looking for nice self-contained apartments in Perth, check out The Sunset Suites.

There is even an aromatherapy oil burner (with lavender oil) to refresh the tired traveller... well, I thoroughly enjoyed that treat as I drifted off to bed that night...

Travelling with a 2 year old

I have been consuming lots of Margaret River Chocolates since i got back. I mean, they are delicious!

I grabbed a pack of Mondo nougat before boarding the plane. And my, I regretted not popping by the factory while we were in Swan Valley. I mean, those soft nougats are just yummy!!

I find myself missing Perth and its surrounds. Most of all, I miss having fun at the playground with Clayton. I miss the excitement on his face when he sees those swings and slides. Then I miss him saying 'sapu' and park.

I met someone in the plane and she commended me on my courage to bring Clayton for our family holiday. Infact, it never occurred to me that it was going to be that tough travelling with a 2 yr old.

Well, it's different. It's challenging. It's frustrating occasionally. It's stressful. But I still would do it.

The exposure Clayton got out of it (I believe) is more than all these negative emotions. I'm swept by those smiles, curiosity and for me, I feel like a child again. I find myself looking at things through the eyes of a child.

Then I find myself learning again, from this 2 year old.

That, I find rewarding, despite coping with those screams in the plane and car seat.

Well, looking back... I forgot how bad it was.

Perth Photologue 2

Our Perth Photologue - Part 1

Back from Perth

We just got back from a 2 weeks' break from Perth last night. It was a pleasant, fun and hectic trip.

Travelling with a 2 year old was not breezy... plus, Clayton got sick the day before - o - oh...

The 5 hours plus flight to Perth seems long. He couldn't sit still and I think at some point, he was feeling the discomfort from ear pressure during descent.

The first few days were tough. He refused to eat much, was cranky, tearful... poor thing.

Then things got better... though I fell sick and lost my voice for few days on the first week.

Our first 3 days were spent on a relaxed mode in Perth city. It was the first time we were staying in East Perth, a nice and quiet part of the Perth.

Clayton had so much fun at the parks, playgrounds and for the first time, at the beach when we headed to the South West for 4 days.

I had planned for a wild dolphin visit at Bunbury. We did that 3 years ago and i thought that was cool.

We visited Mandurah, stayed in Bunbury for a night, just so we can catch the dolphins next morning. And because they are 'wild' by nature, you never what time of the day they would appear.

So we waited patiently by the beach (it was cold that morning) since 8.30am for those little vivacious creatures to show up. Thank God that they appeared one hour later and stayed on for more than an hour at Koombana Bay. It was a pity that Clayton didn't appreciate those dolphins at all - I think they were just too fast for him!

We spend a couple of nights at Dunsborough and had a beach cottage all to ourselves - that was fun. Clayton waddled at the beach/ocean for the 1st time in his life - it was funny to watch his expression when he first landed his feet on the sandy beach!

It wasn't long that he started splashing the water and running in puddles in his Crocs! He preferred not to part with his 'sapu' (slippers!)

Next in our child-friendly itinerary was Whale Watching at Geographe Bay. We were excited about it.

It was a nice day that morning. We were glad they allowed small children on board unlike in Kaikoura, NZ.

Well, as far as whale watching is concerned, we struck lottery that morning - the words of the skipper. We sighted few humpbacks and on the way back while nearing to the shore, we sighted the largest mammal on this earth - The Blue Whale.

Apart from sea-sickness on the choppy waters, it was a fantastic encounter! We both used up few sea sick bags (for the first time!), and there were few others who couldn't wait for the boat to move back to shore.

The South West is ever so peaceful, scenic and the views of the oceans were breathtaking!

This trip, we spent quite a few days in fremantle. This is a lovely city to slow down, hang loose and relax. I ate so much cherries, crepes and mangoes. They are hard to resist at the fremantle markets.

We spent most evenings cooking in our apartments - steak, steak and more steak! You don't need to be a great cook to dish up a good meal in down under. It's just hard to go wrong with the fresh ingredients.

This trip, Alex was the cook. What a break!

Apart from the wonderful moments with Clayton at the playgrounds without having to worry about mozzie bites, it was great meeting Cal, my professor after 10 years. It was good catching up with Stan and Shirley too.

This landing trip reaffirms how I feel about Perth. It is a lovely place to live. I never seem to get tired of the Swan River, the sunset coast, the wildflowers, the casual atmosphere and fresh air. I still don't like those flies!

Ok... till I post our photos for the trip. Let me recuperate first and do all my unpacking...