Day 45 Perth, Western Australia, day 1 of 2.

I owe it to myself to, as ever, see as much as possible in the two “free days” I have here in Perth, Western Australia, being all too aware that my being here in the future is highly unlikely. I have booked a trip to Rockness Island tomorrow, giving myself just under four hours to explore “under my own steam”. Yesterday, I availed myself of an interesting “best-of” tour offered by the Indian Pacific, which included being dropped off at my hotel, The Crown Promenade, another extravagant find by my excellent travel company. For a second time, my 70th birthday was marked, this time, by a small gift and card. These touches are making this world tour even more special, if that was possible!

Now, I wish I hadn’t partaken of that big brekky! I find myself on a lunch cruise on the Swan River. The red bus tour to begin with, was a good start to the day, revisiting some places pointed out yesterday, as well as a much more comprehensive tour of Kings Park, which is emphasised frequently as the largest inner-city park in the world, including New York’s Central Park.

This river cruise is very nice; I do feel like I have made ‘reasonable’ use of the day; the feeling of fatigue from the three day train journey from Adelaide having not quite worn off yet. And probably, introducing my body to a glass of Sauvignon Blanc for a second time on this holiday will have helped little! Nevertheless, this afternoon trip is extremely pleasant.

The sky, in the morning, was cloudless; this afternoon, small “cotton wool” fluffs compliment an otherwise clear blue sky. We are, of course, on The Swan River and having meandered seemingly around Perth to begin with, we are now, heading towards a more rural (or treelined) very expensive suburbia, in the direction of the Swan Valley and Guildford. (We didn’t get as far as that). Lunch was splendid, a hot and cold buffet with plenty of choice, including a decent curry. I enjoyed being reminded of my first day in Australia last year. It was hot then, and it is today, but not unbearably so.

After the boat trip was over, I decided to take a free bus around the City before heading back to the hotel. There are several routes on which buses run frequently and keep most places well connected. There are four such services; I went around Perth on the “Blue CAT”. I saw a mixture of architecture, some dilapidated but worthy of restoration, some old but restored having found new use, and of course, the space age futuristic stuff that is popping up everywhere. Perth is certainly “clean” and its futuristic development is in a taste which I don’t feel offends – quite the opposite in fact. But how this imaginative architecture will fair over the years remains to be seen.

Once again, here are images taken during the day, of which I took only a handful. All except the last two were taken during the afternoon lunch cruise during which two of us were celebrating 70th birthdays. Larry’s was today, give or take a few hours time difference; he and his wife hail from the USA. What pleased me is that we were not inundated with endless commentary on the boat, but more than enough to make the voyage interesting. My afternoon turned out to be well worth it. The hotel complex where I am staying is seen from two images taken during the river cruise. Most of the complex is less than two years old, but I suspect where I am staying is well established. Nevertheless, it is still “high-end” luxury.

Singapore Airlines e-mailed me yesterday to “bid for an upgrade” to Premium Economy. I submitted a bid at the lower end of the suggested price range. I wish they had offered Business or First Class; I may just have been tempted! I shall have an early night tonight so that I can savour every morsel minute of my last full day in Australia tomorrow.

The Dream still hangs on in there!

All the best,

David.