Perth was refreshing. We didn’t see all of it, but Barry drove us around quite a few neighbourhoods and near some parks that made me think that I could live in Perth quite comfortably. It’s city centre is set just off the coast, sheltered a bit from the winds along the river and lake system that stretches from the outback and into the Indian Ocean. There are walking, running and cycling paths that snake through the city making it feel healthy and alive. There are also many pretty parks that are unusually lush this summer due to the more than average rainfall. King’s Park was so nice, I asked Barry to let me out of the car saying I’d find my way back to the hotel. It was good to be alone in nature for a while.
Our outings in Perth to the beaches were nice. It would be interesting to live in a city with miles of beach so accessible. We pondered whether the pressure to be in good bikini shape kept the population here slim.
Barry and I also enjoyed dinner out alone on Friday. The kids had obviously become saturated with foreign restaurant and begged to stay in. Easily accommodated! While the kids ate sandwiches and baked beans, we went to the core of Perth and found a nice, very urban, area to stroll and enjoy the people of Perth on Friday evening after a week of summer work. We both noted how pretty people are here. The men looked to be in good shape, freshly shaven and pressed in their chinos and blue button up shirts (not a suit in sight). The women wore light dresses and skirts in all colours. They were pretty without an abundance of makeup and even their heels were a sensible hight. Most impressively, there wasn’t a hint of sleaze in their outfits. How confident it made them look!
I’d like to see more of Perth, but I suspect I won’t. It’s not easy to come to unless you’re already in SE Asia, and there’s just too much of the world to see. If I’m ever back in Australia, I assume it’ll be on the eastern side. Regardless, I enjoyed this city that eastern Australians see as too remote to live in.
We embarked on our trip to the outback with a car full of water and groceries and activities to do along the 600km drive. We drove through the urban area, the suburbs, horse farms in the hills, the wheat fields and finally we arrived in the outback not far from our final destination. It’s not as barren and dry here as expected, but Barry inquired and was told it was a wet year, plus the real dry, desert like images would require us to drive another 500km east (not happening).
The prettiest part of the drive to me was seeing the trees. I need to find out what they’re called ….but the internet is too poor to spend minutes waiting for that data. These barkless beauties are the only tall things to be seen along the countryside, which is fine because they were pretty enough to keep me from getting bored. We looked for wildlife but saw only 2 dead kangaroos on the roadside.