Essential Trip Tips for Perth, Australia

Before flying to Perth

1. Apply Visa. All Malaysians require visa. At least two weeks prior to Australia, Malaysians must apply online for an Electronic Travel Authority for AUD $20.

2. Travel Insurance. Check out AXA.

3. Check out useful websites; Welcome to Western Australia, Tours with a Twist and Tips Cuti-cuti Perth.

4. Airport Transfer. There are few options to go to the city. 

• Transperth bus 380 is probably the cheapest and best value for International tourist. The bus runs every 30 to 60 minutes between Perth Airport Terminals 1&2 (International) and Esplanade Busport. There is dedicated luggage racks in the bus for your luggage. The fares are $4.50 per person one way. To catch this bus, turn right after exiting the airport and walk straight for 3 to 5 minutes and you will see signboard of Bus 380. 

• Transperth bus 37 operates daily between Kings Park and Perth Airport Terminal 3&4 (Domestic), via the Esplanade Busport, Victoria Park Transfer Station and Belmont Forum shopping centre. The journey takes approximately 55 minutes. Travelling light is an advantage as there is no place for your luggage in the bus. The fares are $4.50 per person one way. To catch this bus, please take the free terminal transfer bus to Terminal 3 or 4 before boarding Bus 37.

• Transperth bus 40 operates daily between Esplanade Busport and Perth Airport Terminal 3&4 (Domestic), via the Victoria Park Transfer Station and Great Eastern Highway. The journey takes approximately 40 minutes. Travelling light is an advantage as there is no place for your luggage in the bus. The fares are AUD $4.50 per person one way. To catch this bus, please take the free terminal transfer bus to Terminal 3 or 4 before boarding Bus 40.

• Perth Airport CONNECT shuttle operates daily between Perth Airport T3 (Domestic) and Perth City. The tickets are $15 per person one way. There is no need to book as you can purchase the ticket on the day of travel. To catch this bus, please take the free terminal transfer bus to Terminal 3 or 4 before boarding the shuttle.

5. Accommodation. There are plenty of accomodation to suit your budget. I did couch-surfing for two days and stayed at The Shiralee Backpackers Hostel for the last three days. The hostel is quite far as it is located at Brisbane Street. A 10 to 15 minute walk to Northbridge and 30 minute walk to Kings Park.


Getting around the Perth City

1. Walking. Perth is a walkable city. It is highly recommend to explore Perth on foot. The city is very safe to walk around but ensure that you take extra caution and always be alert with your personal belongings.

2. Free Public Transit. No ticket is required in Free Transit Zone (FTZ) for buses. There are CAT buses that provide a number of routes. The routes pass by major sights around town and are absolutely free.

3. Public Transit. The Transperth network will get you almost everywhere in and out Perth. A smartrider card can be pre-purchased and gets you a discounted ride on Perth buses, trains and some Perth ferries. Please be aware that cash ticket have a time limit. The expiry time depends on the number of zones covered by your cash ticket. You can travel using the same ticket up to two hours for a journey of one to four zones and three hours for a journey of five or more zones. 


Things To Do in Perth

1. Take a day trip to Rottnest Island. Stay overnight if possible. You won't regret it.

2. Don't forget to explore Fremantle. Spare one to two days exploring Fremantle.

3. Visit and experience up close and personal with native wildlife at Caversham Wildlife Park.

4. Get up close to Australian native fauna at Kings Park. 

5. Go off-road in Lancelin.

6. Watch sunset at Cottesloe Beach.

7. Last but not least, Pinnacles Desert is a must!


Perth Tips

1. Get your simcard at the airport rather than city. 

2. Make use of Telethon Tuesday for Rottnest Island. 

3. If you are on budget but insist to go to the Pinnacles Desert, check out Tours with a Twist. They have a great deal.

4. Do maximum research and check out what's popping up in Perth.

Perth Day 6: Watertown Brand Outlet Centre

15^th November 2015

Nothing much I did on the last day in Perth except wandering around the city by catching the free CAT buses. I hopped on one bus to another exploring most of Perth streets. I decided to spend few hours at the Watertown Brand Outlet Centre since the Green CAT bus route stop outside this outlet. 

Watertown Brand Outlet Centre is a must for shopaholics. Besides, if you're looking to enjoy more value and great saving, be it to shop for yourself or to buy a present, you can check out this outlet before anywhere else. Shopping was not on my list while travelling, therefore I did window shopping to kill my time. No photos were taken here since I was busy with window shopping.

Then, I headed to Perth Airport. I was glad I made it to the airport early. The queue for check-in flight was long. However, I arrived at the boarding gate just to hear the flight delay announcement due to the aircraft door did not function well. Lucky me, the delay was only for an hour. Actually, I was afraid I couldn't be able to witness the stunning sunset onboard. 

I have now ticked another city off my childhood dream list. Hope to be back soon to explore another part of Australia.

Perth Day 5: Rottnest Island Double Dive, Kings Park and Blue Boat Shed

14^th November 2015

Rottnest dive trip with 2 logs

Dive 1: Crystal Palace
Dive 2: Mel's Sweet Spot

Once I arrived Fremantle, I walked towards E-shed Market where the Dive Ski & Surf Supplies is located. After double check all the equipments, I was brought to harbour by car truck. After a moment then I realised that since there were not many people on that day, all dive center gathered their divers under one dive center. In my case, even though I paid to Dive Ski & Surf Supplies (DSSS) , I joined Dolphin Dive Fremantle (DDF) for Rottnest double dive. 

This was my first time diving on a big boat which gave me a lovely experience. I met the rest of the divers on the boat. I could go to upper deck to get nicer view or just stay at the lower deck. They also served cookies and hot water on the boat. 

On our way to first dive site, the DDF staff paired me with Swiss guy who works in New Zealand. The main point I was paired with Swiss guy was he's a certified divemaster and I already logged more than 50 dives. So, we were asked to dive together without a local dive guide. Surely this was a new experience for me to do a boat dive without a guide. 

My first dive at Rottnest Island was Crystal Palace, lying on the South East side of the island. Crystal Palace has a depth range of 8-18m. After briefing, my dive buddy and I both did a giant strike and we did once more buddy check before descending. The seaweed-covered floor greeted us at the bottom of the sea. The current was pretty strong. We bumped into several schooling fish and a cute small cuttlefish. We also sighted hundreds of Woodward's pomfrets. During safety stop, my dive buddy pointed me a giant black stingray just 7 meters below me.  The dive lasted for 45 minutes.

We had a lunch break on the boat. 

The second dive site was Mel's Sweet Spot. For this dive, the maximum depth we went was 13 meters and the visibility was about 10 metres. Our bottom time was 67 minutes. When we surfaced, I still had 100 bar of air. The marine life in this dive site are much similar to the first dive. We sighted some unknown fishes and starfish. 

We were brought back to harbour and we were asked to clean our equipment with fresh water. Around 1600, I was picked by DSSS staff at the harbour. I then walked towards Fremantle Station to board train back to Perth. I was back in Perth half an hour later and Zahira picked me up and brought me to Kings Park for a picnic. It was a great pleasure to spend the evening with Zahira and her friends.

Later, Zahira brought me to Blue Boat Shed for a sunset and we had dinner at Malaysian Dining Delights at Bentley.