The three hour drive from Yallingup to Perth was through the countyside. We stopped for breakfast in Busselton. We had planned to walk the Getty but it was cold and windy and smelled of rotting sea grass. Like the Carribean, this area of Western Australia has been affected by the foul-smelling sea grass. So we continued on without taking any photos. We dropped off our car and took a taxi to our hotel just in time for a late lunch at Long Chim. The restaurant had an Indonesian menu with plenty of vegetarian delights. We liked it so much we returned our last night for dinner.
Como The Treasury was one of our favorite hotels. The historic building was recently converted into a hotel and the architects and designers did a spectacular job integrating the historic with modern rooms and facilities. They hosted jazz night (which we attended) and a wine tasting event (which we did not attend) during our stay.
Beyond the hotel, we ate a spectacular lunch at Bivouac and a fun grilled cheese toastie at Toastface Grillah. We tried a charcoal/chocolate gelato. Based on the suggestion of the concierge, we went to Ellington’s Jazz Club one night.
Speaking of nights, it was Winter Fest in Perth. We stumbled upon a few of the free events and the most spectacular was Borealis by Dan Acher. The Northern Lighters were brought to Perth in this amazing light installation. It was even more surreal because of the light rain.
During the days we had fun being a tourist. There were cute alleys and arcades (shopping areas).
Saint George’s Cathedral was across the street from our hotel. We saw the space being used for a military services, a funeral and a regular mass. The grounds had a cool art installation outside. There was Gregorian chanting when you walked under the arches.
We learned the art of chiming a bell and got spectacular views of Swan River as well as the city from the observation deck of the bell tower.
Sunset was the time to visit Elizabeth Quay. The walk over the innovative bridge and the city were glowing with colors.
Kings Park and the Botanic Gardens had a network of paths, a glass bridge and DNA tower to see many plants native to Western Australia. It was sad that our time in Australia was coming to an end but what a great city to have as our last memory.