Perth

Perth has a population of around 1.4 million people, 80% of the 1.8 million people in Western Australia live here and they claim to enjoy more hours of sunshine than any other capital city in Australia.
Perth is also the world's most remote city ( it is closer to Singapore and Jakarta than it is to Canberra!) and is well laid out and easy to get around.

Perth was founded on May 2 1829, HMS Challenger commander Captain Charles Fremantle raised the British flag at the head of the Swan River and took possession of the territory. A month later Captain James Stirling arrived on his ship "Parmelia" and founded Perth at a site near the present town hall on August 12, 1829. Like most early settlements around Australia things did not run too smoothly at first, problems included a shortage of labour, financial problems and poor communication. The British Government sent convicts to Western Australia from 1850 to 1868 to overcome some of these problems.

The docks in Fremantle

The main business area is on St. Georges Terrace with the main shopping area at the Hay Street and Murray Street Malls. The north of the city is marked by the railway track dividing it from the popular accommodation and eating region of Northbridge.
Only 20km. from the Perth CBD you'll reach Fremantle, this is the port where you find the cultural centre of Perth with its cafes, pubs, eateries, historic buildings, lively markets and arty ambience. This is also the place where in 1987 Australia managed to wrestle the America's Cup out of American hands in the yacht race thanks to Alan Bond having spent a fair few million on a revolutionary boat. From here you can also visit Rottnest Island which is only 19km off the coast, the only place in the world where the quokka lives.

If even the hustle and bustle of this small city gets too much for you head for Kings Park, right in the city this is a sanctuary of approximately 1,000 acres with botanic gardens, natural bushland, recreational areas, views over the Perth and Swan River, an ideal place for a picnic.

In 1962 Perth gained the title 'City of lights' when the whole city left their lights on through the night to provide some visual entertainment for American astronaut John Glenn who flew over in US spaceship Friendship 7.

Cottesloe Beach in Perth
Photo by Zoran Ereiz

Perth is bordered by the Indian Ocean and has a lot of great beaches right in or near the city centre, and most are great for surfing.
Cottesloe Beach is one of the most popular, but there's also Floreat, Leighton, Port, Scarborough, Swanbourne and Trigg Island, although several can get quite rough at times. For calmer beaches head to Como, Crawley or Peppermint Grove.

Western Australia is also famous for its wildflowers. It is no wonder with up to 12,000 species found in a vast area of the state, from the Pilbara region in the north to the Southern Coastal region. The wildflower season spans from July in the north to November in the south.

It must be a good life in Perth, the London based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)'s survey in 2005 ranks Perth nr. 5 out of 130 cities surveyed worldwide. The EIU assessed the level of hardship for expatriates in the 130 cities, using 12 factors including housing, education, recreational activities, health, climate and terrorism.

Perth boasts a mediterranean climate, with warm to hot summers and cool, wet winters. Average summer temperaturs are around 29 degrees C during the day and 17 at night. The Fremantle Doctor is the name locals have given to the afternoon sea breeze that very conveniently picks up in the afternoon during summer. During winter the temperature averages 18 degrees in daytime and around 9 degrees at night. Below is today's weather;

 

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