Heaven on Perth
Gorgeous beaches, sealife, wineries, forests and bright city lights – Western Australia has it all...
Wearing a wetsuit for the very first time, I can hardly breathe – yet I’m determined to look the part. Snorkel and mask at the ready, I’m trying not to feel seasick as we bounce across Western Australia’s Shoalwater Bay in search of wild dolphins.
A dozen of us are straining to spot even the tiniest flash of shiny, steelgrey skin breaking the choppy surface.
Suddenly, a cry from guide Tess goes up: “Move to the back of the boat!”
We quickly assemble on the steps, buzzing with anticipation, and jump in holding each other’s waist belts.
Four playful and inquisitive dolphins flash by, darting all around us, dipping and rising – it’s hard to keep up. We hear their high-pitched squeaking and clicking as they check us out. Clearly as curious and happy as we are, it is a most humbling and exhilarating encounter. ($205AUD rockingham wild encounters.com.au)
We are totally at one with these adorable creatures. Some may see
interacting with nature an intrusion, but it’s obvious they didn’t want playtime to end. And nor did I. I was starting to love Western Australia’s wild landscapes and natural, protected attributes.
The vastness of the Indian Ocean, the quaint towns, the rolling hills of fire-charred eucalyptus trees with their resilient bright new growth defiantly sprouting. It was incredible that during
my 400-mile road trip, from the shiny capital Perth, along the east coast to Margaret River, I had barely passed another car.
Everywhere you go, whether it be downtown Perth with its pristine streets lined with restored heritage buildings, or wandering the trails through bushland frequented only by kangaroos, this is a state proud of its natural assets – and fiercely protective of them. On a tour with Walk into Luxury, my guide Anne and I hiked a small part of the 84-mile Cape to Cape Walk from exclusive Yallingup along Cape Naturaliste. The trail varies dramatically. Clambering over granite rocks, stacked up like truffles, we felt like pioneers in another world.
From the bulbous lunar landscape we wandered along rugged trails, dotted with acacia and “shark teeth” bushes, weaving through limestone.
All the while, we were following turquoise waters fringed in brilliant white sand beaches, devoid of any sign
of life, bar a trail of footprints. We finished at the stupendous Injidup Spa Retreat, which has villas with private plunge pools and ocean views.
There is no longer any excuse to bypass Western Australia – Qantas has direct flights from Heathrow to Perth on the comfy Dreamliner.
That night I rebooted at the Pullman Bunker Bay Resort just outside the surf town of Dunsborough where I enjoyed the local fish, barramundi, before bedding down in a villa set within fragrant gardens.
The next morning we boarded a sleek catamaran run by Naturaliste Charters Whale Watching and headed out around two miles offshore in search of whales – the southern right whale, the humpback, as well as the increasingly rare blue whale. ($90 whalesaustralia.com.au)
Suddenly a voice boomed from the upper deck: “Whale at one o’clock!”
There, in the distance, we watched as it glided through the water. The fluid movements and majestic bulk of this beautiful creature mesmerised us.
A spurt of water here, a slight raise of the back there, denoted others further away, including mothers with calves. Mission accomplished.
I moved on to Albany taking the slow road through Manjimup and Nannup, charming little one-horse towns with a pub, always an antique shop and great coffee. The terrain was refreshingly wild and untouched, with dense eucalyptus forests.
Albany, on the south-west corner, is where the Europeans chose to land in 1616. Much of the city’s colonial architecture still remains. It brims with history from the days of the convict prisons and the whaling industry.
It was also the departure point for the first convoy of 41,000 Anzacs who left for the battlegrounds of the First World War. Many pay their respects at the National Anzac Centre.
To honour them, UK artist Bruce Munro has carpeted the Avenue of Honour with his installation of 16,000 shining spheres in the colours of the national flowers of Australia and New Zealand. Called Field of Light, it’s
astoundingly sad to know that as far as the eye can see, each sphere represents one young life.
My long drive north back to Perth offered me an excuse for regular pitstops, particularly in Margaret River, home to more than 150 vineyards.
At the Aravina Estate, set on a hill overlooking rolling vines and natural bush, in Yallingup, I savoured creamy chardonnays and crisp sauvignons. It’s also home to a most unlikely museum, The WA Surf Gallery. It exhibits an array of “antique” surfboards, footage of the great surfers of their time, as well as a collection of vintage cars.
I also took a tour of Margaret River’s founding vineyard Vasse Felix, with plenty of tastings along the way. This beautiful property is a temple to wine and the menu of local produce and wine pairings is well respected right across Australia.
Nearby Vasse Virgin at Wilyabrup offers lessons in the art of perfumery, lip balm production, and olive oil.
Lovely Busselton on pretty Geographe Bay has the world’s second-longest wooden jetty.
At just short of a mile, you can walk it or catch the dinky train to the observatory. And so to Perth, WA’S charming, yet underpopulated capital. Modern glass monoliths dominate the pretty Swan Bay riverfront – testament to the wealth found in Western Australia. However, the mines aren’t going to produce lucrative minerals for ever so the city is focused on diversifying and reinventing itself. Hotel-wise, COMO The Treasury, in the elegant 19th century state building on Cathedral Square, is a showstopper. The ultra-modern Westin nearby has funky bean bags spread out on the front deck. Ritz Carlton, on Perth’s hot
new development Elizabeth Quay on the Esplanade, is due to open this spring.
And the Perth City Library, with its award-winning circular design, sits in perfect harmony with the grand 100-year-old Royal Park Hospital opposite.
The Old West Australian newspaper office is now a hub of cool restaurants, including Bob’s Bar, named after past Prime Minister Bob Hawke. The city’s bigwigs have also decided they don’t want buses cluttering up their jacaranda-lined streets, so have built a shiny new underground bus station.
With the sympathetic convergence of old and new and the world’s best surf beaches minutes away, you’ll wonder why you didn’t go earlier…