S01-E11
Our last few weeks in OZ!
We flew to Perth from Sydney to pick up our last van Petey for a two-week road trip around West Australia. If you have listened to episode 11, you know that not all vans are created equal. We once again used Campify to rent the van, but some advice - read the reviews. Do your homework. How many miles are included? What is the cancellation policy for both you and the owner?
Regardless of our van issues, we visited some amazing places along the way. Below are some of the highlights.
Wave Rock - natural rock formations with hiking trails
Hopetoun - a small town with stunning beaches and a stunning national park nearby for hiking and views
Albany - a bustling town with great options for resturants, bars, beaches, and hiking. Here are some of our recommendations:
LIBERTĒ - Asian fusion food with yummy cocktails in an ecletic setting
Six Degrees - resturant and bar with a few different rooms and live music
Misery Beach - even with a checkered past, this was voted Australia’s best beach in 2022
Valley of the Giants - a walkway built amongst the tree tops - highest point is 40M high - not for the faint of heart, but stunning views
Busselton - perfect beach, 1.8 KM jetty with underwater viewing, and only 2.5 hours from Perth
West Australia is stunning and does not get the attention it deserves. If you have the time while in Australia a trip to WA is well worth it.
After dropping off the van we headed to Perth to spend a few days exploring the city before heading off to our next country. We checked into the InterContinental. Jonica wanted some pampering after driving around Australia for almost 50 days. Perth is a large and vibrant city with a population of 2 million people. There are a lot of large mining companies based here, which brings a lot of people to this city.
We enjoyed our couple of days in Perth, not only running errands and prepping for our next leg, but exploring and eating our way through the city. Here are some of our recommendations:
The Library Nail Salon - Jonica had to get her nails done and this place was incredible and has lasted forever without chipping even after being in the water for hours and hours.
Kings Park - large, beautiful park over looking the rivers that run into and around Perth
Swan River Cruise - great views of the city as you make your way out to the port - you will probably see pods of dolphins
One thing that we did not have time to do, that is the main attraction close to Perth is Rottnest Island. Sad we did not get to explore as it looks amazing.
Balthazar - incredible food, atomshpere, service, wine. Cannot recommend enough.
Shui - a little loud and clubby for us, but good food and drinks
