Fremantle

Fremantle is WA's busy main port. Plenty of maritime history here, as well as many cafes, restaurants and interesting shops.

Perth - architecture

Old and new together, the city centre is quite compact and a great place to wander around on a sunny day.

Perth - Kings Park

21 October - Kings Park.

With fantastic views over Perth and the Swan River, Kings Park has many memorials (including one for the Bali bomb victims), and the WA Botanic Garden, where the high level walkway is a great new feature.

The Botanic Garden has trees and plants from different climatic zones of Oz.

Rottnest - Diving

23 October - first dives in WA at Rottnest

"Horseshoe Leatherjacket"

Many swimthroughs and overhangs



Shiny silver fish!

and colourful sponges.

Rottnest - Quokka Island

Rottnest Island

Summer playground for the people of Perth. Just 30 mins on the ferry from Fremantle. Saw whales breaching on the trip over - its migration time, and they're a common sight in WA just now.

Most famous inhabitants are the quokkas, over 5000 of them. Like kangaroos, they are marsupials, but they seem as dopey as Koalas! Mostly nocturnal, but a few hang around the tourist spots looking for hand outs and posing for photos.

Stayed at the YHA which is ex-Army barracks. Rottnest was set up to defend Fremantle port during WWII. There is still evidence of gun batteries and observation posts - never used in anger though.

Many lovely bays and beaches, some with prime snorkelling. Most impressive is the west end of the island - wild seas, rugged sandstone cliffs and few tourists. Ospreys nest on offshore promontories, and there's always the possibility of seeing skinks and snakes on the cycle ride around the island.

G'Day Perth!

Dear Readers - sorry no recent blogs! Oz is just too much fun to find time for blogging. Crazy busy in Perth - 2500km round trip to Gnaraloo, 3 days on Rottnest Island and plenty of time in Perth and Fremantle. All the Aussie stereotypes exist here. Happy, friendly people, the weather, the food - its no surprise that Brits want to emigrate.
Blogs to follow, in no particular order.......

Flying in Singapore

Singapore Flyer

The city's answer to the London Eye, but bigger. The biggest anywhere, in fact. Opened April '08. Predictably, the views are great. Its right next to the pits straight on the F1 track. We paid about £10 for a ride...wonder what tickets cost on race night!?

Architecture in Singapore

Singapore's colonial buildings are in great shape and look splendid on a bright sunny day.

More impressive though were some of the newer developments which have sprung up since my previous visits. We visited the National Library which I remember as a building site opposite the Intercon Hotel. Its now a fabulous, 13 storey centre of learning.

The atmosphere is really conducive to study. Outdoor gardens on the 5th and 10th floors have good views of the (previously discrete) swimming pool at the Intercontinental!

As a public building, its quite stunning.

There's a great new art college - two granite black buildings, joined by a huge white canopy.
The huge Singapore Management University complex was a green space back in 2001. A massive development in the name of education which gives you an idea of the aspirations of the country.

The National Museum was re-opened in 2006 after a massive re-furb - it combines classic colonial styling with 21st century steel and glass structures. The museum has enough exhibits, supported by multimedia commentary to keep you occupied for days.

Along with the many traditional buildings, all these landmarks make the city much much more than a shopping or foodie paradise. If Formula 1 can draw the crowds, there's plenty more for them to see and admire.....and that's before they ride the Singapore Flyer....

Formula 1 in Singapore

The first night-time F1 race put Singapore firmly on the world map. For international viewers, it was clear that the organisers had done an incredible job to pull this off in only 10 months. It'd clearly been a big event for the city, giving visitors a reason to go specifically to Singapore rather than simply using it as a stopover.
Just 3 days after the race, most of the street circuit infrastructure was still in place, and the scale of the achievement was very evident. Miles of fencing, thousands of seats in huge grandstands, the now famous overhead lighting system and lots of lovely new bitumen! All brand new - a huge investment.

On the ground the corners and chicanes seem very tight, and very close together. The most astonishing thing though is the thought of how loud the F1 cars would have seemed in the confines of the city. A single F1 car at Silverstone makes enough noise to make your ears bleed! 20 cars in Singapore must have been incredible......lucky lucky spectators!

One for the travel itinerary next year!

Animals in Singapore

Singapore Zoo - brilliant - fun and educational! Tropical surroundings are a real escape from the order of the city, and there are some great animals, most of which seem quite happy to live there!

Free range orang utans and other apes abound.....impressive white tigers, dainty pygmy hippos(!), a selection of Aussie roos and emus, a pair of cheetahs, and incredibly a polar bear and her cub (with air con!).

The wierdest thing about Singapore though is the apparent total lack of insect life in the city - odd for somewhere so warm and humid!

Wonder what's in the air or the drinking water!?

Food in Singapore

Singapore is rightly known for its food! As a cultural melting pot itself, the city has so many eating options! Hawker centres epitomise the obsession with street food. In olden days, "hawkers" would sell food from hand carts, each specialising in a particular style of cuisine. As things became more ordered, hawker centres were set up to enable the tradition to continue, with the hawkers operating from more permanent stalls in a pleasant environment for customers.

Local specialities, derived from China, Malaya, India etc., include rojak (cucumber and other veggies stir fried in sweet soy sauce), char kway teow (aka carrot cake, made with fried egg and white radish), delicious satays, murtasak (tasty Indian style pancake with meat and a curry sauce) and many others. There are many seafood options too. Outdoor eating at its best!