Perth: The best things in life are free after all

Perth: The best things in life are free after all

Prapi Widinugraheni, Contributor, Perth

It was a warm Saturday morning on the "cappuccino strip" of
Fremantle, a port town about 20 minutes from Perth's central
business district.

As people breakfasted at sidewalk cafes, three men walked by.
Nothing about them was unusual, but their slow gait -- and the
pack of kretek (clove) cigarettes one was holding -- was a
giveaway: Indonesian tourists in Perth.

Fremantle is favored by tourists. It has everything, from an
exciting history, good souvenir shops and a great atmosphere.
Freo, as it is known by locals, is "alternative", hip and artsy.

But it hasn't always been that way.

Fremantle was founded in 1829 as a port for Britain's
fledgling Swan River colony in Western Australia. The years
between 1850 and 1868 saw the arrival of convicts, who later
built structures like the Fremantle prison, an insane asylum and
the first bridge over the river in Fremantle.

These buildings remain intact and can now be toured almost
every day of the year. The asylum is now the Fremantle History
Museum and is said to have a resident ghost. The prison, which
was decommissioned as an operating jail in 1991, was opened to
the public in 1992.

Colonial landmarks are not the only attraction in Fremantle.
Indigenous Australian and contemporary art galleries, museums and
organized tours abound. These include Indigenart art gallery, the
Army Museum, the Maritime Museum, Fremantle Aboriginal heritage
trail, Fremantle historic walking tours and Fremantle Prison
night tours.

Then there is eating in Fremantle. According to the local
government authority, 1977 was the year when local coffee shop
Papa Luigi's introduced al fresco dining, starting what is now
the trendy "cappuccino strip".

Along this strip and nearby alleyways are some of the best
eateries in Perth and its surrounds. Italian fare is perhaps the
most common in the area, with tight competition forcing
establishments to outperform each other.

At one end of the cappuccino strip are the Fremantle Markets,
located in a large warehouse-like structure built in 1898 and
full of stalls selling beautiful knickknacks. It's a heaven for
souvenir-shopping.

The year 1984 was perhaps the biggest turning point for
Fremantle, when major restoration and gentrification works
transformed the working-class port town into a hub for all things
hip and funky.

The year before, local businessman Alan Bond and ship builder
Ben Lexon had won the America's Cup, arguably the greatest
sailing competition in the world. The victory meant Fremantle
would be hosting the America's Cup competition four years later.
During these four years, the local government organized a
thorough, cosmetic face-lift to make the town more attractive.

Australia lost the cup in the championships held in 1986-87,
but for Fremantle it was a victory nonetheless, as millions of
dollars came in over just a few months.

Further up the Swan River is the Western Australian capital of
Perth. Like Fremantle and other older cities in Western
Australia, Perth's history is very much linked to the arrival of
Europeans in the region between the 17th and 19th centuries. This
is despite the fact that Australian Aborigines -- the original
inhabitants of the land -- had roamed Australia for more than
50,000 years and traded with seafaring Indonesians during that
time.

The first Europeans to sight Western Australia were Dutch
explorers who charted the land during their trips to the
Indonesian Spice Islands. Later, in 1827, English Captain James
Stirling decided the area was appropriate for a settlement. In
1829, the Swan River colony was established.

The Western Australian Museum is a good place for the
historically-inclined tourist to know more about Western
Australia's land, people and nature. For more depth, visit the
art gallery and state library next door.

Perth is also modern and multicultural. Within walking
distance from the museum is the train station, the central
business district, the city's main shopping precinct and dozens
of eateries, particularly around Northbridge where Asian fare is
predominant.

Galleries, movie theaters and theaters near Northbridge and
the central train station have a steady flow of exhibitions,
performances and shows. Currently these include La Boheme at His
Majesty's Theatre, Music Viva-Jerusalem Quartet at the Perth
Concert Hall, the WA Police Pipe Band at Forrest Place and
Buddha's Birthday Festival at the Supreme Court Gardens, to name
just a few.

About 10 minutes away from the city center are the Perth Zoo,
the 400-hectare King's Park & Botanical Gardens, the Bell Tower
on the Swan River foreshore and Scitech Discovery Center for the
kids and young-at-heart.

Further up along the Swan River, about 25 minutes from the
city center, is the quaint town of Guildford which lies in the
heart of the Swan Valley.

Guildford was established by Captain James Stirling as the
rural center of the new Swan River colony at the same time
Fremantle was designated as the colony's port town and Perth as
its administrative center. Guildford represented the upper limit
of navigation on the Swan River; it was also fertile enough for
agriculture.

As areas east of Perth were opened up, Guildford became an
important transportation center, with boats bringing in settlers
and farmland supplies, and taking out farm produce to the city.
From around 1850, convict labor improved the roads from Perth,
allowing travel by road from Fremantle, via Perth and Guildford,
to the new eastern regions.

The Kalgoorlie gold rush in the 1890's attracted immigrants --
from overseas as well as from Australia's eastern coast -- to
Western Australia. Many of them settled down in the region,
causing a surge in the new colony's population.

Guildford's importance declined by the early 1900's with the
construction of the railway line to the neighboring town of
Midland. But its quaint buildings and English heritage
architecture remain, along with its fertile land which now
sustains dozens of vineyards and pastures.

There are more than 80 vineyards, restaurants and breweries
located along the 32-km Swan Valley drive north of Guildford. No
trip is complete without having a go at wine tasting in the
region. Each vineyard prides itself of its own label, which is
often sold exclusively on-site.

Guildford is minutes away from Whiteman Park, which features
children's playgrounds, barbecue areas and walk trails in a
bushland setting. Caversham Wildlife Park, which is also close
by, is a favorite for tourists who want to see and touch native
Australian wildlife.

For a sample of Western Australian scenery, a visit to
Yanchep, John Forrest, Serpentine, Walyunga or Avon Valley
National Park, is essential.

At Yanchep, visitors can interact with, and get a glimpse of
local Aboriginal culture and lifestyle when Aborigines from the
Nyoongar tribe share their stories and conduct didgeridoo and
dance performances. At Walyunga, visitors can go on an easy 1.2
km Aboriginal heritage trail and learn about Aboriginal myths and
legends.

All national parks are within a 30-minute to one-hour drive
from Perth's city center.

Western Australia has a coastline measuring 12,500 km, most of
which take the form of lovely sun-drenched beaches. A visit to
Perth is incomplete without at least seeing one beach. Cottesloe
Beach, about 20 minutes from the city center, is arguably the
prettiest around Perth. Scarborough and Trigg are good surfing
beaches, whereas Floreat and City are better for swimming and
paddling.

Many cafes and restaurants can be found around Cottesloe and
Scarborough, but they are few and far between on the other
beaches. But don't be discouraged: Perth is dotted with hundreds
of parks that have lush green grass, shady trees, children's
playgrounds and barbecue facilities, so picnics are the way to
go.

Perth is a lovely place where troubles are few and the best
things in life are free. The best times to visit would be around
March-May and September-November, but if you're beach inclined,
come in December-February when the weather is hottest and
sunbathing (with lots of sunscreen) is coolest.

It's six hours from Jakarta and there's an allowable limit of
one carton of kretek cigarettes. What more could you ask for?