Perth

Welcome to one of the most isolated metropolitan areas in the world, Perth, population 1.6 million. Perth is Australia’s 4th largest city and is the capital of the state of Western Australia.

Being so far from the rest of the world means that Perth people love welcoming travellers, and also means that we are big travellers ourselves. We do have a bit of a chip on our shoulder about the perception that ‘nothing happens in Perth.’ In reality – lots happens in Perth, and in a way, our isolation has developed a thriving music scene (Perth has been likened to Seattle in producing a great number of bands, and is the drum and bass hotspot of Australia), a solid arts scene, and some great festivals (Festival of Perth, Fairbridge Festival, Australia Day Fireworks, Fremantle Festival, Northbridge Festival, Southbound music festival). Perth people tend to be really friendly, chatty and down to earth.

Perth has a long and very accessible coastline. We have white sand beaches and clear blue waters – perfect for swimming, and in some places, surfing, body boarding or snorkelling. No matter where you stay in Perth, you are probably no more than a half hour drive from the coast. Top pick beaches are City Beach, Cottosloe, Port Beach, and Trigg Beach.

Almost half of the Perth metro area is natural vegetation (bushland), so there are plenty of opportunities for bushwalking and nature viewing. King’s Park is amazing – an area of over 200 ha of bushland, plus botanic gardens and parks and great views of the river and city, less than 5km from the city centre. Perth and the surrounding region have spectacular wildflowers, and for that reason, spring is a great time to come here (September and October). Spring in the Valley (a festival of food, wine, and local produce in the Swan Valley) and the Kings Park Wildflower Festival are both on in spring. But autumn and summer are also gorgeous times of the year, as the rain mainly falls just in the winter months (May – July).

The Swan River runs through Perth and Fremantle and provides great opportunities for boating, sailing, kayaking, swimming and riverside picnics. You can also spot the iconic black swans at the river, and sometimes even dolphins.

Perth is pretty suburban, so don’t limit yourself to seeing only the city centre – the suburbs have some action too. I’d recommend you also check out Cottosloe (by the beach and on the Fremantle train line), Subiaco (also on the Freo train line, a classy café and shopping precinct), Leederville (on the Joondalup train line, an area of interesting and somewhat kooky small shops and cafes), and Mount Lawley (a fifteen minute walk from the city centre, this area has great cafes and pubs). And of course, visit Fremantle for its seaside vibe and great café strip.

What is On This Week?
There’s always something cool going on here, what did you think this place was boring? See the following links for a pretty complete list of gigs, shows, concerts, etc.


 * http://www.artrage.com.au/
 * http://www.bocsticketing.com.au
 * http://www.heatseeker.com.au
 * http://www.xpressmag.com.au/
 * http://www.enjoyperth.net

For a more complete list of events in Western Australia check out:

http://www.westernaustralia.com/au/Things_to_See_and_Do/Events/Pages/Events.aspx

Getting Around
Perth CBD has an amazing free bus system called the CAT. These 4 lines pretty much cover most of the city centre and run every 5-10 minutes. If only the rest of the Transperth system were this fabulous. You can download a pdf of the schedule and lines here: http://www.pcec.com.au/library/CAT_map.pdf

Transperth also runs a network of buses and trains that cover most of Perth. Generally clean and very safe (don’t be alarmed by the patrol officers on duty); the system is not the most effective when connections are required, as services run every 30 - 60 mins on most lines in the evening. Best to plan ahead of time and verify schedules to avoid lengthy wait time. Use the Journey Planner to help you plan the best route: http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/ or use the Public Transport link when getting directions on Google Maps, very friendly and easy to use!

Perth also has 24/7 taxi services, but it is best to be forewarned, there are simply not enough taxis on night and weekends. Expect a 30 min wait for a cab in hot spots. Calling them to book a car is a good idea, but comes with an added fee to the meter. For online bookings: http://www.swantaxis.com.au

For those who like hills and wind on a bike, Perth is a dream city. You can hire a bike and trail around the various bike paths around the city. Click this link for more info: http://perth.citysearch.com.au/E/V/PERTH/0013/35/93/

How Expensive Is Perth?
Very. The mining boom in WA is really taxing supply and demand, which makes it expensive to live here. There are surprising deals to be found though for those in the know. More on that later. Here is a random list of prices to give you an idea of cost:


 * Hostels – 25-35$
 * Meals – 15-25$
 * Transport – 3-5$
 * Taxi – 10-20$
 * Alcohol – 8-12$/glass
 * Internet cafes – 1-2$/15min

Eating
Cheap eats –
 * Scotto on Sunday on Beaufort St in Mt Lawley,
 * Annalakshmi on the river in the city centre,
 * Taka’s Kitchen,
 * Moon Café on Monday and Tuesday night on William St in Northbridge,
 * Globe Café on Beaufort St in Mt Lawley,
 * Alfred Kitchen,
 * Han’s Café (various locations, including William St in Northbridge),
 * Hare Krishna in the city

Music Scene
Perth has a huge band scene, so it’s a great place to catch a live music show on pretty much any night of the week. The music in Perth varies from blue and roots (especially in Freo), to electro synth, to alt country, to indie rock and pop. Main venues hosting local bands include:

Fremantle:
 * Mojos - http://www.mojosbar.com.au
 * Swan Basement
 * Norfolk Hotel Basement - http://www.norfolkhotel.com.au/
 * Little Creatures Loft - http://www.littlecreatures.com.au/creatures-loft
 * Clancy’s - http://www.clancysfishpub.com.au
 * Fly By Night Club - http://www.flybynight.org.

North Perth/Mt Lawley:
 * Hyde Park Hotel - http://www.hydeparkhotel.com.au
 * Rosemount Hotel - http://www.rosemounthotel.com.au
 * Velvet Room at the Flying Scotsman

City/Northbridge:
 * Amplifier Bar - http://www.amplifiercapitol.com.au/
 * The Bakery - http://www.artrage.com.au/bakery/
 * Shape

Some Perth bands gone national to check out: Big time: Jebediah, The Panics, Karnivool, John Butler Trio, Eskimo Joe, Gyroscope, Institut Polaire

Perth bands that are still local: Punk: The Bloods Blues n Roots/Folk: Kill Devil Hills, Abbe Mae Indie Pop: Bank Holidays, Burton Cool Suit, New Rules for Boats Indie Rock: The Silents, The Preytells, The Colors, Felicity Groom and the Black Black Smoke, Sex Panther, The City Watch

Find the bands’ myspaces and listen online.

Gig guides

 * Xpress Magazine – a free street press that’s out every Thursday at CD stores, and online at *http://www.xpressmag.com.au
 * http://www.enjoyperth.com.au
 * Drum Magazine – a free street press that’s out every Thursday at CD stores

Festivals
Festival season in Western Australia gathers the best of our local talent and sprinkles in some of the best from the Eastern States and Internationally. This is by no means a definitive list, rather a list of the popular WA Festivals... Check out the websites for each of the festivals as they get closer for line-ups and news. You will find that at nearly all the festivals you can also volunteer to work for free tickets.

Blues at Bridgetown
http://www.bluesatbridgetown.com/

The Blues at Bridgetown Festival is an annual blues music event held over three days in the spectacular settings of Bridgetown, 272kms south-east of Perth. The Blues at Bridgetown Festival has been held annually on the second weekend in November since 1993. The program showcases an all-embracing & diverse range of blues music for in excess of 170 hours of music at various venues around the town.

Southbound
https://sunsetevents.com.au/Site/Sunset/

Who would have thought what started as a humble little affair back in 2005 would have grown into the state’s finest Music, Camping and Arts festival. Held each January the first weekend after New Years in Busselton, a few hours drive from Perth.

2009's LineUp is shaping up to be brilliant. Get your ticket early if you want to go, they sell out way before the event

Big Day Out
http://www.bigdayout.com/

The Big Day Out (BDO) is an annual music festival that tours Australia and New Zealand which originated in Sydney in 1992. As of 2003, it has featured 7 or 8 stages (depending on the venue) accommodating popular contemporary rock music, electronic music, mainstream international acts and local acts. In Perth, BDO is held at the Claremont show grounds generally in early February.

West Coast Blues Roots
https://sunsetevents.com.au/Site/Sunset/

A not to miss annual event on the Fremantle Esplanade. The West Coast Blues N Roots is a cousin to the massive East Coast Blues N Roots in Byron Bay.

Where to begin? Lets start with 2008, Ray Davies, Don McLean, Galactic, Buddy Guy, Seasick Steve, Sinead O'Connor, John Fogerty, Jeff Martin... The weather maker even paid tribute to the greats in glorious sunshine.

It was the weekend of musical discovery, where the maestros met the newcomers; where the indisputable legends frolicked on the aural plain with some of the greatest new and undiscovered talent on the globe - the ultimate Music Lovers Weekend.

Nannup Music Festival
http://www.nannupmusicfestival.org/welcome.asp

Once a year the beautiful town of Nannup comes alive with performers from across the world and around Australia.

Set in the heart of the beautiful South West's jarrah forest, beside the Blackwood River, come down and enjoy the variety of folk and world music, poetry, dance and street theatre throughout the village.

Held on the Labour Day Long Weekend each year, usually the first weekend in March.

Beware the Nannup Classic Red...

Earth Dance
http://www.earthdance.org.au/mambo/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=452

In over 340 locations, in over 50 countries for the last 12 years, thousands of people have gathered together to dance as one global community, united with a common vision for peace and humanitarian aims.

Over 3 days and 2 nights mid September, Western Australia will add its voice to this global community at Fairbridge Village, 5 km north of Pinjarra, Western Australia, with a celebration of music, dance, art and culture.

Fairbridge Festival
http://www.fairbridgefestival.com.au/index.htm

Fairbridge Festival - an annual family-friendly celebration of folk, roots, blues, acoustic, Celtic, a Capella and world music in a traffic-free, self-contained bushland site at Fairbridge Village, South West Highway, 5 km north of Pinjarra, Western Australia. This is definitely a festival to make if you are in town. It is 3 days of pure enjoyment and fun with something for everyone. The 2009 Festival is April 17-19.

Dancing
The range of available dancing classes and clubs in Perth is quite impressive, from swing and jive to tango and salsa, with a bit of pole and belly dancing thrown in for good measure. This is the place to be if you want to shake your booty.

Click this link to see the various classes on offering: http://www.streetsofperth.com.au/perth/d/dancing.htm

And if salsa is your drug then you have definitely come to the right den of pleasure, since there is salsa on every day of the week. Beginner? No problem! Some places will give you an intro lesson before the night’s festivities. See http://www.danzaloca.com/ for more info.

If you are looking for a more regular schedule, you may swish to your heart’s content with a class from The Rapture. http://www.therapture.com.au/. For a complete list of available classes, see http://cityguides.salsaweb.com/australia/perth.htm. Also includes a nice weekly schedule of what’s on and where, all you need is Google maps to locate them.

Doofs
Perth has a live and kicking bushdoof scene with plenty of Psychedelic trance for you to get into on a regular basis. You can't hear Psy-trance in any pub or club in the city, so the bushdoofs are your friend. There are doofs on every week or two throughout the summer, produced by a number of local groups. The ones that aren't Psytrance tend to be closer to (or in) the city. For the uninitiated a doof is essentially a party featuring techno dance music of some variety. The word is the sound of the music - "Doof Doof Doof Doof Doof Doof Doof Doof Doof ". A bush doof is one of these parties held about an hour or two out of the city in the bush. Natural surroundings, mad music and party people all around you. Nice one bruvver. Go here and introduce yourself to get an idea of what's happening in Perth's local Psytrance world. http://www.perthlings.com

Click here and get on the forums for national Psytrance action: http://www.australiens.net/ Click here for other national doof events: http://www.inthemix.com.au/

Sailing
Perth is a fantastic place to get into sailing and there are lots of yacht clubs here to prove it. Many will give you tuition or experience on different types of yachts; it’s really just a matter of what the club focuses on. Here are some neat lists of Perth yacht clubs:

There is also an easier way to take out a little catamaran; you can hire them on the south Perth foreshore all through summer. Costing about $30/hour, these little beauties can get up a decently reckless pace given some 15-20 knot winds. The jibs are furled when you get them, but you can unfurl them and quickly clip them onto the jib sheet. Here's the site if you want to organise tuition: http://www.funcats.com.au/index.html
 * http://www.yachte.com.au/clubs/wa.asp
 * http://www.perthperth.com/yachtclubsperth.htm

Kings Park
About half of Kings Park, or roughly 200 ha, is native bush. That much bush just 5 km away from the city centre! It is full of walking trails. You can find more info at the website of the management agency, go to: http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/

Bold Park
Bold Park is also managed by the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, and recently had an upgrade in its facilities. It has some walking tracks, including one that takes you to the top of Reabold Hill and gives an amazing view to the city centre to the east, and to the coastline just to the west. You’ll notice how green and full of trees Perth is when you look out from this vantage point. Bold Park is next to Perry Lakes, where you can have a BBQ or picnic and maybe see some turtles in the water. To get to Bold Park, drive from the city towards City Beach, along Oceanic Drive, and you’ll see a sign to turn off into the park. Go check out City Beach afterwards! Info at: http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/

Other spots to check out
Trigg Bushland is a bushland near Trigg Beach, with lovely coastal bush and some walking trails. Make sure you also visit Trigg Beach and go snorkelling at Metam’s Pool. Star Swamp bushland is a little north of Trigg, and has coastal and swamp elements of vegetation, and some lovely walking trails.

Herdsman Lake is a natural wetland and lake in Wembley with limestone walking trails around the lake. Lake Monger is an artificial lake in Wembley/Leederville that has been revegetated with wetland species. It is chockers full of black swans and other birds. It has a 3.5km circle bike/walking path around it, so it’s great for outdoor exercise.

Wireless Hill in Booragoon is very nice bushland with some walking trails and good views. Woodman Point is a bushland park on the coast south of Fremantle, with some nice walking trails through it.

Whiteman Park in the northeast of the metro region is a huge bushland reserve, mainly Banksia woodlands, with walking trails.

The Perth Hills
The Perth Hills contain an abundance of bushwalking tracks leading through these hills among the suburbs facing the city. Kalamunda, Lesmurdie, Gooseberry Hill, Walliston and Darlington all contain a number of bush tracks to wander along for a great escape to the outdoors. Perhaps the most accessible and closest to civilisation in the Perth Hills would be the Railway track which runs from the Zig Zag in Gooseberry Hill to central Kalamunda. It is an historical track that follows the path the trains ran a few decades ago.

The top of central Kalamunda is also the beginning of the Bibulmun track which runs nearly 1000 kilometres down to Albany. The Bibulmun track passes through several towns as it heads south and is divided into about 50 sections, each of which are approximately one day’s walk. The first section from Kalamunda runs through to Mundaring Weir and is highly recommended for easy accessibility to and from the track via public transport, not to mention the pubs located near each end of the section.

Other attractions among the Perth Hills that are also easily accessible are Lesmurdie Falls (Lesmurdie) and Piesse Brook which runs through the valley east of Kalamunda and Gooseberry Hill.

Another notable walk is the Cape to Cape walk on the south west coast of WA. It stretches along the full extent of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge covering a total of 135km of coastline. It starts at the lighthouse of Cape Naturaliste (west of Dunsborough) and finished in Cape Leeuwin (just south of Augusta).

John Forrest National Park is an excellent example of the Jarrah forest vegetation of the area, and the old railway tracks now make excellent trails. It’s 1600 ha in size, and about 26 km from Perth city centre.

The following websites are useful for aspiring bushwalkers:
 * http://www.naturebase.org.au
 * http://www.bowa.iinet.net.au
 * http://www.perthbushwalkers.asn.au/
 * http://www.john.chapman.name/wa-w.html
 * http://www.perthbushwalkers.asn.au/

Mountain Biking
There are many areas around the Perth Hills that are ideal and open to Mountain Biking. The suburb of Greenmount is best known in the area for its popular downhill tracks and is located by the Great Eastern Highway.

The most notable feature of WA mountain biking is the Munda Bidi Trail which takes a similar path to the Bibulmun Track. It stretches 900 km to Albany; however, it begins at Mundaring rather than Kalamunda which is a little bit harder to access. There are sections of the track that vary in difficulty, but the ranges of age that can be found amongst its many riders attest that most people can achieve it.

There are several Mountain bike clubs throughout Perth that would be helpful for visiting enthusiasts and can be found through the following website:

http://www2.wamba.asn.au/

Margaret River (Margs)
When they say this, most people are actually referring to the whole region between Augusta and the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse in the south to Yallingup and Busselton in the north. The actual town of Margaret River lies in the middle of this amazing region. Go to this link and download the PDF of this map: http://www.margaretriver.com/pages.asp?code=112 It provides a great overview of what to do/see and where it all happens. Then, you just need to decide if you'd prefer to head for a swim or surf at one of the spectacular beaches...or perhaps a tour of some of the wineries and breweries in the area (this region produces some of Australia's and the world's greatest wines).... or maybe visiting the caves and some bushwalking is more your style... or perhaps four wheel driving and fishing is your preference.... The whole region is outstanding; missing it would truly be your loss. For bookings and detailed information on the area go here: http://www.margaretriver.com/pages.asp?code=500

Ningaloo Reef
This place is truly an oasis of sheer natural beauty. The reef runs along the WA coast from just south of Coral Bay to just north of Exmouth. It is the world's largest fringing reef and hosts an astonishing array of beautiful reef fish, turtles, coral and the real showpieces; Manta rays, Humpback whales and Whale Sharks. Now "What the hell is a fringing reef?" I hear you asking... Essentially this means the reef is just off the beach, rather than being an hour away on a boat like all the Great Barrier Reef. So you can get goggles, snorkel and flippers and swim 5m out from the beach and you really are on the reef itself. Paradise. Every day you can just pick a different spot along the beach and swim out, always something new. So what's the point of all those tours then? Essentially they will take you to particularly nice spots along the coastline to see it. You can do that in a 4WD, on a quad bike (heaps of fun) or on a number of different boats. From a cruising catamaran to the glass bottomed variety, it's all there. Since there is always a need for workers, you can get deals to work in exchange for cheap accommodation and money. Meet other locals in the bar and see what other cool spots they can tell you about or take you to. Do not miss the opportunity to swim with Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. Both of them are harmless to humans (the ray has no sting and the shark eats plankton). No words or video can describe the beauty of these creatures moving in the water right next to you. Both these tours require a boat and a spotter plane to take you to them, so they're not cheap. Thus the question you have to ask yourself is, "Am I really going to be happy to be this close and NOT do this thing?" It's only money and you don’t get a second life. For the location overview and more information, go here: http://www.ningalooreef.net/exmouth/ningalooreef.html

Albany
Albany is the oldest town of Western Australia and is located on the State’s southern coast. It is approximately 400km south-east of Perth and accessible via the aptly named Albany Highway.

With tourism as one of its main industries, Albany is home to many tourist attractions including the Whaling Museum, Albany Convict Gaol, The Princess Royal Fortress. The town also possesses an abundance of natural attractions such as “The Gap”, Natural Bridge (of granite), Blow holes and spectacular views via natural lookouts around King George Sound. It is also renowned for its coastline, attractive beaches and bays including Middleton Beach, Emu Point and Two Peoples Bay.

Albany is located near several other tourist attractions located in the Lower South of WA including Denmark and William Bay, Walpole and the Tree Top Walk, and the Porongurup and Stirling Ranges.

Shell Beach
Shell Beach is a unique stretch of beach situated in the Shark Bay region of Western Australia, about 45 Km south-east of the town of Denham. It is comprised completely of small white shells from 7 to 10 meters in depth. There is only one other beach in the world made entirely of shells.

Some parts of the beach are so densely packed with shells, that locals have actually cut blocks of shells out and used them to build buildings. These include a telegraph station and the Old Pearler restaurant in Denham. Such buildings efforts have been stopped since Shark Bay has been inducted into the world heritage list… so no littering!

Shell beach is just one of many locations offering unique attractions around the Shark Bay Region which is located approximately 800 km north of Perth.

Esperance
Esperance is a short 9 hour drive southeast of Perth, through farm country. Once you arrive, you’ll be so happy; it’s beautiful! Whitest white beaches with sand soooo fine it squeaks underfoot. The beaches are truly lovely, though the water is cold (thanks to the Southern Ocean). Great beaches include West Beach and Twilight Cove. The Recherche Archipelago is a cluster of granite islands just off the town’s coast. You can travel for an hour by boat to Woody Island and camp there, snorkel in its sheltered bay, and even have fun on the water slide in the middle of the bay (www.woodyisland.com.au). Other great camping spots include Lucky Bay and Wilie Bay. The fishing is good in Esperance (head down the jetty, you may even spot Sammy Seal there) and you can give surfing a try at the nice learner sized waves at 4 Mile Beach.

Denmark Dinosaur World
Whilst I was forced to go in for the sheer novelty of a dinosaur world way out in south-west Australia, this place is also a living reptile and bird park. Once you take the obligatory photos of the crazy skeletons in the main area, you must check out the bunch of Australian reptiles and parrots too....but WAIT, that's not all!! The owners have hand raised some of the parrots so you can have them sitting on your hand or shoulder (or head) and get more photos while you give them a bit of a scratch... Get in touch with your inner pirate and check it out: http://dinosaurworld.com.au/

Western Australian Wine Guide
Western Australia only produces some 3-5% of the total Australian output, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality, often producing world leading wines from many small boutique wineries.

The main wine growing region is the South-West focused around the small town of Margaret River which is three hours south of Perth. The second major region is the Swan-River region which is just to the east of Perth and hosts a major festival each year called “Spring in the Valley” which sees many local people going tasting then swaying their way back to home.

Very little of what is on offer in Western Australia reaches the European and USA markets, but this is gradually changing.

Western Australia is blessed with over 150 wineries. The wineries can be grouped by their physical location into different regions which are: Coastal, Great Southern, Margaret River, Pemberton, Perth Hills and the Swan Valley. The regions span from within 30 minutes from Perth to the Southern regions which can be a 3-4 hours drive, but well worth the time.

The Swan Valley
The Swan Valley is a 30 minute drive from Perth. In the region you will find wildlife and historical parks, bushland, arts and crafts, and most importantly, several wineries. Like the wineries in other regions, many of the Swan Valley wineries also offer fine cuisine with restaurants on-site. The Swan Valley is especially known for its fortified wines, produced with help from the hot Perth Summer. The Swan Valley is also breathtakingly beautiful in wild flower season. So make a spring day of it and drift from winery to winery.

Margaret River
The Margaret River region is world renowned for its excellence in viticulture. The region was only discovered as perfect for vine growing about 30 years ago. Today, you can find dozens and dozens of fine wineries within a few kilometres of one another. The Margaret River wineries love to welcome visitors for wine tastings, meals in their first class restaurants, and a stroll around their beautiful grounds. "Margarets" is famous for its prize winning cabernets, but you can sample the full range of wines in most of the wineries.

Margaret River wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and of course blends from these. In addition, there are a few lesser known varieties that are well worth a try, don’t miss Churchview's Marsanne, a beautiful light white and the more recent production of Zinfandel.

Coastal Region
The Coastal region runs from Wanneroo to Busselton. The wineries are not grouped, so you will need to be prepared to drive a little. However, with wineries like Capel Vale and Peel Estate are certainly worth it. Why not pop in on your way down to Margaret River?

Great Southern Region
The Great Southern region describes the region formed by the Albany/Denmark/Mount Barker triangle. It is less established than Margaret River, but has the advantage of being unspoiled by too much tourism. The region has produced extraordinary Rieslings, and make sure you sample Wignall's award winning Pinot.

Living Here
This section is specifically for people wanting to live here. We get the same questions pretty regularly and in the hopes of providing the most accurate information possible, we’ve created this mini-guide to living in Perth.

Great Suburbs to Live in
We often get asked which areas of Perth are good to live in. Perth is really spread out, and if you don’t have a car, you will want to live somewhere central, or close to a train station or a good bus route. I’ve kept that in mind when listing suburbs below – these are all pretty accessible suburbs. Then, decide whether you want inner city, the beach, the nightlife and maybe go check out the suburbs listed below and see which you like. To find out where these suburbs are, use http://maps.google.com.au/.

Inner city (i.e. walk/cycle to city centre): Northbridge, Highgate, Mt Lawley, North Perth, East Perth, West Perth, Subiaco, West Leederville, South Perth.

If you love the beach: Fremantle, North Fremantle, Cottesloe, Mosman Park, Swanbourne – are all lovely, very close to nice beaches, are along the train line to Freo, and tend to have share accommodation.

City Beach and Scarborough are also great and on the beach, accessible by bus.

University Areas (so probably lots of student share houses): University of WA - Nedlands, Shenton Park; Curtin Uni – Bentley, Como, Victoria Park, East Vic Park; Murdoch Uni – Murdoch (quite a ways from city centre), ECU Mt Lawley – Mt Lawley, Highgate.

Fun areas (i.e. good night life and café strips etc): Fremantle, Northbridge, Highgate, Mt Lawley, North Perth, Maylands, Subiaco, Leederville, Como, Vic Park.

Rental Accommodation
Usually you can only find rental houses/units with six month or one year leases. Affordable housing can be hard to find in Perth, due to the boom. Looking for a flat on your own can be especially difficult and expensive, so most people share a place with 2 or 3 house mates. Rent is quoted per week and ranges from 100-200 for a non-furnished place in most neighbourhoods to 250-500 for furnished flats. Expect to pay 2 weeks deposit as bond, and if you are signing a lease yourself, an additional 4 weeks rent upfront.

You can look in the community newspapers (there are different ones for each area of Perth, see http://www.communitynews.com.au/OurNewspapers/tabid/55/Default.aspx), The West Australian on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and The Sunday Times newspaper.

Look online for rentals or house share options:
 * http://www.domain.com.au - has a dedicated Share section
 * http://www.realestate.com.au - biggest property portal in Australia, has a dedicated Share section
 * http://www.thewest.com.au/property.htm
 * http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/classifieds/realo.shtml
 * Share Accommodation Perth - EasyRoommate.com, the biggest flatmate site in Australia, might require a paid subscription to see all contact details
 * http://www.share-accommodation.net - lots of listings, requires paid subscription
 * http://www.gumtree.com.au – check the short term share accommodation on the Perth page.

Walk Around
Another strategy is to find a neighbourhood you like and look for notice boards at supermarkets, the library, community centres. And chat to people - word of mouth is often the best way to find a place.

Noticeboards at Universities
Check the notice boards at the unis and Tafes. And put your own notice up saying you are looking for short term share accommodation.

University of WA: 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley. Take the bus from St Georges Terrace or the busport in the city. Buses to UWA are: 23, 78, 97, 98/99, 102, 103 and 107. Or catch a train to Subiaco Train station and then catch the 97 shuttle bus to UWA. You’ll see the uni and know when to get off! More info: http://www.uwa.edu.au/university/crawley/transport Make your way to the libraries and the cafeteria and you’ll find notice boards. (Go have a look at the lovely Swan River foreshore while you are at the uni! The UWA grounds are also lovely to walk through).

Curtin Uni: Public transport to Curtin - From Wellington St bus station in the city, take buses 34, 940. From Esplanade busport take bus 35. (The 72 & 75 go to Curtin from St Georges Tce or Busport) http://www.about.curtin.edu.au/where/gettingtocurtin.cfm

ECU Mt Lawley: To get there by bus, see http://www.ecu.edu.au/fas/EcoECU/publictransport.php. From Perth City, bus numbers 17, 19, 886, 887, 889, and ECU Special 777.

Employment
Perth is currently in a huge job boom, so there is plenty of work to be had, especially if you are aiming for bottom of the ladder occupations. Plenty of more lucrative opportunities are available in the mining industry for those with work visas and experience. See links:


 * Jobsearch - http://www.jobsearch.com.au is an excellent Job search portal that covers the links below and also targets specific industries/categories/age groups.
 * Recruit.net - http://australia.recruit.net/
 * Seek - http://www.seek.com.au – biggest online job site
 * http://www.careerone.com.au
 * http://olps.thewest.com.au/olps/employment/home.do
 * Temp agencies – there is a number of temp agencies targeting back-packers. You can find a list of them on the stoned crow website http://www.stonedcrow.com/employment/agencies.htm
 * Woof – organized farms stays with room/board exchanged for labour. http://www.wwoof.com.au/
 * Workstay - an employment agency that arranges jobs for backpackers in Australia, mostly employment in the fruit growing industry http://www.workstay.com.au/
 * Orchard Trail – pick apples for money. http://www.applejournal.com/au01.htm

Buying Stuff
There is a host of second hand options for those on a budget. Often picked up for bargain prices (or for free), you can find appliances, furniture, clothing, and electronics by checking out the following: Online: Cars: You can try the Travellers Autobarn on Newcastle St in Northbridge (more info at http://travellers-autobarn.com/). Look Online:  Bikes, furniture: Op shops (second hand stores). Great ones are in Cannington, along Albany Hwy in Vic Park, and in Osborne Park.
 * Good Sammy – used clothes stores for cheap prices
 * St Vinnies – charity shops for second hand goods.
 * Quokka – WA’s paper of choice for selling and buying anything.
 * Gumtree – online classified ads for Perth. http://perth.gumtree.com.au/
 * Trading Post – Same as Gumtree but for all of AU. http://www.tradingpost.com.au
 * Hard rubbish disposal – March-April is the time when most neighbourhoods in Perth have hard rubbish disposal (aka chuck out). This is the time to troll the streets looking for appliances and furniture. You are sure to pick up amazing goods for free.
 * http://www.quokka.com.au
 * http://www.gumtree.com.au
 * http://www.ebay.com.au
 * http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/classifieds
 * http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/classifieds/search_page.html
 * http://www.carsguide.news.com.au/site/
 * http://www.drive.com.au
 * http://www.carsales.com.au
 * http://www.quokka.com.au
 * http://www.gumtree.com.au

Perth CS Group Guides and Info
Perth CS Camping Etiquette Guide

Climate
Perth has a Mediterranean climate, with warm to hot summers and cool, wet winters. Summer temperatures average between 25° and 35° during the day and between 15° and 20° at night. The average winter temperature is 15° during the day and around 8° at night.

Shopping
Most of the shopping in CBD happens in the Hay and Murray street malls. Shops are open 9-5 every day with larger stores closing at 6pm. Thursday night is late night shopping in the suburbs, stores stay open until 9pm. Friday is CBD late night shopping. Everything is open on Saturdays, but only shops in CBD and Fremantle are open on Sundays (12-5pm).

Banks
Most banks are open from 9.30am to 4.00pm, and to 5.00pm on Fridays. ANZ’s Murray Street branch is open on Sat and Sundays. You will find an ATM on every corner in Perth and Fremantle.

Alcohol
Alcohol in Perth can be bought at bottle shops. Places like LiquorLand and Vintage Cellars will sell a variety of spirits, beers, and wines. Drive Through Liquor Stores such as Thirsty Camel is a concept unique to Australia. These are usually open until quite late. It is considered polite to park your car outside and walk through if you are intending to browse and take your time.

Tax
Everyone need a Tax File Number (TFN) in order to work in Australia, you should apply for that as soon as you get a bank account. See www.ATO.gov.au for more info. trash:Perth hitch:Perth