Exploring Perth

We discovered that one way to explore and see Perth at the least cost is to use the public transport - train and bus.

For just A$12.00, a family of seven people (Group of 7 with two adults maximum) can hop on and off the train and bus (operated by Transperth) unlimited times from as early at 5.30am till mid-night during weekends and public holidays.

This trip to Perth, we took advantage of this facility and travelled as far as the train could go to the north as well as to the south.

After getting off from the train at the northernmost Station - Butler, we took the bus to visit Two Rocks, a very small town by the sea.

True to the words of the staff at Butler Station, there is really nothing much to see in Two Rocks. Besides the two rocks at the sea front, we could see quite a number of boats berthed at the jetty but hardly any people. At the sea front, we did see the head of King Neptune at a distance. King Neptune was once the icon of the great Atlantis Marine Theme Park that thrived in the heart of this area. Since the closure of the park, the statute however has remained as an icon of the area (Read here). I do remember the very first time I visited Perth with my family in the 80’s, Atlantis was then one of the major attractions. During our most recent visit to Two Rocks, we could not go to have a closer look at this giant statute because we were not driving.

At Two Rocks, the only person who “entertained” us was the bus driver at the bus station next to the only grocery shop before we returned to the train station. He talked about his personal misfortune of being once a rich man in UK and then becoming a poor bus driver after being “abandoned” by his wife after they moved to settle down in Perth. He said that his wife ran off with his best friend. For the divorce, he said he had to give up 60% of his assets based on Australian laws. That was a story that we listened with a big pinch of salt!

Besides the bus driver, we were lucky to meet an unexpected creature – a blue tongued lizard.

King Neptune

****************************************************

In another day, we took the train and travelled south to the southernmost Station – Mandurah, which is 110 Km south of Butler Station.

Mandurah is indeed a pleasant place to visit. It feels like a bit of Perth city and a bit of Fremantle but at a much smaller scale. It is no wonder that developers can find the location attractive enough to build service apartments and holiday homes to attract holiday makers and retirees.

Cicerello’s “Fish & Chips” which is well known in Fremantle has a replicate here at the sea front.

***************************************************

As an Engineer, I was impressed by an old timber bridge that is still being used to support a paved road for heavy vehicular traffic!