AlphaTangoMike

Hi all,

I’m planning a 2 week trip to WA in early September 2010. My wife and I will be flying from Singapore to Perth. The primary purpose of this visit is a 2 week holiday. While there, we will also be having a good look around with a view to settling in Perth within the next few years. I’ve read through some of the forum archives and a lot of comments are along the lines of: “if this is a recce trip, don’t be in holiday mode”, etc. I’m hoping to combine the two purposes. A holiday and some fact-finding.

We will be looking around at suburbs and supermarkets and general cost / quality of living, distance to Perth CBD and traffic during rush hour, etc. We’ve been expats for over 12 years, so we’re quite used to moving abroad and settling / adjusting. We are hoping that Australia will be our final destination, somewhere to start a family, etc.

Now onto the fun part, as per the many tourist guide books, resources on the internet (including this forum), I’ve found a fair amount of things to do and see within Perth and the surrounding region. Particularly heading south down to Margaret River and possibly further South East. As I mentioned in the beginning, we want to spend 2 weeks in WA, but we don’t want to be confined to one area. (I.e. a holiday rental in Perth NOR). I would like some suggestions on itinerary – i.e. 5 days in Perth area is enough to see everything, before heading down for a slow, leisurely drive down to MR. Then spend x nights in such a place, before heading to x place to spend x nights there, etc. (Places to spend the night, etc). I.e. I would love some opinions on where to spend time and what to see.

We will be hiring a car for the two weeks, possibly picking up at Perth airport (from what I’ve seen, some of the car hire companies charge an airport surcharge – is it better to get a taxi / transfer to a hotel and pickup a hire car in Perth itself?)

Accommodation seems to cost in the region of $200 per night for decent looking hotels / B&B’s, so if anyone has any recommendations on the following, that would be great:

Any other recommendations for restaurants, accommodation, places of interest - off the beaten track and any other tips and advice would be greatly appreciated.

If there are links to recce reports, blogs, etc with such information, please share the links.

Thanks!

daunted

sounds like a good trip! I live in Australind which is just north of Bunbury. Was down at Margaret River on Sunday. You should check out Hamelin Bay (Stingrays come up to shoreline to let you stroke them) and the scenery is beautiful. There is a caravan park right at the beach front but no idea of cost etc
enjoy your trip x

renth

Be aware, the weather in the SW is likely to be pretty crap in early September i.e. chilly and wet.

This is a great place to stay just outside Margaret River:

http://www.isaacsridge.com.au/pages.asp?code=10

Have a good time.

Amazulu

My favourite spot in the SW is Denmark - awesome beaches, vineyards, great food. Albany is nearby and is also worth a visit. Only thing is it's a good few hours more driving past Margaret River area.

galba

If you're here for 2 weeks, I would be spending 1 week in Perth checking things out and 1week in the SW -our preferred spot is Dunsborough and Yallingup. With the new bypass it is only 2.75 hours to get there.

We used privateprop.com.au to find a rental property and it was BEAUTIFUL! We've also stayed at Bunker Bay and it was excellent.

For ease we always get a hire car at the airport, if you are getting a night flight that arrives around midnight there can be 3 or 4 BIG planes all arriving at the same time and the wait at cutoms can be endless. I would rather pay the extra few dollars and get the car rather than queuing for a taxi.

In Perth, if you are childless then I would be staying somewhere close to the city centre or even Subiaco. There will be more to do of an evening whereas in the outer suburbs everything seems to go quiet around 6pm.
\

HelenTD

The SW of WA and the Great Southern are great places to visit. We also prefer Dunsborough and Yallinyup to Margaret River. Yallinyup is one of those places where we think, "if we won lotto, we'd buy here". Some fantastic beaches and walks, craft and art galleries, vineyards, breweries, ice cream factory, etc, etc. Lots of places to visit on the way down to Margaret River - coastline dotted with limestone caves to visit, too.

Margaret River is a very popular place, lots of accommodation and places to eat. We last stayed there about 4 years ago, and it feels more like a couples destination than for those with families. Boranup Forest and Hamelin Bay worth visiting too.

Augusta's nice, where Indian Ocean and Soutern Ocean meet. Good place for whale spotting, you'd have to look up the season, but I think that Sept is a good time for it, as it is in Perth.

Walpole and Inlet, Karri forest walkway (Valley of the Giants) worth visiting on the way to Denmark, located on the Denmark River and Wilson Inlet, which is one of the most scenic places in WA, if not the most scenic - a must (another "if I won lotto ..." place). William Bay National Park, including Parry's Beach (if you have 4WD or AWD) where you can drive along the beach, Green's Pool just west of Denmark is also fantastic. More vineyards, craft and art galleries, etc, etc.

Torbay, between Denmark and Albany, also has some great beaches. Note: ocean would be considered by some to be a bit nippy in September, but it's so fantastically clear that you have to go in.

East of Albany, right across to Esperence and east of there also fantastic. At this point you are 8 hours drive away from Perth.

Wildflowers will be out - check website for updates of where they are flowering when you get here. Try http://www.stayz.com.au/accommodation/wa for accommodation, also local visitors centres. Be warned: it is a hell of a long drive from MR to Denmark, along a narrow, winding and very scenic South Coast Highway. We just did the drive once and it seemed to take all day. Closer to the time, perhaps start up a thread, or look for an old one, about driving in WA.

AlphaTangoMike

Thanks for all the great tips and ideas, keep 'em coming.