Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Catching a Silent Wave
The incredible Wave Rock, a 4-hour drive east of Perth, attracts thousands
of visitors each year. Standing 15m (45-ft.) tall and running for 110m (330
ft.), this multi-colored “wave” of granite has been shaped by wind and
water over an estimated 2,700 million years. Stand at its base, and it feels
as if a huge, silent surf wave will break right on top of you!
Wave Rock is about 340km (210 miles) east of Perth, near the wheat-
belt town of Hyden. See “Tour Operators” for details on two companies
that stop here.
Moments
1 Perth
¡
4,405km (2,731 miles) W of Sydney; 2,389km (1,481 miles) S of Broome
If you like Sydney, you'll like Perth. It has the same silver skyscrapers glinting
under a blue sky, the same youthful, energetic outdoorsy vibrancy, and, like
Sydney, the sparkling ocean and glorious white beaches are just a bus ride from
downtown. Perth likes to boast it gets more sunshine than any other city in Aus-
tralia, some 300 days a year. Wander through the impressively restored historic
warehouses, museums, and working docks of bustling
Fremantle;
stock up at
the plentiful Aboriginal art and souvenir stores; visit some great art galleries and
museums; eat at some of the country's best restaurants; go snorkeling and sea
kayaking with wild sea lions; bushwalk through a 400-hectare (1,000-acre) park
in the middle of the city; and pedal your bike to a great snorkeling spot on
Rot-
tnest Island
, a miniature reef resort 19km (12 miles) offshore.
More than most other Aussie capitals, Perth gives you several good choices of
side trips: Drop in on the Benedictine monks in the Spanish Renaissance
monastery town of
New Norcia
, nip out to the Swan Valley vineyards, or
spend a few days in
Margaret River
country, one of Australia's top wine
regions. The long, dry summer is the best time to visit; winter is rainy.
ORIENTATION
ARRIVING By Plane Qantas
(
&
13 13 13
in Australia; www.qantas.com.
au) flies at least once a day, if not more often, from all mainland state capitals,
either direct or with mostly only one stop.
Airlink
(book through Qantas) flies
direct from Alice Springs, and from Cairns via Ayers Rock. Airlink also flies
from Broome and Darwin, and operates flights from many small towns within
Western Australia.
Virgin Blue
(
&
13 67 89
in Australia; www.virginblue.com)
flies direct from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide, with connections
from other cities.
Perth Airport
is 12km (7
1
⁄
2
miles) northeast of the city. Allow a 15- to
20-minute transfer time between the international and domestic terminals. Both
have ATMs, showers, baby-change rooms, lockers, a post box (newsdealers sell
stamps), and a limited range of tourist information. Internet kiosks and cur-
rency-exchange bureaus are in the international and Qantas domestic terminals.
The international terminal has cellphones for rent.
Avis
(
&
08/9277 1177 domestic terminal, 08/9477 1302 international termi-
nal),
Budget
(
&
08/9277 9277),
EuropCar
(
&
08/9237 4320),
Hertz
(
&
08/
9479 4788), and
Thrifty
(
&
08/9464 7333) have desks at both terminals.
