Mother (72) / Daughter Trip - Australia - Sydney, Perth/WA, ?
Aug 19th, 2012, 07:19 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mother (72) / Daughter Trip - Australia - Sydney, Perth/WA, ?
My 72-year-old mother is coming to visit me in Perth mid-November through mid December this year. She will be flying in from Los Angeles and I'm trying to first decide which city to have her fly into. I'm thinking of meeting her in whichever city that is, spending maybe 4 days there and then bringing her back to WA for the rest of her time here. She'll be here about a month. I'll be working most of the time so we'll be taking 2-4 day trips on weekends and when I can take a 4 day weekend from work. So, I'm looking for advice on what to do in Sydney for the first 4 days she arrives, and what to do on the weekends with Perth as our base.
It has been her life-long dream to visit Australia so I really want to show her a good time. I'm sure she has visions of Australia that she's seen in movies, or imagined her in head. I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is she is hoping for. She keeps mentioning, "the outback" and she has a very adventurous spirit. She loves animals and nature and acts MUCH younger than others her age. She doesn't care about going out to dinner, bars, shopping, museums, golf, fancy hotels, music, art. Doesn't like any of that at all. So it's a..ahem.. challenge for me to figure out what to do.
But, I know this is a once-in-a-life trip for her so I want to make it special!
She would love to see dolphins, any native animals, and again, she keeps talking about 'the outback" so I'm not sure what she's fantasizing about quite yet until I talk to her again. So, any advice would be MUCH appreciated. Kangaroo Island? Rottnest? Broome? I'm new here myself so I'm not entirely sure. Thanks in advance!
It has been her life-long dream to visit Australia so I really want to show her a good time. I'm sure she has visions of Australia that she's seen in movies, or imagined her in head. I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is she is hoping for. She keeps mentioning, "the outback" and she has a very adventurous spirit. She loves animals and nature and acts MUCH younger than others her age. She doesn't care about going out to dinner, bars, shopping, museums, golf, fancy hotels, music, art. Doesn't like any of that at all. So it's a..ahem.. challenge for me to figure out what to do.
But, I know this is a once-in-a-life trip for her so I want to make it special!She would love to see dolphins, any native animals, and again, she keeps talking about 'the outback" so I'm not sure what she's fantasizing about quite yet until I talk to her again. So, any advice would be MUCH appreciated. Kangaroo Island? Rottnest? Broome? I'm new here myself so I'm not entirely sure. Thanks in advance!
Aug 19th, 2012, 03:54 PM
#2
Hi Kritter -
I live in Perth too, but get to the US once or twice a year. We fly from LAX or SFO to Narita, then on to Singapore then on to Perth. I've never flown via the eastern states as our FF status is with Star Alliance and the connections don't work well for us.
I find Singapore the perfect resting stop, as the wonderfully efficient Changi has the Transit Hotel, the Transit lounge, and it's easy to leave the airport for a few hours if needed.
Singapore also makes a great place for a stopover, and your Mom could see two countries instead of one, but it sounds as if you've already decided on Sydney?
For some ideas on what to do in/around Perth on the weekends, you might want to take a look at my thread on Perth and the Vicinity...it's a running blog of things I've discovered while in Perth over the past four years. I also have several reports from deeper into WA such as Kalgoorlie (did someone say Outback?), the Great Southern, Esperance, the NW and of course the beautiful SW of WA. Just click on my screen name and scroll down through Trip Reports.
http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...d-vicinity.cfm
Broome is a bit ambitious for a four day weekend - it's more than 2,000 km away, three hours by air, and quite expensive to get to and stay in from what I understand.
Many people love Rotto, but I'm not amongst them. Your Mom might enjoy it though.
For dolphins, you could head to Busselton (2.5 hours south of Perth), for penguins, Penguin Island near Rockingham, for local animals, Caversham Wildlife Park in the Swan Valley, for wild, yet slightly accustomed to people kangaroos, Pinnaroo Memorial Park (a cemetery), for completely wild kangaroos...well lots of places, for koalas (which aren't native to WA) Yanchep Nat'l Park, the Perth Zoo and Caversham again (of these I prefer Yanchep and Caversham).
You can also occasionally see dolphins in the Swan River. I highly recommend the Capt Cook Cruise from Barrack Street Jetty to Fremantle - it's the perfect introduction to Perth.
For the Outback...perhaps a weekend up at Kalgoorlie - the drive alone is an adventure. It's about eight hours each way, but will give her a nice taste of the Outback and the rough and tumble world of the mining industry.
If you do make it to South Australia at some point, the 7-8 hour drive to Coober Pedy from Adelaide is well worth the long drive - serious Outback with underground living.
I live in Perth too, but get to the US once or twice a year. We fly from LAX or SFO to Narita, then on to Singapore then on to Perth. I've never flown via the eastern states as our FF status is with Star Alliance and the connections don't work well for us.
I find Singapore the perfect resting stop, as the wonderfully efficient Changi has the Transit Hotel, the Transit lounge, and it's easy to leave the airport for a few hours if needed.
Singapore also makes a great place for a stopover, and your Mom could see two countries instead of one, but it sounds as if you've already decided on Sydney?
For some ideas on what to do in/around Perth on the weekends, you might want to take a look at my thread on Perth and the Vicinity...it's a running blog of things I've discovered while in Perth over the past four years. I also have several reports from deeper into WA such as Kalgoorlie (did someone say Outback?), the Great Southern, Esperance, the NW and of course the beautiful SW of WA. Just click on my screen name and scroll down through Trip Reports.
http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...d-vicinity.cfm
Broome is a bit ambitious for a four day weekend - it's more than 2,000 km away, three hours by air, and quite expensive to get to and stay in from what I understand.
Many people love Rotto, but I'm not amongst them. Your Mom might enjoy it though.
For dolphins, you could head to Busselton (2.5 hours south of Perth), for penguins, Penguin Island near Rockingham, for local animals, Caversham Wildlife Park in the Swan Valley, for wild, yet slightly accustomed to people kangaroos, Pinnaroo Memorial Park (a cemetery), for completely wild kangaroos...well lots of places, for koalas (which aren't native to WA) Yanchep Nat'l Park, the Perth Zoo and Caversham again (of these I prefer Yanchep and Caversham).
You can also occasionally see dolphins in the Swan River. I highly recommend the Capt Cook Cruise from Barrack Street Jetty to Fremantle - it's the perfect introduction to Perth.
For the Outback...perhaps a weekend up at Kalgoorlie - the drive alone is an adventure. It's about eight hours each way, but will give her a nice taste of the Outback and the rough and tumble world of the mining industry.
If you do make it to South Australia at some point, the 7-8 hour drive to Coober Pedy from Adelaide is well worth the long drive - serious Outback with underground living.
Aug 20th, 2012, 06:46 AM
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for these! I will look them all up. Also, having only been in Perth for four weeks, I will explore some of this myself She may come in March now due to schedule. Good to know this Singapore info too. Much appreciated!
She may come in March now due to schedule. Good to know this Singapore info too. Much appreciated!
Aug 20th, 2012, 02:51 PM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,407
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kangaroo Island is teeming with wildlife. That said, I don't know WA so there could be many options closer to you. In any case, my pics from KI if you'd like to see what's there share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNnDlk5YtmbsY We spent 3 nights on the island, 2 at Hanson Bay on the western end and 1 in Penneshaw in the east.
