Melnq8's Perth/Freo/MR Trip Report
Aug 5th, 2005, 06:42 PM
#1
Melnq8's Perth/Freo/MR Trip Report
NOTE: All prices in Australian dollars
We live in Indonesia, so we flew from Pekanbaru to Singapore on Garuda, where we had a two hour layover before our Singapore Air flight to Perth.
We can’t check our luggage through from Pekanbaru, so we always stop at the transit desk in Singapore to collect our boarding passes and to have our luggage moved internally to our connecting flight. We’ve done this three times now, and in every case, we’ve flown with Singapore Air and in every case our luggage was not on our flight with us, and we had to wait a day or two for it to turn up at our destination. There’s not much else we can do, so we just cross our fingers and pack our carry on bags accordingly.
Our flight was late in boarding, but we were amazed to see all passengers of the fully booked 777, boarded and seated in 20-30 minutes. We left 40 minutes late, but made up the time in the air, arriving in Perth some 4.5 hours later. Gotta love that short flight!
The flight was fine – the service was excellent (we were in Business Class) and the food was edible. The Ben and Jerry’s Double Fudge Brownie ice cream we had for dessert was particularly edible.
We arrived in Perth just past midnight and waited anxiously for our luggage. And waited, and waited, and waited… Some 350 passengers later, we were looking at an empty carousel. They did it again. We checked with the lost luggage desk and were told our luggage was arriving on a Qantas flight, which had just arrived. So we waited some more and were rewarded a short time later.
While we were waiting, a gazillion passengers from three incoming flights had gotten in the Customs line ahead of us and we had to wait some more. Fortunately, we had nothing but a bag of pretzels to declare and we were ushered through the green line pretty quickly.
Free of the airport, we contacted our hotel and they sent a car for us. We finally reached our hotel room at 1:45 am. We’d arranged a rental car to be dropped off by 9 am and there it was waiting for us, some seven hours early.
We’d booked our rental car online through a local company – M2000 car rental -www.m2000car.com.au/perth_rates.htm.
Although M2000’s rates were a bit higher than the majors for the same vehicle, we chose them because of their low insurance excess ($440 & $1000) and because they offered free hotel drop off and allowed us to leave the car at the international airport for a fee ($33.60). The car was well maintained and we had no problems.
Our experience with M2000 was mixed. We were charged a $500 bond instead of the $300 bond we’d been told about. When we questioned the charge we were told that their main office charges $300 but our car came from their Belmont office which charges $500. Okay. We were also told to return the car as we’d received it, which meant washing it, which we did. We just received credit for the $500 bond, so all went well.
We’d booked the Inter-City Motel in Belmont for the night. We selected this motel because it was inexpensive ($102 per night), near the airport, and offered free airport pick-up and 24 hour reception - intercity.bestwestern.com.au/
The motel was fine for a one night stay (or seven hours in our case). It was clean and comfortable, but pretty basic.
The following morning we picked up a map and headed toward Margaret River. We made several stops along the way, including a stop in Bunbury for a lunch of kebabs and our first glimpse of the Indian Ocean. We also stopped in Busselton, where we walked the 1.8 km jetty ($2.50 each). The underwater observatory at the end of the jetty was closed, but we enjoyed the walk just the same. We arrived in Margaret River some seven hours later (it’s only about a 300 km drive, but we took our time) and checked into our lodging for the next four nights – The Heritage Trail Lodge - www.heritage-trail-lodge.com.au/.
We’d booked a balcony spa unit ($175) but were upgraded to a forest view unit our second night there. We liked this place – it was quiet, well appointed and run by a very friendly and helpful couple – Jenny and Kevin. The town of Margaret River is a short walk from the lodge, so we parked the car and explored town on foot.
Our first stop was at Wino’s, a restaurant and wine bar recommended by Jenny. Loved this place. Had my first taste of Swings and Roundabouts Shiraz (chosen strictly because the name grabbed my attention) and my husband had his first of many glasses of his new favorite beer – Beez Neez.
Our first full day in Margaret River was spent walking the 10 Mile Brook Dam Trail, which begins a short distance from the lodge in the National Park. The entire walk to the dam took us about four hours (17 km total). We tried to take the summer trail, but quickly learned why it’s the summer trail, when we found it was impassable because of the fords. It was a nice day for a walk – cool with intermittent drizzle. We enjoyed this walk and were amazed at the incredible sounds coming from the local bird life.
Needless to say, a soak in our spa tub felt pretty good that night.
Our second day in Margaret River we hit the road. We happened upon Blackwood Meadery, where we stopped and tried some mead. We’d never been to a meadery before, but we’d made mead, so it was interesting to talk with the owner and compare notes. We also stopped at the Briarose Estate in Kudarup, where we tasted some wine before heading to Augusta. Whale watching was in full swing in Augusta, which is also home to a lighthouse situated at the exact site where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean.
We then drove to Pemberton, noticing that the trees suddenly became huge as we entered Beedelup National Park. We should have done more research before going to Pemberton, as we discovered later that there are some interesting things to do there. But we didn’t, so we found Pemberton a bit dull and felt the drive was a waste of time. So, we returned to MR, took a nice walk in the forest then revisited the Margaret River Hotel Corner bar for some more Beez Neez.
Our third and last day in Margaret River turned out to be a gorgeous day. We hit the road again, visiting Olio Bello, an olive grove, where we sampled the goods and left with some Dukkah and a big bag of the best mandarin oranges we’ve ever had. Then it was on to Vasse Felix for wine tasting, Margaret River Chocolate Factory for chocolate tasting (yum), and Margaret River Diary Company for cheese tasting. We loved the chili baked ricotta and marinated feta, so bought some for dinner. Good stuff. We also tried some wine at Palandri Winery and Harman’s Ridge before stopping for a late lunch at Cape Lavender, a lavender farm that also makes wine infused with lavender, and has a nice café. After lunch we headed to Bootleg Brewery, where we shared a beer sampler on the lawn and enjoyed the art gallery upstairs.
Later we stopped at Wood Be Good and viewed some interesting sculpture and furniture before continuing on to Dunsborough, where I hoped to track down the artist whose work we saw on display in the Bootleg Brewery. On the way, we just happened to pass Swings and Roundabouts Winery, so had to stop in to buy a bottle of Shiraz and chat with the staff. Had no luck with the artist in Dunsborough (not home), so headed back to Margaret River.
Our final day in Margaret River was another pretty one. We took a nice walk in the forest behind the lodge before checking out, then drove to Voyager Estate Winery, as we’d been told it worth a look. It was.
We made one last stop at Olio Bello for some more of those gorgeous mandarins, then headed north towards Fremantle.
We’d booked a villa in Fremantle online for $132 per night. We wanted a prison cottage, but they were full. We’d also looked into the Port Mill B&B, but they were also full. So, a villa it was: www.fremantlecolonialaccommodation.com.au/.
The villa is well located on Stirling Street, a short walk from the center of town.
Our first day in Fremantle we took a 10 am Swan River cruise on Oceanic ($16 each) that we’d booked through the Fremantle Tourist office. There were only four passengers on the 45 minute cruise. It was nice – we even saw dolphins in the river! The captain pointed out several sights along the way and we were blown away by all the mulit-million dollar homes along the river (one was $54 million!). Once in Perth, we located the Perth Mint where we took a short tour and saw the gold pouring demonstration ($9 each). We enjoyed this stop and found the mint fascinating. After some more exploration, we returned to Perth via train, which took about 30 minutes ($3.10 each).
Back in Fremantle, we sought out Little Creatures Brewery, which we really enjoyed, then explored Fremantle on foot. We stumbled upon a Didjeridu shop and were treated to a demonstration.
Our second and last day in Fremantle we decided to explore Perth. We headed to Scarborough and City Beach, via the 204 Tourist Drive. This was a great drive and a nice introduction to the city of Perth. The beaches were incredible and there were some very nice parks and walking paths. We were both surprised by the apparent wealth in Perth. I’ve never seen so many massive homes in one place.
We continued along the Sunset Coast Tourist Drive, then picked up 60 near Wanneroo and headed north towards Yanchep National Park, home to some interesting trees. We drove 50 km or so, then turned back, returning via 60, passing vineyards, strawberry farms and orchards.
Back in Freo, we walked to town, stopping for drinks at the Sail and Anchor, then took a self-guided walking tour. We found the Maritime Museum and submarine, and walked along the waterfront admiring the nicely restored buildings.
After dinner, we wandered through the Freo Markets, where vendors were selling all sorts of items, including some great looking produce.
Our day of departure, we were up at 4:30 am and at the airport by 6. The drive only took 25 minutes, but it was early and a Saturday. Our return flight to Singapore was a bit of a roller coaster ride thanks to some nasty thunderstorms. After one aborted landing attempt, we flew in circles over Singapore for close to an hour before we were finally able to land. After all the pre-landing bumping around, our pilot managed to paint it on the runway. I for one, was happy to be back on terra firma.
Impressions:
We enjoyed this trip and really liked Perth and Margaret River. A nice perk for us was the travel time – 4.5 hours from Singapore and only one hour time difference from Indonesia.
The people we met in MR were incredibly friendly and helpful. That was not our experience in Fremantle though, especially at the Tourist Office. If we return to the area, we’ll probably spend some more time in MR and perhaps a few days near a beach in Perth instead of Freo.
We live in Indonesia, so we flew from Pekanbaru to Singapore on Garuda, where we had a two hour layover before our Singapore Air flight to Perth.
We can’t check our luggage through from Pekanbaru, so we always stop at the transit desk in Singapore to collect our boarding passes and to have our luggage moved internally to our connecting flight. We’ve done this three times now, and in every case, we’ve flown with Singapore Air and in every case our luggage was not on our flight with us, and we had to wait a day or two for it to turn up at our destination. There’s not much else we can do, so we just cross our fingers and pack our carry on bags accordingly.
Our flight was late in boarding, but we were amazed to see all passengers of the fully booked 777, boarded and seated in 20-30 minutes. We left 40 minutes late, but made up the time in the air, arriving in Perth some 4.5 hours later. Gotta love that short flight!
The flight was fine – the service was excellent (we were in Business Class) and the food was edible. The Ben and Jerry’s Double Fudge Brownie ice cream we had for dessert was particularly edible.
We arrived in Perth just past midnight and waited anxiously for our luggage. And waited, and waited, and waited… Some 350 passengers later, we were looking at an empty carousel. They did it again. We checked with the lost luggage desk and were told our luggage was arriving on a Qantas flight, which had just arrived. So we waited some more and were rewarded a short time later.
While we were waiting, a gazillion passengers from three incoming flights had gotten in the Customs line ahead of us and we had to wait some more. Fortunately, we had nothing but a bag of pretzels to declare and we were ushered through the green line pretty quickly.
Free of the airport, we contacted our hotel and they sent a car for us. We finally reached our hotel room at 1:45 am. We’d arranged a rental car to be dropped off by 9 am and there it was waiting for us, some seven hours early.
We’d booked our rental car online through a local company – M2000 car rental -www.m2000car.com.au/perth_rates.htm.
Although M2000’s rates were a bit higher than the majors for the same vehicle, we chose them because of their low insurance excess ($440 & $1000) and because they offered free hotel drop off and allowed us to leave the car at the international airport for a fee ($33.60). The car was well maintained and we had no problems.
Our experience with M2000 was mixed. We were charged a $500 bond instead of the $300 bond we’d been told about. When we questioned the charge we were told that their main office charges $300 but our car came from their Belmont office which charges $500. Okay. We were also told to return the car as we’d received it, which meant washing it, which we did. We just received credit for the $500 bond, so all went well.
We’d booked the Inter-City Motel in Belmont for the night. We selected this motel because it was inexpensive ($102 per night), near the airport, and offered free airport pick-up and 24 hour reception - intercity.bestwestern.com.au/
The motel was fine for a one night stay (or seven hours in our case). It was clean and comfortable, but pretty basic.
The following morning we picked up a map and headed toward Margaret River. We made several stops along the way, including a stop in Bunbury for a lunch of kebabs and our first glimpse of the Indian Ocean. We also stopped in Busselton, where we walked the 1.8 km jetty ($2.50 each). The underwater observatory at the end of the jetty was closed, but we enjoyed the walk just the same. We arrived in Margaret River some seven hours later (it’s only about a 300 km drive, but we took our time) and checked into our lodging for the next four nights – The Heritage Trail Lodge - www.heritage-trail-lodge.com.au/.
We’d booked a balcony spa unit ($175) but were upgraded to a forest view unit our second night there. We liked this place – it was quiet, well appointed and run by a very friendly and helpful couple – Jenny and Kevin. The town of Margaret River is a short walk from the lodge, so we parked the car and explored town on foot.
Our first stop was at Wino’s, a restaurant and wine bar recommended by Jenny. Loved this place. Had my first taste of Swings and Roundabouts Shiraz (chosen strictly because the name grabbed my attention) and my husband had his first of many glasses of his new favorite beer – Beez Neez.
Our first full day in Margaret River was spent walking the 10 Mile Brook Dam Trail, which begins a short distance from the lodge in the National Park. The entire walk to the dam took us about four hours (17 km total). We tried to take the summer trail, but quickly learned why it’s the summer trail, when we found it was impassable because of the fords. It was a nice day for a walk – cool with intermittent drizzle. We enjoyed this walk and were amazed at the incredible sounds coming from the local bird life.
Needless to say, a soak in our spa tub felt pretty good that night.
Our second day in Margaret River we hit the road. We happened upon Blackwood Meadery, where we stopped and tried some mead. We’d never been to a meadery before, but we’d made mead, so it was interesting to talk with the owner and compare notes. We also stopped at the Briarose Estate in Kudarup, where we tasted some wine before heading to Augusta. Whale watching was in full swing in Augusta, which is also home to a lighthouse situated at the exact site where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean.
We then drove to Pemberton, noticing that the trees suddenly became huge as we entered Beedelup National Park. We should have done more research before going to Pemberton, as we discovered later that there are some interesting things to do there. But we didn’t, so we found Pemberton a bit dull and felt the drive was a waste of time. So, we returned to MR, took a nice walk in the forest then revisited the Margaret River Hotel Corner bar for some more Beez Neez.
Our third and last day in Margaret River turned out to be a gorgeous day. We hit the road again, visiting Olio Bello, an olive grove, where we sampled the goods and left with some Dukkah and a big bag of the best mandarin oranges we’ve ever had. Then it was on to Vasse Felix for wine tasting, Margaret River Chocolate Factory for chocolate tasting (yum), and Margaret River Diary Company for cheese tasting. We loved the chili baked ricotta and marinated feta, so bought some for dinner. Good stuff. We also tried some wine at Palandri Winery and Harman’s Ridge before stopping for a late lunch at Cape Lavender, a lavender farm that also makes wine infused with lavender, and has a nice café. After lunch we headed to Bootleg Brewery, where we shared a beer sampler on the lawn and enjoyed the art gallery upstairs.
Later we stopped at Wood Be Good and viewed some interesting sculpture and furniture before continuing on to Dunsborough, where I hoped to track down the artist whose work we saw on display in the Bootleg Brewery. On the way, we just happened to pass Swings and Roundabouts Winery, so had to stop in to buy a bottle of Shiraz and chat with the staff. Had no luck with the artist in Dunsborough (not home), so headed back to Margaret River.
Our final day in Margaret River was another pretty one. We took a nice walk in the forest behind the lodge before checking out, then drove to Voyager Estate Winery, as we’d been told it worth a look. It was.
We made one last stop at Olio Bello for some more of those gorgeous mandarins, then headed north towards Fremantle.
We’d booked a villa in Fremantle online for $132 per night. We wanted a prison cottage, but they were full. We’d also looked into the Port Mill B&B, but they were also full. So, a villa it was: www.fremantlecolonialaccommodation.com.au/.
The villa is well located on Stirling Street, a short walk from the center of town.
Our first day in Fremantle we took a 10 am Swan River cruise on Oceanic ($16 each) that we’d booked through the Fremantle Tourist office. There were only four passengers on the 45 minute cruise. It was nice – we even saw dolphins in the river! The captain pointed out several sights along the way and we were blown away by all the mulit-million dollar homes along the river (one was $54 million!). Once in Perth, we located the Perth Mint where we took a short tour and saw the gold pouring demonstration ($9 each). We enjoyed this stop and found the mint fascinating. After some more exploration, we returned to Perth via train, which took about 30 minutes ($3.10 each).
Back in Fremantle, we sought out Little Creatures Brewery, which we really enjoyed, then explored Fremantle on foot. We stumbled upon a Didjeridu shop and were treated to a demonstration.
Our second and last day in Fremantle we decided to explore Perth. We headed to Scarborough and City Beach, via the 204 Tourist Drive. This was a great drive and a nice introduction to the city of Perth. The beaches were incredible and there were some very nice parks and walking paths. We were both surprised by the apparent wealth in Perth. I’ve never seen so many massive homes in one place.
We continued along the Sunset Coast Tourist Drive, then picked up 60 near Wanneroo and headed north towards Yanchep National Park, home to some interesting trees. We drove 50 km or so, then turned back, returning via 60, passing vineyards, strawberry farms and orchards.
Back in Freo, we walked to town, stopping for drinks at the Sail and Anchor, then took a self-guided walking tour. We found the Maritime Museum and submarine, and walked along the waterfront admiring the nicely restored buildings.
After dinner, we wandered through the Freo Markets, where vendors were selling all sorts of items, including some great looking produce.
Our day of departure, we were up at 4:30 am and at the airport by 6. The drive only took 25 minutes, but it was early and a Saturday. Our return flight to Singapore was a bit of a roller coaster ride thanks to some nasty thunderstorms. After one aborted landing attempt, we flew in circles over Singapore for close to an hour before we were finally able to land. After all the pre-landing bumping around, our pilot managed to paint it on the runway. I for one, was happy to be back on terra firma.
Impressions:
We enjoyed this trip and really liked Perth and Margaret River. A nice perk for us was the travel time – 4.5 hours from Singapore and only one hour time difference from Indonesia.
The people we met in MR were incredibly friendly and helpful. That was not our experience in Fremantle though, especially at the Tourist Office. If we return to the area, we’ll probably spend some more time in MR and perhaps a few days near a beach in Perth instead of Freo.
Aug 6th, 2005, 08:31 PM
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Great report Melnq8. There are some wonderful drops to partake of in MR and they just seem to get better and better.
Now you know why most West Australians holiday in SE Asia as its much closer than a lot of the eastern side of Australia.
Now you know why most West Australians holiday in SE Asia as its much closer than a lot of the eastern side of Australia.
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