The City of Perth in Australia is thought to be the most isolated city in the world. Perth is located in the Southwestern part of Western Australia, facing the Indian Ocean. The closest big city to Perth is Adelaide which is 2,780 Km far away. There are many small towns on the way, but other than Adelaide, the next city is Darwin in the North. In the past, because of these huge distances, and the cost of freight to take goods to Perth, the cost of life was a little bit higher, but now is very compatible with other capitals even attracting more people and jobs due the boom in the mineral sector.

Perth is also known as the City of Lights, because Astronaut John Glenn (orbiting Earth in the middle of the night) has many of Perth's inhabitants turning on their home lights to be seen from space. The City of Perth is very modern and very young, it was not founded by British prisoners. It was a free settlement in 1829.  Convicts were requested by the struggling colony and first arrived in 1850 with the last shipment in 1868. The population is very friendly and always keen to help tourists and foreigners with information about directions, etc... The actual population is almost one and a half million people and despite not having the largest growth rate in Australia, Perth is booming with new construction and modernism. It is a vibrant and colourful city, with the Swan River downtown giving it a special atmosphere. Perth, despite being so far away and young, has some interesting initiatives, some of the best restaurants, cafes and nightclubs in the country, with culinary influences from many parts of the world.

Kings Park is opposite the river; it’s a great place for a picnic and very popular with families during the weekend. Following downriver, Fremantle is Perth's port; with great beaches to suit everybody, including calm waters by the Swan river mouth. There are also many restaurants and places to eat and stay. Very good surfing beaches can also be found with great waves for the surfers. In the afternoons, during summer, a cooling breeze blows from the ocean, occasionally strong, making Surfers like me not very happy. The most important beaches are: Crawley and Peppermint Grove (Calm Waters), Swanbourne and Scarborough (Open beaches with good waves for Surfers). Scarborough has plenty of restaurants and nightclubs, and is a meeting point for young people, especially on weekends. To go from Perth to Fremantle, there are bus and train services with reasonable fares. Finding accommodation is not a problem with something available for all budgets. (Photo on this block: City centre from the Swan River foreshore).

Attractions we recommend:

• Underwater World – It has a huge aquarium where you can walk in a tunnel underneath the fish. There are many colourful fish from native Australian habitats.

• Museum of Western Australia – has an excellent display of many different subjects, such as sharks’ mouths, hales, meteors, art and much more.

• Perth Zoo - One of the best Zoos in Australia, with native and imported animals.

• Rottnest Island - It is about 20 minutes by boat from Fremantle, with abundant marine life and great sandy white beaches. There are also many Fringe Reefs with colourful coral. The island has some restaurants and only one road, which cars are not allowed on.

More about Perth...

• Courses in Perth

• Attractions in Perth

• Backpackers Hostels in Perth

Harry, this is the third time you forgot the sun block!