Entertainment guaranteed

Perth is rightly referred to as the gateway to Western Australia, and is a vibrant city with an enormous diversity of attractions. Visitors arriving in the summer months of February and March are guaranteed sun-tans, surprise, stimulation and, above all, entertainment, observes Payal Choudhary

WESTERN Australia is huge. Because of its size it is a land of enormous contrasts from the temperate forests of the south through the arid gold-fields of the centre to the tropical grandeur of the north.

Perth, the capital city, straddles the Swan river, a few kilometres from the ocean beaches. Captain Charles Fremantle formally took possession of what was then known as the west of New Holland in the name of king George IV in May, 1829, and selected two town sites.

The first at the river mouth he named Fremantle after the captain of one of the ships in his small squadron. The second was Perth, chosen as the administrative centre and named for Sir Charles Murray, at the time Member of Parliament for Perth in Scotland.

Today Perth is a modern but relaxed city with a population of about 1.3 million, living in a metropolitan area which spreads as wide as Greater London.

It has retained many of its historic buildings, some of great beauty, and because of the compact nature of the city, these can be explored on foot, For those of a less energetic nature there is the excellent free bus service provided in the city area by the silver CAT (Central Area Transit) buses.

The Town Hall on the corner of Hay and Barrack Streets in the central city was built by convicts and designed as an English market hall. The northern end of the city includes the old treasury buildings on the corner of Barrack Street, St. Georage’s Terrace, Perth’s oldest surviving public building, the Old Courthouse in Supreme Court gardens, and the gardens themselves.

Government House, on St. George’s Terrace just east of the Heritage Precinct, dates from 1859 and is still the official residence of the Governor of Western Australia. Across the Terrace from Government House is the Old Deanery, built for the first Dean of Perth in the 1850s and one of the few dwellings surviving from that time.

Further west in the Terrace is the Old Perth Boys School, Perth’s first school building, which now house the National Trust Gift Shop and information centre. It’s also a good place to stop for a cup of coffee.

Up King Street from the Terrace on the corner on the corner of Hay Street is His Majesty’s Theatre, built in 1901 and being restored to its former glory. Its dramatic Edwardian exterior and lavishly furnished interior are well worth a visit.

For a true idea of how the early settlers lived and the aboriginal way of life, cross the railway into Northbridge and visit the Perth Museum. It is part of the Perth Cultural Centre along with the art gallery and Alexander Library.

Just across the Narrows Bridge, only minutes from the centre of Perty, is the Perth zoo. Set in beautiful landscaped gardens, with shady walkways, picnic areas and one of the most impressive collection of palm trees in Australia, this is the perfect place to spend a relaxing few hours viewing the wide range of wildlife, both Australian and international, that is preserved and cared for here.

A very pleasant way to reach the zoo, acknowledged as one of the finest in the Southern Hemisphere, is by public ferry from Barrack Street Ferries cross the river every 30 minutes or so, and from Mends Street Jetty in South Perth the zoo just a five-minute stroll.

One of major attractions of the Western Australian capital is the Festival of Perth, where you get to see a lot more than movies in open air. From December to March, film buffs get to view the newest and best in world cinema.

During the festival, Perth welcomes the best of artists from across the world to perform at its exceptionally brilliant venues; from the concert hall to the beautiful open-air setting of the Sommerville Auditorium, where visitors can relax in deck chairs beneath a cathedral of Norfolk pines. Because of the sensational summer weather, the festival also programme live events in stimulating and spectacular surroundings — from the shady banks of the Swan river, to rooftop car parks in the city centre, to beautiful natural limestone amphitheatres.

Nestled at the foot of the Darling Ranges to the east of Perth, the Swan Valley is one of Western Austrlia’s best-known wine-growing regions and home to some of Perth’s finest wineries, restaurants and historic homes.

Since the days of the first settlers, drawn to the region by its fertile soils and natural beauty, this valley has been renowned for its produce, especially grapes and world-class wines. Today there are more than 25 wineries on the river bank. Many of them offer meals in perfectly delightful surroundings.

Summer is the time for picnics, and Perth is blessed with lots of fabulous spots. King’s Park and the Botanic Gardens are referred to as the "people’s parks".

Situated a few minutes from the city centre, King’s Park embraces 400 hectares of delightful parklands and natural bush, showcasing Western Australia’s unique wild flowers and colourful bird life. The main entrance is a memorable drive-in, flanked on either side by towering, lemon-scented gum trees.

Perth is rightly referred to as the gateway to Western Australia, and is a vibrant city with an enormous diversity of attractions. Visitors arriving in the summer months of February and March are guaranteed sun-tans, surprise, stimulation and, above all, entertainment.