Sojourn to Perth

Last week (9 to 16 Dec 13), I took a week-long holiday in Perth with my family, mom, nephew and niece.  We stayed at a company-owned bungalow at Joondalup Resort.  Joondalup is located about 25 km north of Perth.  Apart from the unfortunate heat wave, the stay was pleasant as the bungalow is nested within the renowned Joondalup golf course.  

We left Singapore by SQ at 0010 hours and arrived at Perth International just before 0600 hours.  As we are not due to check-in at 1500 hours, we rested at the airport before picking up our rental vehicle.  Based on locality, we proceeded to Guildford which is situated not far from the airport.  Guildford is the perfect start off point for the visit to Swan Valley as it is where the Swan Valley Visitor Centre is located.  


Next, we set off for Sandalford winery which is perhaps one of the larger wineries in the region. It has a spacious ground comprising the vineyard, a well-stocked cellar door and a restaurant. There is also a alfresco dining area completed with overhanding vines, some of which are a century old.

 






As we did not want to travel several hours to the Margaret River region, the next best thing to do was to visit the Swan branch of the famous MR Chocolate Company.  The attraction is the free sampling of its chocolate chips (Dark, milk and white) as well as a viewing of its production process.  Other than chocolates, the ice cream is delicious and value for money in Singapore context (about S$6.50 for two large scoops).



  




Lastly, we proceeded to the Caversham Wildlife Park where one can feed free roaming kangaroos of all sizes, cuddle koala, have picture taken with wombats and other reptiles, and watch an outback farm show complete with sheep shearing.  Personally, I find Caversham caters for a complete Australian wildlife experience compared to places like Cohunu  and other animal attractions near Perth.

 

Before checking in, we stopped over at Lakeside Joondalup for lunch and grocery shopping.  The kids took the opportunity to shop for clothings at Target, Kmart as well as BigW.  Contrary to what we may think, there are spectacular bargains at these giants.