Perth, Western Australia

Knowing that Australia is about the size of the contiguous 48 states, I flew from Melbourne out to Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Perth is the home of Rebecca, my traveling companion for my trip to Brazil last spring.

Bec and I went out to lunch on the beach and then took a driving tour of some of the highlights of Perth. I got to take my first dip into the very cold Indian Ocean. The best stop was Kings Park, which offered beautiful views of downtown.

Perth, situated on the banks of the Swan River, has a small central business district and a very American-esque suburban sprawl: very large and expanding very very rapidly. House prices here have doubled in the last 24 months and the building and mining boom is so big that there is a serious shortage of labor.

Perth has a very laid back, casual outdoor lifestyle that is centered around the beach. When people are sunned out at the end of the weekend, they all head to the pub for a Sunday session. Sunday session is a massive social event where hundreds of young people hang out drinking from about 4 in the afternoon until well into the evening. They are a great tradition and I enjoyed going to one immensely.