Recently I was offered an all expenses paid trip to visit Perth with AirAsiaX and Tourism Western Australia and I was super excited cause I didn’t think I’d have the chance to visit Australia again so soon after my trip to Brisbane exactly a year ago. It was my first time visiting Perth so I went to do some research about the place before the trip. The images that I saw online were breathtaking especially the scenery in Margaret River and Rottnest Island.
For this trip, I also get to travel with Careen, Karen a blogger fren that I dont usually talk to much but have gotten much cloer to after this trip and also Nadia.
Our flight to Perth was at 12 a.m. and we went to the airport earlier to meet up with the clients and etc.
After checking in and saying goodbye to Jo (who came to send me off =) ) we went to our boarding gate and I was super excited because we have been told that we will be traveling in Air Asia Premium Flatbed! This mean we get to have a good night’s sleep all the way to Perth and we will be ready to see what Perth has to offer.
There’s a lot of advantages to travel in AA premium flatbed such as express baggage delivery, express check-in, express boarding (bye long queues) and 40KG checked baggage allowance (more shopping yeah!).
So, after being served dinner supper, I fell asleep like a baby on board and all the way till the Captain announced that we have finally arrived at Perth International Airport!
So nice of the people from Tourism of WA, they arranged a minivan to pick us up at the airport and straight to our hotel to change and get ready for the day ahead!
We stayed in Be. Fremantle for the first night in Perth. Be. Fremantle is an ideal place for all types of travelers because it offers premium apartments with one, two or three-bed options. I personally love the idea of staying in an apartment because it brings back a lot of memories when I was a student in USA.
The gorgeous view right from our balcony! The location of Be.Fremantle is perfect because it’s just a short walk away from restaurants and Fremantle market!
For our first stop in Fremantle, we went to Moore & Moore Cafe for breakfast! I love the vintage interior of this cafe because every corner is a photo opportunity!
I took me a while to decide which picture to show u guys so I posted all hahaha.
Their menu is pretty interesting, so I decided to go with something that I dont really get to eat in Malaysia! I had their pumpkin mash with a few slices of pork bacon. The bacon was very crispy and the pumpkin was so sweet! I’m a big fan of the combination of sweet and salty.
After breakfast, we went to the contemporary art gallery right next to Moore cafe.
Our next stop was Fremantle Market, just a short walk from the cafe!
Fremantle Market is a place where you can find fresh local produce, and, interesting and unique food! This is also the place where you can find the famous honey cake!
That’s me and Careen looking excited!
There are over 150 stalls housed in the grand Victorian building and they are open for business every Friday, Saturday and Sunday! If you’re a person who loves experience local food and culture then this is the perfect place for you to check out!
We also took a slow walk along the South Terrace a.k.a. Cappuccino Strip because there are a lot of cafes along the street! If you’re tired of walking in the market you can check out this area for a short coffee break.
We also passed by this bookstore that you can have a blind date with a book, quite interesting le!
When it was time for lunch, we went to Bread In Common! I love the concept of this restaurant because I love bare, open and industrial design. This restaurant used to be an old Fremantle warehouse and then converted into a huge dinning area with an open kitchen!
I always want a kitchen that has marble tops and brick walls!
We ordered a few dishes to be shared between the 6 of us!
The dish that I liked the most was their lamb! It’s a MUST try! The texture of the lamb is so different from the usual dry and overcooked stuff in Malaysia. The skin was super crispy but the meat is very tender and juicy complemented with the strong acidic flavors, it’s the best lamb dish I have ever eaten!
We also tried their beef! So good to travel with frens so I can try a few different dishes!
After a satisfying lunch, we met up with a tour guide from Two Feet & a Heartbeat Walking tours to show us around Fremantle! Our walking tour started at Bread In Common and ended up at MANY 6160! The whole tour took around 1 hour and 30 min, including a stop at a beer factory which used to be a crocodile farm!
There is a lot of historical buildings in Fremantle which is why a walking tour is perfect here!
We also stopped by at the World Heritage listed Fremantle Prison. As you can see, I was sentenced for being too pretty *joke, I have nothing to say. I’m guilty as charged.
Gorgeous view from Round House.
Group pic at the beach!
Fishing Boat Harbour
A pit stop at The Little Creatures beer factory! Their draft beer is super refreshing and perfect for a sunny day!
After a long day of walking around Fremantle, we managed to catch the sunset at the beach nearby our apartment.
Our dinner was at Bather Beach House which is located right at the beach. As usual, we ordered a few dishes to share and it was a seafood feast!!
My first night in Perth wrapped up with a plate of really good fish & chips in my tummy and super cute housemates (Karen and Careen) to keep me company.
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On our 2nd day in Perth, we visited the famous Rottnest Island which is a 40 min ferry ride from Fremantle jetty! We woke up pretty early to get ready and had breakfast in the room then off we went!
We got to the jetty pretty early so we managed to take a few pictures before boarding! Coincidentally, everyone wore pastel colors on the second day!
We boarded Rottnest Express at 9.30am. I love how public transport in Australia is so punctual. There is a few optional tours for you to experience but if u prefer to walk around on your own you can just hire a bike and cycle around the island at your own pace! I will strongly recommend you guys to rent a bike because the island is HUGE and there is a lot of places to explore and take pictures.
We collected our bike the moment we arrived at the jetty! I was beyond excited because I dont have to walk and it’s always fun to cycle on an island!
Candid shot taken by Karen and this was the reason why I decided to buy a Sony A7, similar to what she was using hahhaha
Passing the railway road while cycling around Rottnest Island, it reminded me some of the scenes in The Walking Dead haha.
There was a lot of picture perfect spots but too bad we didnt have enough time to explore every single spot T__T If u ever plan to visit Rottnest please make sure you plan your day accordingly =)
Our highlight of the day was joining the Segway Tours WA in Rottnest Island!
It was my very first time riding on a Segway so I was super excited but also stressed at the same time. I have no idea how does this thing operate! I dont know whether I will be able to keep it going or not hahah. We took the Settlements Explorer tour package which includes basic training and a journey of exploration through the Thomson Bay Settlement (1 hour). I strongly recommend everyone to take this tour if you only plan to visit Rottnest for a day because this tour basically covers everything u need to see in Rottnest without having to walk or cycle!
The tour ended at the lighthouse and the view was AMAZING!!
Look at the color of the sea T___T omg I want to stay on this island when I retire haha.
It’s so so so pretty!
Picture with the lighthouse haha.
Then off we went back to return the Segways and it was time for lunch!!!
Selfie with the Segway girls before going off to lunch!
We had our lunch at Hotel Rottnest, pizza and a glass of iced Coke!
The weather was pretty hot that day so we ordered ice cream for dessert!!
We also bumped into a special guest, a quokka! They are pretty much every where on the Island and they LOVE taking selfies hahahaha.
We left the island then went to Perth City to check in to our accommodation!
We arrived at Perth City and took a short walk to our hotel. We also passed by Barrack Street where the shopping was!! Unfortunately they were all closed =( Everything closes at 5pm in Perth T_____T
We checked into Four Points by Sheraton, and it’s by far my fav stay throughout the whole trip =) The location was awesome, just 10-15 min walk to Barrack Street! The room was clean and new!
After freshening up a bit, we went to COCO’s for dinner!
The meal was delicious and satisfying! If you ever go to the restaurant remember to order their fries! I dont know why but their fries are super good, it’s super crispy and the texture is just perfect because there are no soggy fries hehe.
We ended our 2nd night in Perth by going to bed at 10pm because everyone was exhausted from exploring.
To be continued…
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