PERTH - AUSTRALIA

After a few days waiting around in Kuala Lumpur I was finally back in Australia after just over 4 years. I arrived in Perth after a sleepless overnight flight. I knew full well that getting through customs was a lengthy process due to biosecurity but what I went through went far beyond that. The woman who was doing the search even went through my note book questioning me on everything I had written in it. I kept polite and answered all her questions and was free to go after about half an hour.



After Asia Perth seemed very clean (on the same level as Singapore). It was a very dry heat which was great after weeks of humidity. I checked into a backpackers in the north of the city.
Nice place but the location was a bit of a letdown, I didn't have a problem with walking into town but because it was in the middle of a load of housing we couldn't sit outside after 10pm.



In addition to visiting the relatives I had also arranged to meet Matthew Barker who grew up on the next street to myself. He was in a good job and married with a couple of kids. Sitting in an office had not been kind to him however as he looked closer to 40 than 30.

We went out for a few beers round Perth and I was shocked by the cost. In 2004 a beer cost the same as back home. Now a beer was 50% more than back home, not just in one place but everywhere. Matthew Barker seemed happy living there and said the only time he would go back to England is to visit family. It seemed strange being on the other side of the world talking to someone about people and events back home.



Apart from the relatives the only place I went to visit from Perth was a daytrip to Fremantle.



The relatives lived in the south of the city at a place called Salter point. Shelly just let me straight in without questioning me beyond who I was. Dad had been to visit these in 2005 and had informed them that I was on my way.



Fred who was not far off 80 at the time introduced me to the rest of the family and to plenty of local beer. The night before I left they invited me round for dinner. One of his stories was when he visited England and got as close to us at the Forest rock pub which is less than 2 miles from home, he didn't know we existed at the time. His wife Pat had died a few months earlier and I had never got to see her. The kids told me they wanted to visit England when they got older.

Going back into the city center I couldn't help but notice how few people there were on the bus as it was nearly empty. Back home on a Saturday night it would have been full of people going for a night out.

Back in the hostel I was getting back into the swing of backpacker life. Eating out every meal in Asia had been replaced by cooking my own food in the hostel. Pasta/tuna/cheese was my usual meal.

I got to know a few people in the time I was there but Australia in general didn't seem to push to same buttons as the first time.

Next stop was Adelaide........................