Aussie RT Day 33-38: Road trip ends in Perth

Cottesloe - Perth

After 38 days on the road, 8000 km driven, the Stacy/Kelly/Hercules WA road trip came to an end in Perth.  Stacy and I said goodbye as she had to catch a flight to Melbourne and then back to San Francisco.

I checked into a hostel (Easy Perth Backpackers) for the first time during my trip and shared a room with nine other girls. As I fell asleep in a top bunk I missed Hercules. I never would have thought I would enjoy camping and sleeping in a car for such a long period of time, but I so enjoyed our road trip adventure would have loved to have continued the journey longer if it had been possible. Stacy and I both needed to sell the Jeep when we did as we were running out of money. I only had $85 in my checking account before we got paid for selling the Jeep! Credit cards are not allowed to be used on this trip, so when the money runs out I will be heading home! I think it will be fun to see how far I can go with the remaining 2k I have left for this trip!

We decided to have some fun our last night together in Perth. There was a free outdoor music festival happening in town that we went to with out new friends from the hostel. Stacy’s flight left early the next morning and it was strange to wake up and find her gone as we have been together 24/7 the past few months!

While in Perth, I was able to catch up with my Aussie friend Jill who lives in Cottesloe, a cute beach town a short train ride from downtown Perth. I met Jill a few years ago when traveling through Laos.  She and I got to know each other well during the Gibbon Experience when we trekked for days through the muddy wet jungle in northern Laos. It was so good to see her and we both laughed that we hardly recognized each other when we weren’t covered from head to toe in mud!

This was us in Laos in 2008 compared to us today!

2008 - Laos Jungle

2010 - Perth

I spent a few days exploring the city and the surrounding areas on my own. There is not a lot of “touristy ” things to do in Perth. I followed a suggested walking tour of the city that only took me three hours and ended at the top of Jacobs Ladder for a panoramic view of the city.

Perth seems to be much more laid back in comparison to Australia’s other big cities I have visited. Australia’s 3rd largest city (Sydney and Melbourne in the lead), Perth is the most isolated big city by far. As we discovered on our road trip, there are miles and miles vast emptiness throughout Western Australia.

Everyone talks about how cool Fremantle is, so I took the train to “Freo” and met Jill for fish and chips one afternoon. Fremantle is a port city at the mouth of the Swan River with many 19th-century buildings and museums that tell the history of the town. I thought it was a  cute neighborhood and enjoyed strolling through the weekend market and relaxing with a book at one of many inviting coffee shops that line the streets.

I could have easily spent more time in Freo but had a major itch to get up to Lancelin …

To see more photos of Perth CLICK HERE.