The Happiest Place on Perth
Perth, Western Australia was my first (and favourite!) travel destination within Australia. I had always been keen on visiting Perth because of the local music scene so when I found reasonably priced airfare, I went ahead and booked it. I had virtually no expectations for this city, and quite a few people were puzzled that I had chosen to visit Perth at all, much less have this place be my first Australian city experience outside of Sydney. To say my brief time in Perth exceeded my expectations would be an understatement – I’ve visited other beautiful places within Australia like Melbourne, Brisbane, and Byron Bay since Perth, but this city is still unparalleled!
The Wildlife
My trip to Perth was very brief: I arrived on a Friday night and left the following Sunday night, which meant I barely had two full days to explore this city. Despite my brief stay, I encountered so much wildlife, from wild wallabies to quokkas. I had visited zoos in Sydney before coming to Perth but still hadn’t seen a koala or kangaroo up close. In Perth, I visited Caversham Wildlife Park within the larger Whiteman Park. There so many wallabies and kangaroos surrounded me and their joeys! In their pouches! While exiting the park, we even saw wild wallabies jumping around.
I spent my last full day in Perth at Rottnest Island, which is about an hour ferry from the city centre. Rottnest Island is known for its beautiful white sand beaches and a vast population of wild quokkas, the iconic selfie animal. I rented a bike for my day excursion and was able to see almost all of the island, and most importantly, take selfies with quokkas!
The Indian Ocean
My favourite part about studying abroad in Sydney has been all of its beautiful beaches. However, since the sun sets in the west, I haven’t been able to watch a proper sunset here. On my first night in Perth, I watched the sunset at Hillarys Beach: it was my first time watching a sunset at the beach, and it was such a beautiful experience.
Perth will always have a special place in my heart but there is so much more to explore in Australia and I can’t wait to see what the second half of this semester brings!
Diane Songco
Course: Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
Country: America
University: The City College of New York, Macaulay Honors College