Perth Holidays

Perth Holidays and Tours

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:24:00 +0000

Search for Perth Tours and Perth Holiday Packages with us. For further information,
you may contact parkyank1980@gmail.com to get advice and great offers to make

your Perth holidays a truly memorable experience. The following holiday packages
and tours are highly recommended and have been customer reviewed:

Captain Cook Cruises

For over 25 years, Captain Cook Cruises has been offering “Perth’s Finest Cruises”.
With the largest fleet of vessels in Western Australia, and the largest range of
products, a cruise with Captain Cook Cruises is a day to remember – regular return
cruises to Fremantle - the Port of Perth, lunch and dinner cruises, or maybe a
cruise into the Swan Valley wine region is more your style.

Address: Barrack Square Perth 6000
Australia
Tel: 08 9325 3341

Review by SugSydney:

Took the Twilight cruise which includes a drink of your choice for free. onboard you
can purchase other food and bev items such as chips, soft drink, beer etc...
there is 3 areas to the boat the rear of the boat is outside and undercover, the
inside of the boat with a choice of many window sided tables to sit at, and the front
area limited to a number of people as long as you are not in front of the captains
driving window, the cruise went for 1hr 30mins. along the way you will see Huge
houses on the banks, lots of swans and riverlife..... a must cruise when in perth
Captain Cook Cruises has no affliation with Captain cook cruises in the east coast,
look for those discount coupons in the tourist books.

Perth Tram Company

A unique and fun way to discover Perth’s main attractions on board classic red
open-air replica trams and a fun-filled Double Decker Bus! The Hop–On Hop-Off City
Explorer Tour takes guests on an extensive trip through Kings Park and allows
unlimited hop on and hop off access at any of the stops through Kings Park and the
Perth city centre including shopping areas, The Perth Mint, Swan Bell Tower, The
Perth Zoo, Harbour Town, Art Gallery, Museum and Burswood Entertainment
Complex. The drivers provide a live commentary along the way. Your ticket is valid
for two consecutive days on both the bus and tram so it is great value for money
and the perfect way to see a lot in a small amount of time if your stay is short.

Review by RosscoBrisbane:

We purchased the Tourist Trifecta Plus ($139 each) a full day (8:45am - 5:00pm)
which included everything:
1. Perth Tram City Explorer Tour
2. Cruise down the Swan River to Fremantle
3. Visit to the Fremantle Maritime Museum
4. Delicious buffet lunch at Esplanade Hotel Fremantle
5. Tram tour of Fremantle sites
6. Return cruise up the Swam River back to Perth

We loved it (worth every cent) - we then used the same tickets the next day to go
back and explore those places we wanted to explore further (e.g. Perth Mint).
We particularly loved Ron's comical commentary on the Perth Tram City Explorer
Tour. Thanks mate - we loved every minute!!!

Swan Valley Tours

If you like to indulge in wine, beer & great food, then this is for you.
We provide gold medal winning daily indulgence tours of the Swan Valley with
cruise options in either direction - showcasing the variety of wines & wineries,
beers, chocolate, cheese, nougat and sumptuous food that are Perth's Valley of
Taste.

Visit www.svtours.com.au for more information on this great Perth holiday.

Review by Carly123NewEltham:

We visited from the Uk and device to book a Swan Valley Wine Tour for us and our
visitors. We hired a stretch Hummer from Perth Hummer Hire. They picked us from
Atwell and had a couple of bottles of bubbly on ice ready for us. Firstly they took us
to Sandalford Winery (which was beautiful. Next we went to Pinellis. An excellent
lunch was had at the Feral Brewery. After lunch we visited more wineries and
finished off at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory. It was an excellent tour and we
can heartily recommend using a charter vehicle. It was great to be delivered back
home at the end of the day.

Australia - Visa Requirements

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:58:00 +0000

There are various visa options for visiting Australia as a tourist. You can opt for the traditional physical stamp in your passport, or you can choose one of the low-cost Electronic Travel Authorities
(ETA) that can be arranged by your travel agent via the Internet.
These electronic visas are stored electronically and linked to your passport number. ETA information is accessibly by airlines, travel agents and Australian border agencies. You don't have to visit a departmental office to submit an application and you won't get a stamp or label in your passport, but you will get a confirmation for your records.

Australian Tourist Visa

Eligibility
You must be intending to visit Australia for tourism purporses and be located outside Australia at the time of the application. You must also be in good health and have no criminal record for which you have been sentenced for a total of 12 months or more.

Time period
Tourist visas allow you to stay for up to three months on each visit within a 12 month period from the date the visa is granted, or for the life of your passport if it is less than 12 months.

Extending your stay
These visas can only be granted while you are outside Australia. If you want to extend your stay once you arrive in Australia, the Department of Immigration advise that you should allow at least two weeks before your ETA expires to apply for a different type of visa.

Australia Work Visa

You can apply for an Australia work visa, or holiday visa, if you are aged between 18 and 30, and are interested in a working holiday of up to 12 months. You must have turned 18 and not 31, when you apply.

There are currently two work visas dependent on where you are coming from.
For people from Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,

Sweden, Taiwan and United Kingdom:

The visa allows you to be employed on a short-term basis, up to six months with each employer. You can apply for this visa if you hold a passport for one the countries participating with Australia in the Working Holiday Program.

Cost
As of 30 December 2008, a working holiday visa cost A$195. This fee is non-refundable and must be paid when you lodge your visa application.

Allowances
If you are granted this visa, you can enter Australia within 12 months of receiving the visa, stay for up to 12 months, work in Australia for up to six months with each employer, leave and re-enter Australia any number of times while the visa is valid, study for up to four months.

For people from Chile, Thailand, Turkey and the USA:

The Work and Holiday visa is generally for tertiary educated people aged 18 to 30 who want to travel and work for up to 12 months in Australia. US Applicants must have graduated from a high school, and do not need to be tertiary educated.This visa allows you to earn money through periods of temporary or casual employment. Most countries under this visa program have a limit on the number of Work and Holiday visas issued per year.

Cost
As of 30 December 2008, a Work and Holiday visa cost A$195. This fee is non-refundable and must be paid when you lodge your visa application.

Allowances
If you are granted a Work and Holiday visa you can:
* enter Australia at any time within 3 months of the visa grant date
* stay for up to 12 months in Australia
* leave and re–enter Australia any number of times in the 12 months from the date of first entry
* undertake temporary employment in Australia
* study for up to 4 months.

For more information, speak to your travel agent or visit the Australian Department of Immigration at
http://www.immi.gov.au/visawizard/

Perth Holidays - Perth Cultural Centre

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:23:00 +0000

The Perth Cultural Centre is an area of central Perth, Western Australia and the collective name for the buildings of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum, Perth Gaol,
Alexander Library, State Records Office, and Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA).William Street, Perth, Beaufort Street, Perth, Roe Street and Francis Street form the boundaries of the Cultural Centre. It is often, but mistakenly assumed to be in Northbridge; in fact, the entire area is within the boundaries of the Perth CBD.A walkway connects the Cultural Centre to Perth Train Station.

The Western Australian Museum is the state museum for Western Australia.
The Western Australian Museum has seven main sites: two in Perth within the Perth Cultural Centre, two in Fremantle (Maritime and Shipwreck Galleries), and one each in Albany, Geraldton, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The Western Australian Museum is a statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the Museum Act 1969.
Permanent exhibitions on display at the Western Australian Museum - Perth include:

    * WA Land and People: This exhibition tells the story of Western Australia from the prehistoric times of dinosaurs, to indigenous beginnings, and through to the environmental issues of the present day.
    * Diamonds to Dinosaurs: An exhibition exploring 12 billion years of WA's history, featuring specimens such rocks from the Moon and Mars, pre-solar diamonds and dinosaur skeleton casts.
    * Katta Djinoong: This exhibition depicts the history and culture of the Aboriginal peoples of Western Australia from past to present.
    * Dampier Marine Gallery: This exhibition explores the biodiversity of the waters around the Dampier Archipelago.
    * Mammal, Bird and Butterfly Galleries: These galleries contain extensive collections of various animals

The Western Australian Museum — Perth also features the Discovery Centre, designed to help children and adults interact and learn about the Museum's collections and research.

The Art Gallery of Western Australia is a public gallery that is part of the Perth Cultural Centre, in Perth, Western Australia. It is located near the Western Australian Museum and State Library of Western Australia. The current gallery opened in 1979. The State's art collection consists of over 15,500 works of art, and the Art Gallery is visited by approximately 400,000 people annually.The Art Gallery's first collection was eclectic. The first collection consisted of Indian and Asian craft work, followed by art created by European Australians and copies of English art. The Aesthetic Movement inspired the collection with its broad definition of art.

Ongoing exhibitions include Indigenous traditional and contemporary art from the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and WA art from the 1820s to 1960s. An annual exhibition called "Year 12 Perspectives" highlights works from Western Australian Art and Art & Design students, including paintings, prints, digital art, fashion design and sculpture.

Past exhibitions have included:

    * Auguste Rodin (2001)
    * Monet (2001)
    * Max Ernst (2002)
    * Islamic art from Kuwait (2002)
    * Pre-Raphealite paintings and drawings from the Tate Gallery (2003)
    * Italian Renaissance, 17th century Dutch and 18th and 19th century French drawings from the Amsterdams Historisch Museum (2003)
    * Indian contemporary art (2004-2005)
    * Russian art from the early 1900s (2005)
    * Australian ceramics from the 1950s to 1960s (2005-2006)
    * Norman Lindsay etchings (2006-2007)
    * Egyptian art on loan from the Louvre Museum (2007)

Perth Holidays - Perth Concert Hall

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:08:00 +0000

The Perth Concert Hall is a concert hall in the centre of Perth, Western Australia. Situated between St Georges Terrace and Terrace Road, it is located near Government House, the Supreme
Court Gardens and the Swan Bells, with a view to the Swan River.

The Perth Concert Hall was constructed between 1971 and 1973 on land that was originally part of the Government Domain. It was built by Sabemo (WA) Pty Ltd to a design by architects Jeffrey Howlett and Don Bailey. The building was opened in January 1973.

Since its construction, the venue has been in continuous use as a centre for musical performance, and for other events such as school and university graduation ceremonies, business conventions and civic functions.

The Perth Concert Hall has been described as one of the best fine music acoustics venue in Australia. It has played host to a diverse selection of internationally acclaimed performers including the London Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Israel Philharmonic and contemporary performers B.B. King, Sting, kd lang, Harry Connick, Jr., Melissa Etheridge, Ray Charles, Rowan Atkinson and Billy Connolly.

The majority of concerts by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra are performed at the Perth Concert Hall. The venue is also used for their rehearsals.

The venue is also used to host national conventions and exhibitions, award ceremonies and gala dinners. Recent exhibitions include the Steinway piano exhibition in March 2008. In addition, the venue is used for private or corporate functions in areas other than the auditorium, for example in the foyers, bar and café.

Perth Holidays - Burswood Entertainment Complex

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:03:00 +0000

The Burswood Entertainment Complex is located on the Swan River near the city of Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by Crown Limited. The complex includes a 24-hour casino, seven
restaurants, eight bars, a nightclub, two international hotels (a luxury 5-star InterContinental and a 4-star Holiday Inn), a Convention Centre, Theatre and the Burswood Dome. Burswood Train Station, near the Burswood Dome, provides a public transport link to the Perth CBD.

The Casino at Burswood Entertainment Complex operates 24 hours, 7 days a week. It is the only casino operator in Perth, Western Australia. There are 1,500 coin operated game machines with a variety of games such as Keno, Video Poker and others involving dice, dominoes and balls. Jackpots are linked to many of these games. The reel-slots popular elsewhere in Australia and the rest of the world, operated with a pull down lever, are not permitted in Western Australia.

The table games include Baccarat, Mini Baccarat, Blackjack, Roulette, Poker (Texas Hold'Em, Omaha), Three Card Poker, Casino War, Progressive Texas Hold'Em, Pai Gow, Money Wheel, Sic Bo and Caribbean Stud. The Blackjack tables in the main casino use Continuous Shuffling Machines, but in The Pearl Room most of the Blackjack tables offer hand shuffled 8 deck games dealt from a shoe. All Australian Blackjack games are played without a hole card.

Burswood also has the only casino Two-Up ring in Australia, where the players have the option of spinning the coins.

The Casino at Burswood Entertainment Complex is a smoke free venue with designated semi-outdoor smoking terraces near most bars. The terraces lead outside but do not allow patrons to exit the premises. Although Perth now has a law that bans smoking inside of all pubs and clubs, the casino implemented this rule long before they were legally obliged to. The Pearl Room (for VIP guests), is the only area inside the casino that allows smoking on and around the gaming floor. To cater for this exception, a state-of-the-art ventilation system was installed during its construction.

The area surrounding the Casino is known as Burswood Park and is managed by the Burswood Park Board. Originally a rubbish tip from the mid 1940s, the construction of the casino complex also saw the parklands regenerated into a public recreational facility. Today the park contains wildflower displays, a heritage trail with various statues, and the Burswood Park Public Golf Course.

The Burswood Dome is a large enclosed venue, for entertainment, sporting, or special events. The dome is 8,800 square metres in size, with seating for 13,600 people (or 8,000 during tennis matches). The whole arena is pressurised so that the fibreglass roof is suspended 35 m above the ground.

Perth Holidays - Sorrento Beach

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:56:00 +0000

Sorrento is a northern coastal suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Joondalup. At its northwestern corner is the Hillarys Boat Harbour,
built in the late 1980s.

A private subdivision of freehold land known as 'Sorrento' was surveyed here in 1929. It is assumed that the name was taken from the Italian seaside town of Sorrento which is located south of Naples opposite the Isle of Capri.

One of the first Europeans to settle in the area was Patrick Marmion, master debater, who operated a debating competition in the area in 1849. There are still some remains of the old debating hall at the present-day Surf Lifesaving Club site, and a monument to Marmion can be found in Sorrento Hall in Padbury Circle.

The area was popular with fishermen in the 1930s, and numerous boatsheds and shacks were built there. Residential settlement commenced in the early 1950s and until 1981, it was part of the suburb of Marmion.

Sorrento is a residential suburb, relying on the Seacrest Village shopping centre for basic commercial services, and Whitford City and Centro Warwick for other services. Several parks of various sizes are situated in the suburb.

The Sorrento Quay retail development within the Hillarys Boat Harbour sits on the northwestern boundary of the suburb. Off the coast is the Marmion Marine Park, which provides a home for many species of marine animals.

Sorrento is served by the 423 and 441 buses from Warwick railway station, operated by the Public Transport Authority.

Perth Holidays - Swan River

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:48:00 +0000

The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually
quite narrow and shallow.

The Swan River drains the Avon and coastal plain catchments, which have a total area of about 121,000 km². It has three major tributaries, the Avon River, Canning River and Helena River. The latter two have dams (Canning Dam and Mundaring Weir) which provide a sizeable part of the potable water requirements for Perth and the regions surrounding. The Avon River contributes the majority of the freshwater flow. The climate of the catchment is Mediterranean, with mild wet winters, hot dry summers, and the associated highly seasonal rainfall and flow regime.

The Avon rises near Yealering, 100km southeast of Perth: it meanders north-northwest to Toodyay about 90km northeast of Perth, then turns southwest in Walyunga National Park - at the confluence of the Wooroloo Brook, it becomes the Swan River.

The Canning River rises not far from North Bannister, 100km southeast of Perth and joins the Swan at Applecross, opening into Melville Water. The river then narrows into Blackwall Reach, a narrow and deep stretch leading the river through Fremantle Harbour to the sea.

The Noongar believe that the Darling Scarp is said to represent the body of a Wagyl - a snakelike being from Dreamtime that meandered over the land creating rivers, waterways and lakes. It is thought that the Waugal created the Swan River.

The estuary is subject to a microtidal regime, with a maximum tidal amplitude of about one metre, although water levels are also subject to barometric pressure fluctuations.

The Swan River drains the Swan Coastal Plain, a total catchment area of over 100 000 km2 in area. The river is located in a Mediterranean climate, with hot dry summers and cool wet winters, although this balance appears to be changing due to climate change. The Swan is located on the edge of the Darling Scarp, flowing downhill across the coastal plain to its mouth at Fremantle.

The Swan begins as the Avon River, rising somewhere near Yealering in the Darling Range, approximately 175 kilometres from its mouth at Fremantle. The Avon flows north, passing through the towns of Brookton, Beverley, York, Northam and Toodyay. It is joined by tributaries including the Dale River , the Mortlock River and the Brockman River.

There are currently fifteen yacht clubs along the Swan River, with most on Melville Water, Freshwater Bay and Matilda Bay. Royal Perth Yacht Club, on Pelican Point in Matilda Bay, staged the unsuccessful 1987 America's Cup defense, the first time in 132 years it had been held outside of the United States. RPYC and the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club are the only two clubs to be granted a royal charter. There are also many anchorages and marinas along the lower reaches near Fremantle.

Perth Holidays - King's Park

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:42:00 +0000

King's Park is a 4.06-square-kilometre (1,003-acre) park located on the western edge of Perth, Western Australia central business district. The park is a mixture of grassed parkland, botanical
gardens and natural bushland on Mount Eliza with two thirds of the grounds conserved as native bushland. With panoramic views of the Swan River and Darling Range, it is home to over 300 native plant varieties and 80 bird species. It overlooks the city as well as Perth Water and Melville Water on the Swan River.

In 1872 it became the first park to be designated for public use in Australia. It is the largest inner city park in the world and the most popular visitor destination in Western Australia, being visited by over five million people each year.

Besides tourist facilities Kings Park contains the State War Memorial, the Royal Kings Park Tennis club and a reservoir. The streets are tree lined with individual plaques dedicated by family members to Western Australian service men and women who died in World War I and World War II.

During September of each year Kings Park hosts Australia's largest wildflower show and exhibition - the Kings Park Festival.

War Memorial

The State War Memorial Precinct is located on Mount Eliza overlooking Perth Water. It comprises the Cenotaph, Court of Contemplation, Flame of Remembrance and Pool of Reflection.

The State War Memorial Precinct is visited by more than 40,000 people each Anzac Day. A dawn service is held at 5:30am on 25 April each year.

The Cenotaph was unveiled in the year of the Centenary of Western Australia - on 24 November 1929 by the Governor Sir William Campion, and had as the honorary architect General Sir J. Talbot Hobbs. The court of contemplation is at the western side of the precinct and was unveiled on 6 November 1955 by Sir Charles Gairdner. The flame of remembrance and pool of reflection was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II on the 1st of April 2000.

Underneath the Cenotaph is the roll of honour with the names of all servicemen and women from Western Australia to die in the Boer War, World War I, World War II, Korean War or Vietnam.

Distributed throughout the park are more specific memorials to various battles, military units, prisoners of war and other groups.

Honour Avenues

The road verges through King Park have been planted with eucalyptus trees, and in front of each one is a plaque honouring those service men who died during action or as a result of wounds received; there are over 1100 of these plaques. Originally proposed by Mr Arthur Lovekin, owner of the Daily News, the idea was based on the Avenue of Honour in Ballarat, Victoria. Originally families were required to pay 10 shillings to cover the cost of the plantings; ex-servicemen provided the necessary labour to plant the trees. In 1920 Lovekin and board member Sir William Loton each donated 500 pounds to clear and plant Forrest Avenue with Sugar Gums. After Lovekin died the Kings Park board renamed Forrest Avenue to Lovekin Drive.

The botanic garden is an 18 hectare site within the park. Currently known as the Western Australian Botanic Garden it has a collection of 2000 species of Western Australian flora on display. Botanic Garden is part of the worldwide network of botanic gardens committed to plant conservation. The garden was designed by John Oldham, who held the position of Government Landscape Architect at the time. It was established to showcase the flora of Western Australia to those visiting Perth for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, although the official opening did not take place until 1965. Botanic Garden is today home to over half of Australia’s 25,000 plant species and the following popular landmarks:

    * Conservation Garden
    * Gija Jumulu Boab Tree
    * Pioneer Women's Memorial Fountain and Water Garden
    * Lotterywest Federation Walkway

Perth - Education

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:35:00 +0000

Perth is home to four public universities: the University of Western Australia, Murdoch University, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University. There is also one private university, the University
of Notre Dame.The University of Western Australia, which was founded in 1911, is renowned as one of Australia's leading research institutions. The university's monumental neo-classical architecture, most of which is carved from white limestone, is a notable tourist destination in the city. It is the only university in the state to be a member of the Group of Eight, as well as the Sandstone universities.

Curtin University (known as Curtin University of Technology until 2010) is Western Australia's largest university by student population, and was known from its founding in 1966 until 1986 as the Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT) and had amalgamated with Western Australian School of Mines and the Muresk Institute. It has a rapidly growing research reputation and is the only Western Australian university to produce PhD recipients of the AINSE gold medal, the highest possible recognition for PhD level science and engineering research excellence in Australia and New Zealand.

Murdoch University was established in the 1970s, and is Australia's largest campus in geographical area (2.27 square kilometres), necessary to accommodate Western Australia's only veterinary school.

Edith Cowan University was established in the early 1990s from the existing Western Australian College of Advanced Education (WACAE) which itself was formed in the 1970s from the existing Teachers Colleges at Claremont, Churchlands, and Mount Lawley. It incorporates the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

The University of Notre Dame Australia was established in 1990. Notre Dame was established as a Catholic university with its lead campus in Fremantle and a large campus in Sydney. Its campus is set in the west end of Fremantle, utilising historic port buildings built in the 1890s, giving Notre Dame a distinct European university atmosphere.

Colleges of TAFE provide trade and vocational training, including certificate- and diploma-level courses. TAFE began as a system of technical colleges and schools under the Education Department, from which they were separated in the 1980s and ultimately formed into regional colleges. Four exist in the Perth metropolitan area: Central Institute of Technology (formerly Central TAFE); West Coast Institute of Training (northern suburbs); Polytechnic West (eastern and south-eastern suburbs; formerly Swan TAFE); and Challenger Institute of Technology (Fremantle/Peel).

Perth - Weather and Climate

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:29:00 +0000

Perth receives moderate though highly seasonal rainfall, making it the fourth wettest capital city after Darwin, Sydney and Brisbane. Summers are generally hot and dry, lasting from December to late
March, with February generally being the hottest month of the year, whilst winters are relatively cool and wet, making Perth a classic example of a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification CSa).

Summer is not completely devoid of rain with sporadic rainfall in the form of short-lived thunderstorms, weak cold fronts and on very rare occasions decaying tropical cyclones from Western Australia's north-west which can bring significant falls. The highest ever recorded temperature in Perth was 46.2 °C (115.2 °F) on 23 February 1991, although Perth Airport recorded 46.7 °C (116.1 °F) on the same day. On most summer afternoons a sea breeze, also known as "The Fremantle Doctor", blows from the south-west, providing relief from the hot north-easterly winds. Temperatures often fall below 30 °C (86 °F) a few hours after the arrival of the wind change. Perth is a particularly sunny city for a Mediterranean climate, receiving between 2800 and 3000 hours of annual sunshine.

Winters are relatively cool and wet, with most of Perth's annual rainfall falling between May and September. The lowest temperature recorded in Perth was −0.7 °C (31 °F) on 17 June 2006.[40] The lowest temperature within the Perth metropolitan area was −3.4 °C (26 °F) on the same day at Jandakot Airport.

Though most rainfall occurs during winter, the wettest day ever was on 9 February 1992 when 120.6 millimetres (4.75 in) fell. The rainfall pattern has changed in Perth and Southwest Western Australia since the mid-1970s. A significant reduction in winter rainfall has been observed with a greater number of extreme rainfall events in the summer months, such as slow-moving storms on 8 February 1992 which brought 121 millimetres (4.8 in) of rain, and a severe thunderstorm on 22 March 2010, which brought 40.2 millimetres (1.58 in) and caused significant damage in the metropolitan area.

Perth - History

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:19:00 +0000

The city of Perth in Western Australia was named by Captain James Stirling in 1829 after Perth, Scotland, in honor of the birthplace and parliamentary seat in the British House of Commons of Sir George
Murray, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.

The first inhabitants of Australia arrived from the north approximately 40,000 to 60,000 years ago and eventually spread across the whole landmass. These Indigenous Australians were well established in the area around Perth by the time European ships started accidentally arriving en-route to Batavia (now Jakarta) in the early seventeenth century.

Before the establishment of the Swan River Colony, the indigenous Noongar people occupied the southwest corner of Western Australia, hunting and gathering. The lakes on the coastal plain were particularly important to the Aboriginal people, providing them with both spiritual and physical sustenance.

The area in which Perth now stands was called Boorloo. Boorloo formed part of Mooro, the tribal lands of Yellagonga, whose group was one of several based around the Swan River, known collectively as the Whadjug. The Whadjug was a part of the greater group of 13 or so dialect groupings which formed the south west socio-linguistic block still known today as Noongar (“The People”), or sometimes by the name Bibbulmun.

After settlement in 1829, the European settlers gave the name “Third Swamp” to one of a chain of wetland lakes stretching from Claisebrook to Herdsman Lake. Nearly seventy years later, in 1897, 15 hectares of Third Swamp would be gazetted as a public park and two years later renamed Hyde Park. Hyde Park is now one of Perth's most attractive and popular parks.

From 1831, hostile encounters between European settlers and Noongars – both large-scale land users with conflicting land value systems – increased considerably. This phase of violence culminated in events such as the execution of Whadjug tribal chief Midgegooroo, the murder of his son Yagan and the massacre of the Pindjarep people.

By 1843, when Yellagonga died, his tribe had begun to disintegrate and had been dispossessed of their land around the main settlement area of the Swan River Colony. They retreated to the swamps and lakes north of the settlement area including Third Swamp, formerly known by them as Boodjamooling.

Third Swamp continued to be a main campsite for the remaining Noongar people in the Perth region and was also used by travellers, itinerants and homeless people. By the goldrush days in the 1890s they were joined by many miners en route to the goldfields. As Perth expanded with the gold rush the Noongar people moved to Lake Gnangara where they were isolated from the European community until changes in the laws that recognised Aboriginal people during 1960s. The camp remained occupied until the early 1980s when it was converted to a school for Aboriginal children.

The first explorer to have a favourable opinion of the Swan River was Captain James Stirling who, in March 1827, explored the area in HMS Success which first anchored off Rottnest, and later in Cockburn Sound. Stirling arrived back in England in July 1828, promoting in glowing terms the agricultural potential of the area. His lobbying was for the establishment of a "free settlement", unlike the other penal settlements at New South Wales, Port Arthur and Norfolk Island. As a result of these reports, and a rumour the French were about to establish a penal colony in the western part of Australia, the Colonial Office assented to the proposal in mid-October 1828.

The first ship to reach the Swan River was the HMS Challenger captained by Charles Fremantle on 25 April 1829. After anchoring off Garden Island, Fremantle declared the Swan River Colony for Britain on 2 May 1829. The Parmelia under Captain Stirling arrived on 1 June, and the official foundation of the colony took place on 12 August, with the chopping down of a tree by wife of the captain of the Sulphur, Mrs Helen Dance. The two separate townsites of the colony developed slowly into Perth and the port city of Fremantle.

Much of the remaining land around the Swan River turned out to be quite sandy and unsuitable for agriculture and so the first reports of the colony were not as glowing as Stirling had been to suggest. These reports along with the difficulty of clearing land to grow crops was a factor in the initial slow growth of Perth during the first couple of decades. By 1850 the population of the whole colony had only increased to 5,886. Agriculture developed away from Perth in places like the Avon Valley and along the southwest coastline.

Perth was still seen as the administrative centre for the colony of Western Australia though.

Some events that occurred in the first few years of Perth's history are below:
The Round House, built in 1831

    * 1831: The Round House is the oldest surviving building in Perth and was completed this year.
    * 1831: It took seven men 107 days to dig a canal 280m in length and 4m deep thus creating Burswood Island.
    * 1833: Relations between the Europeans and Aborigines were not always amicable with many intercultural skirmishes. Yagan, a senior warrior of the local Aboriginal tribe near the Swan River was murdered on 11 July of this year after a bounty was issued for his capture following the murder of a couple of settlers.
    * 1837: The colony's first brewery was established at the corner of Spring Street and Mounts Bay Road in Perth.
    * 1841: 10 January The first service was held in the All Saints Church
    * 1843: The first causeway across the Swan River was completed, little more than a primitive timber bridge.
    * 1848-1850: After 19 years of settlement, growth was very slow. The population of the area around Perth was still only about 1400.

Perth - City and Geography

noreply@blogger.com (ParkYank) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:08:00 +0000

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of 1,659,000.The
metropolitan area is located in the South West Division of Western Australia, between the Indian Ocean and a low coastal escarpment known as the Darling Range. The central business district and suburbs of Perth are situated on the banks of the Swan River.

Perth became known worldwide as the "City of Light" when city residents lit their house lights and streetlights as American astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the earth on Friendship 7 in 1962. The city repeated the act as Glenn passed overhead on the Space Shuttle in 1998. Perth is tied for eighth place in The Economist's 2010 list of the World's Most Livable Cities.
Perth is set on the Swan River, named after the native black swans in 1697 by Willem de Vlamingh, captain of a Dutch expedition and namer of WA's Rottnest Island. Traditionally, this water body has been known by Aboriginal inhabitants as Derbal Yerrigan. The city centre and most of the suburbs are located on the sandy and relatively flat Swan Coastal Plain, which lies between the Darling Scarp and the Indian Ocean. The soils of this area are quite infertile.

The metropolitan area extends to Yanchep in the north and Rockingham to the south, total distance of approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi). From the coast in the west to Mundaring in the east is a total distance of approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi). The Perth metropolitan area covers 5,386.4 km². The coastal suburbs' placement is advantageous due to proximity to Perth's oceanside location and clean beaches. To the east, the city is bordered by a low escarpment called the Darling Scarp. Perth is on generally flat, rolling land — largely due to the high amount of sandy soils and deep bedrock. The Perth metropolitan area has two major river systems; the first is made up of the Swan and Canning Rivers. The second is that of the Serpentine and Murray Rivers, which discharge into the Peel Estuary at Mandurah.