Dear Perth

I'm going to miss you.

I moved over to you in 1995. At that time, you and I were both small and young. I was 11 and you were 139. I remember flying over you thinking, "Wow! This place is tiny! I'm going to get so bored so quickly...!"

Perth in 1995. Courtesy of National Library of Australia and @skyscrapercity.com

At that time, I had no idea how wrong I was. Since then, you and I have both grown enormously. You provided me with safety, adventure, friends and experiences. I made some brilliant friends while you watched over me and as I grew older, you let me go and build my confidence.

You gave me the courage to meet the nicest and kindest group of girls I could have ever hoped to meet and as we became close, we discovered you all over again. At every stage in my life, you made sure you grew with me to provide me with a healthy batch of adventure and fun. I left you many times; sometimes for as long as 6 months. I went away, made more friends and brought them back with me. Every time, you welcomed me home with open arms.

I've met some fantastic people in Perth. My husband, my best friends and my dog.
When I met my husband, I think you knew before I did that he was the one. We met almost 15 years ago and did not get along at all. Infact, I started avoiding him as much as I could. But you kept bringing us together over the years; seemingly by chance. Eventually, we ended up working together and just couldn't avoid the chemistry. We met in Perth, we dated in Perth, we fell in love in Perth and now, we both are in love... with Perth.

I met my lovely friends purely by chance. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was my last day at an old job. I walked around the office with my heart racing; fearing rejection while anticipating triumph. I walked up to (almost) complete strangers and said, "Hi, you dont know me but its my last day at work today. Would you like to come out for a celebratory drink?" to all the friendly faces I could find. Over the years, I tended to generally keep to myself. I had very few friends growing up. Infact, I would call most of them acquaintances as i have never kept in touch with anyone from my school years. So this was a bold move for me. I was desperately in need of a female friend and Perth, you gave me the confidence to go out and make them. To my extreme surprise, they all said yes to a drink and almost 5 years on, they have all been enormous support for me! My only regret is I didn't meet them sooner. I would have loved to have them with me celebrating my "Medium Fat Indian Wedding".

Perth 2014

Perth 2014

Perth 2014

Our lovely group has grown somewhat since then and every time someone joined or left, we all explored you again Perth.

You were fantastic! You always had something new for us to do, somewhere new for us to go. To those who call you boring, let me say I'd feel more lonely in a crowded room with boring people than on my own, exploring my Perth city.

I left you about 10 days ago and I do miss you already. You are my home and for now, I am away. But when I do come back, I cant wait to rediscover my home all over again; My Perth City.

xox

My favourite things to do in Broome

Matso's Brewery

No trip to Broome would be complete without visiting (and dining in) the most remote micro brewery in the world. The building itself is old and of significant historical value to the town. Matso's long and
exciting history involves it once being a brothel, a bank, suffering from sabotage and ofcourse, beer! 

Matso's is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu is vast and incorporates good pub fodder. It also caters well for the vegetarians. 

Gantheaume Point

This is a hit or miss type of attraction and is only 6km from Broome. Gantheaume Point is a must see in Broome - however, if you want to see the dinosaur footprints, planning is a must! The dinosaur footprints are only visible during low tide and, if it isn't raining. Having said that, even if you are not able to see the footprints, a quick trip is still well worthwhile. The rock formations, the red sand and the ocean make for the most stunning photos. 

Cable Beach

Cable Beach is the most iconic attraction of Broome and it features on every brochure and website. It is a large 22km stretch of beach which gets busy with 4WD's in the evenings. Locals like to drive onto the beach and get a front row seat to see the beautiful sunset with a picnic and a wine in hand. It is reasonably safe to swim at the beach. However, there had been a crocodile sighting in the water a few days before my trip to Broome. 

Broome Crocodile Park

The crocodile park is an interesting place to visit if you are curious to find out more about the species. It is not for the soft hearted though - the crocodiles are bred for meat and skin and the establishment does not hide that. Most of the crocodiles you will see will one day be turned into handbags, shoes, burgers
etc. For me, being an animal lover, that was particularly hard to absorb when holding a baby crocodile in my hands. 

Willie Creek Pearls

The willie creek pearl establishment is a fair distance
away from town. If you would like to book a tour out to the farm, the shop front in the city centre would help you out. After speaking to some of the locals, we decided to drive out to the farm ourselves. The drive up was just beautiful and I would definitely recommend that. However, make sure you are in a 4WD. Small cars are likely to get bogged. If you don't have time to drive up to Willie Creek and would still like to see how the pearls are harvested, go next door to Cygnet Bay Pearls in the city centre. These guys are very informative and carry out a demonstration showing how the pearls are harvested and seeded most days at 11am. The Cygnet Bay Presentation was recommended highly to us by the locals and it was fantastic! 

Where to Stay

We stayed at the Pinctada Hotel in Broome and I cannot recommend these guys enough. It was Asian hospitality in Australia! The staff were extremely friendly, ever ready to talk, always full of suggestions on what to do in Broome and always smiling. We were picked up at the airport with a cold towel and an air-condition van and from there, the service just got better and better. When you travel to Broome, do give Pinctada some serious consideration.