A Trip to Perth, Australia - Part 2

(Continued from Part 1.)

So the next day after having our breakfast at the hotel, we packed and left one of our luggage with the hotel concierge since we were to stay at The River Retreat farmstay in Swan Valley. But before that, we had some free time before meeting up with the other tourists for the local tour at 1p.m. so we visited these places.

The Swan River

Landscapes in Perth City

The Bell Tower
(Unfortunately, due to time constraint, we did not take a tour of The Bell Tower)

We had such a fun time exploring these places that we lost count of the time and nearly could not make it timely for the local tour. Needless to say, we could not afford to spend more time at some eating outlet to have our lunch so we stopped by a McDonald's outlet for a takeaway.

Fortunately, we were five minutes early before we reached the entrance of the hotel where the coach was supposed to pick us up (along with the other tourists) and then that began our journey out of Perth. We filled our empty stomachs with the McDonald's meal in the coach, careful not to spill anything and were very grateful that no one had lodged a complaint on us after the trip. We were also thankful that our groups are small and thus, make it a more enjoyable trip as I feel bigger groups are harder to manage.

Anyway, we passed by the historical town of Guildford and made a stop at the States oldest and best-known vineyard, Sandalford Wines for a wine tasting session. They have an extensive cellar and wine emporium gift store featuring stunning wine accessories and also works by local artists. Not a wine person myself, I too was captivated by the rows of various bottled wines on display and tasted two kinds of wine (one white and one red, although I could not remember their names!).

We then visited the vineyard on our own, while the others were still inside the shop tasting the wines. I have a thing for fruits so I was especially happy to have the opportunity to visit the vineyard and viewing those luscious-looking grapes.


My four-year-old daughter loves grapes so after seeing them, she innocently asked me if she could pick them for consumption. My husband and I couldn't help chuckling after hearing her remark, and so we had to tell her no and further explained to her what these grapes are for. (I have to admit I felt the urge to pick them myself upon seeing them the first time; don't you think they looked delicious?)

Our next stop was at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory. Now did I pique your interest at the mention of chocolates? It was a wonderful experience and an eye-opener trip for us. Being a chocolate lover, this place seems like paradise because we got the opportunity to try out two types of chocolates (the regular chocolate and the white chocolate. They were in small bits and were served in a big bowl and the visitors are free to help themselves with them).

Rows of chocolates on display

We then proceeded to watch the staff on preparing and making the chocolates through a glass window and this had also attracted a lot of other tourists (besides the chocolates that is) as I am sure most of us are very curious how our chocolates are made. I admired the staff for their nonchalance and seemed not to be bothered by the attention we showered on them during their work, because I know I probably could not concentrate having so many eyes on me.

Our next stop was at Caversham Wildlife Park, where we had a close up experience with native Australian animals and had the opportunity to feed kangaroos and take photos of the adorable koalas. This was another wonderful experience for us, and I know my daughter had enjoyed herself immensely. She was really excited seeing those kangaroos hopping around and was curious about the koalas when she had the chance to take a close up picture with them.

The kangaroos resting under the shades

Don't you think the koalas are adorable?

I just love the name of this little guy - Tasmania Devil

Emu, which I had mistaken as an ostrich initially

A beautiful peacock which shy away from my camera when I tried to follow it around.

Our final stop was at The River Retreat in Swan Valley and this is where our farmstay is. We were the only family among the group who had opted to stay overnight at this place so the coach left for the Perth city after leaving us here.

I just loved the feeling that I was being so close to nature.

We were assigned to a cottage which is fully self-contained with cooking facilities. It has a huge living room with dining area (with air-conditioner), and two bedrooms and a bathroom. There are two double-decker beds in a room, and a queen-sized bed in another. It reminds me of a chalet but this is definitely much bigger and better! When we opened the back door, we could see nothing but the wonderful greenery as shown below. It was such a quiet and peaceful place for relaxation. If you step out from the back door and walk further, you could see a playground and some farm animals lazing around at their designated premises.

After our dinner, we had an outdoor activitity where we had a little bush camp and had fun watching a native representative making billy tea. First, he set up the fire with sticks and placed a billy can of water with tea leaves sprinkled into it. When the water has boiled, he used a towel to hold the handle and then he lifted the can and swirled it round and round in circles. The purpose of doing so is to allow all the tea leaves to settle down to the bottom of the can without filling your cup with leaves. I did capture a shot of the man swirling the can at a distance (I was so afraid the tea would spill but funny enough, it didn't. I suppose one required skills and experience for doing so) but I will not post it as it is not a good shot.

After hearing him sing and taking some pictures with him, we bade each other goodbye and we returned to our cottage. It was really a fun day and we looked forward to the next day as we would get the chance to feed the animals.

[To be continued...]