After a spectacular two-plus weeks on mostly New Zealand's South Island, Steven and I were excited to head over to Perth in Western Australia for the first time. Together, we'd toured the east coast region around Sydney, the capital of Canberra, north to Cairns and the iconic Great Barrier Reef, Darwin, and also the awe-inspiring Uluru in the country's center. In 2019, I also visited the area around Melbourne and Tasmania with the same friend I'd also toured chunks of NZ with.
But Western Australia, and particularly Perth, had long been on our wish list, and here we were at last! Three-quarters of the massive state's population live in just Perth. The state, known universally as WA, is simply enormous, covering more than 2.5 million square acres. For Americans, think of WA as being much larger than Alaska and Texas combined. Another interesting fact: if WA were its own country, it would be the world's ninth largest. India is approximately the same size, but its population is over 1.3 billion, compared to WA's relatively paltry 2.87 million.
Views as we flew north to Auckland in the center of the North Island:
I was especially lucky that I'd chosen a window seat on the flight to Auckland, as I had glorious views of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont, a snow-capped, cone-shaped stratovolcano located on the North Island. Having recently toured Japan's Mount Fuji, I could understand how the two mountains' highly symmetrical cone shapes are often compared.
Rarely had Steven and I ever been on such an empty flight. We were surprised that it hadn't been canceled, because there had been another flight just 90 minutes earlier. We had an unusual experience in Christchurch with Air New Zealand, having to put our bags on the luggage belt, scan the tickets, and also use the bag drop all by ourselves - that was all a first for us. One of the few passengers wasn't feeling well, possibly due to nerves because she was leaving her old life behind in NZ to work at a higher-paying job at a mining company in WA. A flight attendant spent several minutes sitting down beside the passenger, which I think helped.
The flight attendants later served only snacks and candies, and no sugary drinks or other beverages. We were told that no hot beverages were allowed on board - how odd was that! The onward flight to Perth was uneventful, but it was a full day of flying.
4/26/26: Steven and I had planned an exciting self-driving trip for two weeks in the southern part of WA, before heading way up north for a further two weeks. Most of that, though, would be taken up by a cruise through the remote Kimberly region. Back to Perth now, however! As Perth and all of WA are so far from the main Australian population centers on the east coast, there is a sense of utter desolation in WA. Perth is one of the world's remotest cities, closer to Southeast Asia than any other Australian city. As you'll see in the ensuing posts, most of southern WA is barren and parched. One of the tour books stated that "Western Australia's vastness, small population, and rugged scenery give WA a strong sense of being a new frontier."
4/26/26: Steven and I had planned an exciting self-driving trip for two weeks in the southern part of WA, before heading way up north for a further two weeks. Most of that, though, would be taken up by a cruise through the remote Kimberly region. Back to Perth now, however! As Perth and all of WA are so far from the main Australian population centers on the east coast, there is a sense of utter desolation in WA. Perth is one of the world's remotest cities, closer to Southeast Asia than any other Australian city. As you'll see in the ensuing posts, most of southern WA is barren and parched. One of the tour books stated that "Western Australia's vastness, small population, and rugged scenery give WA a strong sense of being a new frontier."
History: The state, and all of Australia, was inhabited by the first Australians more than 50,000 years ago, when today's First Nations' ancestors crossed on land bridges exposed by lower sea levels from New Guinea. The first recorded visit by Europeans to Western Australia occurred in 1616, when a Dutch sailor entered Shark Bay and nailed a tin plate to a tree as proof. He was followed by a pirate who repaired his ship in 1688 in the Kimberley. Amid fears that the French might take control of the west coast, British Captain James Stirling was dispatched from Sydney to find a site for the first colonists, who arrived in 1829 to set up a settlement in what is now Perth.
As with colonizing powers the world over, most of the Aboriginal groups that had lived peaceably for over 30,000 years had been forcibly ejected from the region. Even though a serious labor shortage resulted in convicts being 'imported' in 1850, Perth's population was scarcely 3,000 eight years later. The discovery of gold in the 1890s changed that, as Perth became the jumping-off spot for one of the last great gold rushes.
The dawn of the 20th century brought about major changes, including a telegraph cable connecting Perth with London and South Africa, and a railway joining the eastern states. Waves of new immigrants were drawn by the new infrastructure. They were followed by returning World War I servicemen who developed land under the Group Settlement Act and again after WW II. Perth and WA's Southwest is still home to the country's largest percentage of foreign-born residents.
In the first decade of the 21st century, Perth saw a massive resource-driven boom, and that, combined with a strong demand for its wine and farm produce, has fueled WA's growth.
We were drawn immediately to Elizabeth Quay, a premier waterfront precinct located in the heart of the city's Central Business District or CBD, on the banks of the Swan River. Unlike anywhere in New Zealand, we were able to use Steven's handicapped parking permit to find a handy spot by the Bell Tower, an 82.5-meter-high landmark with a distinctive glass spire. Its sail-shaped copper wings contained the Swan Bells, donated by London's St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church for Australia's 1988 bicentenary, and rung at each coronation.
Next to the tower was the 2015 Signature Ring installation that resembled huge headphones. It was threaded with fiber optics that projected movement onto interactive panels, symbolizing the passage of time. I had a devil of a time trying to get a decent picture showing it, however.
A stone's throw away were immaculately clean free toilets with automatic doors. Music was even piped inside, for a more welcoming experience. Sorry if this is TMI, but the toilet only flushed once hands were washed, or the door was opened - definitely a first! As I've said in the past, I wish the US and Canada also had similar facilities like NZ and Australia have.
Hearing the sounds of a marching band, we left the Quay and headed directly toward the band's noise, passing the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, which featured a monumental 20-meter-high facade artwork called Cascade, made of recycled cast aluminum.
On the next block, the One The Esplanade office tower had a unique vertical garden. What a delight seeing such exciting architectural gems and, especially, highrises, as NZ's South Island had almost none of the latter.
Successive mining boons since the 1970s have led to Perth's ultra-modern cityscape, with towering highrises built by large multinational and WA-based mining companies.
We detoured through the Stirling Gardens, named in honor of the man who founded the first settlement in 1829. After becoming the first acclimatization garden to assist colonists with what to grow in the area's infertile soils and conditions, it became the state's first public botanical garden in 1845. By the late 19th century. Stirling Gardens had become a place for public entertainment and leisure.
WA's neoclassical Supreme Court, located in the rear of the Gardens, was Perth's first brick building and was built in 1837.
Also in the Gardens was the unusual 7-meter-tall Boonji Spaceman sculpture that was covered in graffiti.
Adjacent were the bronze kangaroo sculptures by Joan Walsh-Smith and Charles Smith.
As we drove throughout the South Island, Steven and I saw many references to the upcoming ANZAC Day, a national day of remembrance in New Zealand and Australia that honors military personnel, specifically commemorating the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, The day was later extended to include all who served and died in military conflicts and is observed annually on April 25. I was glad that we were among the 35,000 people in Perth to view the city's moving parade down St. Georges Terrace.
Hmm, it was tough to decide whom to root for!
It seemed as if every facet of Perth's community was represented in the parade.
Across from the Gardens was the attractive 1899 Treasury Hotel, located inside former government buildings now called the State Buildings, which formerly housed the Treasury, Lands, and Titles offices. Quite a few former servicemen and servicewomen watching the parade were proudly wearing their medals.
In front of St. George's Cathedral was the Ascalon sculpture, an abstract interpretation of the story of St. George holding his lance, Ascalon, in medieval romances, slaying the dragon. It represented the triumph of good over evil.
Following the parade's end, tight security guarded the entrance to the cathedral shortly before the ANZAC Day Cathedral Service, which was only open for ticketed attendees, but I was able to sweet-talk my way in to take a few pictures!
The wooden 51st Battalion Memorial Cross, now located in the cathedral's Soldiers' Chapel, was originally erected on the battlefield in 1918 to honor soldiers who died during the counter-attack at Villers-Bretonneux, a vital French strategic town.
Out front was the Westminster Abbey Cross sculpture, which had been unveiled by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 1984.
Next to the cathedral was the Deanery, built by paroled convicts in 1859.
We surprisingly had difficulty finding the Point Zero plaque, which was adopted in 1932 to mark the origin of all road distances in Western Australia and to and from Perth worldwide, as none of the locals, including police, knew of its existence. Thankfully, we soon found it ourselves very close to the cathedral.
Around the corner was Perth's East End Cathedral Square, an interactive meeting place and public square. A sign acknowledged the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation on which the precinct and the entire city of Perth were built. In what was to become commonplace throughout WA, it added, "We recognize their continuing connection to the land, waters, and community of this area and pay our respects to their elders past, present, and future in the spirit of reconciliation." I remember thinking that terminology like that in both the United States and Canada would go a long way to mending the rifts between White and Aboriginal people in both nations.
In the square was the City of Perth Library, a modern architectural landmark noted for its distinctive circular shape and vertical cladding.
The facade of the Criterion Hotel Perth, which originally opened in 1890, was decorated in an historic Art Deco style.
The historic Perth Town Hall, constructed between 1867 and 1870, is infamously the only town hall in Australia built by convicts. Upon its completion, the building stood as the tallest structure in the city. A stone marker on the ground noted that Perth was founded on August 12, 1829, by the felling of a tree near this spot.
Another sculpture graced the open space by the Town Hall.
The Hay Street Mall in the CBD was perhaps optimistically described as a bustling shopping pedestrian center!
A hint of the murals to come in an upcoming post!
Who wouldn't smile upon seeing the whimsical Grow Your Own sculpture, colloquially known as The Cactus, and installed in 2011? The bright green sculpture, located in the large Forrest Place, was made of aluminum, steel, and industrial-grade enamel.
Scenes from the quiet square:
The most beautiful building on the square, in my opinion, was the palatial former General Post Office, a Beaux-Arts-style heritage landmark completed in 1923 and now home to an H&M retail store.
The 5x7-meter Two Fighting Snakes mosaic was created by Matthew Tjupurulla Gill in 1994 from over 17,000 granite tesserae in red, black, yellow, and white. It purportedly illustrated a story of two snakes fighting over two men from the artist's father's homeland near Lake Mackay.
At the far end of the square was the colorful City Visitor Kiosk, which featured a design developed by Noongar/Yuggera artist Hayley Thomas. It caught my eye because one of my first jobs was working at Ottawa's information center on the Sparks St. Mall!
Close by was the historic Perth Railway Station, but it was not a patch on Dunedin's majestic railway station! However, unlike Dunedin, Perth's station was not like a pretty movie set, but a still-vibrant and going concern as a transit hub.
The station was the easiest way to access Yagan Square, a multimillion-dollar redevelopment project named in honor of a Noongar warrior who was born around 1795 and who led a resistance campaign against the British invasion. After Yagan was murdered by some teenage settlers he had befriended, his head was brutally removed, smoked and sent to London. There it was publicly displayed as an anthropological curiosity before being buried in an unmarked grave in Liverpool. His head was exhumed in 1993 and eventually repatriated to Australia, where it was laid to rest in 2010, 177 years after his murder.
Market Hall Plaza was an integral part of the square.
A highlight of the square was the Digital Tower, a 45-meter-tall landmark that included a cylindrical 360-degree LED screen displaying digital art, animations, and community messages. Its 14 columns represented the Noongar language groups.
Our tour of Perth's architecture and urban art continued at the historic Royal Perth, a classic two-story hotel with a pub dating to 1882.
An intriguing mix of old and new styles:
This was the first of several striking blue trees we saw in WA. We didn't discover until later that they were symbols for mental health awareness and suicide prevention created by the Blue Tree Project, which started in the state to break down mental health stigmas.
Delightful King St. had one of Perth's best-preserved gold rush streetscapes with charming buildings oozing every few feet.
Just off King was Wolf Lane, named after William George Wolf, the architect of the nearby His Majesty's Theatre. An American, he emigrated to eastern Australia at the age of 22 in 1877, before moving to Perth in 1896 during the Gold Rush. He designed several of Perth's turn-of-the-century landmarks.
One of the most famous drinking spots was the Belgian Beer Cafe and Restaurant, where outside patrons were advised to always remain seated!
The ornate His Majesty's Theatre, built in 1904, was designed to express the Gold Rush era's confidence and exuberance. I think Wolf achieved that! It's believed to be Australia's only remaining Edwardian theatre. It was designed with a sliding roof on the dome, which allowed the audience to watch a performance under the stars on warm nights.
An image of the theatre on Arbor Day in 1906:
The Adnate Hotel:
Back on the other end of the Hay St. Mall we'd strolled on earlier was the heritage-listed Trinity Arcade, the city's oldest shopping arcade, and home to bespoke retailers.
Nearby was London Court, an intriguing Tudor-style arcade built in 1937. We waited to see if its famous animated clock, a replica of Rouen's Great Clock built during the arcade's opening in 1937, would ring on the hour!
At the top of the hour, it was a hoot watching four mechanical, armored knights on horseback circle and joust in a window above the clock face!
Steps away was the Art Deco-style Plaza Theatre.
The minstrel was playing the didgeridoo, an ancient wind instrument and cultural symbol, developed by Aboriginal peoples of northern Australia at least 1,000 to 1,500 years ago.
The bronze sculpture, depicting a local vagrant and street performer named Percy Button, was created to commemorate the city's history of street life. Button was captured in his signature handstand pose, sometimes referred to as 'Percy Button's Aspiration'.
We returned via the State Buildings complex that we'd viewed much earlier while watching the parade.
You probably know us well enough by now not to be surprised that Steven and I certainly didn't call it a day here! Indeed, we finally saw more of the exciting Elizabeth Quay, explored the massive King's Park, and much more!
Next post: Oops, I let the cat out of the bag above!
Posted on July 28th, 2026, from home in sunny Colorado. No political rhetoric this time, just the hope that you will take care of yourself and your loved ones.
