1. Perth

A Quokka

Rottnest Island

I was in Perth for a few days in March 1997. Given the time it takes to get there from Newcastle (8 hours with connections), it is almost another country. This photo was taken on Rottnest Island, which is just off the west coast of Australia, near Perth. This is a popular destination for tourists, because of the beautiful scenery and peaceful atmosphere.

A unique feature of Rottnest island is the quokka. This marsupial gave the island the name, and it is its only habitat. Visitors are not supposed to feed them, but they seem to wander around boldly and find plenty of scraps to eat.

Sunset from Fremantle

A unique feature of Perth for me was that the sun sets over the water. I took this picture from a beach in Fremantle and it's not apparent that this was right in front of McDonalds. I was quite lucky to get the bird in the picture like that, and despite trying, I have not been able to achieve anything similar since then.

Cottesloe Beach

This is a lazy and atmospheric scene from the late afternoon at Cottesloe beach. The city itself is somewhat inland, so the coastal suburbs still manage to have something of a village feel to them.

Perth Skyline

This is a view of the Perth skyline from Kings Park at dusk. In some ways Perth feels to be an isolated city, most likely because it really is a very long way from any other major population centres. The trip was not particularly successful from a business point of view, but in a sense it was a coming of age for me in independent travel.

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