Nathan's Insights

World Traveller: 7 Continents, 90 Countries, 871 Days Overseas

Day 3 – Short Break: Perth, Australia

May 7, 2017

Sunday 07 May 2017. Photos.
Highlights: AFL Match – Fremantle v Essendon

Perth Australia Post Office

Today was the main event of the trip a visit to Subiaco Oval to watch my team Essendon play the local boys the Fremantle Dockers. But first I wanted to see a little more of Perth before the match, unfortunately it turns out that pretty much everything doesn’t open on a Sunday until 11 am. This meant a walk around the CBD, including to the historic Australia Post building and then a chance to catch up on some overdue work caused by recent sickness absences.

View from our seat

Today’s match started at 2.40 pm so around noon Jason and myself walked down to the Watershed Factory Outlet for lunch (which was finally open). After a leisurely lunch it was another 30 minutes and I had arrived at my 14th VFL/AFL venue for my first AFL match in Western Australia. It was a hot day (around 29 degrees) and I didn’t have high hopes for my team but as long as they played well and I had a few chances to cheer I’d be happy.

(Essendon run out onto the Ground)

We were sitting at the city end behind the goals and the Essendon Cheer Squad. Still a few Fremantle supporters around but majority Essendon. As we entered the ground about 60 minutes before the start we walked down to the other end to watch the Essendon players do some early practise.

Fremantle Supporters Celebrate

Essendon started the match well and at one point lead by around 26 points in the second quarter but the heat and the 3 match over 13 days meant Essendon faded badly in the end and lost by 37 points. Over 33,000 attended this match. Joe Danaher kicked three goals but Nat Fyfe dominated at key moments for 26 possessions. Any enjoyable match even if my team listed (as I expected). Glad I got to experience at match at Subiaco Oval before they move AFL matches in Perth to a new venue next year.
Day 2 – Short Break: Perth and Rottnest Island, Australia

May 6, 2017

Saturday 06 May 2017. Photos.

Highlights: Swan River Cruise, Indian Ocean, Rottnest Island: Quokkas, Bathurst Lighthouse, West End Coast line

Today was all about visiting Rottnest Island which I’ve been hearing about for years. Rottnest Island is about 33 kilometres from Perth and is a very beautiful island but with a storied and sad past. After European settlement Rottnest has been used as a Aboriginal Prison (from across Australia, not just Western Australia) and as an internment camp during World War 2 but is now visited by over 500,000 people a year so I was looking forward to this visit.

Jason was staying in Perth today. An early morning start (well not that early if you use Victoria Time which my body was still on) and a walk down to Barrack Street Pier and I was set for today’s events. I booked the Rottnest Island Express Ferry service from Perth to Rottnest Island via Fremantle. This included a Coach Tour.

The Ferry trip took us down Swan River to Fremantle. This took approximately 60 minutes and included a very useful commentary of the local sites including Perth Park and the were the very rich live. I should have sat outside on one of the few higher deck outdoor seats (something I fixed for the return ferry). The majority of the Ferry actually joined at Fremantle. From Fremantle is was a quick and relatively smooth ride to Rottnest Island.

I only had 30 minutes to orientate myself to the main settlement before catching the Discovery Tour Bus around Rottnest Island. Unfortunately I sat on the right hand side of the bus when most of the sights were on the left hand side but it was only a minor ignorance given the multiple stops. On the island there are only a few ways to get around, bus, bike or walk. Cars are only allowed for a couple of official functions (police, fire and general store deliver) in order to protect the Island. Quite a few of the bike riders were only wearing their bathers and in some cases very tiny bikinis (I’m not complaining).

The highlights of the coach discovery tour was seeing a shipwreck, and the stops at the Bathurst Lighthouse and the West End / Cape Vlamingh. The Bathurst Light was the last manual lighthouse in Western Australia, with the last Lighthouse Keeper leaving in 1990. From the Bathurst Lighthouse I could see the Military Battery that was used to protect Fremantle. It was at this location I first saw my first Quokka, a lovely small marsupial about the size of a cat.

The quokka is related to the kangaroo which isn’t obvious until you see one run, which actually is very rare as they are friendly creatures with no natural predators so they just walk around. Unfortunately quokkas on the mainland are dying out now that we have cats, foxes and dogs but here this beautiful creatures are protected.

At the West End we stopped off to see the amazing coast and surf of Rottnest Island. Sometimes during the year you can see dolphins and seals. Watching the ocean sweep onto the coast was very smoothing.

Back at the main settlement I first visited the old Rottnest Cemetery (last burial 1903) and climbed up a small hill to view Herschel Salt Lake. I enjoyed lunch at the local Bakery as the quokkas wandered around the town looking for a free feed. However everyone was under strict instructions not to feed the quokkas, or any of the wildlife on the island. After lunch I hiked up to the second Lighthouse on the Island, the Wadjemup Lighthouse built after City of York was shipwrecked. This gave me a chance to see more quokkas at close.

At 3.55 pm it was time to catch the return ferry. This time I enjoyed the views from the upper deck on the outside of the ferry.
Day 1 – Short Break: Perth, Australia

May 5, 2017

Friday 05 May 2017. Photos.
Highlights: Qantas Business Class Flight, Gloucester Park Harness Racing

Today saw the start of a short four day break to Perth just as the cold weather commences back at home in Melbourne. I booked a cheap economy class seat on Qantas back in January and used my Qantas points to upgrade to Business Class on the International standard A330-300 so a great start for the four hour transcontinental flight (see Flight Review Melbourne to Perth).

For this trip my Brother-in-Law Jason joined me, or more accurately I’m joining Jason. The trip was centred on seeing Essendon play Fremantle at Subiaco Oval on the Sunday.

Early morning I cleaned up my house before leaving given my nephew Andrew and his fiancée Danelle will be moving in shortly. For this trip I’m only taking a daybreak making packing more interesting but hopefully I have everything I need. From here it was a walk to Flinders Street Station for a train trip to Broadmeadows. Unbelievablely Melbourne doesn’t have a train to our major airport but Broadmeadows is fairly close and my mum happily picked me up from the train station and took me the 10 minute ride to the airport.

I meet Jason at the airport and quickly took him into the Qantas Business Lounge. A very late breakfast for both of us (11.20 am) and some drinks saw us set for the transcontinental trip. We were at one of the furtherest away gates and there was a big line in the economy lane but quick boarding for business class. Turning left on entry felt good and the Business Class seats have a large pitch of 78″ and are 21.5″ wide basically perfect for a long flight. I enjoyed the seat, the wine, the food and the entertainment system (see Flight Review Melbourne to Perth for more details).

The Perth Airport has done a bit of an upgrade over the last few years and lots good. After Jason picked up his checked bag we headed outside and caught the local bus (number 40) for a cost of $4.60 (you can pay in cash on board) and it took around 40 minutes to get us to the centre of the city (so great value). We are staying at Perth Ibis which is very central for our activities over the next few days. Walking to the hotel we passed a pub which was humming along at 4.15 pm – seems like the locals have no problems leaving work early on a Friday!

After a brief break at the hotel we headed off to Gloucester Park for a night of harness racing fun. This track is right next to the famous WACA cricket ground which I’ve watch many Test Matches on TV. Entry costed $12 with an extra $4 for racing book. The meeting started at 5.24 pm which is extremely early but I guess they are trying to line up with the East Coast which is 2 hours ahead of Western Australia.

Jason and myself positioned ourselves near the winning post and got on TV for most races according to my brother back home. The Harness racing here doesn’t have bookies so it was betting on the TAB only. Despite this the venue was magnificant, having been built in the late 1920s it’s smaller than most but that’s the charm, you are close to the action. The setup was good as well, lots of good spots to watch races, music act between races, kids having fun, the food cooked at the venue looked very tasty for reasonable cost. Maybe I’m a little bias since I left the night $5 up for the night when I expected at one point to loss everything I came with, so very happy :).
Flight Review – QF769 Melbourne to Perth

May 5, 2017

Flight: QF769 Melbourne to Perth
Airline: QANTAS
Plane: Airbus 330-200
Gate: 12
Seat: 2A (Business Class)
Departed: 12:47 (Scheduled 12:40)
Arrived: 14:47 (Scheduled 14:50)
Duration: 4 Hours 10 Minutes

As part of a short break in Perth to relaxed and see my AFL Team Essendon play Fermantle I booked a cheap economy seat back in January. I immediately requested an upgrade to Business Class for both flights which came though immediately to my surprise. I guess that’s a bonus of being a Qantas Platinum member, domestic upgrade requests get cleared immediately if there is inventory.

The A330-200 offers a pod business class seat, with the option of a fully reclined bed setting. This is actually better than most 6-7 hour international flight business seats so a real highlight.

I selected a window view seat at 2A. All Qantas Business Class seats on the A330-200 offer direct aisle access so no climbing over another passenger.

It is very rare for my to fly business class so it felt a little special to turn left towards the front of the plane instead of right for economy. The business seat / pod had a pillow and blanket waiting for me upon boarding using the priority lane. I was quickly offered a refreshment drink upon taking my seat. The cabin steward personally spoke to everyone in business class before departing, he seemed to know a few of the passengers personally. In the front section of Business class I believe 21 of the 24 seats were occupied.

Departure was delayed a few minutes as the airbridge wouldn’t retract and had to be rebooted. I took the time to hook up my iPhone was recharging using the USB port (there is also a power outlet). Take off was very smooth and the Captain assured us we would arrive either on time or slightly ahead of time and reminded us to change our watches back two hours for Western Australian time.

As we were departing at lunch time we were quickly served, first with another drink service, which I selected a white wine and was provided some nuts, and than second with the meal service. Business Class passengers are offered an entree, main and desert food options. I skipped the Entree (options Moroccan spiced chickpea and tomato soup, or Buffalo bocconcini with prosciutto) having eaten a light but late breakfast in the Qantas Business Class Lounge.

I selected the Roast Chicken with fried polenta, braised bitter greens and salmoriglio) with bread and salad. The meal, in particular the fried polenta, was excellent. I selected lemonade as my drink and it was quickly filled up again without asking during the meal service. For dessert I skipped the tea, coffee and wine service and just went with the Maggie Beer ice cream.

The seat / pod has a fairly large touch screen for the entertainment system. I selected ‘Rogue One’ and used the business class headset which are better for sound than the normal economy headsets. I watched the cabin crew who were very attentive to all business passengers, taking the time to talk and engage with those who wanted to have a small chat. It’s hard to imagine how much everyone would love traveling if economy had this type of service.

After my meal was taken away I played around with the seat settings. This is only a 4 hour flight so no need to recline to fully flat but still very comfortable reclining options that allows you to enjoy the HD display while watching your movie or TV show.

There only appears to be one toilet exclusively for the business class section, but I mean be wrong. I did stretch my legs at one point and saw my brother in law who was seated in 6F and was traveling on a staff discount ticket in business class. I feel if I had this staff discount option I’d be traveling in business class everywhere Qantas flew to 🙂

The last hour of this flight was spent watching TV shows. The flight landed a few minutes early on a beautiful day. We left the plane by the front door so I was probably the fourth person off the plane. Bags took around 8 minutes to get to the package area with bags tagged as Business the first off (I only had carry on package).
Bali 2017 – A Family Adventure

April 16, 2017

Well my idea for a quick and quiet getaway to Bali, Indonesia to visit my 57th country and at the same time qualify for Qantas Life Time Gold Membership has been radically changed for the better 🙂

First my sister Kara and niece Erin got in on the 6 day trip (8 – 13 June 2017) around the Queen’s Birthday Holiday – yes Australia celebrate’s the English Queen’s Birthday with a public holiday! But most unexpectedly my other sister Lana, niece Darby and nephew Harry will be joining us now for their first either international trip 🙂

We will be flying over on different flights, Lana, Harry and Darby will be flying by Perth and Kara, Erin and myself flying via Sydney but if everything goes to plan we will be arriving within 5 minutes of each other.

Harry, Erin and Darby about to destroy chocolate Santa

I’m hoping to get Kara and Erin access to the Qantas Sydney First Class Lounge. I get access to that lounge while I’m a Qantas Platinum member even if I’m only flying in Economy (although this time I’m flying in Business). This is one of the top 5 rated lounges in the world and I’ve never visited myself. I think a free massage, shower and a salt and pepper calamari should be a good way to start the trip!

Qantas SYD First Class Lounge – Here I come!

We will likely be staying in the Kuta region at the Bali Dynasty Resort Hotel. Should be a nice relaxing getaway for everyone involved.

Bali Dynasty Resort Hotel