Following the Pet Shop Boys

June 7-8, 2025

(Go west) in the open air

(Go west) where the skies are blue

(Go west) this is what we’re gonna do

Go west, this is what we’re gonna do

Go west…

Yes, we are heading west… far, far west, all the way to Perth, Western Australia. I have a conference to go to, so we’ve tacked on a few extra days to be able to have a look around this place at the other side of the country. 

The trip over should have been pretty straight forward. Catch a plane from Tassie to Melbourne at a designated time…hop off and then hop on a plane to Perth at a designated time and voila! We have arrived. Did this happen? No…not quite…just a little more drama.

First…we get a message to say our flight to Melbourne would be delayed by half an hour. No problem, this is fine.

Then…we wait at the airport and sure enough, a plane arrives 30 minutes after it was supposed to, which is fine and we get ready to board.

Then…an announcement tells us, “Passengers on flight QF2052 to Melbourne, there has been a slight delay due to a bird strike on landing. We need to check the aircraft and hope to have you on your way shortly.” A bird strike! A BIRD STRIKE! Fabulous. My usual level of flying anxiety had just ramped up a notch or two. Will I be getting on a plane with a bird stuck in the engine! The team of high-vis fellas went out to the plane, began looking at the engine, then walking around taking photos of the wing.

Then…another announcement…“Passengers on flight QF2052 to Melbourne, unfortunately we need to have the aircraft checked by an engineer and the plane has now been grounded. All passengers will be booked onto a later flight.”

So…we are put onto a flight three hours later.

But…this means we miss our connecting flight to Perth.

So…we eventually get on a plane and eventually arrive in Perth, twelve hours after we started and get to our hotel very late and knackered.

But…we had arrived!

Just a bit of drama and a few more white knuckles of worry as we took off, hoping there were no more wayward birds flying around, but eventually we set foot in Perth, W.A. 

Sunday dawned and we are staying in a top spot in South Perth, right on the river. I started the day in the same way it appeared many others also were, with a lovely run along the path, past parks and beside the river. It was a great place for a run, looking across the river and with a separate cycle path so runners, walkers and cyclists could enjoy their individual pursuits without getting in each others’ way.

The start of our exploring took us on a quick ferry trip across the river to the middle of Perth and then a walk up to Kings Park.

The sun was shining and even though it’s winter, it had the feel of a Tasmanian summers day about it. Kings Park is a lovely area of 400 hectares, part of which is the Botanic Gardens. We strolled in the sunshine, along paths and trails, with views across the Swan River and all in all, just enjoyed some nature therapy in a very nice spot that was all new to us.

The public transport in Perth is absolutely brilliant. So easy to use and, being Sunday, was also free for the day. We hopped on a bus and then a train and took ourselves out to Cottesloe. This is a well known W.A. surf beach that’s a little like the Bond Beach of Perth and was teeming with weekend sun and sand seekers, enjoying the beachside lifestyle and some brave folks were even in swimming. I had to don a hat and sunscreen as we strolled along the path beside the beach (again, it’s winter!), stopping for some lunch at Magic Apple Wholefoods that we both declared was sensational. I was particularly happy to have man sitting near us, holding a little Dachshund in a pink harness that was furiously shouting at every other dog that went past, with the man having to hold on tightly to the snarling and struggling little canine that was intent on launching itself in a barking bundle of short legged  fury at any other dog it could see. I then had a lady sit beside me with her small, aged, pug nosed little dog sitting on the seat with her and then a man with a Golden Retriever arrived, with this one having the opposite personality to the Dachshund, as it tried to lean in to the lady at a next door table, resting in her lap with a goofy smile, waiting to be patted into doggy delirium. It was nice to share lunch with some companionable and comic canines.

A walk along the beach followed, dipping a toe in the water (the first chilly temperature of the day) and then a bus and train back to Perth. On arriving at the hotel, it was another smile worthy moment as a small French Bulldog was also waiting to get in the lift, so the fact we’re staying at a dog friendly hotel, just made it all the better.

So, after a little bit of drama getting here, we had started our time exploring Perth and surrounds and it had been a delightful start. We have a few days to have a look around before I start the conference, so we are looking forward to seeing what’s out there, getting a chance to explore a place that we haven’t explored together before. New places to explore, new things to see and nice to be travelling a bit further from home. Off we go!