City Centre, Perth

If you think that Megamouth is simply an opinionated sports commentator, then think again (he's actually called Sam Newman)!

I am ambivalent about the Perth Museum - which is good but not great - but the one 'must see' there is the Megamouth shark.

Megamouth is a large and extremely rare species of shark, of which only a few dozen (and here I speak under correction) have ever been discovered - including one caught in April 2009 in the Philippines which was photographed just before it ended up in the pot with a coconut milk sauce. I understand that the thinking is that they may be a deep water species that seldom strays into shallow water. It is utterly unique in that it has the most colossal mouth imaginable (it's a filter feeder, like a basking or whale shark) and has to be seen to be believed.

Unlikely though it seems, I struggled to find this enormous shark in this not-so-enormous museum first time around! Until I realised that it is displayed in a tank of formaldehyde which is sunken into the floor of the courtyard (and shielded from the sun by a protective roof) - looking down on it was a very odd feeling.

If you have a taste for the bizarre, then this is an attraction that you can't possible miss (and the kids will love it)!

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This is really a "must do" tip. The Moon and Sixpence Pub is a quaint Irish pub in Murray street, across the road from the Murray Street Mall and next to Bobby Dazzler's Bar. It's a great place to have a few drinks and people watch. Also the drinks are quite reasonably priced compared to other pubs in Perth. We've had quite a few lovely vt meetings here - check out the pix inside. I love the outdoorsy atmosphere and ambience. It also has some good entertainment in the night and a quaint little dance floor to kick your heals up.

On the down side, I wouldn't order food here as I have found it to be a bit expensive and not that good. Chips or wedges are fine.

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Perth city center attracts everybody to Hay Streeet/Murray Street Mall for shopping and dining. You can find all sorts of retail shops here as well as restaurants, cafes and pubs. As the street is close to traffic, you can catch some live performances from local artists.

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Perth's shopping area is small and easily walkable. Hay Street and Murray street are pedestrian malls between Barrack and William Street. This is where the big shops are. I enjoyed shopping for clothes and stuff...
In case you want to buy some Aussie music as souvenir, JB40 in Hay Street is a big and well-assorted CD shop.

There are also a number of tourist souvenir shops in this area - prices for the same items can differ quite a bit from shop to shop and comparing prices beffore buying is recommended.

The two parallel streets are connected by a number of indoor malls and passages, some of which continue to St George's Terrace. Note that due to topography, Hay Street is one storey higher than Murray Street. Some malls that leave Murray Street on ground level pass underneath Hay Street and you'll suddenly find yourself in St George's Terrace.

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St George's Cathedral is the centre of the Anglican church in Western Australia. The present building, which substituted a smaller church erected 40 years earlier, wan begun in 1879 and consecrated in 1888. It is designed in English Victorian Gothic Revival style and strongly resembles old English churches. Architecture and interior are very 19th century historism, the stained glass windows even more so. The walls were made of of bricks with stone trimmings. Local jarrah wood was used as timber for the ceiling.

Opening hours: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.

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Government House is the home of the Governor, the representative of the official Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II. The Victorian building was designed in neo-medieval style and is supposed to resemble old English castles. It is surrounded by a large garden and can only be spotted through some gaps between trees and shrubs.

The grounds are protected by a wall and usually closed. On some days, however, the gardens will be opened to the public for an hour or two around lunchtime. If they are, a sign will be put up on the sidewalk of St George's Terrace.

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The Supreme Court, the highest law court of Western Australia, occupies a neoclassical building off Barrack Street and St George's Terrace. The building cannot be visited. More interesting for visitors: it is surrounded by a beautiful garden which is open to the public. Many people who work in the nearby office towers come to spend their lunch break here.

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Mining has made Western Australia and its capital rich. Most mining companies have their headquarters in Perth.

As a hommage to the source of the city's wealth, this column has been put up. It presents samples of ores from Western Australian mines.

walking along saint george's terrace is a photography delight for those who like old buildings [like me ;) ].

one of the finest example is london court with tudor-style of architecture. after passing the archway with "ye london court" sign on the wall and the clock of saint george the knight with a dragon as an enemy, it will leads you to an alley with british atmosphere.

and another buildings along the avenue included:

- saint george's cathedral [which had the westminster abbey cross given by the duke of edinburgh at 1981]
- old perth boys' school
- saint andrews [the first presbyterian church]
- trinity church
- the government house

They are called the Blue, Red and Yellow Cat and cover all of Perth and up to Kings Park. These Cat Buses are free and you can jump on and off at your pleasure. Definately a great way to see Perth.

Also, any bus that you catch within Perth city you can get on free. Say for instance you wanted to go from one end of St Georges Terrace down to your accommodation at the other end, you can jump on pretty much any bus and pay nothing.