Despite its deceptively large population, people in Perth are proud to describe the city as a "country town". The mining boom caused a lot of growth in recent years, but the lifestyle has remained very laid-back and friendly. In my short time there, I quickly fell in love with everything that Perth offers to residents and visitors alike.
The city center has a couple shopping arcades and a pedestrian-only area with all the major stores you would find in Sydney or Melbourne. Everything closes a little earlier, but "trading hours" are still better than in Europe (thanks to being open on Sundays). Speaking of Europe, I felt like I was back in the UK when I walked down one pedestrian street, appropriately called London Court
Actually, there were quite a few areas of the city where the buildings reminded me of England (although much newer). Just look at Government House, for example:
Everything about the city just makes life easy. Public buses in central Perth are free and they run at a really high frequency. When I was walking from the hotel to the race start on my first morning in the city, a bus actually stopped right next to me and the driver opened the door to ask if I wanted a ride to the starting line. I challenge anyone else to find another city of 1.5 million people where this would happen!
I already wrote an entire blog entry about the great outdoor activities in Perth, but I also found the nightlife to be fun. My favorite night out was spent at Gloucester Park, which is a harness horse racing track. This is not a place where you can expect the highest echelons of society, but it is a fun Friday night destination for drinks and casual gambling.
I had never seen a harness horse race, but it looked a little like a handicap version of the traditional version. Instead of riding on the horse, the jockey rides in a little cart that is pulled by the horse. The announcer even refers to the jockey as a "driver" instead of a "rider".
The track is open every Friday night and races happen about once every 25 minutes, between 6 and 10pm. People place small bets in between races and spend the rest of their time chatting with friends. Overall, it was a really relaxed and casual environment. I didn't win anything, but I would much rather spend my night at the race track with live entertainment than just standing around at a bar.
For me, the best part of the entire night was seeing the area where horses are prepped for the races. It felt like going backstage at a show. As I walked through the stables, there was a feeling of relaxed anticipation. The only people who seemed to take it seriously were the horse owners, who mostly around in full suits and acted like big shots.
I was surprised to hear that most of my local colleagues have never even been to Gloucester Park, but I would definitely recommend it as a tourist attraction.
On a global scale, Perth seems to get overlooked by travelers in favor of Sydney and Melbourne. But, make no mistake - Perth is a hidden gem that is absolutely worth seeing. In fact, I would dare to say it's among my 5 favorite cities in the world.
The city center has a couple shopping arcades and a pedestrian-only area with all the major stores you would find in Sydney or Melbourne. Everything closes a little earlier, but "trading hours" are still better than in Europe (thanks to being open on Sundays). Speaking of Europe, I felt like I was back in the UK when I walked down one pedestrian street, appropriately called London Court
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| Without the Australian flags, it looks just like England |
Actually, there were quite a few areas of the city where the buildings reminded me of England (although much newer). Just look at Government House, for example:
 |
| Government House...with a distinct British influence |
Everything about the city just makes life easy. Public buses in central Perth are free and they run at a really high frequency. When I was walking from the hotel to the race start on my first morning in the city, a bus actually stopped right next to me and the driver opened the door to ask if I wanted a ride to the starting line. I challenge anyone else to find another city of 1.5 million people where this would happen!
I already wrote an entire blog entry about the great outdoor activities in Perth, but I also found the nightlife to be fun. My favorite night out was spent at Gloucester Park, which is a harness horse racing track. This is not a place where you can expect the highest echelons of society, but it is a fun Friday night destination for drinks and casual gambling.
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| Race results at Gloucester Park |
I had never seen a harness horse race, but it looked a little like a handicap version of the traditional version. Instead of riding on the horse, the jockey rides in a little cart that is pulled by the horse. The announcer even refers to the jockey as a "driver" instead of a "rider".
 |
| The drivers are not, in fact, handicap |
 |
| Race warm-ups in progress |
The track is open every Friday night and races happen about once every 25 minutes, between 6 and 10pm. People place small bets in between races and spend the rest of their time chatting with friends. Overall, it was a really relaxed and casual environment. I didn't win anything, but I would much rather spend my night at the race track with live entertainment than just standing around at a bar.
 |
| The less-than modern betting area |
For me, the best part of the entire night was seeing the area where horses are prepped for the races. It felt like going backstage at a show. As I walked through the stables, there was a feeling of relaxed anticipation. The only people who seemed to take it seriously were the horse owners, who mostly around in full suits and acted like big shots.
 |
| Horses standing in the stables |
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| A jockey prepares for his next race |
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| An owner takes great care in grooming |
I was surprised to hear that most of my local colleagues have never even been to Gloucester Park, but I would definitely recommend it as a tourist attraction.
On a global scale, Perth seems to get overlooked by travelers in favor of Sydney and Melbourne. But, make no mistake - Perth is a hidden gem that is absolutely worth seeing. In fact, I would dare to say it's among my 5 favorite cities in the world.
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