Perth
Travel Guide > Oceania > Australia > Western Australia > Perth
Introduction
Perth is the capital of the Australian state of Western Australia. A population of 1,507,900 (2006 estimate) makes Perth the largest city in Western Australia and home to three-quarters of the state's residents. The city is also the fourth most populous urban area in Australia, and with a growth rate of 2% is currently the fastest growing major city in Australia.
Sights and Activities
- Art Gallery of Western Australia
- Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
- It's a Small World Museum houses a large collection of miniatures.
- Kings Park, 1.5 km north of the city centre, covers 406 hectares and offers great views of downtown Perth.
- Perth Zoo
- Perth Mint is Australia's oldest operating mint.
- Swan Bells houses bells from the church of St Martin-in-the-Field in London, which were a gift to Perth from the City of London.
- Mundaring Weir
Events and Festivals
- Spring in the Valley occurs in the Swan Valley during September each year
Visit http://www.perth.wa.gov.au for a calender of events
Weather
Getting Around
By Car
By Public Transport
There is a free bus zone within the city limits where you can ride the bus for free. There is the dedicated red, blue, or yellow CATS or you can just hop on any bus (but you have to get off within the free transit zones)
By Foot
By Bike
Eat
Drink
Shop
- Retail centres are open between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday with 8am to 5pm Saturdays. Sundays retail outlets in the CBD, Fremantle some regional towns are open 11am to 5pm.
- On Wednesday, it is late night car shopping. On Thursday is it late night suburb shopping and on Friday it is late night city shopping.
- Some of the bigger shopping centres located in the suburbs include cinema complexes; Belmont Forum, Carousel, Garden City, Joondalup, Midland Gate, Warick Grove.
Work
Learn
Keep Connected
Internet
Internet cafes are easily accessible across the CBD with walk up access, all have USB connections for camera etc.
Phone
Australia is on a GSM 900/1800 network, so if you have an unlocked phone that works on those frequencies, you will be able to buy a prepaid SIM-card and stick into your phone when you're in Perth. You will receive a new Australian phone number with the SIM-card.
To dial out of Australia use the prefix 0011, followed by the calling code of the country you are trying to reach, followed by the area code of the city/town (without the 0!) and finally the phone number.
Within Australia, it is necessary to add an area code to the phone numbers if you are calling from outside the area.
Perth's area code is 08, which is the same for all of Western Australia as well as South Australia and the Northern Territory. If dialing interstate, use one of the following area codes.
02 - New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory (Sydney, Canberra)
03 - Victoria, Tasmania
07 - Queensland (Brisbane)
000 is the emergency telephone number in Australia, but the international GSM mobile emergency telephone number 112 also works on mobile phones.
Calling cards can be bought from any Newsagency and most deli's/corner stores, it's generally cheaper to purchase at these stores than it is from accommodation receptions. Some of the cheapest cards can be found at the Wellington train station.
Post
Australia Post is the government's postal service. Most suburbs will have at least one post office. A standard letter or postcard sent within Australia will cost $0.50. Internationally, it costs $1.25 (to other Asia-Pacific countries) or $1.85 (rest of the world). It is also possible to send things as parcels or by express mail.
This is version 27. Last edited at 6:01 on May 15, 08 by GeoBot (+37). 13 articles link to this page.
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