Guide to Perth City

Guide to Perth City

Wednesday, 9 August 2017

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Western Australia is one of the less explored areas of Australia, often left off peoples travel plans. However if you do have the time to head West then you must do it, I am already planning another road trip up the northern coast of Western Australia. Perth is seen as one of the less exciting city to visit, and although I cannot argue with this, there is still a lot to do here. So, after a week alone in Perth I complied a list of the best bits...

Where To Stay

I stayed in Billabong Backpackers, which was a short walk to the centre of the city but had such a great vibe, loads of people, theres a pool and a big kitchen and communal area. They also had loads of events happening throughout the week, making it really social.

Perth City YHA, you'll find a YHA nearly everywhere you go and if you plan on staying in one regularly become a member and you'll get a discount which can save you some £££. YHA usually have great facilities, free wifi and a good reputation for clean, nice rooms.

If your looking to stay in Fremantle, theres a whole post coming soon.

Where To Eat

I have a full post dedicated on where to eat and drink in Perth coming very soon, but for now check out a couple of my favourite spots which were Sneaky Tony's, a hidden rum bar which needs a password to enter, once inside your in a secret rum bar with the most incredible cocktails the Pina Colada is a must. Flora and Fauna does the best brunch, freshly made in a tiny kitchen with a retro style and outside seating, the banana bread is incredible.

What To Do

Shopping
Head down to Watertown in Northbridge, for a huge array of discount and clearance shops the perfect place to snap up a high end bargain.
Elizabeth's 2nd Hand Bookshop, is full of an incredible selection of second hands books. As well as a 'blind date with a  book' where you choose a book bound in brown paper with a brief description on the front, the idea of not judging a book by it's cover.
If your after a standard shopping mall Murray Street and Hay Street Mall is hard to miss and where you'll find all your standard shops.

Arts
Art Gallery of Western Australia has a mixture of both contemporary and historical art and worth a visit, with free entry its a perfect thing to just wander in and out of in any spare moments you have, or save it for a rainy day.
Peek A Boo Gallery, is the smallest art gallery in the southern hemisphere, with the contemporary art work changing weekly.
If you love contemporary art, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art has free entry and is full of edgy and adventurous art. It also showcases contemporary dance and theatre performances.

Parks, Gardens and Beaches
My favourite beach was Cottesloe, however there is also city beach, mosman park, or scarborough which is a little further away.
Kings Park, is huge and its well worth spending some time wandering around. You can get amazing views back across the city, as well as taking the treetop walk and enjoying the beautiful surroundings.

Landmarks and Attractions
Government House is a historical landmark which you may wish you take a wander to look at. A must is to walk down to Elizabeth Quay on the banks of the Swan River, here you can catch a ferry over to South Perth or take a visit to the zoo. The Bell Tower one of the top attractions in Perth, housing the Swan Bells its one of the worlds largest musical instruments.

Transport
Perth has a transport card called Transpeth, which works similarly to an Oyster (London) or Opal (Sydney) card, where you top it up and then tap on and off to public transport. You can use it on all forms of public transport. I mainly chose to walk around the city, and took the train to Fremantle and Cottesloe. In central Perth they have CAT Buses which are free, high frequency buses to get around the centre and well worth looking out for.

Choosing The Perfect Hostel

Choosing The Perfect Hostel

Thursday, 3 August 2017

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Hostels are all park of the backpacker lifestyle. I nearly always stay in hostels, and as of yet (touch wood) have no had a bad experience. They may be cheap, but they can be so beautiful in amazing locations, the photo above is of the Base Hostel on Magnetic Island, Australia. They are the perfect place to meet loads of people, all who are in similar positions. There are so many hostels to choose from, its worth doing a tiny bit of research rather than booking yourself into the cheapest option and hoping for the best.

Location is key, you will however most likely pay more for a hostel more in the centre of a city so check out what the public transport is like and if getting a slightly cheaper hostel further out would be more worthwhile.

I love meeting new people in hostels, so choosing a hostel which has a common area, communal kitchen and  good social scene is key. Lots of hostels have bars attached to them, which is even better! Look out for any organised events they have on, some hostels host BBQs or film nights for their guest and these are an even better way to meet people.

The extras, I always try and book into a hostel which offers free wifi to its guests- although this is not essential it is nice to have while travelling and can make life a lot easier. A long with this, a hostel which offers a free breakfast thats at a convenient time can save you some money (if breakfast runs from 7-8 that is pretty useless though as no one is up!). Along with later check out times, no one wants to be up and packed by 9 to vacate your hostel room. Look for a checkout around 11.

Look at the photos, even though they may not be the exact room in which your staying in they will give you a vague idea. Check out if the bathrooms are attached to the bedroom or big communal ones for multiple rooms. Also look out for lockers, somewhere to store all your belongings safely.

Hostels have a variety of rooms available, and it is down to personal preference if you want a mixed or single sex dorm, and of what size. As a general rule, the biggest mixed room will give you maximum opportunity for socialising but in term will have the most disruptions and less chance of a good nights sleep, so it depends what your after. 

The easiest way too book and compare hostels is on Hostel World, Hostel Bookers or YHA (if you specifically want to stay in YHA hostels or are a member)

O is for Ottilie is now on Facebook, head over to my page and give it a like!

Under 21 Car Hire

Under 21 Car Hire

Sunday, 30 July 2017

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I dreamt of road trips around Australia, the freedom of being in complete control of your transport and not having to stick to flight times, or catching buses but instead being able to stop and start when you like. If you don't like a place move on, stumble across an unexpected gem and you can stay there a couple more days. However if your under the age of 25 it can be tricky, and under 21 even tricker- in some places near impossible.


A Few Tips

I would always opt for full insurance, which means paying no excess and usually no bond. Although it will come at an extra cost, it does mean in the unfortunate event that you have an accident regardless who's fault it is you will not have to pay anything.

Plan the trip with regular stops. It is so so easy to loose concentration on long drives, especially in somewhere like Australia. You can drive for hours without having to turn, change gear or see another vehicle. Plan where you can fill up with fuel, and also stop off get out the car and give yourself a break.

Take snacks, just incase your journey takes longer than planned or you get peckish along the way. Pack plenty of water, and snacks to keep your energy up.

Fill up when you can. This applies especially to Australia, driving through the outback but on any long trips. Fuel stations can be few and far between, so always fill up when you have the chance rathe than holding it out till the next opporuntity just incase something doesn't go to plan.

Jucy Car Rentals

Offering Cars, Campervans and Motorhomes Jucy has everything you would be looking for. With a small surcharge for under 21's, the option of full no excess insurance, as well as being able to add on any extra equipment you may need for the perfect road trip. They also allow you to add extra drivers for no, or a very small charge. They also have relocation opportunities, meaning you get to hire the car for $1 a day in exchange for driving the car from a set location to another- next to free car rental and you get a road trip as an added bonus! Pickup/ Drop off locations in Australia, New Zealand and America.

Wicked Campers

Wicked Campers are easy to spot, with their vibrant controversial (at times) graphics along the side of the iconic camper vans. However Wicked Campers have a huge range of vehicles available, including cars, 4WD and motorhomes. I would be wary of one way fees, however apart from that they offer very affordable vehicle hire, again with no excess insurance as an additional extra. Pickup/ Drop off locations in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South America, North America, Africa, Japan and Scandinavia.

Check out this post on my Western Australian Road trip from Perth to Esperance.

Summer Lipsticks

Summer Lipsticks

Thursday, 27 July 2017

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Summer is the perfect time to dig out any super bright lipsticks you've got hiding at the back of a drawer and give them a whirl. I have picked out a few of my particular favourites to share with you.

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lipsticks are amazing, and I need to get my hands on the rest of the collection. A pink lipstick never goes out of season, this particular lipstick is in the shade pink cushion. It has an smooth, even texture and is very long wearing. If you do want a slightly less intense colour, you can dab this onto your lips for more of a tint. The red shade is called you say tomato and delivers a super punchy colour, perfect to make a statement this summer.

Kat Von D possibly offers some of the most crazy lip colours including this vibrant bright orange shade Halo is ideal if your looking for something more alternative this summer. As with all Kat Von D products these lipsticks are top quality, offering a huge amount of pigmentation as well as an unbeatable texture. If your looking for something just as punchy but something your may be more used to, this beautiful pink is the shade Sexer and I absoulety love it for a statement pink!

Topshop lipsticks have been my favourite for a while, with an ever growing collection from their amazing range of shades. Ooh La La has been a long time favourite, the perfect coral lipstick. With a satin finish this is very comfortable to wear, with the same pigmentation of any matte lipstick. Rio Rio has been a topshop cult classic, the perfect bright pillarbox red.

Perth to Esperance Roadtrip

Perth to Esperance Roadtrip

Sunday, 23 July 2017

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Western Australia is often over looked when people plan their trips to Australia, but it should be way up there near the top on your bucket list. On my first visit to Western Australia, myself and two friends did a road trip down the south coast from Perth to Esperance. A beautiful, scenic road trip which isn't too long. We didn't want anything where we wouldn't see any towns, cars, or people for hours on end. We hired a car from Wicked Campers, picked it up in Perth and set off on our trip.

The Route

Day 1- Collected the car from Wicked Campers, drove to Fremantle for the day. Headed down to Herron Point Camping Ground for the night. Which was a beautiful, simple campsite on the side of a lake with bathrooms but no showers or clean water (it was all salty!) however it was super cheap (although we didn't end up paying because we arrived after the ranger had been round) and a very peaceful place to stay.

Day 2- We set off super early, after naturally waking up as the sun rose and headed straight down to Margaret River to watch the Surfing Pros Women's final. We stayed at Wharncliffe Mill campsite, which was located in the middle of a forrest, with hot showers, a covered eating area and kitchens all a short walk from the centre of Margaret River.

Day 3- Headed back down to Surfers Point for the Mens finals, and then took some time to look round Margaret River. Margaret River is full of wineries, however we decided to head to Colonial Brewing Co for a cider, and to relax in the sun before a quick drive to Hamelin Bay Camping Park.

Day 4- Drove to Denmark, where we didn't stay for long and continued on to Albany, where we attempted to have a beach day but it was so windy we decided it would be better to continue our drive  and get a bit closer to Esperance. We settled on going to Hopetoun, which was half way between Albany and Esperance. We came across a lot of closed roads on this route, so be warned- including one which meant we couldn't get to our desired campsite. We stayed in Riverview Campsite, after having to jumpstart the car in their carpark!

Day 5- Headed straight down to Esperance, driving past the pink lake which unfortuently wasn't pink when we were there. We spent the day laying on the beautiful, empty beaches. Before heading to a campsite, which I can't remember the name of but there are loads in Esperance.

Day 6- Despite intending to spend the day sunbathing on a beach, it was cloudy and cold so we did the ocean drive around the coast of Esperance before deciding on making a start on our return journey to Perth. We drove to Pingelly, which is almost the entire way back to Perth. We stayed in a campsite right in the centre of the town, which had showers, fresh water and a undercover cooking area.

Day 7- Finished our road trip by heading back into Perth, and returning the car! Before staying the night in Billabong Backpackers Hostel.

The perfect 7 day road trip, we saw all the highlights of the South Coast and had plenty of time to explore places, as well as fitting all the driving in during the day as none of us were particularly keen on driving in the dark.

Have you done any road trips? Or visited Western Australia?

Ways Solo Travel Changed Me

Ways Solo Travel Changed Me

Thursday, 20 July 2017

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I am a strong believer that everyone should travel solo at least once, travelling with friends has a massive appeal and is incredible fun. However solo travel enriches you on a deeper level, you learn lessons about yourself which you would of never discovered.

Solo travelled proved to myself of just how much I am capable of, if you had told me a year ago I would be travelling Australia alone for the most part, I would not even be able to comprehend that little stressed, anxiety consumed me was even capable of attending a party surrounded by mates let alone putting myself out there to the big world wide in my pure venerable state. I have been able to handle everything that was thrown at me, by myself, come up with solutions to every problem and this a irreplaceable quality.

I learnt what was important to me, what made me truly happy and what my priorities in life are. I felt truly content, and so very happy with where I was and what I was doing. I just wanted to see more, do more and soak up more of this amazing country. I realised that happiness is something you should endeavour to discover in everything you do, life is way too short not too.

The importance of my family, and true friends became very apparent. Although I often wished they were experiencing things with me, it made me appreciate them even more. I realised just how lucky I am to have a family that supports every single decision I make, regardless of what they think of it. I have friends who have stuck with me, taken interest in everything I've been doing despite the time difference. My friends and family are all so busy living their own lives, but they still had time to take an active interest in mine and for that I am eternally grateful.

I learnt that comparison really is the thief of joy. To enjoy what I was doing, being inspired what others were doing, but not let anyone else's pictures or stories make mine seem any less impressive. I mean I left school, came to Australia, travelled and worked for 12 months and had the time of my life, nobodies adventures could compare to what I've experienced, the memories, the lessons I've learnt. They are all mine, and mine only.

I learnt true independence, something which I had never experienced before. Not only could I do whatever I want, with no one stopping me, I was also completely responsible for myself, for my safety and for my adventures. Nobody was going to stop me partying till the sunrises, but nobody was going to pick me up and tuck me up into bed while I nurse my hangover either.

The list could go on and on, solo travel teaches you so much and you will come back a completely different person than when you left. 

In The Photo
Hat - http://bit.ly/2sUW1YI
T-Shirt- http://shopstyle.it/l/cvZW
Backpack (similar)- http://shopstyle.it/l/cv2h
Bikini Top- http://bit.ly/2vhllZU
Bikini Bottoms- http://bit.ly/2vhNIau