Perth Australia

We loved this beach house just outside Fremantle:

http://www.stayz.com.au/accommodation/wa/perth/fremantle/30576

We've just returned from our 11 days in Aussie and we

had a SUPER time!  My favorite thing was just being

together as a family...nothing beats pure family time!

Our second fav thing is how well we ate - this region is

definitely any food-lovers dream come true - fresh seafood,

australian lamb and beef is divine, local produce is beautiful, their

cheeses are gorgeous....and it seems

everyone everyone there is just INTO food!

We loved our lazy beach days, sunsets every night, 

dolphin spotting cruise, bakeries galore, playing in nearly all of Perth's parks, 

going on picnics, craft and food markets, 

best fish and chips we have ever had in the world

(it was a spiritual experience for me four times we did fish/chips), 

kangaroo/koala visit with camel ride, a hike though the 

bush (OK it was a tiny hike but bush nonetheless), 

easter egg hunt in our garden, visiting margaret choc factory,

dining al fresco w/ mateo's bbq dinners, celebrating Niko's

1st birthday, bonding w/ the local farmer family/kids next door,

seeing gold being made at the Perth Mint, hours at the science and maritime museums, 

drives through wine country, arts and music festival and 

shopping surf clothes for all the fam since it's the land of Bilabong. 

We  were totally impressed with Australia yet again, the friendly relaxed

people who spend their days outdoors just enjoying the 

beauty of the earth. Hope you all had a terrific Easter!

From Ian McGArvey

I have the information on WA that I discussed with both of your seperately .  We stayed in these places approx 5 years ago , and they were very nice , but I can't vouch for how they are today !

Fremantle : approx 30 minutes from Perth , and on the ocean.  Perth is on the river , inland.

We stayed in 2 places :  i) Esplanade Hotel.  Colonial style hotel    ii) Quest Harbour Village Apartments.  These are right in the old America's cup marina and 10 metres from the water. ( my wife tells me they were secure and well fenced from children getting into the harbour! )  These were very nice 2 to 3 level apartments.

This area has lots of restaurants and cafes.

www.fremantle.com/accom/harbourvillage

Fremantle is a great town/city.  Museums , craft markets , cafes , restaurants , old gaol to visit.

Also very worthwhile taking a one day trip to Rottnest Island ( 45 minutes by ferry)  . You can hire bikes .  Rottnest is famous for Quokkas , which are small marsupials.   First Dutch explorer thought they were rats , and hence the name of the island.

Margaret River - approx 4 hours drive .  Keep to the speed limit as WA police are notorious with speed cameras !

A nice drive with a few towns to stop in on the way. 

Margaret River district is famous for surf beaches and wine !   The actual town of Margaret River is about 10 kms inland from the beach , and an interesting mix of hippie surfies left over from past generations , yuppie winemakers and tourists.  Interesting main street to walk down , and evn if you don't like wineries  , some of the restaurants and cafes at the wineries are extremely nice.   

We stayed at the beach in a resort called Margarets Beach Resort  , Corner Wallcliffe Rd , Margaret River.

Self contained apartment , with full cooking facilites ( not that we used them).  Also had a reasonable restaurant for dinner.

This is very close to the beach , and the beaches in this area are some of the nicest in Australia.

From Jonna

In Perth we enjoyed visiting the Perth Mint.  We also liked the Caversham Wildlife Park. 
Loved Fremantle.  Don't miss the old historic market.   Also, the Fremantle prison is worth a tour...  old convict prison.

We spent most of our holiday in the Margaret River region.  Stayed in Eagle Bay.  Gorgeous beaches.  Particularly loved a little beach (Meelup Beach I think it's called) up the road from the main beach.  It was so beautiful.

Things to do with kids in Margaret River area:

Sunflowers Animal Farm (small and sweet)  www.sunflowersfarm.com
Yallingup Shearing Shed (watch demo of sheep shearing) 10-4 daily (but closed Fri)
Simmo's Ice Cream (with nice outdoor play area) 161 Commonage Road, Dunsborough
We visited 2 lighthouses, Cape Naturaliste  and Cape Leeuwin (where the Indian Ocean & Southern Ocean meet).  Took the scenic drive through Boranup area on the way to Cape Leeuwin (fragrant eucalyptus forest)

Horseriding  near Yallingup.  Kids enjoyed.  Simple - young ones go around the track and older can go on trail ride.

If you like venison stop at Margaret River Venison on the main road for some awesome venison to bring home.  We ate bits of it for months and were so sad when it ran out.  So good.

Lots of wineries with good food.  Nice relaxing place for lunch, and many have children's play areas.  We had lunch at Woody Nook one day.

Go to www.margaretriver.com for more info, and stop at visitors centre down there for lots of brochures/ideas of things to do.