Perth Holiday - Any Suggestions/Advice/Tips?

[claerwen]

Catz,

U taking SQ flight? Cos for SIA, they do give out soft toys (like spongebob squarepants) to kids & also an activity pack with drawing books..etc to keep them occupied. If they did not give the activity pack to u (some stewardess don't), u can always request fm them.

For air-pressure during take-off & landing, I juz told my gal to swallow & she has no prob with tt. She was actually more excited abt the plane taking off than anything else, haha. But different kids do react differently so if swallowing does't work for ur boy, juz stanby some water before hand & let him sip some. It does help. Some parents gave sweets for them to suck but I dun encourage lah..

Btw, u bringing any food items there besides milk? Remember to store them in air-tight containers & most importantly, to declare them. For milk powder, u're allowed to bring 1 opened can as part of ur personal baggage when accompanying ur boy but the rest must be unopened. Fresh items like fruits are strictly not allowed, so does food items manufactured or packed in Malaysia, cos of HFMD related issues.

Anyway, if u're still in doubt, juz email them at [email protected]. The friendly qurantine & inspection officer will reply to ur queries accordingly. That's how I clarify all my doubts with them too..

U can also visit http://www.affa.gov.au/airports to see what can or cannot be brought into Oz.

Cheers!

 

[catz]

Noo... unfortunately I'm on Qantas leh 'cos of the timing and the cost. Wow, thanks for the links and tips! I thought all the milk powder must be unopened cans. So I can still bring some of his Heinz cereal, as long as I pack it into air-tight containers lah.. *Phew* Will it be troublesome to declare? I intend to bring my son's straw cup into the plane so he can hydrate as well as suck during take-off/landing.

 

[hopeac]

hi catz,
Heinz cereal is manufactured in Australia. You can get them at most supermarket.

 

[catz]

hopeac, yah I know but then hor, my flight gets in at around 3pm on Saturday, scared tt all the supermarkets will be closed before I can go and buy. So need to bring at least 1 day worth of cereal up.

 

[duckweed]

catz,
yeah... better to bring abit in case you cannot make it to the supermarket in time. however, there are some that close late, around 7pm.

we were unfortunate. we arrived at the airport at around 230pm and cleared immigration & customs quite fast. apparently, there is priority queue for those with young children (the security guy lifted the barrier and let us through to another lane). after that, we collected our luggage and went to pick up our car. we waited for 2 hours just to get the car. it was so tiring and i didn't pack any milk for my boy as i thought we should get to the hotel by 4pm. so lesson learnt, better pack something just in case.

 

[greenpink]

Claerwen,

You are really the expert on WA ! Thanks for providing the info on milk powder. Was just thinking of packing an open can in the baggage! Phew ... after reading on the daipers, Heinz, toilet seat thingy am so glad that my boy is big enuf otherwise there are so much things to lug. Hey, didn't know the sipping of water works too for the air pressure, if not last alternative will be the sweet. Am quite afraid on the air pressure as it's his first trip on plane.

Catz,
I did a comparison and finally bought SQ as it's cheaper. Maybe mine is a midnight flight. I think you are also departing almost same time as me. I will be leaving on 1 Dec. I've also planned to visit MR and will be booking the Quest. The quote from Wotif is quite good at A$135. Is your rate better than this ?

My final itinerary includes visits to Femantle, Harbour Town, Pinnacles (my hubby says die die must go since we didn't go during our last trip .. just have to splash sunblock and hydrate ourselves lah!!). Also, have booked the Riverretreat farm stay, was in a dilemma between Ferguson (has lots more animals & pony ride) or Riverretreat. Finally, chose Riverretreat as they are able to provide an "Outback Show" like sheep shearing, sheep dog tricks etc. Surprisingly, they are willing to do it just for the 3 of us but have to pay $20 per adult and $10 child for the 1 hr show.

Also, we will be driving down south after the Farmhouse stay to Bunbury for the Dolphin watch. Thereafter to MR which we will be visiting the Sunflower Farm, Lavendar Farm, Fudge Factory. Seems alot to accomplish for my 6 days stay but am definitely very excited ... (tink I more excited than my son lei) ... keekee

 

[sharon_c]

Hi duckweed, which car rental did you book with? And why you waited for 2 hrs just for the car? I will be going next week & hope to avoid unnecessary wait!

 

[claerwen]

Catz,
Yup, better to be ready than sorry..

And nope, declaration is very simple, just need to fill up a declaration card tt's all. Oh ya, dun forget to declare medication too. They will only chk the declared items at the custom upon arrival..

GreenPink,
No prob..

And haha.. me no expert pls dun call me tt, only 1/2 bucket only lah & I'm only sharing what I know There're other people here who might be gurus oredi, keke.. Moreover, WA is really big & still so much to explore. Haven't been to the northern regions yet..

And ya, agree tt some SQ flights are cheaper cos they a GV2 Promotion for min. 2 passengers (2-to-go sweet deals). Like our trip in May, it's only $400 per pax cos we took the morning flight there (think currently still is), much cheaper than the usual fare they offer to Perth & also the lowest we can find at that time. For midnight flight, its even cheaper at only $300/$350. For Qantas, it's $468 irregardless of timing, so our obvious choice is SQ since it's cheaper & also more comfort esp. since travelling with a kid (preferred choice)..

So always chk out SQ first, it might just be the cheapest u're looking for. Qantas will be our 2nd choice, BUT if it's cheaper, we'll still go for it, heehee..

 

[sharon_c]

Hi claerwen, i read that you have booked with Budget car rental, did you get your car on time?

 

[claerwen]

Hi Sharon,

Yes we did.. cos we oredi made reservation with them abt 2 mths before our trip. So when we arrived at the airport, our car is already there for us, no waiting required.

So if u hv a car rental firm in mind, my advise is to chk out their website first (if any) & make ur reservation before u go over. This will save u a lot of time when u're there. That is to say, if u only book ur car when upon arrival (ad-hoc rental), it usually takes a longer time to get all payment & paperwork done & also to allocate a suitable car to u. And it's also subject to availability, esp. during peak periods. In cases like this, u might end up having to wait longer than u expected & u might not get the car u want also..

 

[duckweed]

hi sharon,
sorry for not getting back earlier. was terribly sick yesterday.

regarding car reservation, we did it online via: www.discoverwest.com.au. turns out the car rental company is europcar.

we had originally planned for hertz as they have a pretty good discount plan for aa members. however, this didn't work out as they were out of child seats during our travel period. next, we tried budget. the price was also pretty good, just that they didn't allow bookings where the return time was before 7 or 8am, as we had a really early flight out of perth (8am).

how the 2hrs came about....
1) arrived at the airport. no person at the counter. had to ring bell for someone to come by and the person took almost half an hour to get there.
2) had to wait for an elderly couple before us to get their car and they took so long to deliberate on what insurance, etc.
3) finally, our turn. they could not locate our booking in the system and had to call discoverwest to sort out the issue. this process took so long and in the meantime, they served other customers.
4) eventually, they got confirmation from discoverwest and proceeded to put in our order into their system, but with quite a great deal of difficulty (due to system errors, etc).
5) then, we had to wait some more for them to get the car over and then to install child seat
6) finally, after about 2 hrs, we made it into the car

don't forget to ensure there's road directory in the car, if not, you can ask them for it. all in all, we are still happy with our car as it is very new. it's a mitsubishi magna 3.8l (just as well we got a bigger car as we still had difficulty getting the 2 big luggages into the boot).

 

[sharon_c]

Hi claerwen & duckweed, thanks for both your replies! We have booked with Budget a few months ago & at least i feel more assured now!

 

[claerwen]

Sharon,

No worries.. Budget is very flexible & u can return ur car anytime u want, no restriction at all. We have done that quite a few times already. So if u need to return ur car early in the morning or late at night, just drop it into one of the drop-off box allocated at the counter, no hassle at all. U can chk with the reservation agent on tt.

Also, maps are always provided so u can be rest assured too..

Have a great trip!

 

[greenpink]

Claerwen/Duckweed,

I am in the process of arranging my car rental. Mind if I ask how much did you pay for your car. We are looking at a good size Sedan above 2 litre. Anyway of getting discount from them. I actually tried Avis in Sin (corp dis) but it's still very ex. Have surfed the Car Rental co and think Bayswater is still the cheapest.

Usually, what we did during our last trip to Perth and NZ was that we literally reserved the car on the spot. We will obtain brochures upon arrival at the airport and these brochures will have cut-out coupons from the car rental co that entitles you to 10% disc and free upgrade. Thot of doing via this method again but like Claerwen said in view of the holiday peak season we may not have the car of our choice.

Sharon,
Have an enjoyable and safe trip !

 

[sharon_c]

Thanks claerwen & greenpink, i'm sure to have a great & 'noisy' trip, especially group like total of 5 families!

 

[hopeac]

hi,
For the international brands, if you have american express cards. Book Hertz directly. It gives the best rates compared to budget, etc and free day and upgrade to bigger car if you book 5 days above. I think 44 AU per day for more than 5 days, can get you a camry. For most of the international companies,you may need to buy extra insurance, becos the basic insurance only cover like 2k+ in excess.

I also checked AVIS for their coporate discounts, their discount like no discount like that.

For us, we are booking baywaters (They only carry corolla). Becos we are looking at a corolla. It gives the best rate for the local companies . But you need to take a cab to the baywaters rental, you need to arrange your own car seats (25 dollars for 7 days + 16 dollars delivery). We considered this option, becos despite factoring the cab fare etc, this gives us a very good rate and insurance covers almost everything. It is very popular with the locals.

 

[duckweed]

sharon, have a great trip!

greenpink,
we had a 3.8l mitsubishi magna. this time round, with a child and all the barang-barang, i think the 2.2l camry is too small, so we opted for a bigger car. i think it came up to AUD50+ per day. if collecting at airport, there will be additional charges.

if you are a member of aa, you can check them out:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HERTZ Rent A Car (Overseas)
Authorized Booking Centre - AA Customer Service Tel: 6333 8811

- 1 Day Free Car Rental with a minimum booking of 6 days in Australia
(Metropolitan locations)

Valid till November 2006. Applicable to Compact Auto (Group H) & Mid Sized Intermediate Auto Cars (Group C). All reservation must be booked at least 24 hrs prior vehicle collection. Bookings must be made through the AAS Authorised Booking Centre. To mention CDP code number 314950 and PC number 961450.

- 10% off Promotional Affordable Leisure rate
- Free one class upgrade #
#Subject to min. 4 days rental, availability & blackout dates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the last time i called to enquire, they came out the cheapest, but too bad no child seat. i also find avis very ex, even with the discount thrown in.

 

[greenpink]

Hopeac/Duckweed,

Thanks for the recommendation. Will try to enquire from Hertz Sin. AU$50+ for a 3.8l Magna is indeed very reasonable. In fact, our last trip to Perth, we too drove a Magna but couldn't remember how many litres liao. Hubby quite like the car as it's very steady for long distance driving and we drove all the way to Albany.

 

[claerwen]

GreeePink,

Budget do have special promotions every now & then as well, so do chkout their websites regularly. For our trip this year, happened that they have a 4th day free special for all rentals between 1st May-31 July & also.. $5 only for the first day (for min. of 4 days rental) from cut-out coupons in brochures. So ended up we only paid less than $350 for everything, incl. a free upgrade from 1.8L to 2.2L Pulsar (very spacious & new), with unlimited kms per day, excess reduction as well as child safety seat. It's really a steal for us...

Wen we visited Oz 4 yrs back, they actually provide free delivery to our hotel in Melbourne & also a free upgrade to a 3.3L Magna, which really surprised us. It was defnitely something we did not expected. Service wise, there' really nothing we can say.

Also, as compared to most of the big established rental firms out there, their rates are considerably cheaper too & they have a much wider range of cars to choose from, with lesser & very little restrictions. They also offer fastbreak programmes which allows even more savings & added protection at a very low cost. Membership is totally free too.

And if u're a fastbreak member, the good thing is excess reduction is already covered within the basic cost of rental, which incls. single vehicle accident & other waivers too, so u need not pay extra for insurance. Basically, everything will be discounted & included for you when u do ur booking. It's hassle free.

U can refer to this link for the excess reduction covered by Budget. As u can see, they offer a lot more protection like single vehicle accident, windscreen damage & collision with animals.. etc as compared to other rental companies, which mostly don't or otherwise offer only very limited protection..

http://www.budget.com.au/guidance/reducing_excess/default.aspx

Anyway, I think what's most important at the end of the day is choosing a car that meets ur own needs & expectations. Everyone has their preference so as long as u're comfortable with what u get, that's most important, does not matter which rental firm you go to..

 

[greenpink]

Claerwen,

Thanks for your detailed reply. Really appreciated. Will look into Budget webby now & get quotes. Phew ... had just finalised all my hotel bookings yesterday. In total I had booked 5 different hotels and getting confirmation from them takes time. For my Perth City hotel most of my choices are all full (peak period lah!)

Now ... another task, Car Rental !!!

 

[catz]

hi ladies, wow, lots of talk about car rental. i finally went with europcar which was cheapest. i got a quote from m2000car.com.au but it worked out almost the same as europcar with the airport pick-up and drop-off lor.. hertz and avis were quite pricey and out of my budget


greenpink, wah your rate for Quest is really good. i booked direct 'cos panicked, couldn't find it on wotif so paying A$180 per day I think.. Maybe will cancel and go with wotif.. haven't had time to do anything for my perth trip 'cos busy shifting house..

 

[claerwen]

Greenpink,

No prob..

Do note that the price of the car depends mainly on car size, the season u're going as well as the demand & location of rental. And if u hv any cut-out coupons fm brochures, do use them as well.. will help u save quite a bit..

 

[claerwen]

GreenPink & Catz,

In case I have no time to pop by, enjoy urselves & hva great trip!

 

[sarahs_mom]

Claerwen,
Thanks for the useful itineries suggestion. It has helped us with our planning a great deal.

Mommies,
1) Could anyone advise the website, location, or the name of the sunflower farm? Is it worth a visit?

2) Is Strawberry field worth visiting?

3) If we visit Lavender & Berry farm (Pemberton), could we give Balingup Lavender Farm or Cape Lavender a miss?

4) What's available in E-shed markets?

Trying to pack as much itineries within the 7 days trip. Thanks!

 

[claerwen]

Hi Sarah's Mom,

No prob..

The website for Sunflower Animal farm is: http://www.sunflowersfarm.com/

I've not stayed there before but I've heard good reviews from friends who had. Nice place to stay if u're heading towards MR & looking for farmstay accomodation. Will be a good experience for ur kids..

For the Strawberry Field, are u referring to the one at Sunset Coast? Cos the strawberry picking season is only from Sep-Dec. However, u can still buy pre-packed punnets of strawberries & sit in their tea rooms & do wine tasting. So if u hv enough time to spare & looking for a nice day out, u can prob pop by. Btw, they're opened everyday except Tue.

For the lavender farm at Balingup, they're only opened from Sep to Apr. And if u've visited the one at Pemberton, u can prob give the one at Balingup a miss, cos the one at Pemberton has more things to see & do. They're also opened daily from 9-5.30pm. Besides lavender, u can also see raspberry & blackberries. U can also handpick them when in season, which is from Dec-Mar.

Lastly, the E-Shed Markets has more than 80 specialty stores offering unique gifts, souvenirs and fresh produce. e.g local aboriginal artwork, jewellery, t-shirts & clothing stalls, nougats & sweets, honey & macadania products, food stalls.. etc. A good place to get some souvenirs back..

Hope it helps! =)

 

[emmie]

Hello,
I'm planning a 5 day trip to Perth in late Feb. Anyone can share their itinerary?

 

[hba6721]

Halo mummies,

Happen to chance upon this thread. I am planning for a Perth holiday this Jun with a group of friends & their kids. Qantas is having a promotion now at $348. Just wonder if any of you know about the SQ fare? I have checked its website and its $400 for 2 to travel. I remember SQ always have promotion sometime around the Natas fair. Does anybody know if the fare is going to be cheaper than $400? Now I can't decide if we should just go ahead to book Qantas or wait for SQ as we have a group of 20 pax! Please advise. Thanks.

 

[linda_thea]

I stayed in Sunflower farm in 2005 July. The couple were friendly and lodging good. we staying in a barn that can accomodate 8pax. Had a furnace in the barn too. The kids get to feed the seemingly always hungary farm animals at no cost, ride the pony, go on the tractor for rides. They also have BBQ pit for u if you want to. bedding is clean and utensils n crockery are availble.
We woke up to see a peacock walking around our barn too.

We had fun there... But according to my bro, another farm (his family went w us)they went to earlier in the year was cleaner...

 

[hba6721]

Hi Claerwen,

May I ask how do you get the car upgrade? Do you ask for it or they do it automatically? I am interested in applying for the fastbreak membership since you mentioned so many of its benefits. Do they allow non-resident to apply?

Also where is E-Shed Markets? I am organizing a holiday in Jun for 5 families so I found this thread to be very informative. Any suggestions to a 8 day trip is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[hopeac]

hi hba,
The E-shed markets is in fremantle. However, not many people go there. You may also want to consider fremantle market or the subicco market which is more popular with the locals. If you are keen on pumkin patch clothes (about 10+ - 20+ for a dress, selection is much better than singapore) or the "designer" clothes, you can go to harbourtown in perth city. They have alot of designer factory outlets here. You should also get your nougats here. The nougats are at least 3 to 4 aus dollars cheaper than the rest of the places.

If you do not mind the extra fare, it is better to take the wee hoours SQ morning flight, which arrives at 6+ am in perth. You can a full day in perth, if you take the morning 9+ quantas, sq flight, by the time you check out of the place it is already 3+ pm.

 

[hba6721]

hopeac,

Noted with thanks. Now I remember Subiaco market! Been there 10 yrs ago. I will sure plan to go Harbourtown. Do you know if there are any parking problem there or any free bus service?

Regarding the SQ flt, do you know if they still have the $298 fare? I know now they have the $400 fare for 2 to go but I was hoping to wait for this $298 fare.

 

[claerwen]

Hi Hba,

Sorry chkout this thread for quite some time..

For Budget, fastbreak membership is free & anyone can apply for it. The car upgrade is possible provided the car capacity u're looking for is available at the place of rental & must be in the same category. For e.g, their intermediate range of cars are bet 1.8-2.2L, so if u prefer a bigger one at 2 or 2.2L, just let them know & they'll try their best to arrange..

As for the E-shed markets, they're just located near the Fremantle markets. They have quite a wide variety of stores selling mostly souvenirs like T-shirts, local artwork, food products like fresh macadamias, honey & nougats.. etc. As compared to Fremantle markets, it's actually a much cleaner place & the products are cheaper too, so overall, it wld be a better place to shop..

Oh btw, there's a sounvenir shop there which is run by a pair of retired Singaporean couple. They're selling mainly T-shirts, nougats, soft toys & some other souvenir items. For their T-shirts, they actually hv a wide collection & some of them are really very unique. They also feature handpainted collections by famous local artist & the quality is very good. We bought quite a few from them & also a few packs nougats which is actually cheaper than other stores there or anywhere else in Perth. And the good thing is they're also giving further discounts for Singaporeans too! So if u're going to Fremantle, u can prob chk it out. They're really very friendly & hospitable people..

And for Harbour Town, the parking space is very big so no worries. Besides Pumpkin Patch, u can also find lotsa designer brands like NIKE, Country Road at really low wholesale prices. So if u're into some heavy-duty buying & also into branded items, Harbourtown wld be a gd place to shop. Other good value stores incl. JAG, Designer Room, Nike, Lorna Jane, Calvin Klein, Billabong, Roxy, Espirt, Just Jeans, Valley Girl & Portsman..

As for airfare, I think the special fare of $298 is only available during major travel fairs like NATAS in September, so if u're going in June, u might miss it. And usually, u can't get it at this price too unless they've special airfare promotion. So mayb u can consider Qantas which is actually cheap enough at $348. Otherwise, u can also visit SQ website or email them to see if they hv any upcoming airfare promotions..

 

[hba6721]

Hi Claerwen,

Noted with thanks.

 

[mngo]

Clarewen
I am going there next month. Which shop in Fremantle runs by singaporean couple?

i want to buy clothes for my toddler. harbour town has any thing for tat age group?

 

[claerwen]

Hba, no prob..

Mngo,
Their shop is located at E-shed markets, which is just nearby Cicerellos. I can't remember the shop name but I know it's opp. a candy shop selling sweets & nougats. So maybe u can walk around & chk it out. U shld see the candy shop cos it's quite colorful inside.

And yes, Harbour Town has quite a few clothing stores for children. Pumpkin Patch is one of them. Their collection is quite big so u shld find smthg suitable for ur kid..

 

[mngo]

Claerwen
thank u v much. hahaha i will eat at Cicerellos!
do they open on weekdays too?

 

[claerwen]

Mngo,

No prob..

Cicerellos is opened 7 days a week, from 10.00am to 8.30pm. U can chkout their website at www.cicerellos.com.au for more info. Besides the Fish & Chips, do try out their prawns as well. They're very fresh! Oh no.. makes me drool now keke..

 

[telly]

hi there!

i may be going to perth end of this month and i have absolutely nothing planned!!!

it seems like most of you drive yourselves around.

neither my husband nor i drive so we will need to take public transport. is it easy moving around on the buses and trains with a kid in tow?

 

[shook]

Naddy
I am in the same situation as u. I may b going to Perth end of tis mth but hv nothing planned and booked yet. Which date are you looking at? How long do u intend to stay there?

Tho my hubby n I drive but he is not keen to drive or perhaps drive on certain days.

How old is your kid? I will b bringing my 2 yr old son there to celebrate his 3rd b'dy

 

[mashybrainz]

SIA having promotion. Only $60 for return tix to Perth.

 

[telly]

hi forever friends and mashybrainz,

yes, i was going to get that $60 tix (for 2 adults + 1 kid, total plus taxes is $900++).

UNFORTUNATELY, my hubby's boss couldn't confirm his leave. and now, tickets for the dates we were aiming for are ALL GONE!!!! boooohooooohooooooooooooo!!!

 

[shook]

Mashy brainz, naddy
The ticket for my preferred dat is sold out

naddy
Hey u hv insider info on the $60 promo? I went in after seeing Mashy Brainz's posting but tickets sold out!
So u pending your hubby's boss's approval to confirm your trip?
Which date you looking at?

 

[telly]

hi shook!

insider info? i wish!

i heard it on the 9.30pm news and then i stood by my pc at midnight.

unfortunately, my husband's leave couldnt be confirmed. so, we just had to give it up. very, very tragic.

actually, i was never keen on australia but the low, low fare on a reliable airline really won me over. and now, after i'm all hyped up, i had to let it go. sob sob.

never mind, maybe i can go another time.

 

[koapolar]

delete

 

[shook]

OIC. Aiya I brot my child to consult sinseh n wz taking my dinner n surfing forum @ 9:30pm Really bang bang bang

Wat a waste dat u can't go bcoz of your hubby's boss

 

[ykh]

Hi Mummies, I'm going to perth end of this month for 8 days and would like to hv farmstay. Any good recommendation? thks.

 

[sunnyling]

Clawen,

Can I check where you purchase the Pamper Diaper as my SIL say she can only see Huggies selling in Perth only.

 

[hba6721]

yeo,

i'll be going in jun and planning to stay at the ferguson farmstay http://www.fergusonfarmstay.com.au. their farm activities look interesting. you may want to check it out.

any mummies who have just came back from perth? how's the weather there? i heard its not cold even though its nearing winter.

 

[hidora]

Hi,

I just came back from Perth in Apr. For diapers, their Homebrand diaper from woolworths is cheap and good. Quality is similar to mamypoko. Definitely better than dryers imo. The other brand you can consider is Snuggle (available in most supermarket. But do take note, when I mean cheap, it's abt AUD35cent per piece. So if you are gng for a few days, you may like to bring your own diapers there.

You can log on to www.woolworths.com.au or www.coles.com.au and browse the diapers on the online stores.

Weather there is getting colder acordingly to my hb who is staying there. If you are not afraid of cold, a polar fleece should be good enough during the day time. For your kids, you will need warmer clothes. Bring some thermal wear for the kids as some nights will be very cold. I experienced 6 degree back in March.

Always look at the weather forcast. It's mostly accurate. http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDW12300.shtml

HTH.

 

[hba6721]

hidora,

thanks for your advice on weather. one of my friends' hubby who will be joining our jun holiday keep on saying its not cold. he even said we are kiasu in bringing so many clothes but where else will we have the chance to put on our jackets right? especially my children has so many jackets that can't be worn locally.