Perth Holiday - Any Suggestions/Advice/Tips?

[kerenelu]

Hi Moonbaa,

Wow u are tempting me to change to swan riverside manzzz.. haha.. but hor, i wonder whether its too hot in dec to tahan the two rooms without aircon?

Oh ya, how long do u take to go from Perth to Busselton? 2.5 hrs (if discounted delay here and there)?

The flies bite? Or they are irritating only?
i remembered my perth trip in 2004, they were irritating, but dun bite cos they are fruit flies.

 

[mngo]

moonba
Great to know u enjoyed yr trip.
Ooh tat berry farm hor~~ - it used to be a farm . Now is only retail outlet and with some avocado trees.

 

[moonbaa]

kk
i think dec will be too hot without aircon leh. now there's still cool evening breeze so its still bearable with the fans on for the 2 rooms.

i didnt travel fr perth direct to busselton so cant really comment on the time but its around 2.5hrs. pls make sure u reached your destination before dark coz there's no street lamp on the roads. we arrive busselton jetty almost 5pm, great sunset view! we quickly took some pic & left, hoping to reach dunsborough before dark but still couldnt make it. its quite scary driving in the dark but lucky manage to find our apartment. no doubt got gps but some of the places couldnt captured, so still hv to rely on maps.

the flies wont bite but super irritating lor. they usually will stick to your face

mngo
i really wonder how u tahan those flies during summer leh

yup, the trip was great!

but definitely will only return during winter, the feel is just different. we cant even stay long under the sun/ heat. there's practically no clouds at all! only clear blue sky

 

[mngo]

moonbaa
we normally stay home indoors.

 

[moonbaa]

mngo
yeah, probably the best place will be home or the mall

 

[kerenelu]

moonbaa,

What time does the dark really come? In dec, when we were in tasmania last year, wow, darkness only came in at 830pm! Shiok hor? hahahaha.. but then tasmania very secluded island, so not much to do at night. Slept very early around 8pm singapore timing

Haha the flies irritating hor? When we were in melbourne for honeymoon, the tour guide said melbourne pple called that the melbourne salute. Cos they keep waving their hands, so look like saluting

 

[moonbaa]

kk
by around 6.30pm its dark liao. sunrise is early too about 5am its bright!

 

[mngo]

Check the sunrise/sunset time here
For each day, the diff is 1 minute.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~jacob/riseset.html

 

[shelyn]

Hi Khor,
MR is margaret river. I will be staying at Sunflower Animals Farm. I think the farm is quite good as many people visit the farm though not many people stay there. Maybe it's not as comfortable to stay but just nice to see haha.. But my family would like to experience farmstay so went ahead to stay there.


moonbaa,
So envious that you can go at this time of the year... sigh... From what you say, I think I wont really enjoy the trip cos I don't like sun at all =P and I hate flies!!! haha... but I'm sure I'll enjoy the activities we can do there. How I wish I can go in Sept/Oct period too.

I didn't know that sunrise and sunset is so early there. I thought summer should be quite similar to sg. But 5+ sunrise, what can we do? All the shops are not opened yet. So everyday go to the park in the early morning to walk?

You took Qantas too right? How is it? Good? I heard they provide ice cream.. hmm.. can entertain my kid with that



kk,
are you excited about your trip? I am so excited!!! But going to school everyday is a dread now =P counting down to start of holiday. Really can't wait. I am already very tired.

 

[moonbaa]

shelyn
dont worry, just make the most out of it & enjoy your trip. its quality bonding time with family

my kids are up ard 7+ everyday!! we will prepare breakfast (thats the only meal i cook keke...) & enjoy it at the balcony overlooking the swan river while my kids watch their fav cartoon dvd. will then start our day usually ard 9 or 9.30am.

yup i took qantas. my 1st time with them was almost like 10yrs ago. i must say the aircraft has improved alot but seat is still abit small compare to SQ. service also not that good compare to SQ. but their children amenities & kids inflight entertainment is GOOD!! they hv disney & nickeloden channel unlike SQ, only cartoon network. so this time i dont hv to use my portable dvd to entertain my kids.
yes they serve ice cream after the main meal. for child meal, u are expected to take it even if your child is asleep. for SQ, they would normally keep for a certain time & if by then your child is still not awake, they will try to get something else for u, but not for qantas

so do pack some snacks for your child, the most just throw away when u reached perth if not eaten.

 

[shelyn]

moonbaa,
too bad i'm staying at mont clare not much scenery to see. But I think there are quite a number of small parks around that place so maybe can go for a walk.

So glad that qantas has good inflight entertainment. Otherwise dunno how to entertain my kid for 5hr, will go crazy. Probably will pack some jar food for my kid then. But I think she is happy to have just ice cream for lunch haha...

By the way, I think they have a lot of sausages there right? Are all sausages considered 'unhealthy' food since they are processed food? Mngo, you have any recommendation for good quality sausages? Cos my girl loves sausages so maybe can let her have some good quality ones for her meals so save me the trouble of 'forcing' her to eat other food. Her favourite are mushroom, sausages, cheese, yoghurt and ice cream. With all these, she will have no prolem. But not possible to eat all these everyday right? I heard that cannot eat too much cheese or something like that.... dunno whether it has anything to do with too much calcium or cos it's processed food.

I will also most likely buy stuff like frozen pizza, lasagne, etc for meals... any superb brands? Last time my friend bought a box of Australia's Choice Choc chips cookies taste very nice... very rich with lots of choc chips. I think it's from k mart. I think I'll go crazy shopping at their supermarkets cos I love to shop for food and groceries hahaha... I am already happy to shop at those bigger ntuc in sg. So most likely I'll be stuck inside Perth's supermarket for a long time.

 

[moonbaa]

shelyn
there's a children's playground just a stone throw away fr mont clare. my kids love it so i think your gal will like it too.

there are sausages avail in the supermarket, but since its processed food, so just give moderately lor. dont worry, u can get quite a good selection of cheese & yoghurt in the supermart. if u crave for chinese food, there's a chinese eatery just less than 5 mins walk fr mont clare. its called munch terrace. we usually tapao food back even for this recent trip though we not staying nearby but still quite near to drive there.

 

[mngo]

Shelyn
Sausages ah - I HATE THAT FOOD! So i cannot recommend. lol

 

[kerenelu]

moonbaa,

Great to know sunrise is early!!! To wake everyone up so that we can be on the move punctually haha..

Shelyn,

Shhhhh, cannot let others know teachers drag our feet to work hahahaha!

Ya of course counting down.. its like 1 month 3 weeks for me? Heeheee...

Once ur child grows up, they will find the entertainment system really entertaining
My girl will tell me "girl girl want to play game, there is a big tv infront".. so glad she remember her tasmania and HK trips

 

[mngo]

kk..
my sis is a SpEd officer.
I know a lot of teachers drag their feet to work. lol! But then , is a job. no choice lah.

 

[kerenelu]

mngo,

Ya i think all singaporeans drag their feet to work and dreaming one fine day strike 4D strike toto strike big sweep

 

[mngo]

kk
Haha. That's right! Me included. lol....

 

[teojesslyn]

Hi Moonbaa

Did u contact golden grove orchard b4 going down?
Need to arrange for the tractor ride? Need to pay?

Will be going Perth this Nov, wondering if should make a trip there.

Thanks.

 

[moonbaa]

hi jesslyn

yes u need to make prior booking arrangement if u want the tractor ride. u can email them at [email protected] . minimum charge is $55 for less than 10 Persons. for groups over 10 people the cost is $5.50 for adults and $3.30 for children under 13 years old.

if your kids like farm, it should be interesting for them. its educational for us too

 

[hidora]

Shelyn,

Don't get sausage from the supermarket. Get it from the butcher. I'm not sure if there's a butcher near where you are staying, but for most shopping areas, there's one butcher. The sausage they made are fresher and less of the bad stuff.

And can eat mushrooms and cheese and yogurts everyday lah... The ang mohs kids also grow up eating cheese, see they so big size.. And the cheese here is yummy... Lots of selection.. Yogurts are totally delicious too... Ice cream, the gelatos in the supermkts are great..There's also frozen yogurt ice cream. Very yummy too.. Check out the bulla brand frozen yogurt ice cream.

 

[mngo]

Hi Moonbaa
Did someone recommend you to Golden Grove?

 

[teojesslyn]

Hi Moonbaa

Thanks for replying.
Read somewhere in this forum that the tractor ride was fun, so was considering if we should go

 

[shelyn]

Hi moonbaa,
Which is the playground that is fun? Want to bring my gal there. Seems like Mont Clare is quite well located with many things nearby.. maybe should spend the first night exploring and orientating that area. Is the Golden Grove Orchard nice? Do you get to pick your own fruit? Looking for a nice fruit orchard near Perth City to go to....


hidora,
Thanks for the info. Will try to look for good sausages at the butcher. I think will probably end up giving my gal mushroom, cheese and yoghurt everyday. At least she wont starve to death there haha....


kk,
Haha... okok must let other people know we look forward to going to work everyday =P
my gal is still too young to play games. So the most she'll watch the cartoons. At least better than nothing.

 

[moonbaa]

mngo
i google search for fruit farm & golden grove is one of them. & another mummy Jun fr this thread also went a few months back so i PM her for more info. sounds fun with the tractor ride so decide to go for it

shelyn
this trip i visited the most playgrounds

the one near mont clare is just a small neighbourhood playground but its nice enough. most of their playground comes with swings which u cant find it here anymore so my kids really enjoyed themselves.
my family & I enjoyed the orchard visit at golden grove. u can pick your own fruits, they charge by the kilos but we didnt, the guide will pick fr the tree & cut it immediately for us to sample & will also briefly tell us the different types & how they are planted & harvested. actually oranges are available all year round, not just during winter. however during summer their skin will be in green colour which most of us would feel that its not ripe but actually its to protect themselves fr getting sunburnt. interesting to know ya??

yes i agree with hidora, now that she mention the butcher, its definitely fresher. was told usually after a certain time, there's a price cut.

 

[kerenelu]

moonbaa,

What did u buy from your trip?
Nougats? Chocolates?

 

[moonbaa]

kk
i bought some clothes for my kids, cartoon dvd (which cant be found here), 2 boxes of mondo nougats

, MR choc, macadamia nuts (fr MR nuts factory & mondo), jams & strawberry sparkling wine (fr berry farm) but we finished the wine there instead

, & some dried fruits (fr eshed market)

what do u intend to get fr perth? i usually cant find anything for myself. cant really shop in peace with 2 kids in tow.

 

[teojesslyn]

Hi Moonbaa/Mngo

Is it really necessary for a child under 7 to get a child seat?
The car rental company I am getting don't provide child seats.

 

[kerenelu]

Hi Jesslyn,

Its very very strict down there, compared to singapore. And i think they came up with a stricter law this year october.

I emailed to their traffic dept recently and find that they dun accept our kind of backless booster seat. So i end up got to rent from hertz a booster seat throughout my whole journey.

 

[kerenelu]

Hi moonbaa,

haha whenever i went tour, i rarely buy things for ourselves. Its always makan stuff for colleagues, friends and neighbor.

 

[moonbaa]

hi jesslyn
yes, agreed with kk, Oz is very strict so u must hv a carseat for your child. your car rental is bayswater i suppose?

kk
i brought the backless booster seat over for my gal during my trip, only rented a toddler car seat for my boy. i didnt know its not acceptable, lucky didnt kena caught.
yes i agree, usually we buy things more for others than ourselves

 

[teojesslyn]

kk, moonbaa
ya, getting from bayswater. they have child seats in their sabiaco branch, not the bayswater branch.
we will be staying in bayswater with BIL so more convenient to rent from the bayswater branch.

 

[moonbaa]

jesslyn
thats nice, u will save alot for accommodation

can they transfer the carseat to the bayswater branch? otherwise u may hv to consider hiring from either www.hireforbaby.com or www.babyallsorts.com.au

 

[kerenelu]

moonbaa,

everytime tell myself dun buy lah so heavy then come back spend time unpack somemore. but end up hor always spend a lot hahaha... this time can exert self control? Hmmmm...

jesslyn,

The traffic police there emailed me one whole list of shops in the perth city which do rental for car seats. u want the list let me know

i forward to u

 

[shelyn]

Is the US brand of car seat, safety 1st, acceptable there? I intend to bring my own car seat cos my gal is already used to sleeping in there...

 

[mngo]

Shelyn
Yes. It is acceptable here cos Toysrus is selling them. http://www.toysrus.com.au/shop/product/safety-1st-convertible-car-seat/

 

[kerenelu]

Hi Shelyn,

That kind of car seat mentioned in mngo's msg is definitely acceptable. Sigh, mine is not

Hope hertz give me a bigger car seat which can fit my girl well. Last year Avis gave my girl one which was small, she got to squeeze her body in.

 

[shelyn]

hi kk,
you mean your's is also safety 1st and it's not acceptable?

Mine is not exactly the same as the one mngo shown but looks similar. I guess should be ok right? Actually anyone knows what's the requirement for it to be acceptable or not? My car seat has all the standard 'features'. =P and it's really car seat and not booster seat

 

[kerenelu]

Hi shelyn,

No, mine is the backless one.

http://www.aprisin.com.sg/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_44&products_id=1267&zenid=0dc74cada8b029b8aba813495893ba24

Not acceptable. They want car seats to have back.

the best is hor, u try to do a google search on the car seat u have, and send a picture over to the TP there.. then they will advise u can or not haha.. their reply pretty prompt

 

[kerenelu]

Hi Shelyn,

This is part of their reply to me:

Under the new WA regulations a child between four years and seven years is required to be restrained in a booster seat with lap sash seat belt. The booster seat is required to be of Australian Standard.

So i think if the car seat fits the above requirement, then can le ba..

 

[mngo]

My son has a booster seat - without a back one.
And the sash is the normal seat belt. the booster seat itself has no seat belt.

 

[mngo]

http://www.kidsafewa.com.au/childcarrestraints.html

Booster seats are suitable for children up to 26kg in weight

Use either:

* A Combination restraint – stow internal harness and use with either a Lap/Sash seatbelt or Child Harness once child is over 18kg.
* A Booster seat with either an adult Lap/Sash seatbelt or Child Harness.

 

[thumberlina]

thanks Shelyn!

this will be helpful as i am still planning my itinerary... we are heading there mid nov and there is nothing done yet

.

 

[kerenelu]

Hi Mngo,

Very confusing, the traffic police tell me cannot. So i better play safe by getting one from hertz.

 

[teojesslyn]

Mngo,
Will we get into trouble if we are caught using booster seat not of Australian standard?

Thot of bringing my own too, a booster seat that uses the car seat belt.

 

[mngo]

Jesslyn
U will get caught . but fine only lah. they may close eyes since u are tourist.
for us, we may get demerit points!
my son is on a backless booster seat!
I think i should change to a good one.

 

[mngo]

Hi ladies
i checked with my hubby. He said that kids aged 4 and below has to be in a proper booster / safety seat with a back.
Kids abt 4 yrs old are not required.
Did you tell the TP how old your kids are?

http://www.toysrus.com.au/New-Child-Restraint-Laws/#wa

Western Australia Law (1st October)

Specifically the new laws will require children;

* From birth to age of six months to be restrained in a rearward facing child restraint (e.g. infant capsule);
* From six months until the age of four years to be restrained in either a rearward or forward facing child restraint with in-built harness; and
* From four years until the age of seven years to be restrained in either a forward facing child restraint or booster seat restrained by a correctly adjusted and fastened seatbelt or child safety harness.

 

[hidora]

kk,

Your one is call a booster cushion. It's not allowed if the child is sitting near window/door.

And if you plan to let her sit in the middle using that, you will need additional child harness.

You best bet is to rent a child seat here.

 

[shelyn]

My gal is 2.5 yrs old, and she's using the car seat, not booster seat. So there is a back, the car seat itself has harness etc so shd be fine right? Anyway from one look don't think they can tell the difference since it's a proper car seat and doesn't look any different from other car seats. Unless they stop me and do a thorough check on the seat =P


Now 6 more weeks to go then I'll be in Perth!!! hahaha....

 

[kerenelu]

shelyn,

I can't take it anymore leh, want to fly immediately LOL!

Countdown.. around 1 month 2 weeks?

wah u count down in weeks? hahaha..

hey when u flying? 30 nov?

 

[shelyn]

kk,
yah i'm flying off on 30 nov and back on 7 dec.
i also feel like flying off immediately hahaha...