Last Days in Norseman and Perth, WA

All said and done I worked 5 months in Norseman, Australia, from late June to mid November.  Aside from a trip in November to Esperance (2 hours south) I didn't leave town!  It was boring to be sure, but I was typically working 6 days a week and saving up almost all of my money.  At several points during my 5 months another employee went on vacation and I picked up more shifts - sometimes working 60 hours a week - so the money was good!

Some pictures from the beach near Esperance...it was beautiful but the water was freezing!

I booked a flight home from Perth to Columbus, Ohio set to arrive Stateside the day before Thanksgiving.  I had considered traveling more around Western Australia, but had no car and wanted to keep most of my savings for another trip.  Would I prefer traveling in WA for a month, or two to three times that long in the Philippines, for example, for the same cost?

On Tuesday, November 18th I worked my last shift at the Noreyre Motel restaurant.  I had planned to take the bus to Kalgoorlie, but a coworker was driving up on Thursday and she offered to give me a lift.  After spending one night in Kalgoorlie I took the train to Perth, arriving around 2 pm.  Although I didn't want to spend much money traveling around WA I hadn't seen any of Perth and figured I should at least spend a few days in the city.

downtown Kalgoorlie

The Super Pit, the largest open air mine in Australia

From Friday through Monday night I stayed in the Emperor's Crown, a hostel just north of downtown Perth.  I met a lot of backpackers who were working or on the job hunt and staying long term at the hostel.  If I landed a job in the city I'd want to get my own place pronto.  Not that the hostel was bad - it was actually quite clean and modern - but sleeping in a room with six or eight other backpackers, many of whom have irregular schedules, would get annoying quickly if I had a full-time job.

The rooms at the Emperor's Crown were nice for a hostel,
but I couldn't see myself living there long term!

On Friday night I had beers with a group of backpackers on the hostel terrace.  We went out to a bar/club just down the street from our hostel, but I was denied!  Apparently a US driver's license is not accepted, even though the guy in front of me got in with a EU license.  And in WA you are allowed to drive a car with an American license!  Now that I think about it in Sydney I needed my passport to go out, but it had been so long it didn't even cross my mind.  Pissed off about not being allowed in, I just decided to head back to the hostel - at least I was able to get up early the next day and be productive.

On Saturday I visited Freemantle, a harbor town which is on the Indian Ocean.  It's still part of the Perth metro area, although the city of Perth itself is on the Swan River some 15 kms West of the ocean.  Freemantle was actually the first British colonial settlement in Western Australia, founded in the mid 19th century (which is old for Australia!).  Central Freemantle has Victorian-era buildings, a indoor market, and lots of touristy shops.  I also took a walk around the nearby harbor and old penal colony prison.

Church in old Freemantle

Park in Freemantle

Freemantle Harbor

the old prison, in use from colonial times until the 1990s

On Saturday night I actually remembered to bring my passport and got in to a club in Northbridge, the entertainment district of Perth which was within walking distance of my hostel.  I got myself and a friend from the hostel a drink - two Jager bombs for $28!  The rum and cokes were only $8 a pop, still not cheap, but better than $14!  The night was fun but pretty tame, and I got back to the Emperor's Crown by 2 am.

nightlife in Northbridge

During my last couple of days in Perth I walked around downtown, the riverbank, King's Park, and Northbridge.  I also twice went to the beach to catch my last glimpse of warmth and sunlight before heading back to Ohio for winter.

View of downtown from Kings Park

another great view from Kings Park

downtown from the banks of the Swan River

Cronulla Beach, West of downtown

On Tuesday evening I took the bus to the airport with three other backpackers - turns out they were on my flight to Melbourne.  Our flight departed at 11:30 and arrived in Melbourne the following morning (there is a 3 hour time difference between Perth and eastern Australia).  After the red-eye to Melbourne I had a flight to LAX, but beforehand I used my United Club pass to snag some free food and drinks at the lounge.

The flight from Melbourne to LAX took over 14 hours and gave me lots of time to catch up on movies, since I don't typically sleep well on airplanes.  For some reason I could only doze off for an hour or so before walking up again.  When we arrived in LA it was again the morning - the same morning from which I had left Melbourne!  From LAX I had one last flight, arriving in Columbus that evening.  The frigid air was sobering, but I was definitely glad to be back home and see my family!