Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

PERTH 445
GOLF Convenient to the city is Burswood Park Golf Course, part of the Burswood
International Resort Casino complex, across the Swan River from town on
the Great Eastern Highway, Burswood (& 08/9362 7576 for the pro shop). Great
city views, and wild black swans and pelicans make this a pretty course. A 9-hole
round is just A$14 (US$9.10) weekdays and A$17 (US$11) weekends. A cart for
9 holes is A$22 (US$14), and club rental is A$17 (US$11). Even more scenic are
the 27 championship fairways designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., at Joondalup
Resort, Country Club Boulevard, Connolly, a 25km (15 1 ⁄2-mile) drive north of
Perth (& 08/9400 8811 pro shop); and The Vines in the Swan Valley (& 08/
9297 3000 for the resort, or 08/9297 0777 for the pro shop), which has two 18-
hole bushland courses. Joondalup was ranked No. 1 Resort Golf Course in Australia
by Golf Australia magazine in 2003. Kangaroos often come onto both
courses. Expect to pay between A$35 and A$55 (US$23–US$36) for 9 holes at
either resort, and A$90 (US$59) at Joondalup on weekends.
SAILING The tallest Tall Ship in Australia, the lovely three-masted barquentine
STS Leeuwin II (& 08/9430 4105; www.leeuwin.com), sails from B Shed
at Victoria Quay, Fremantle, when it is not out on voyages around Australia. You
may be one of up to 40 passengers, but you still get the chance to try your hand
at sailing the way it used to be done. Day trips —usually on weekends—are from
10am to 3pm and cost A$99 (US$64) for adults and A$55 (US$36) for children
under 12. The ship sometimes does 3- or 4-hour sails in the mornings, afternoons,
and at sunset. Experienced sailors can sail on Wednesday afternoons in
summer from about 3 to 5pm with members of the Royal Perth Yacht Club,
Australia II Drive, Crawley (& 08/9389 1555; ask for the sailing administrator),
if there is a place free aboard. It’s not spinnaker sailing on Wednesdays, so the
action is at an easy pace. All-white dress standards apply.
SCUBA DIVING & SNORKELING Rottnest Island’s corals, reef fish, and
limestone caverns, in 18m to 35m (59 ft.- to 128-ft.) visibility, are a gift from
heaven to Perth divers and snorkelers. Contact Rottnest Malibu Diving (& 08/
9292 5111) on Rottnest Island (see “Side Trips from Perth” below) to rent gear or
join a dive trip. Diving Ventures, at 384 South Terrace, Fremantle (& 1800/655
330 in Australia, or 08/9430 5130; www.dventures.com.au/dv.shtml), also conducts
dive day trips from Perth to Rottnest Island, and also off Dunsborough in
the state’s Southwest to the wreck of the HMAS Swan, a 113m (246-ft.) long
destroyer which was scuttled for divers’ pleasure a couple of years ago. This trip
costs A$160 (US$104) with two dives, including all gear. The company also does
3-day live-aboard trips to Ningaloo Reef, and “introductory” dives for any adventurer
without dive qualifications who wants to try the sport in the company of an
instructor. It also rents scuba gear and conducts dive courses. It has a city outlet at
222 William St., Northbridge, in Perth (& 08/9228 2630).
SURFING You will find good surfing at many beaches, Scarborough and
Trigg in particular. See the “Hitting the Beaches” section earlier in this chapter.
Rottnest Island (see “Side Trips from Perth” below) also has good breaks. Murray
Smith Surf Centre, Shop 14, Luna Maxi Mart, Scarborough (& 08/9245
2988), rents long boards for A$20 (US$13) for half a day or A$30 (US$20) for
the day, plus a A$100 (US$65) refundable deposit. They also rent body boards.
SPECTATOR SPORTS
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (AFL) Perth’s Aussie Rules team, the
West Coast Eagles, is based at Subiaco Oval, 171 Subiaco Rd., Subiaco (& 08/
9381 1111). Book tickets through Ticketmaster 7 (& 13 61 22 for bookings;