365 Days In Perth

Falling like dominoes

My fingers hovered nervously above the keyboard. As international borders started closing like the falling of dominoes, putting a hold on our long planned for dream trip around the world, Australia’s internal borders were closing in around us. Our options were getting shorter by the hour.

Fuelled by the champagne we had drowned our sorrows in, we rapidly made a plan b. Or was that plan c, or even plan d? I had lost count by this point. Scanning the Qantas app we found 2 seats available, flying out of Sydney the day after. What did we have to lose? All our possessions were in storage. We had nowhere to live, having vacated our apartment. And we had no jobs.

So it was that just 24 hours later we found ourselves settling into an Air BnB some 3,900kms away. Perth was to be where we would spend the next chapter of our lives, a chapter we didn’t know the length of. To be honest, a chapter we still don’t know the length of. What follows is the highlights of our 365 days in Perth.

We were to be sandgropers for the foreseeable future. We had a new mantra to learn, “west is best”, something the proud residents of Western Australia would not let us forget.

March 2020

Arriving in late March, we had booked ourselves into an Air BnB for the week, just to find our feet. We were to end up staying at three different places over the first 3 weeks. With the COVID restrictions we had to self cater and only treat ourselves to a takeaway once a week. It did feel very strange not being able to sit in for breakfast, lunch or dinner but many cafes and restaurants did a great job in switching their business models at very short notice. The word of the moment was “pivot”. There was a very noticeable increase of Uber delivery cyclists up and down the streets of Perth. 

To be honest, I thought the Perth chapter was going to be very temporary. So we were keeping a close eye on our travel funds. I resisted even looking at what jobs were available. Why would I want a job when I would shortly be off travelling the world?

Thankfully, one of us is pragmatic and before long I was convinced that I needed to pivot. I started putting my toe in the water to see what was out there. And it wasn’t pretty. COVID had emptied city centre office blocks and with the uncertainty, many organisations had put a hold on recruitment. Through this time I got some tremendous support from various people. People who I didn’t previously know that well. That said, there was a point where I was looking in the windows of bike shops wondering which trusty steed would carry me and a large Uber food delivery bag. That would have been the pivot of all pivots.

April 2020

Still without a job, we managed to secure our first rental property. A 2 bedroom furnished apartment in East Perth. A great location by the Swan River which allowed us to keep up our regular exercise, running around Optus Stadium, whilst we couldn’t afford a gym membership.

As I continued to try and find work, I was using the down time to catch up on some books that had so far eluded me. I managed to read Mandela’s “Long Walk to Freedom” with a deeper connection, as last year we had visited Robben Island where he was incarcerated for 18 years of his 27 year sentence. George Eliot’s “Middlemarch” was another massive tome that I finally finished with a sense of achievement and enjoyment at the stories she (Mary Ann Evans) weaved.

May 2020

It was with great relief that one of us finally got a job. Victoria started bringing home the bacon with her first job in Perth. No, she didn’t become a butcher! It’s a metaphor. Never mind.

With some money coming in, and the easing of COVID restrictions, we finally managed to start eating out again. Our first “proper” night out was at Balthazar restaurant in the city. And what a fabulous meal. With a great bottle of red it was a real reminder of what it means to have these experiences in our lives.

I kept myself busy by studying and passing the exam for the Level 1 wine exam with WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust). I found this very enjoyable and appreciated the deeper connection I have with wine through knowing more about its history and the different wine regions of the world. 

June 2020

Hurrah! I got a job. And a good one. I started working at Synergy as a team coach, on a 6 month contract. My early days were all worked remotely, as was the interview and onboarding process, but it wasn’t long before we were allowed back into the office. It was good to once again have some semblance of normality to hold on to.

And talking of normality, with two incomes now coming into the house we upped the occasions we treat ourselves to meals out at restaurants. The food scene is very good in Perth and it wasn’t long before we started creating a list of places we wanted to visit. The list continues to grow.

July 2020

July heralded a massive milestone with Victoria becoming an Australian citizen. Unfortunately no guests were allowed into the ceremony so whilst I couldn’t witness the actual moment, I was waiting patiently outside to whisk her off for champagne and a celebratory curry.

On the self development front I trained and became a Mental Health First Aider. This is a topic that I feel is so important that the more people we can train, the better the world will be. Thankfully, the stigma of talking about mental health does seem to be lifting a little and I will continue to do my piece, however small.

Regular readers of the blog will know that this time of year always brings “Xmas in July”. This is an event often celebrated by expats in Australia. As July is the “coldest” month of winter, we dig out our xmas jumpers and celebrate the festive season. A good excuse for a big xmas lunch. This year we celebrated at Durty Nelly’s Irish bar in the city.

Having not visited for a while, it was time to have a weekend away to Margaret River. Three days in a region that will forever be my happy place was topped off with an excellent lunch at the ever reliable Rustico restaurant at Hay Shed Hill winery.

August 2020

Imagine the joy I felt when I realised I lived on the doorstep of a whiskey distillery. Whipper Snapper, Perth’s urban whiskey distillery in fact. I wrote about it here. We had a tour and with only one of us enjoying whiskey it turned out to be a great day for me.

One thing we both enjoy is high tea. You may have seen my search for Sydney’s best high tea. This time we were trying out the delights at the Lobby Lounge bar at Crown Towers. I am pleased to report that Perth has a strong high tea game.

Hiring a car for the weekend we headed up to the Edge Retreat for a staycation in Lower Chittering, a short drive from the city. This truly was off grid, with the eco property built right on the edge of a bluff so that it appeared to be at “the end of the world”. 

September 2020

September saw us once again making the short journey to the Margaret River region, this time staying at the “Tack Room” in Cowaramup. Another great find on Air BnB. As well as the beautiful farm we were staying on our host also had a house in Cornwall. Find me two better locations in the world. I’ll wait…

You may know of my love for burgers. You may also know of the “best burger” spreadsheet I have. I may have to retire the spreadsheet as we found quite possibly the best cheeseburger ever, at the Old Faithful in the city. Just look at this beauty.

On the subject of food (I am never far away from it), we had a visit to the historic Rose and Crown in Guildford. Reported to be the oldest operating pub in WA, they do some of the best Sunday lunches on the planet.

On the professional front I completed Level 1 of my Organisational Coaching course. This was an intense 3 day Zoom workshop. And still. it was highly engaging, and more energising than I expected.

October 2020

The staycations continued in October with our first stay at the Ritz-Carlton, located in the revitalised Elizabeth Quay. The views over the Swan River were almost as exquisite as the food we had for dinner at the in house restaurant, “Hearth”.

In very exciting news we moved into the new house, in the vibrant suburb of Mt Hawthorn, a short distance from the city. Moving from apartment living, to a house for the first time in over 10 years. We now have a front and back garden to chill in on long, lazy Sunday afternoons. 

After a busy day of moving in we found a local curry house and had a great evening talking about the plans we wanted to make for this exciting chapter.

Moving onwards and upwards, Victoria started a new role at HBF, the largest health fund provider in the west. The bacon was upgraded to gammon.

November 2020

Year round, Perth often has festivals and events happening across the city. The start of November saw us heading over to South Perth in the rain for our first “Beer and beef” festival, a combination we could not miss. Despite the rain there was a good turn out and we got to sample some great beers to go with the mouth watering Tony Roma ribs.

Needing a staycation we jumped on the train to the port city of Fremantle. We spent a night at the very European looking Port Mill bed and breakfast. Dinner saw us moving across the world to Asia and we had a delightful tasting menu at Tonic & Ginger. Somewhere we are certain to return to.

Margaret River was again on the agenda to celebrate Victoria’s birthday. A private wine tour with Grape Escape had us checking off some more of the over 200 wineries in the region. 

December 2020

December brings summer and a close down of most workplaces as people take an extended Xmas break. We took the opportunity for an epic 2 week road trip from Perth all the way up to Exmouth and back. Something I wrote about here.

It is these kinds of trips that really bring home how big this vast country is. We were often driving for hours on seemingly empty roads. With nothing but red sand and scrub all around us. The occasional road train thunders past, snapping you out of your reverie.

Rottnest Island, just off the coast of Perth used to be the Butlins of Western Australia. No more, with the arrival of the new luxury beach retreat, Samphire. We decided to check it out, spending two nights by the sea. In between lazing around the pool we also took out e-bikes to explore the island, saying hello to the many quokkas that call Rottnest home.

On the work front I must have been doing something right as I was asked to extend my contract for a further 6 months.

January 2021

We had our first real lockdown. A COVID case in the community sent shockwaves through a Perth community that had become very complacent over the last 12 months. The Premier, big dog McGowan, with an election on the horizon, took a very tough stance and enforced a 6 day full lockdown, with the introduction of mandatory masks if you ventured outside the home for one of the official four reasons.

Thankfully, we still managed to have a trip to Margaret River before the lockdown hit. We stayed in a new part of the region for us, a little further south in the charming village of Witchcliffe. The highlight of this trip was the world class lunch at Leeuwin Estate.

February 2021

Thankfully, Perth pulled together, and the COVID case proved to be an isolated incident. With no further community transmission our restrictions were lifted, and less than 2 weeks later we were living the life we had before the snap restrictions.

And with that it was time for another high tea. This one a little different. A cheese and champagne high tea at the Crown Towers resort. Baked Brie was amongst the cheeses that accompanied our flight of champagnes. Decadent? Yes. Enjoyable? Absolutely.

For the first time in a year we once again stepped foot in an airport, and flew to Broome for a holiday at the Cable Beach Club. The whole experience was different to any travel we had previously done. Have a read of our experience here.

March 2021

Closer to home, and without the need for a flight, we had a 2 night staycation at the QT Hotel in the Perth CBD. This was to be the first of two staycations in March, with us also spending a night, finally, at Crown Towers, home of three hotels and Perth’s casino. 

We also managed to catch a movie under the stars, just before they ended for the season. It is a great experience, laid under the night sky, on a bean bag, sipping chilled white wine and watching a film.

Professionally, I decided to take my learning to the next level. Having logged well over the mandatory 20 hours of professional coaching, I embarked on level 2 of the organisational coaching course with the Institute of Executive Coaches and Leaders. If you are ever interested to hear more about coaching, and how you can benefit from it, give me a shout.

What is the next chapter?

One year ago we could never have predicted what life had in store for us. Reflecting on our achievements I am proud of us as a couple on what we have achieved. Through adversity, and in a new city, we have adapted to our new surroundings and thrived. 

We have explored so much of the vast state of Western Australia, and really got a look at Perth as a city to live in. A very liveable city. A city that continues to expand, with new bars seemingly opening up every second week. The village where we live is so vibrant, with a large Italian population. The weekend just gone we visited an Italian Street Market, which could have been a square in Naples.

As we enter our second year here on the west coast, again we can only speculate what the next 365 days will hold for us. Much as we felt a year ago, we very much hope that global travel becomes top of the agenda. Either way, we will keep you posted.