Esperance’s 40-km breathtaking Great Ocean Drive loop which starts and ends in Esperance town centre and reaches Australia’s most stunning beaches all of which are within a 30-minute drive from Esperance town centre.
Western Australia Rainbow Coast stretches over 150 km from Walpole in the west, through Denmark, to Albany in the east. Why called Rainbow Coast? It is because visitors see rainbows very often in the wetter months of Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Rainbows can appear in sunsets, sunrises, on a misty morning, and when there are rains out in the ocean.
Margaret River is an inland town named after the 60 km long Margaret River that flows past the town in the western direction into the Indian Ocean. The Margaret River Region, a famous holiday destination for many, actually refers to the region beyond Margaret River town stretching from Busselton along the coastline down to Augusta. This region is known for its spectacular beaches and surfing spots, exquisite caves, beautiful forests, extensive walking trails, and award-winning wineries.
Western Australia South West Edge refers to the southwest region that stretches from south of Perth towards Albany then east from Albany to Esperance. The coastline from Perth to Albany stretches more than 700 km by the Indian Ocean. Continuing from Albany to Esperance is another approximately 500 km of coastline by the Great Australian Bight, which is part of the Indian Ocean.
Herdsman Lake and Herdsman Lake Regional Park are surrounded by the suburbs of Woodlands, Churchlands, Glendalough, and Osborne Park, and are popular among the residents for leisure activities such as picnics, birdwatching, cycling, hiking, walking, and jogging.
Herdsman Lake is a 15-minute drive from the Perth CBD. The lake is roughly circular and is encompassed by Herdsman Lake Regional Park. Herdsman Lake and Herdsman Lake Regional Park are popular for leisure activities such as picnics, birdwatching, cycling, hiking, walking, and jogging.
Located within the suburb of Glendalough and is just a 15-minute drive from Perth CBD, Glendalough Open Space is open grassed parkland with 3 small lakes.
Glendalough Open Space is less than 30m from the southeast of Herdsman Lake separated by Jon Sanders Drive.
Is it feasible to visit Chongqing 重庆, Three Gorges 三峡, Zhangjiajie 张家界, and Chengdu 成都 in Sichuan 四川, all in a short single trip? That was my motivation for planning independent travel in China to include these 4 destinations in Central and Western China.
Chongqing 重庆 city is a financial centre, manufacturing hub, and transportation centre in central and western China. Chongqing city’s downtown centre is located on the Chongqing peninsula surrounded by Yangtze River 长江 and its branch Jialing River 嘉陵江. Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport 重庆江北国际机场 is a major aviation hub serving this region and is one of the top 50 busiest airports in the world. Chongqing city is well-connected to other major Chinese cities via China High-Speed Railway (HSR) Network 中国高铁网.
Chengdu is located in the central part of the Sichuan Province 四川省 in southwest China and is the capital of the Sichuan Province. With a population of around 14 million, Chengdu is the fifth largest city in China, after Shanghai 上海, Beijing 北京, Shenzhen 深圳, and Guangzhou 广州.
Chengdu is famous for being the home of giant pandas 大熊猫 that are immensely popular and well-loved around the world. Giant pandas are protected under Category 1 of the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Law of 1988 and are considered the national treasure of China.
The 2 km one-way walk between Elizabeth Quay and the Old Swan Brewery by the Swam River foreshore takes you through the well-landscaped David Carr Memorial Park. You will walk underneath the Narrows Bridge where you can have a close-up look at the Narrows Bridge’s structural details from underneath.
You will enjoy seeing people doing all kinds of sea sports, and boats and ferries moored or on the move on the Swan River. South Perth foreshore is on the other side of the Swan River connected to the Perth city via Narrows Bridge.
John Oldham Park and David Carr Memorial Park are located just a stone’s throw from Perth CBD and right next to the very busy Narrows Interchange but when you are in the parks, you don’t feel like you are next to high-traffic roads. These parks seem to be able to shield their visitors from traffic noise.
John Oldham Park and David Carr Memorial Park are part of Narrows Interchange parklands which were constructed on reclaimed land from Mounts Bay more than 60 years ago to build Narrows Bridge and Interchange to connect South Perth to Perth city centre.
The walk between Forrest Hall and the Old Swan Brewery, with a one-way distance of 2.1 km, allows walkers to walk on flat riverbank walking paths alongside Mounts Bay Road and the Swan River, and visit three of Perth city’s iconic landmarks – Blue Boat House, the Eliza Sculpture, and the Old Swan Brewery.
A 1-week Central Canada road trip itinerary in Central Canada may start from Toronto and may include Niagara Falls and major cities such as Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City, as well as other cities Gatineau, Hamilton, Kingston on the road trip route without too much detour.
Canada’s largest city Toronto, like Canada’s capital Ottawa, is in Ontario Province where a third of Canada’s population lives. Toronto is located by the coast of the massive Lake Ontario. Niagara Falls is a 2-hour drive along the coast in the eastern direction. Ottawa is a 4-hour drive northeast of Toronto. Its central location makes Toronto a good base to start a road trip in Central Canada.
From Ottawa, a 3-day road trip to Montreal and Quebec City may include picking your own apple during apple harvest season at Verger Labonté on Perrot Island, which is a 30-minute drive southwest of Montreal, then Montreal downtown Underground City, Old Montreal, and the nearby Montreal Old Port waterfront, Mount Royal Park, Jean-Talon Market, and finally an evening visit to Montreal Botanical Gardens for “Gardens of Light” held at the time of my road trip. You may use Montreal as a base and have a day-trip driving to Quebec City, 3-hour away from Montreal, and back to Montreal on the same day. The Quebec City day-trip may include Plains of Abraham, Old Quebec, Quebec Old Port, and Montmorency Falls.
Hamilton is home to more than 100 waterfalls and is often called the City of Waterfalls. If you are fascinated by waterfalls, this is the place to visit while you visit the magical Niagara Falls.
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and is Canada’s sixth-largest city. While Ottawa is a city in Ontario Province and Gatineau is a city in Quebec Province, the 2 cities are really just separated by the Ottawa River, on the 2 sides of the riverbank. The total metro area population of Ottawa-Gatineau is about 1.4 million and Gatineau’s population constitutes about 25% of the total population. Gatineau is often considered part of “Greater Ottawa”.
Kaohsiung (高雄) is a hidden gem for travellers. It is a coastal city in southern Taiwan that has mild tropical weather and because of that, there is an abundant supply of good quality local tropical fruits. The city’s affordable and efficient mass rapid trains (which started operations in 2008) and light rail trains (which started operations in 2016) have made many tourist attractions in the city a lot more accessible. Food prices were very affordable in 2019. Visitors can have a reasonable lunch or dinner meal at less than 200 Taiwan Doller (~A$10 or ~US$7) in 2019. Be sure to visit the night markets (夜市) while in Kaohsiung where you can find many delicious Taiwan snack or small dishes (台湾小吃).
Denham is the westernmost town in Australia. Located on the western shore of Peron Peninsula in the UNESCO Shark Bay World Heritage Area, Denham is within Western Australia’s 1,100 km breathtaking Coral Coast which stretches from Cervantes, a 2-hour drive north of Perth, to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef.
Monkey Mia, a 9-hour drive north of Perth or a 4.5-hour drive if you drive north from Geraldton, is not a town but a huge Conservation Park located on the eastern shore of the Peron Peninsula in the UNESCO Shark Bay World Heritage Area.
Monkey Mia is famous for its RAC Monkey Mia Resort, located right within Monkey Mia Conservation Park, and its wild dolphin experience.
City Beach is the closest beach to Perth’s city centre. Located at just a 15-minute drive west of Perth CBD, City Beach is so accessible that you can have your morning swim or morning walk there and be in your Perth CBD office by 8 am.
White sand and big waves along with lifeguards all year round make Scarborough Beach a favourite location for surfing, swimming, and water sports. The revitalised Scarborough foreshore has added a beachfront swimming complex (Scarborough Beach Pool), an amphitheatre (Scarborough Amphitheatre), a skate and BMX facility (“Snake Pit”), a bouldering wall, a new playground and play space for families (Whale Playground), huge grassed areas including Sunset Hill where visitors can enjoy watching the sun setting into the Indian Ocean, lookout platforms to look out over the Indian Ocean and Scarborough Beach, a new square ideal for markets and public events (Scarborough Square, where the Clock Tower is located), public toilets, showers, drinking fountains, picnic shelters, public BBQ’s, fitness/exercise equipment, plenty of car parks, and a new transit hub.
By the end of 2023, the Ocean Reef waterfront will be dramatically transformed by the Ocean Reef Marina project which is now in progress of construction. Ocean Reef Marina project will create a waterfront precinct consisting of a mix of waterfront cafes and restaurants, retail, hotel, and short-stay accommodation, as well as Perth’s first coastal pool, new protected beach, and community parklands.
Palm Beach Parklands is a beautiful open space overlooking Currumbin Creek at the south end of Palm Beach. Palm Beach Parklands and the popular Gold Coast surf spot Currumbin Alley is separated by Currumbin Creek.
Jackadder Lake is very much smaller than other nearby lakes such as Herdsman Lake and Lake Monger. So small that, unlike Herdsman Lake and Lake Monger, you can see what is on the opposite side of Jackadder Lake while you walk.
Mullaloo Beach is an ideal swimming beach for children of all ages with its refreshing shallow waters and soft clean white sand.
The best point to start your Kalbarri waterfront walk is Zuytdorp Memorial which is a lookout point providing 360-degree top-down views of the best part of the Kalbarri town centre, Murchison River mouth, the beach area, and the Indian Ocean.
The Carnarvon Fascine refers to Carnarvon’s central waterway linking the Carnarvon community to the Indian Ocean coast. The name “Fascine” comes from a flood protection method using a pile of sticks to hold back floodwater.
The Carnarvon Fascine waterfront area is a great spot for a relaxing evening walk.
Emu Point is within the suburb of Mount Clarence in Albany, which is a 5-hour drive or 420km southeast of Perth. Located at about 9 km northeast of Albany city centre, Emu Point is a beautiful seaside spot at the channel linking Oyster Harbour and King George Sound.