10 Days Budget Itinerary to Perth, Australia
You know, now that I am working, I tend to look back at the times when I wasn't feeling any pressure, just enjoying my time with family. Reminiscing back on the most recent trip I took back in April, I decided why not write about my trip and share this itinerary with everyone. After all, I know how much people in my generation love to plan their own trip rather than seeking the services of a travel agency.
When I first pitched the idea of going to Australia to my dad (because we've never been out of South East Asia), he wasn't too keen on it because of the exchange rates and money we had to fork for the four of us. What was good was that last year, I managed to search for cheap tickets from Air Asia to Perth for just RM565 per person round trip from Malaysia. Because it was so affordable, we decided to just go for it and hence, begun my planning.
Day 1
Midnight flight from KUL which meant we arrived in PER early morning.
A Toyota Corolla was booked beforehand through Hertz to use throughout the trip which was actually quite affordable too - AUD 303 / MYR 1000. I enjoyed the car very much. It's sad that we don't have the hatchback version here in Malaysia as it was very fuel efficient as well as steady.
To add on to that, I also perviously bought a half excess $4000 cover from Allianz that costs us about MYR290 in case anything happened (like running into a kangaroo that jumps out of no where on the road which actually happened no joke but we weren't driving fast so it was okay in the end).
After all that, we started the morning with a 8am weekday mass over at St. Mary's Cathedral. It was really beautiful and serene. I was reminded of God's grace and blessings so it was quite appropriate to start off the trip with Him in mind.
We continued to Kings Park and Botanical Garden. The grass was really green and soft la haha we had to just sit and enjoy the scenery (like what we usually see on brochures) because it's close to impossible to experience that back at home.
One of the main points of ensuring a budget trip was to also make sure that the food is cheap/affordable. I came across amazing reviews in this place called Toastface Grillah which makes really good grilled cheese sandwiches (lots of variety too!). To sum it, yums!
Another bonus was that we were able to secure a really cheap accommodation (2 rooms in a house over in Maryland) from Airbnb. 7 nights for just MYR680 which makes it to only about MYR25 per person per night! We were so certain there must have been some mistake at the pricing la but truly, a blessing!
￫ Head over to this link to get a RM120 credit off if you're new to Airbnb!
The rest of the day was very much dedicated to rest, grocery shopping at Coles nearby (loved shopping there!) and having dinner around Hay Street / Murray Street.
Day 2
The second day was when the driving really started la. We went to Caversham Wildlife Park first with the entry costing us AUD29 per person. If you're driving there, just park your car over at Car Park No. 8 in the Village which is closest to the entrance to the park.
Passing by Joondalup, we stopped by for lunch at Lakeside Shopping Centre which had a variety of food at the food court. This isn't a budget place to be at but we had to make do since we were travelling far out from the city to Pinnacles.
I honestly didn't expect it to be so far. We only managed to reach Pinnacles Desert at about 7pm (by which the sun was already setting and once it does go down, it can get pitch black real fast so our drive back was quite scary). It also meant that we didn't have to pay for the AUD12 entrance for our car to be parked inside Nambung National Park because everyone has already got off work.
That was basically it for day two, really. Just lots of driving.
Day 3
This was a day dedicated to Rottnest Island. I booked the tickets (ferry and island bus pass) way beforehand and specifically took their Thursday promo which was so much more cheaper than the normal priced tickets. It cost AUD70 per person. A tip for free parking is to leave your car on the south side of Hillarys Boat Harbour.
Some of the must see stops at the island are The Basin, Vlamingh's Lookout, Salmon Bay, Pink Salt Lake and West End. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the view and just being close to the sea.
For dinner, we went back to Barrack Street in town for Japanese at Taka's Kitchen which serves good and reasonably cheap food.
Day 4
In the afternoon, we walked to the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour and had lunch at Sweetlips (I just picked one of the famous restaurants there for their Fish n Chips because I honestly didn't know what made them different from one another).
Fremantle Prison was an experience of its own. I must say that the tour guides there really know their stuff and are very animated in fact which brings another dimension to an otherwise typical tour.
We ended up going for two tours because they were both different stories and covers different parts of the prison.
Not too far away is the Basilica of St. Patrick and although we didn't stay for mass (we went there too early), they have 7pm mass on Fridays. Just visiting the Church and basking in His presence was enough for me.
Day 5
We had morning exercise hiking at Lesmurdie Falls, Perth Hills.
After that, we headed straight for Kalamunda Village Market which happens every first Saturdays of the month.
After that we drove to Swan Valley where we visited a few places such as Cottage Tea Rooms, The Cheese Barrel and The House of Honey. Be warned that most shops here closes at 5pm which is quite early by our standards.
Day 6
We went back to Swan Valley but this time visiting a few more places such as Mondo Nougat, Morish Nuts, Margaret River Chocolate Factory and Sambarino.
In the evening, we went to Scarborough Beach to catch the sunset!
Day 7
We decided to visit Penguin Island as well which is located at the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. Honestly, it's not at all worth it to go I feel as the short ride across to the island costs us AUD27 per person. The little penguins couldn't be seen at all save for those that are recovering in the discovery center.
What was beautiful though, was the scenery by the ends of the island. So at least it wasn't all that bad.
Day 8
It was a rainy, cold and windy morning but we still went to Busselton Jetty. It's probably a much more enjoyable walk if it was sunny haha.
There is a small fee of AUD4 per person for the up-keeping and maintenance of the place.
Oh hey, look! It's 4300km++ from home!
About 45km away, there's this famous lighthouse people visit called the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse.
However, what was more breathtaking for me was the Sugarloaf Rock located just another 6km further away.
We waited for the sun to set just because it was so beautiful.
Because we were some drive away from Perth, we changed accommodation to stay a night here at Yalyalup which was in the middle of Busselton and Margaret River. Their place was huge and I really admire the amount of land they have to build huge houses.
Day 9
It's coming to an end! We drop to Yallingup and took a semi-guided tour around Ngligi Cave which cost us AUD23 per pax. I had to pick one cave out of the few and I think I just took a chance and go for this. It's quite interesting though!
After that we spent the rest of the day at Margaret River where we tasted wine and bought some home. Moscato will always be my favourite sweet wine!
Day 10
To save some money and to make things easier for us, we decided to sleep in the airport as our flight back was at 6am in the morning anyway. The dropping off of the rented car was quite easy and no hassle. All in all, a really good experience. Just make sure to keep within speed limits on the road (as we actually received a fine months later which costs a whooping AUD400).
+ Plus points that wasn't planned:
TOTAL COST PER PERSON SPENT (including flight, accomodation and food):
When I first pitched the idea of going to Australia to my dad (because we've never been out of South East Asia), he wasn't too keen on it because of the exchange rates and money we had to fork for the four of us. What was good was that last year, I managed to search for cheap tickets from Air Asia to Perth for just RM565 per person round trip from Malaysia. Because it was so affordable, we decided to just go for it and hence, begun my planning.
Day 1
Midnight flight from KUL which meant we arrived in PER early morning.
A Toyota Corolla was booked beforehand through Hertz to use throughout the trip which was actually quite affordable too - AUD 303 / MYR 1000. I enjoyed the car very much. It's sad that we don't have the hatchback version here in Malaysia as it was very fuel efficient as well as steady.
To add on to that, I also perviously bought a half excess $4000 cover from Allianz that costs us about MYR290 in case anything happened (like running into a kangaroo that jumps out of no where on the road which actually happened no joke but we weren't driving fast so it was okay in the end).
After all that, we started the morning with a 8am weekday mass over at St. Mary's Cathedral. It was really beautiful and serene. I was reminded of God's grace and blessings so it was quite appropriate to start off the trip with Him in mind.
We continued to Kings Park and Botanical Garden. The grass was really green and soft la haha we had to just sit and enjoy the scenery (like what we usually see on brochures) because it's close to impossible to experience that back at home.
One of the main points of ensuring a budget trip was to also make sure that the food is cheap/affordable. I came across amazing reviews in this place called Toastface Grillah which makes really good grilled cheese sandwiches (lots of variety too!). To sum it, yums!
Another bonus was that we were able to secure a really cheap accommodation (2 rooms in a house over in Maryland) from Airbnb. 7 nights for just MYR680 which makes it to only about MYR25 per person per night! We were so certain there must have been some mistake at the pricing la but truly, a blessing!
￫ Head over to this link to get a RM120 credit off if you're new to Airbnb!
The rest of the day was very much dedicated to rest, grocery shopping at Coles nearby (loved shopping there!) and having dinner around Hay Street / Murray Street.
Day 2
The second day was when the driving really started la. We went to Caversham Wildlife Park first with the entry costing us AUD29 per person. If you're driving there, just park your car over at Car Park No. 8 in the Village which is closest to the entrance to the park.
Passing by Joondalup, we stopped by for lunch at Lakeside Shopping Centre which had a variety of food at the food court. This isn't a budget place to be at but we had to make do since we were travelling far out from the city to Pinnacles.
I honestly didn't expect it to be so far. We only managed to reach Pinnacles Desert at about 7pm (by which the sun was already setting and once it does go down, it can get pitch black real fast so our drive back was quite scary). It also meant that we didn't have to pay for the AUD12 entrance for our car to be parked inside Nambung National Park because everyone has already got off work.
That was basically it for day two, really. Just lots of driving.
Day 3
This was a day dedicated to Rottnest Island. I booked the tickets (ferry and island bus pass) way beforehand and specifically took their Thursday promo which was so much more cheaper than the normal priced tickets. It cost AUD70 per person. A tip for free parking is to leave your car on the south side of Hillarys Boat Harbour.
Some of the must see stops at the island are The Basin, Vlamingh's Lookout, Salmon Bay, Pink Salt Lake and West End. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the view and just being close to the sea.
For dinner, we went back to Barrack Street in town for Japanese at Taka's Kitchen which serves good and reasonably cheap food.
Day 4
Fremantle! I loved the architecture of this town. We went to Fremantle Market in the morning, enjoyed the smell of food, visited aboriginal art shops, spoke to the locals and even got to play the piano that was just sitting there!
In the afternoon, we walked to the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour and had lunch at Sweetlips (I just picked one of the famous restaurants there for their Fish n Chips because I honestly didn't know what made them different from one another).
Fremantle Prison was an experience of its own. I must say that the tour guides there really know their stuff and are very animated in fact which brings another dimension to an otherwise typical tour.
We ended up going for two tours because they were both different stories and covers different parts of the prison.
It costs us about AUD40 per person for the two tours if I am not mistaken. Just doing one would be AUD21.
Not too far away is the Basilica of St. Patrick and although we didn't stay for mass (we went there too early), they have 7pm mass on Fridays. Just visiting the Church and basking in His presence was enough for me.
Day 5
We had morning exercise hiking at Lesmurdie Falls, Perth Hills.
After that, we headed straight for Kalamunda Village Market which happens every first Saturdays of the month.
After that we drove to Swan Valley where we visited a few places such as Cottage Tea Rooms, The Cheese Barrel and The House of Honey. Be warned that most shops here closes at 5pm which is quite early by our standards.
We had good scones and Rooibos tea over at Cottage Tea Rooms while overseeing the countryside.
Yummy cheese board!
The honey icecream was really good. We bought some hand cream too.
Day 6
We went back to Swan Valley but this time visiting a few more places such as Mondo Nougat, Morish Nuts, Margaret River Chocolate Factory and Sambarino.
In the evening, we went to Scarborough Beach to catch the sunset!
Day 7
We decided to visit Penguin Island as well which is located at the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. Honestly, it's not at all worth it to go I feel as the short ride across to the island costs us AUD27 per person. The little penguins couldn't be seen at all save for those that are recovering in the discovery center.
What was beautiful though, was the scenery by the ends of the island. So at least it wasn't all that bad.
Day 8
It was a rainy, cold and windy morning but we still went to Busselton Jetty. It's probably a much more enjoyable walk if it was sunny haha.
There is a small fee of AUD4 per person for the up-keeping and maintenance of the place.
About 45km away, there's this famous lighthouse people visit called the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse.
However, what was more breathtaking for me was the Sugarloaf Rock located just another 6km further away.
We waited for the sun to set just because it was so beautiful.
Because we were some drive away from Perth, we changed accommodation to stay a night here at Yalyalup which was in the middle of Busselton and Margaret River. Their place was huge and I really admire the amount of land they have to build huge houses.
Day 9
It's coming to an end! We drop to Yallingup and took a semi-guided tour around Ngligi Cave which cost us AUD23 per pax. I had to pick one cave out of the few and I think I just took a chance and go for this. It's quite interesting though!
Day 10
To save some money and to make things easier for us, we decided to sleep in the airport as our flight back was at 6am in the morning anyway. The dropping off of the rented car was quite easy and no hassle. All in all, a really good experience. Just make sure to keep within speed limits on the road (as we actually received a fine months later which costs a whooping AUD400).
+ Plus points that wasn't planned:
- Really good Domino's Pizza that costs only AUD5 per regular!
- Go to any wine shop and you can fine cheap ones too like an AUD5 Moscato!
- Oporto, their Portugese fast food chain restaurant similar to Nando's was really good too!
TOTAL COST PER PERSON SPENT (including flight, accomodation and food):
RM 2, 700
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