O.K. It used to be the wild west back in the days of the initial gold rush. Only a few vestiges of those days remain. Namely: brothels are still legal here. I thought the "gentlemen's relaxation centre" seven blocks away was a hair salon based on the artwork covering up all windows. (And they prefer to be called "sex workers" not prostitutes.) Beyond my sensibilities.
Anyway. It's a rather pretty city with a nice mix of new buildings, old buildings (with names like The Western Australian Trustee Executor & Agency Company Limited), community art, tons of restaurants, nice beaches and a wickedly high cost of living. Three-quarters of the state's entire population of 2 million lives here. This is remarkable as the state of Western Australia is easily 25% of the entire country in land mass with only 1/10th its total population. 3000 kms of red earth and desert separate ethnically-diverse Perthites from the inferiority complex the folks on the east coast unsuccessfully try to foist on them.
Head south and you'll find a flourishing wine industry in Margaret River and environs, four actual seasons (as opposed to mild & hot in Perth) and National Parks without names. Head north and you...are heading north. Go way,way, way, way north to the Kimberley diamond mine area for the scenery in the movie Australia. The Indian Ocean is always winking at you.
Excuse me while I hitch my horse and 'roo.
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Sounds too hot for me. That's coming from someone who has just scraped ice from his front porch and hasn't bothered to shovel the drive (too much work).
ReplyDeleteThe legal brothels hold no draw either. :)
All in all, I'm glad I have a correspondent in Perth, the next best thing to being there!