...and it's free!

I have to admit, that, on occasion, at a few times in my life, I could be considered...thrifty. And as a charter member of the Cheapskates Club, er, I mean, Thrift Society, I am always looking for added-value options that don't unnecessarily flatten my wallet. Let me share a few gems that will aid your visit to the land Down Under. Perth seems to have an image problem. Most east coasters and entirely too many Perthians seem to think of this city as an characterless Dullsville. Columbus, Ohio tends to get this unwarranted rep, also--contrary to the evidence otherwise in both cities. Now, I can recommend a good tour service in Columbus, but in Perth, the secrets are revealed for free. Funny enough, the service is a secret to a number of natives, also.

There are free walking tours starting from the central shopping area twice each weekday. The morning is a general city orientation. The afternoon tour has a theme; Boom or Bust, Art City, City Gardens & Parks, Convicts & Colonials and Town Hall. The volunteer iCity guides know their stuff and have great stories. One of my favorite stories is about the convict labor in Western Australia. Perth, settled by the upper crust, had long resisted the wretched east coast policy of importing convict labor. Eventually the amount of public works needed to be done necessitated the importation of extra hands. But not your garden variety cutthroats and horsethieves, WA brought in only high quality convicts who could read, write and already had a trade. The last building built with convict labor was the old Town Hall. It is also very interesting to see where old and new construction have been seamlessly interwoven into the fabric that is Perth today.

Other notable deals here in Perth: Take a walking tour on your own schedule by downloading into your MP3 player the i-Walk City of Perth Trails audio tour from www.rtrfm.com.au/walk . There is a system of CAT buses that will take you to all corners of the Metro area which run frequently and are free. Also, many of the public museums and art galleries do not charge admission. Good news...in an expensive town.