Animated talk...
"Duckie" - "Say Joey, who is this weirdo standing in between you and me??"
"Joey " - "How would l know??"
Inside This PERTH Log
The first day
 The Flight to Perth
Not bad eh, you paid for what you get.

Onboard the Qantas flight that took us to Perth, in short to summarise the journey - GREAT!!

Thought that the beginning of the school vacation, the QF72 flight to this so-called "bore-spot" of the Down Under would be packed to capacity. On the contrary, there were plenty of empty seats, which enabled me to lay down straight (see the picture ).
 
Plenty of seats enabled me to occupy the three empty seats beside me. Stay in touch with the world, while there are also varieties of movies and games to keep the passengers from boredom Isn't it a beauty.
Took this shot from where I sat.

Not bad eh, but what really made the journey enjoyable is the in-flight entertainment provided (see the pictures), rather than having to watch re-runs of those lousy "Just For Laugh!!" shows on other airlines.

 The Custom Check
If you thought the Woodlands checkpoint is a tough nut to crack, when we are back from JB. Pass the verdict when you met those Aussie immigration officers.

"You are from Singapore?"
"Are all these luggage belong to you?"
"Did you packed the bag yourself?"
"You understand what is all written here (on the visitor's declaration card)?"
"You are here for holidays or work?"

If you guys thought those questions were asked once, you are wrong.

Given its distinctive nature, you cant blame the Australians being stringent in these immigration checks, which are made even tougher following the "Sept 11".

One precaution to note is never pack your bag neatly, as at the end of the day, those immigration guys will empty your bags and thoroughly scan through your belongings.

Never curse or swear, just be a good boy and you will be fine.
Assimilate into the Aussie life
 The Shopping Malls
It seems that the Aussie do much of their shopping in the shopping malls (the pictures).

While we have our wet markets and those "down-stairs" shops strategically located in every neighbourhood, the Aussie version are in the form of shopping mall in almost every suburbs areas (like the "Lakeside", as seen in the picture on the right).

"Gd' day, mate.." as those service personnel greet you at the start of the day,  while at the end of the day, they ended saying "See ya later.." (Initially, I thought WHY SEE ME LATER? only later l came to realise it's another Aussie slang of saying "GOODBYE!")

It must be a way of life for the Australians, like they always say, "No Worries" if any requests were made.

So can't blame us who had been to places like Japan or the Down Under, if we always draw comparison with these guys and our sometimes aloof sales persons, especially those in Sim Lim Square.
 
Snap this picture just to tell there's nothing different between theirs and our NTUC "Fair"price Stalls at the mall hall offered varieties of merchandises Not sure what type of birds are these.. Any clue?

Relaxing at Joondulup Lake
I guess that's how we should live and enjoy life after a short walk at the Joondulup Lake.

Lush greeneries rounded up the lake, with types of birds being the inhabitants of the park (see pictures)

Tranquillity.. how nice if sit on a chair while savour a glass of wine to see this serene scene. While enjoy the companionship of  these flying creatures So long this parrot do not make any "Awrghh!!"
Having this duckie posed nicely for a shot. Lot of patient and stability are  required Feeding time.. as hordes of ducks gathered round for the food. Not to forget a snapshot of myself to tell all, that I was here in Joondulup Lake
Vineyards, Plantations and Indian Ocean
 The Vineyards
The third day of our stay saw us at Swan Valley, where numbers of vineyards are located.

Nice climate and environment are essential for this part of the world to produce some of the best wines. With the free sampling of the wine available at most the of the vineyards, are we glad to taste them (See pictures)
 
Delicious-looking grapes ready to be used as ingredients for the wines. The entrance of "Edgecombe Brothers", where we bought some of the wonderful wines we ever tasted.
The Oldest Church in Western Australia
No far from the "Edgecombe Brothers" vineyard, where we bought some the wines, brought us to the oldest church in this part of the country - the ALL SAINTS CHURCH. (pardon me that I forgot to snap a picture of it)

A walk down the stairs is the sight of the Swan River. (see pictures)

This tablet (on the left) is placed at the entrance of the All Saints Church.
Wish we have something like these back home that are accessible to the general public. Unfortunately, though they are most out-of-bound areas use for military purpose??

The Orange Plantation
Next stop, we were at the orange plantation.

Unfortunately though, we were a week early if not it was the time for the harvest. (see pictures)

Ahh.. those unripe oranges which l think should be plucked by now Huge plantation was what we saw at the back of the main building.
These oranges are ready for sale as the workers loaded them into containers Nothing to beat these freshly-plucked fruit, which are easily available to general public in plantation like this

One thing great about visiting these vineyards and plantations is no pre-booking arrangements is required, as these places are open to public and they kind to let visitors walk around and sample some of their products.

The Indian Ocean
 After a packed day of the lengthy travelling around the Perth region, we stopped by at a spot where we caught a
 magnificent view on the Indian Ocean.
 

It was approaching sunset while we were there with cool breeze was there to welcome us.
The farm visit
No part of the Down Under shall be completed without the visit to a farm.

Slightly more than a hour drive saw us arrived at Tumbulgum farm, located in one of the suburbs outside Perth.

Long dusty tracks led us to the entrance of the farm. With the likes of lambs, wallabies and other livestock greeted us (see pictures)
 

No bad eh!! as urban folks like us eventually got a chance to feed the animals and milk the cow but too bad the shearing of the sheep still belong to the job of the friendly guy called Trevor, our host

saw that arrow? That gadget is to protect the shearer's spine from those nasty backache "Meehhhhh!!!"... the sheared lambs being hurried to one corner by the shepherd dog (not in picture) Here's the "HAY RIDE" as our host Trevor drove us round the tracks on the farm's tractor

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