Perth WA

Perth is, by reputation, the most remote city in the world. While it doubtless has some close competitors for that title, it is definitely in the running. It’s seven hours plus from Auckland, four from Sydney and parts of Indonesia may be closer on any fast moving jet airliner. It’s beautiful as most Australian cities, draped along the banks of a clean wide river and just a few stones throw from the ocean.
I spent one balmy summer evening at the coast watching the sun sink into the ocean with a group of Easter seaboard Australians who always see it rise but never see it sink below the watery horizon. Not something I’d thought about before! Must have been a spectacular discovery for the early Dutch explorer who is said to have 'found' it, though I suspect some Aboriginals had been around for the previous 40,000 years or so.



Early May is a comfortable time to be here. The temperature has dropped to a bearable 27C during the day. Mornings are clear and fresh. Its not dry brown dust bowl, nor is it raining every day as it will in another month or so. The riverside is a hive of activity in the early mornings, rowing teams, runners, walkers and cyclists move at their own speed and direction.

The city has grown in the past few years, and is still moving.This is true of most cities in the region including Auckland.
The colour of business seems to be black.

Where the people and the funding come from is anybody’s guess, but not mine. I just watch what happens around me, like the sun climbing over the business district to reach the river later every year as the skyline rises as if to meet it. Then decide, where better to try my luck with a bit of good Australian culture in a glass after a hard day conferencing?