Car hire Perth

Introduction

Although Perth is remote, it is one of the Australians' favorite cities. If someone is sent to Perth on business, there is a fair chance they may never return. The city, the relaxed attitude and the environment have a great attraction. Near Perth there are magnificent sandy beaches, lovely seawater and rugged rock formations. The literal high point of the city is the immense King's Park at the top of Mount Eliza, from where you have a splendid view of the city.

Population

Perth has about 1.5 million inhabitants, about three quarters of the entire population of Western Australia, of which it is the capital. This is an indication of how empty the rest of this state is. Western Australia is incredibly big: 40 * the Netherlands.

Location

The city is located in the south-west of Australia, on the Swan River, which flows into the Indian Ocean. The river is named after the black swans whose natural habitat it is. The coast is flat, but to the east of Perth lie the hills of the Darling Range. The nearest other major Australian city is Adelaide, 2700 kilometres (!) to the east.

Economy

Perth owes its existence to the large quantities of natural resources in Western Australia. The state has enormous quantities of gold, iron ore, nickel, diamonds, oil and natural gas. The offices of the mining companies are located in Perth. Their products are shipped via two ports: Fremantle on the mouth of the Swan River to the south-west of the city centre, and the Cockburn Sound, more to the south. In addition, Perth is the capital of Western Australia, which means that many people work in government. Also, the city is an educational centre; the University of Western Australia has some of the country's best research centres.

Airports

Perth Airport is located to the east of the city. There are two terminals, located a great distance apart: the domestic terminal is situated some 11 kilometres from the city, the international terminal some 16 kilometres. The two terminals are connected by a shuttle bus, for which you will have to pay unless it is include in the fare. From both terminals, busses (Airport City Shuttle) depart for the city centre. From the domestic terminal there are also city buses (Transperth).
In the southern suburbs lies the small Jandakot Airport, which is used for private and business flights.

Public Transport

The city has a good public transport network of buses, trains and a ferry. There are four city rail services (Clarkson, Armidale, Midland and Fremantle) that all depart from the centrally located Perth Station.

Buses in the centre (Central Business District and Central Area Transit) are free. Other bus lines depart from the central bus station on Mounts Bay Road or the one on Wellington Street. There is a ferry across the Swan River, between Barrack Street on the north bank and Perth Zoo on the south bank.

For train buffs, we recommend the journey with the Indian Pacific. The train travels straight through the Nullarbor Plains in South Australia. Twice a week, there are trains bound for Sydney (travel time: three days) and Adelaide (two days). These trains depart from East Perth Terminal. By bus is also possible: Greyhound Australia goes to Darwin (60 hours), Adelaide (36 hours), Melbourne (48 hours) and Sydney (60 hours).

Traffic and Parking

In Australia, people drive on the left. If there is a place on earth where you want to learn to drive on the left, it has to be Perth. The city traffic is fairly calm, with the exception of the morning and evening rush hour, there are excellent motorways in and around the city, and the city's street plan is regular and clear.

From Perth, the Great Eastern Highway runs to the east. Keep in mind that the distances in Australia are huge. Only go on long trips if you are in great physical shape and bring enough food and drink. Do not forget to bring extra spare tires. Although there are petrol stations and motels along the road, they are often far apart. The journey from Perth to Adelaide takes about 36 hours!

Hotels

Most luxury hotels are situated in the Central Business District, but Perth also has a large number of simpler hotels and bed & breakfast accommodations. Especially outside the city we recommend the bed & breakfast accommodations: you will get a good impression of life in rural Australia. In addition, there are many motels along the motorways. Generally speaking, it is not necessary to book in advance, unless you have a specific hotel in the city centre in mind.

External Sources

For more information about Perth, we recommend Google, and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, Perth
• City of Perth (English)
• Perth Tourism Centre (English)
• Perth Tourism Guide (English)
• Countrywide, Perth (English)