Photo Essay: A tour of Perth, Western Australia in Photos

When I was planning my trip to Western Australia (hosted by Tourism Australia and Tourism Western Australia), I didn't know what to expect. I just knew that Perth was far out, literally, and that it had off-the-beaten-path experiences that I couldn't just find in Melbourne or Sydney. Also, I knew that not a lot of Americans had been. So I really didn't need any more convincing.

Yet what I discovered was that Perth is one of the most fascinating cities I've ever visited. And it was one of most fascinating cities for one reason: accessibility. No, I don't mean that it has the world's best public transportation or that it's easy to get to. Rather, I mean that you have easy accessibility to world-class experiences that you can't just have anywhere. King's Park, for example, overlooking Perth, is a 1,000-acre park that's larger even than New York City's Central Park. Just below it is a confluence of rivers, including the Swan River, just below the Perth skyline, where you can learn to sail by yourself in less than an hour.

Meanwhile, within just 30 minutes you have Australia's oldest wine region, the Swan Valley, and one of Western Australia's most fascinating islands, Rottnest Island. And on the outskirts of Perth, is perhaps one of the most charming neighborhoods I've ever visit, Fremantle, which is where you catch the ferry to Rottnest Island (or "Rotto," as the locals call it). These are experiences that you'd have to drive around an entire state, region, or country to experience in many places, yet they are no further than 30 minutes from Perth.

But rather than bore you with facts, I'll leave these photos, which capture the experience of my tour of Perth, Western Australia.