Land of the Sun

On early December, my friend and I, accompanied by our vice dean went to Perth to do a visit, which is a part of the MOU between my university and Murdoch University. Our stay lasted for 5 days, and it was full of windy and sunny days, eating fish and chips, meeting new people, shopping, and definitely walking. Murdoch, the area we stayed at, was beautiful, but rather quiet. During the five days, we went to Fremantle, Woodman Point, Cape Peron, Rockingham Beach, Mandurah, South Perth, and Kings Park (which is basically a glimpse of Perth City). All these places had blue skies and cute looking birds flying and walking from one place to another. Due to the short period of time we had, we didn't get to see much more of Western Australia, in specific, Perth. I'll be back though, soon. Road tripping to Ningaloo Reef, and witnessing the micro algae bloom at the Pink Lake myself. After all, Bali and Perth is only 3 hours away.

The upper picture of this set is a stack of seagrass. Woodman Point has one of the most dense fields of seagrass, especially the species Posidonia australis. During strong winds and blizzards (i think), the older Posidonias get stranded at the beach. Since Woodman Point isn't actually a tourist-y beach, the seagrasses aren't cleaned up, and instead left into stacks so they can do the nutrient cycle naturally. Other than seagrasses, on the lower picture of the set can be seen dense green macro algae below the rocks. It was great visiting this area because there aren't any Posidonias in tropical areas, and it was good to know new species.

Where we had our first fish and chips. One of the most popular places to get fish and chips, and other deep fried seafood. Cicerello's is located at Fremantle Harbour, and surrounded by other seafood restaurants. Across Cicerello's are two statues of fishermen taking their lobsters and fish. I think it's very nice of the community to create statues of fishermen, as a token of appreciation. I don't think people in Indonesia has yet to appreciate fishermen that way, and I think it would be really nice if we did.

Fremantle, is without a doubt, my favourite area in Perth. It isn't loud, but the crowd is reasonable. The area is beautiful, full of history, and what makes it even better, is the fact it's a harbour city. Seagulls fly through out the harbour, smell of deep fried seafood passing through, kids riding skateboards, people on the ferris wheel, and it is just such a walkable city. Our professor took us to Cappuccino Strip, and it is one of my favourite things in Fremantle. Different kinds of cafes and shops all in one area, so you can easily find and eat anything there. Also, the Fremantle Market is just to die for. I didn't had the chance to go there, but I heard how crazy and fun the market is. Next time, definitely.

This picture above was taken at Mandurah, where a huge estuary is located. Mandurah was also very nice to visit, as we saw fancy houses with canals as their back yard. Boats were tied to their houses, and the location was very peaceful. To get to Mandurah, you'll need to drive about 60 km south. But no need to worry, the roads are beautiful and smooth, it won't take long. It might look very hot, but it was really, really windy. I think at that day, it was only 24 degree Celsius, which is like... nothing, when you compare it to actual Australian summers.

We took some of the pictures above at Kings Park, a very huge park at Perth City. Unlike Central Park, Kings Park is quite hilly, and you can see the city centre and the south from above. It was rather sunny and windy when we were there, and since it's summer, the flowers aren't as colourful as it would be during spring. But we went for a walk with a view, and it was really nice. My favourite view would be the picture on the very top of the post. 

We met my aunt on our last day, and we went shopping at Garden City Shopping centre, and then went to South Perth to get to a view of the city across the river. South Perth is beautiful, one of the nicest neighbourhoods I've seen in Perth. Not only is it a ferry away from the city, but also surrounded by small shopping centres and restaurants. South Perth is a gem.

And finally, me at the Murdoch University entrance. Murdoch Uni is a very great place to study at, based on my visit. Everything is organised, and the campus itself is very modern with a classic architecture touch. There's the feeling of being in the past as I walk through the buildings, but the feeling of being in the future as I enter the classes. The School of Veterinary & Life Sciences (where I mainly had a look at) is very, very cool. The facilities for the veterinary is really, really, really big. They have horses and all those animals you don't get to see in other universities. The laboratories at the Biological Sciences building are all very complete. They have laboratories for every type of research, and the tutorial rooms and presentation rooms are all very cool. Everything's just cool. The professors and students I met (from marine sciences and other majors) are really friendly and helpful. Ultimate thanks to Professor Neil and Professor Mike for taking us around Murdoch Uni & the Perth coastline. 

I can honestly see myself going here, hopefully for further education. In the mean time, I'll be in Bali figuring out what I want to do for my final year research (and getting through uni for another 1,5 year). #senyuminajah


Photos taken on Olympus XZ-1 & iPhone 5s. Edited on Afterlight & Adobe Photoshop.