Swan Valley – Australia Travel and Tour Information

Archive for July, 2008

In Australia, wine has become the new beverage of choice for people in all walks of life. Moreover, Australia has developed an enviable reputation amongst wine drinkers and appreciators the world over. Myshopping.com.au can help you make the right selection of wine for any occasion and to suit any taste. Listed on our website, you will find some of the most celebrated labels and award winning wines and you can make a selection based on reviews, price and supplier, regardless of why you want to purchase wine.

There are essentially three reasons that we can think of why you might want to buy wine: to drink in some social occasion, to give as a gift, or as an investment with a realisable future.

Buying wine to drink

Winemaker Greg Gallagher at the Charles Sturt University, South Australia, says judging a good wine is simple. “It starts with asking, ‘do you like it?’ ” he says, “and finishes with ‘did you like it?’” When you have a list of favourite wines, all you need to do is find them on Myshopping.com.au, and you will find out where it’s sold for the best price.

But, because it’s not always easy remembering the name, style and vintage of the wine you enjoy, it’s a good idea to keep a record of wines you drink that you really like (and those that you’d prefer to avoid), for future reference.

When you’re buying wine to drink, there are a number of considerations you might like to bear in mind, the first being: what is the occasion? It stands to reason that a wine for an intimate dinner with a partner might be a different choice than one for a footy night with the boys. Sharing a wine with someone is a lot more than simply sharing the drink. It’s also sharing your taste, your values and your standards, so it pays to think carefully about the occasion and the company with whom you are sharing the wine.

A second consideration might be, what is accompanying the wine? Wine is often enjoyed with a meal, but you might like to consider also how the occasion (or meal) will develop. Matching the perfect wine with the perfect food and mood is an exhilarating experience, and is often at the heart of great memories.

You may also want to consider the ambience of the occasion. A wine for enjoying at an evening symphony concert will have a different character to that enjoyed at a beach picnic. Read the rest of this entry »

The capital of Western Australia, Perth, is a vibrant city with plenty to do. It is a place where you can look forward to excellent shopping, bustling markets, heritage architecture, beautiful parks, stunning beaches, fine wineries and relaxing river cruises. With is temperate climate, to provides you with an enjoyable holiday you will never forget and hope to go back many times. Below is a suggested 5-day easy and relax visit of this wonderful place which you can consider for your holiday.

On the first day, take a leisurely stroll and enjoy some of Perth city sights. You can explore several of Perth’s major cultural and historic buildings, such as Perth Concert Hall, Perth Town Hall, St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth Mint and Swan Bells Tower. If you like shopping, you will enjoy shopping in the city malls along the streets. The two main shopping malls in Perth are the Murray and Hay Street malls. Both of the malls are closed to traffic providing a safe walking environment and offer a wide range of specialty stores. Another venue for shopping is the shopping arcade known as London Court.

At Perth’s Cultural Centre and Northbridge, you will find the Western Australian Museum and the Art Gallery of Western Australia. The Art Gallery of Western Australia has one of the finest collections of Aboriginal art in Australia with superb pieces of painting and sculpture.

Kings Park, Perth’s premier tourist attraction is another place worth while to visit. It provides spectacular views of Perth City and Swan River. The Park’s Botanic garden presents a display of Western Australia’s unique flora throughout the year. You will enjoy trekking on the tree top walkway which has a glass and steel arched bridge.

On the second day, you can visit Fremantle, a short trip from Perth city centre. This is a major tourist attraction for visitors from all over the world. It is situated at the mouth of the Swan River. This city port enables you to enjoy a range of cultural activities in a relaxed atmosphere. You can explore places such as Western Australia Maritime Museum, Round House, Western Australia Maritime Museum’s Shipwreck Galleries, Fremantle Prison and Fremantle Arts Centre. With its maritime history and architectural conservation, Fremantle is a place you can discover both the past and the present. The two popular markets here are the E-Shed Markets and the Fremantle Markets. The E Shed Markets has more than 80 specialty stores offering unique gifts, souvenirs and fresh produce. Fremantle Markets, which is a larger market, has more than 150 stalls selling seafood, gourmet items, clothes, jewelry, antiques, souvenirs, fruits and vegetables. You can explore the city by foot or by free shuttle buses. Read the rest of this entry »

Perth is an undeniably charming town with a host of things to see and do. But one of the great things about a holiday visit to this capital of Western Australia is that it’s the perfect base for a whole range of fascinating side trips to the delights of the state. You can pop over to nearby Fremantle, visit Australia’s only Spanish monastery, relax in national parks, head out to the wine country, and even visit penguins.

Your fist sortie should be to the port city of Fremantle, located some 13 miles along the Swan River. Here you can browse the markets, visit the splendid heritage buildings, marvel at the city’s maritime past in the museums, and sprawl on the pristine beaches. The most scenic way to get to Fremantle from Perth is to take a river cruise. It’s the perfect, relaxing day out.

For a unique side trip further afield, you can visit the Benedictine monks in the Spanish Renaissance monastery town of New Norcia, the only monastic town in Australia. Located 82 miles north of Perth, New Norcia stands on the banks of the Moore River. It’s a little touch of the Mediterranean in the midst of the Australian bush. Here’s how it got there.

Long ago in 1846, a mission led by two Spanish Benedictines visited the local aborigines and in the following year, the foundation stone of the monastery was laid. The name New Norcia is from Norcia in Italy where St Benedict was born.

New Norcia is a town of unique architecture, beautiful interiors, and olive groves. It’s best experienced on a guided town tour which unlocks all the town’s charms and secrets. You can see the monk’s own chapel in the monastery, the Abbey Church and the College Chapels with their beautiful frescoes. There’s also a museum and art gallery which include gifts from the Queen of Spain.

If you’re a wine buff or just enjoy a glass or two, you’ll want to do a day trip out to the Swan Valley vineyards for a wine tasting tour. The best way to do this is as a delightful two-hour cruise along the Swan River from Perth. You then visit the vineyards to explore the region’s wine culture and partake in numerous wine tastings.

A must visit site near Perth is the famous Nambung National Park. This is located some 150 miles north of Perth on the Indian Ocean. The main feature of the park is the famous Pinnacles desert. These ‘pinnacles’ are in fact petrified limestone pillars that thrust out of the yellow desert sand. The pinnacles are formed from ancient seashells which stuck together and formed the pillars which can get up to four metres high. Passing Dutch sailors, seeing the pinnacles from the sea, thought them the ruins of an ancient city.

They are best experienced at dawn or sunset. You can walk or drive along walking or driving trails which lead to lookouts offering stunning views of the pinnacles and the blue ocean beyond. The spring when flowers are blooming is an especially picturesque time to visit.

Our last Perth side trip is a special delight for nature lovers – a visit to Penguin Island. Just 26 miles from downtown Perth, this small island is located less than 700 metres offshore in the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park.

Other then penguins, the island is home to a range of fauna including sea lions and pelicans. The coastal and marine scenery in this area is delightful.

You can also have picnics, go snorkeling, scuba diving, or surfing, or just enjoy the natural beauty.

Another thing that makes Perth such as great base to explore Western Australia is the tremendous range of Perth city hotels that cater for every taste and budget. Two of the most outstanding are the Criterion Hotel Perth and Aarons Hotel Perth.

Many people stopping in Australia tend to forget all about the westernmost city, Perth because it’s just so far away from everything else. Yet this city, which is the most isolated city in the world geographically, provides the heart of a journey which shows the most spectacular character of Australia.

A small city with barely two million people, Perth is nevertheless a sprawling place. The Swan River divides the north from the south and it spreads far and narrow against a spectacular coast line of beaches that puts the Gold Coast to shame.

The ocean that butts against the Perth shore line is not as fierce as further south, but each day surfers, windsurfers and wake boarders can be seen littering the waves like sea gulls, jumping and leaping against the surf.

Western Australia has two very distinct characters. From Perth upwards it becomes hotter and drier and towns nestle between the desert and the sea, wrestling against red dust and a wild sea. The further you go, the hotter it becomes.

One of my favourite journeys however is to the south, beginning first in the Swan Valley region just north of Perth. The Swan Valley is one of Western Australia’s spectacular wine regions and the whole area is filled with both major and boutique wineries and breweries. Fairly inland, it is a patchwork of hills and lush vineyards, each open to the public to come and sample their wares. This is an area to spend at least a few days taking tours and enjoying the restaurants.

Driving further South however you will come to one of Western Australia’s stunning coastal towns, Margaret River. Also a major wine growing region, Margaret River is renowned for its string of surfing and swimming beaches. Everyone from old men to children have a surfboard and it’s a great place to learn it yourself. It is easy to spend weeks hanging out on the beaches or touring wineries or just sitting on the verandah and overlooking the ocean.

From swimming with the dolphins, to surfing, to sunbathing, Western Australia offers some of the most spectacular sights for tourists and it is as yet still unsullied in the way that many eastern Australian tourist attractions have become. It remains an isolated idyll that has been hidden from view, even from Australia itself, and as such has retained its spectacularly untouched character.