Can I see your ID miss? ( How we spent time in Western Australia)

That Sunday started out like any other night going out with Vadim and my cousin Mary. We went to a great area of Perth called Subiaco that has a bunch of restaurants, small shops, and bars. Being three of the most indecisive people in the entire world we wandered around for a bit looking for a place to eat and eventually decided upon an Italian looking restaurant that turned out to be a pretty good pick.

After dinner we went to this really groovy coffee house/ice cream bar/pool hall/dance club. I kid you not, this place had everything! The walls were decorated with hundreds of posters from musicians that had come and gone through the Perth area and hanging from the ceiling were about one hundred big white paper lanterns that were swaying in the slight breeze that was going through the café. We hung out there for a bit before hopping back in Mary’s rental car and heading to Burswood Casino!

In my Lonely Planet travel guide book it lists Burswood Casino as “the tackiest place to visit while in Perth.” Vadim and I had tried to go check it out before but were declined entrance because Vadim was wearing rubber thongs (flip flops) so they wouldn’t let us in! But they let in the guy beside us wearing beat up shoes, cut-off denim shorts, and a fanny pack! Does that make sense? I think not.

In Australia the drinking age and gambling age are both 18 years old so there was quite a diverse crowd of people at the casino. Everyone from incredibly young looking high schoolers to your dedicated slot machine women, and your wannabe televised poker men were walking around the casino taking it all in and eyeing the competition. The place was pretty full by the time we got there and as usual I was stopped by the bouncers at the front to check my ID. Now…do you really think that I look 18 years old? I definitely don’t think so! But I brushed it off and took it as a humbling gesture and then ran in trying to catch up with Vadim and Mary who breezed right past the bouncers.

We headed to the roulette tables where Mary was bound and determined to win back everything she had lost (which would have been a small miracle). This was the first time I had played roulette and I could definitely see why it would be addicting! I was on a roll (betting with Mary’s money!) and won some big money, about $15, before everyone else was out of money and we decided to walk away. We ran into one of Mary’s gambling friends, Jeremy, and hung out with him for the rest of the night. We hung out in the bar for a bit before loosing more at the table games.

We then headed to Paddy O’Brien’s, which was a bar in the casino complex. There was a bouncer at this door and of course, Vadim, Mary, and Jeremy all went in without a problem but I had to dig for my passport in my bottomless purse to prove that I was over 18! I really think someone was out to get me at Burswood Casino! There was an awesome cover band at Paddy O’Brien’s that we danced and listened to for a bit. I had gone to the doctor the day before because I felt like my throat was going to fall out…and yes I think that is possible. So…I was exhausted! We headed home, dropped Mary off and went to bed!

The next morning we had planned to wake up early and go to a giant wine festival in Swan Valley, about 30 minutes away, called “Spring in the Valley.” Needless to say the early morning start was delayed a bit because of the events at Burswood Casino the night before. Eventually we got up and after making a stop at McDonald’s so that Mary could get three cheeseburgers (hangover food of choice) we headed to Swan Valley. As we were getting close to Swan Valley we saw tons of buses, people dressed all crazy like, and there were just cars parked all over the place! This was definitely quite a festival and we were in a bit of shock over what we were getting ourselves into!

Our first stop was at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory! It was amazing! They had giant bowls of chocolate chips in milk, dark, and white chocolate flavors for you to try. Tons of different types of truffles, bars of chocolate, and really everything else that could possibly be made out of chocolate (soap, shampoo, dipping oils, candles, everything!)! After getting our chocolate fix we crossed the street to Lancaster Wines. The vineyards were incredibly gorgeous! There were rows upon rows of grapes growing in perfectly straight lines, it was awesome! As we were getting close to the tasting point we noticed that some people were dressed up in crazy costumes, others were dressed all alike, and very few were dressed like Vadim, Mary, and me. We definitely missed that memo! We paid $10 for a “free” wine glass and a tasting and after feeling very out of place decided to venture further into the valley and see what else was going on.

Wine tour

The Cheese Barrel - Swan Valley

Winetasting

All three of us love Aboriginal art, so we decided to make a stop at the Aboriginal Museum. It was by far the best idea we had all day! It was sooo awesome! The best thing was that there was tons of Aboriginal dot art everywhere! The even better thing was that there was amazing food! There were these awesome jam filled tarts, some kind of roasted seed cake, and other great goodies to try that were derived from Aboriginal recipes and techniques. After taste testing everything and buying some awesome gifts we headed out and drove around the valley some more before deciding to drive to Fremantle.

Vadim and I have been craving Ciccerello’s fish and chips ever since our first trip to Fremantle so we made a pit stop by Uncle Joe’s to get ketchup (it is an essential item!) and then took Mary to our favorite place! It was amazing! We were all pretty sleep deprived and hungry and Ciccerello’s definitely hit the stop! After hanging around in Fremantle for a bit we headed back to South Perth, with a quick stop at our local VideoEzy to rent “Somethings Gotta Give” and “Martian Child”. We ended up watching both of the movies over the weekend and had some time to relax for a bit!