Planning for this year-end trip was something we were looking forward to, as Daddy will not be able to go on leave once he starts his new posting next year. Perth was rather an unplanned decision, largely because we have heard critics that it’s not a very exciting place, and to some people “boring” is how they will describe it. We were quite skeptical initially, not much expectations I would say. However, the scenic rides and pleasant climate really took our breath away! Day 1 – Perth City
I was earlier warned that Perth is going to be different from all the cities i have been too. Thou I was prep, I still had a culture shock when there was barely anyone on the streets when we first arrived. As most of the shops was closed by 5pm, it’s actually a common sight in Perth. We were recommended by the CAT driver (Perth's city shuttle) to visit the so-called most happening F&B outlet, Northbridge. It's a street filled with restaurants that is easily covered with in our 10mins walk. Really took a while to get used to the culture, especially when it was totally a different extreme from its neighbour Melborne.
Ratio of car to people - 2:1
Day 2 – Freemantle, Perth Took a scenic cruise ride to Fremantle along Swan Valley River. This marks the first of our first bad news of the trip - Mei Mei fell right after taking the 1st shot of the day, bruising both her knees badly. Luckily, that didn't quite affect her mood, although Mummy's face was black black after that. 
Aside from Mei Mei, Ye Ye and Ah Ma was probably the next happiest people during the trip
The bane to Mei Mei's naughtiness - FOOD
A must-visit Fish And Chips place in Fremantle
Day 3 – Albany
We started our southern road trip from Perth City, 1st stop landing at Albany. A beautiful coastal town, and famed for it’s natural formation “The Gap” and “Natural Bridge”. Mei Mei was excited as usual, and it was extremely scary to see her dashing recklessly through the stone paths.
Catch me if you can!
I'm En Xi the Explorer..follow me!
The gigantic wind mills at Albany Wind Farm was simply breathtaking too, and a real eye opener on the power of nature! 
We ended the day with our familiar KFC, the best meal we had in Perth. Happily getting back the car, we were greeted by the 2nd bad news of the trip; the GPS was spoilt! Daddy was totally pissed, as without GPS, it’s akin to without ipod when Mei Mei is cranky (I will come to that later). Thank god, Daddy had the foresight to rent an Avis car, the only car rental shop that can be found at Albany airport. We manage to arrange for a replacement the next day to continue our journey.
Day 4 – PembertonNext stop was the famous Valley of the Giants walk at Demark. As it was still raining, we didn't get to do the walk. Nonethless, Mummy insisted to take a touristy shot of the signboard so we can tell people that we "set foot" there. Happily deciding to carry on our journey, Daddy realised that the engine couldn't be started at all. Here we are, stuck at the carpark amidst the heavy downpour with no mobile network! We were even planning for the worst case scenario that we may need to camp in the car. Luckily, the park ranger came to our rescue and help to jump start our battery again.
Finally we reached Pemberton, one of our most favorite pitstops. A place characterised by it's cool climate and people there are simply so laid back and relaxed. We even feel that they seem to talk a beat slower than usual. We stayed at a real authentic cottage house, Pemberton Breakaway Cottage.
The cottage was facing a wide farmland amidst the tall karri trees, we could even see sheeps roaming on the farm. However weather hasn't been too kind to us, as it was drizzling on and off most of the time. The only regret is that we only planned for 1-nite stay, and we didn't really get to explore the inside out of the place. 
The tiny pink dot on the left is Mei Mei
Visited one of the wineries, dairy factory and a lavender & berry farm. Met a super rude waitress at the berry farm, who repeatedly got our lunch orders wrong 3 TIMES and made us wait for almost an hour.
One of En Xi's reading craze - pointing to words she came across and started reciting A-Z
By this part of the trip, Mei Mei was completely out of control . She will either refused to let us carry her or cry unstoppably on the floor when we refused to give in to her demands. The only thing that could stop her was FOOD & Dora on ipod!
Ice-cream - the godsend food that can tame even the most impossible child in the world
It's mine..hwahhahwhwhahhawhah!
Dora always saves the day whenever the grouchy monster acts up
Day 5/6 - Margaret River
Cape Leeuwin, a lighthouse that is a must see destination where the Southern and Northern oceans meet. Personally, I didn't find the lighthouse particularly facinating, rather it was the strong wind that really characterize the place. I think Mei Mei was pretty amused that she was steered like a drunkard by the strong wind. 
We did another farmstay cottage at Margaret River Hideaway Farm. We were truly impressed with the 5-star facility, something unexpected from the understated outlook of the property. We will definitely recommend this to anyone who's looking for a value-for-money getaway. The animal feeding sessions definitely tipped off the experience, and I bet Mei Mei felt the same too with the up close and personal sessions with some of the exotic farm animals that the owner imported.
I'm want the bigger lollipop that is up there
Unfortunately on the next day, both Mei Mei and Ye Ye was both down. Ye Ye was having terrible runs, due to the overdose of cheese that went bad (he polished almost half of it the night before). Mei Mei's flu also worsened, so she was practically drugged from medicine by now. Mummy and Daddy finally managed to take a break while she was napping and did a short drive around. Daddy finally shown the biggest smile of the day when he saw the cure to his alcoholic craving - BEER. 
Mei Mei gazing at the coffee beans roaster thinking that it was the chu-chu train
Mei Mei getting quite good with posing by the end of the trip
Day 7 - Perth City
We finally bidded farewell to the picturesque Margaret River and made our way back to Perth City. The warm hospitality that we encountered during our southern journey really left an impression. I can finally appreciate why some of my friends are completely in love with Perth. It's the relaxed pace and serenity that it's almost impossible in a city jungle like Singapore.
Despite our fair share of "perils" throughout the journey, we can't agree much enough that this is indeed one of the best trips we had for so far.
Perth, we will definitely come back for you again!
