Notes from the Sunset Coast…Once, in an interview, the renowned urban planner Alain Bertaud said: “My father always told me, ‘When you travel, you don’t look enough.’ Every time he travelled a lot, he say, ‘I have not looked enough. I’ve not looked enough.’ This was ingrained in me all the time.” This remark struck a chord with me. I too want to be able to look harder when I visit a new location; I too want to be able to observe a place with greater depth. And what better place to practice this skill than in an overlooked city in one’s own country? The reason I wanted to visit Perth is quite simply that there is never really a reason to visit Perth. Outside of work, academic conferences, or family gatherings, there are few incentives for flying four hours out of our comfortable eastern states to the capital of Western Australia. The fact that I had no profound motive was the compelling force behind my visitation. Ideally, I would’ve taken the three day Indian Pacific across the Nullarbor (I have the special ability to zone out for literally hours on end during long train rides) but sadly I could not find time away from work to do such a thing. The extreme remoteness of Perth should not be understated. Few factors kill prosperity more than the tyranny of distance. And yet here — on the far edge of the Indian Ocean — we have a clean, beautiful city of nearly two million people with a high standard of living. Sure, the wealth that can be dug up from the surrounding dirt helps, but translating primary resource extraction into urban success is never guaranteed. Perthians (Perthites?) should be happy with their dice roll. The city’s about as good as it gets given the economic geography. Some of this can be explained by the seeds of history. Perth was once simply known as the Swan River Colony. Established in 1829, it was a lonely and struggling British colony on the remote reaches of a harsh continent. That was, until the discovery of extraordinarily rich veins of gold in Western Australia in the 1890s. This sparked a gold rush, which tripled Perth's population in the ten years from 1891 to 1901. The city's economic future was firmly secure from that point on. Even today, the Perth Mint (which I recommend visiting) distributes some $18 billion worth of pure gold, silver and platinum bullion bars around the world every year. So what to say about Perth specifically? Perth’s cafes open nice and early but the supermarket hours are lazy. I was mildly impressed by the selection of ethnic dining options. That said, fears in the local media that the city centre is going into decline seem justified. Walking around the central business district, it felt at times like I was wandering a lonely, nameless, and slowly depopulating American city. An oddly pleasing experience. I’ve recently started warming up to brutalist architecture and the city has some great examples of the style. The Perth Cultural Centre is lovely, reminding me of a small, slightly rundown Go8 university courtyard. I enjoyed the Art Gallery of Western Australia but the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, despite having an attractive facade, was disappointingly uninspired. A shame too that the Western Australian Museum is currently closed for redevelopment when I was there. And I was not a fan of the new building plan. Why smother such a handsome building in a giant metal box? The waterfront felt very underdeveloped given its closeness to the commercial heart of the city. This is not a good thing since the Swan River, after all, is surely one of the best capital city rivers in Australia. What can compete? The Brisbane River? The River Derwent in Hobart? Kings Park is also rightfully a highlight. Much is said about how it is larger than Central Park in New York, or most urban parks in the world for that matter. The verticality of it probably helps. All you have to do is claim a large enough hill as parkland and mission accomplished. I spent a good two or so hours getting lost in the park, listening to podcasts and taking photos of wildflowers. Interestingly, Kings Park also has one of the laxest and unsolemn state war memorials I’ve ever visited, with picnickers, frisbee throwers, and sunbathers in dangerously unpatriotic proximity to the eternal flame. Distinct and faraway Australians indeed. I have little to say about Fremantle beyond that I can verify it is very nice. What I found most impressive about it is that its arty, trendy scene sits directly alongside its industrial port operations. They are practically on top of each other. I can’t think of many other places I’ve been where blue-collar industry and bourgeois amenities can coexist smoothly without one crowding out the other. I might also add that Fremantle Prison was fascinatingly glum. My tour guide enjoyed describing the step-by-step process of convict floggings a bit too much. And the fact that the prison had no flush toilets for its inmates and used buckets right up until its closure in 1991(!) is astounding. And yes! Rottnest Island is as beautiful as you’ve heard it to be… But with that said, I have a more substantive comment to make about Rottnest Island: I did not know about the island’s brutal history until I visited the small and unassuming Rottnest Island Museum. Between 1838 and 1932, around 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys were imprisoned on the island. One in ten died of influenza or measles and the island was dubbed the “Black Man’s Grave” by the local papers. Indeed, as you cycle around the island, it is easy to see what a harsh environment it must’ve been for them, with very little natural shelter or resources to speak of. No one apparently talks about this. A friend I visited in Perth confirmed that this is an uncomfortable and unspoken aspect of the city’s favourite holiday destination. Conclusion. I thought Perth was genuinely an interesting place to visit. Lots of history. Lots of art. Stunning weather. Agreeable coffee. Not a “perfect” Australian holiday destination, but that’s kind of the point. Hunting for perfectibility is uninspiring. There is plenty to see and do in Perth over a long weekend and (most crucially) reflect on and write about at the trip’s end.
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Hiroshima - the name alone of this city speaks for itself. And I believe it to be a profoundly important place to visit should you ever find yourself in Japan. Here are some photos of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima Castle, the small local island of Miyajima, and more. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park Hiroshima Day – I believe there must be bones Under the paved street. - Shigemoto Yasuhiko What a sombre yet beautiful site. It was almost surreal how pleasant the summer day was, as I carefully explored the entire park, taking in everything it had to offer in terms of commemorating one of the most tragic and devastating man-made events of the 20th century. Things to see in and around the park include:
Hiroshima Castle This was one of two feudal Japanese castles I visited while in the country (with the other being Osaka Castle). Alas, as with Osaka Castle, Hiroshima Castle is a reconstruction. The original fortress, constructed in the 1590s and once the home of the local daimyo, was a wooden structure that was destroyed in the atomic bombing. The current castle, primarily made of reinforced concrete, was rebuilt in the late 1950s and serves mainly as a historical museum. Such is history. While I'm a stickler for the authentic (whatever that means), I did enjoy checking this place out. After all, check out the dork wearing the samurai outfit in the photos. He clearly had fun... Hiroshima, more generally Other snaps of Hiroshima - now a charming and thriving city of 1.2 million people. And by the way, if you get the chance, definitely try Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki. This savoury pancake was probably the best thing I ate while visiting Japan. Miyajima Officially called Itsukushima, Miyajima (which is Japanese for 'shrine island') is a small picturesque island an hour's boat ride out of the city. It is a sacred place that, for the longest time, forbid ordinary visitors. While things are much laxer in these modern times, it is said that to this day no births and deaths are allowed on the island. Located on Miyajima is the Itsukushima shrine: a delicately stunning Shinto compound, with its epic torii gate and its five-tiered pagoda. Also located on Miyajima: the world's largest wooden rice scoop, weighing 2.5 tonnes and nearly 8 metres long. Cool. Also with Miyajima, think mountainous terrain, forests, as well as peaceful and overly-friendly deer (that like to come up and nibble at any snacks in your hands). Close to Itsukushima shrine is the historic Buddhist temple complex of Daishō-in, which I found even more spell-binding. I loved the charming little Buddhist statues and iconography everywhere, and the temple steps with the row of spinning wheels inscribed with sutras. From Daishō-in, I took a hiking trail up to the summit of Mount Misen. It was hot and exhausting, but I was swallowed by the natural landscape and the view from the top was completely worth it. Where else in the world can you experience such a heady mix of contrasts in two short days? Beauty and horror. Sombreness and celebration. Commemoration and survival. The power of men and the power of gods and the natural order. Hiroshima and Miyajima.
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AuthorMing is an economist, traveller, and creative writer from Melbourne, Australia. He’s a nebulous collection of particles on the lookout for a good corner to sit with a book and a cup of coffee. Archives
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