Erin

Class: 2010

Major: Communication Studies - Public Relations/Journalism

Hometown: Pasadena, Maryland

Writing From: Adelaide, Australia

LC Activities:  Field Hockey

Other Posts:

Swine Flu & End of the Semester (06/22/2009)
Footy and Gardens (05/07/2009)
Mid term break (04/28/2009)
Wild Wombats, Australian Bush, and Clipsal… (03/25/2009)
Classes, festivals, and adjustments (03/13/2009)
Coming to "Oz" (02/24/2009)
Let the Countdown Begin! (01/13/2009)

Lynchburg College > Academics > Beyond the Classroom > Study Abroad > Bloggers Abroad > Spring 2009: Charlotte, Erin and John > Erin

The beautiful Perth skyline

The weekend before I left the amazing country of Australia, I traveled out to the west coast to Perth with my friend Pat. We stayed there for a long weekend and stayed with his aunt, who took us to all the hot spots while we were there. When we arrived, our first stop was of course, the city itself. The city of Perth is beautiful! I found it to be very similar to Adelaide though in that it was easy to navigate and there was a main strip with all the shops (which reminded me of Rundle Mall). There is a beautiful river - Swan River, which runs along the major freeway to get into the city and is within walking distance from it as well. Along the river, there is a huge Ferris Wheel and this building called the "Bell Tower" which gives great views of the city and river.

Our second day in Perth, we traveled out to see this beach in Cottlesloe, which is the area that Heath Ledger was from. It was such a beautiful spot - the water is so blue and the beach had white sand beaches. I could see why it was a popular spot. After Cottlesloe, we went to this shopping center called Hillary's. Hillary's is like a big boardwalk-type shopping strip with a lot of cute shops and restaurants along the ocean. There is a big aquarium that is well-known within walking distance to Hillary's that we

A visit to Cottlesloe beach with Pat

went to called Awqa. It had this really spectacular section that you walk through and the sharks, stingrays, etc. swim all around you in this tunnel. On the way back from Hillary's, we stopped by Fremantle and checked out the downtown part, which is on the water as well. They have delicious fish and chips, which of course is fresh, since the water is right there.

For our final day in Perth, we drove out to this place called Mandurah, which is about an hour outside the city. To me, Mandurah was very similar to Hillary's in that it had a lot of little shops and café's on the water. It was a cute place and we lucked out and had wonderful weather - I managed to wear shorts (remember, it has been winter for the past couple of months)! While returning from Mandurah, we drove through this beautiful park that overlooks the city of Perth called Kings Park. Apparently, during the summer months, the park has a lot of outdoor movies and concerts, which would be fun to go to. Too bad it was winter.

A nice shot from Mandurah

After returning to Adelaide, I only had a few days left until it was time to head back to the States. For my last days, I spent them hanging out with friends, getting souvenirs, and getting my things ready to leave. It was really hard to say goodbye to all of my new friends that I have become so close to in the passing months. At least, for me, I know that it's not goodbye forever (since I plan on moving back after graduation). Adelaide has treated me well, and it will be greatly missed.

As for me being back in the States, it's weird only hearing American accents again, but great seeing my family and friends. I returned Sunday night...Sunday was such a longggg day though with all my traveling! Since I've really only been back a day, I haven't done much except for trying to adjust to the time change and get over my jetlag. It is nice though to come back to warm weather!