I have shared with you about my budget and itinerary to PERTH, Australia in my other post. Curious about what happened when we were going to Perth? Let me share with you my story on how I overcome the non-visa application right before the departure.
The Pending Departure (28/2/2018)
I just got married last December 2017 and I think I have gotten lucky ever since. For instance, I won a lucky draw for this free expense trip to Australia. I get to choose which part of Australia that my husband and I would like to visit. Everyone loveeee any free trip. Don’t you?
With everything booked, we only waited for this day to fly off for just the two of us. I remember it was six in the morning when we arrived at KL Sentral to check-in at the Malindo Airline counter. The minute they asked us about our visa to Australia, we were blanked and questioned whether the visa is required.
My husband was feeling anxious and trepidation. Hence, he immediately applies for visas through an agent website. During the time, it was not just us who have forgotten to apply for the visa, there is also a man who checked-in late that forgotten too. BUT once he applied for it, his visa got approved within 10 minutes as compared to us. We asked him which website is he using and he gave the link to us https://www.eta.homeaffairs.gov.au/ETAS3/etas.
We only then realized that we need to apply to the official government website to get fast approval. So, the RM140 that was paid to the agent was worthless. We were advised to go to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to get further assistance. My husband was not in a good mood and blaming me for what happened. I was dejected and made the musing face along the way.
Once we arrived, we went to the Malindo customer service counter to settle the visa. My husband’s visa was approved after 10 minutes of application BUT not for me. It was only 45 minutes left before departure and I still have not received any single message saying my visa was approved. I was anxious and frustrated that we need to miss our flight.
My husband mentioned to just cancel the trip but I can see the look he gave me that made me search for solutions. I called the careline to check on my visa and they mentioned that my visa had an issue due to the information differences with my previous visa that was expired 3 years ago.
Yes, I visited Australia before but with my family and my brother was the one who applied the visa for me. So I must have slipped it in my to-do-list. After waited for two hours, I finally received a confirmation stated that my visa was approved. Thank god we didn’t give up on it. I rushed to Malindo Airline and would like to book for their next flight but the price was RM3500 for two people (Super expensive!).
Then, I started to look for an alternative through the Skyscanner and I found an indirect flight using AirAsia and Malindo that cost RM2600 for two people including luggage. I had to borrow my mom some cash and she quickly wires it through my account. After I bought the flight tickets, we rushed to get a shuttle bus to KLIA 2 from KLIA 1 as the AirAsia flight will depart from terminal 2. Our flight is at 2.00 p.m and we felt relieved after we checked in. While we were having some snacks, I booked an overnight stay at a hotel near Bali airport to get proper sleep before our next flight to Perth the next day at 9.00 a.m.
As we arrived at Bali, we went out for dinner after checked in. We had Pecel Lele and Richeese fried chicken. We did enjoy a live band for a few minutes while waiting for our food. Too bad we stayed here for a night as Bali was our first choice for our honeymoon trip but was canceled due to the volcano eruption. No worries, I will come back for Bali next time!
Bali to Nusa Penida (1/3/2018)
As we woke up late, we rushed to the airport without having our breakfast and checked-in our next flight to Perth. However, our flight got delayed. As we were waiting, we bought some sandwiches for breakfast before departure because we were starving.
And FINALLY! We got on a plane to PERTH! After all of that frustration and struggle, I can’t believe I made my way through it. While we were in Bali, I called the Bayswater car rental to delay our pick up to today so that the rental charges will be lower and they are okay with it. Upon arrival, we were instructed to take a free shuttle van that they provided to the pick-up point, a 10 minutes’ drive from the airport.
We paid RM780 for 6 days rental for a compact car with a refundable deposit of AUD 1000. The transaction was fast and we waited less than 10 minutes to get our car. As usual, we received the car with an empty tank (always expected this when you rent a car). The full tank for the Hyundai compact car was around RM110 – RM130 (I guess it’s reasonable).
We started our drive to Margaret River which was about 3 hours boring drive from Perth city center. We are staying at Riverview Tourists Park Cabins for the night. By the time we reached the cabin, it was 9.00 p.m and the office was closed. As I had informed them for the late arrival, the operator provides us the instruction to get our room key inside the post box right outside their office. After a long tiring day, we decided to sleep early and prepare for tomorrow.
Margaret River (2/3/2018)
Finally, today will be the day for us to explore Perth starting with Margaret River. We had a quick breakfast by eating some packed food we brought from Kuala Lumpur (KL) and drove to Cape Leeuwin for about 45 minutes. It was a picture-postcard drive before reaching Cape Leeuwin. The entrance fee to Cape Leeuwin was AUD 20 per person with free parking. Not many people were there when we arrived and we had the views to ourselves. We also stopped at the beach nearby and the Historic Water Wheel, a 10 minutes’ drive from Cape Leeuwin. A breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean.
We then went to Mammoth Cave which was 40 minutes drive from Cape Leeuwin. The entrance fee was AUD 22.50 per person and we were touring the cave by listening to the audio self-guided system. Inside, I can feel the breeze and the quietness of the cave and in those moments, it made my mind calm without the distractions of the world. After an hour of touring the cave, we bought some souvenirs for our family and friends at the entry/ exit points.
Next, we went to Amaze’n. A place where we can play some games like solving puzzles, checkered games, and the maze runner. I called it Maze Runner because you need to get yourself out from the giant maze within 45 minutes just like in the movie. The entrance fee was AUD20 per person for adults and slightly cheaper for kids. I would highly recommend this place for families as the playground for kids looks more interesting than the adult’s games (well, the mini-golf looks more fun). It was 2 hours before closing when we were there and we managed to finish most of the games within time. The opening hours are from 9.00 a.m to 5.00 p.m, so be sure to arrive in the morning if you don’t want to wait in the queue.
Every place that I had been to, the attractions of nature have always been on my list. That’s how Margaret River caught my attention and immediately included in my itinerary.
Fremantle (3/3/2018)
In the morning, as I walked around the cabin’s park, I can see these breathtaking views that peek through the windows of my eyes. You can hear the sound of birds chirping, the river flowing and felt the serenity peace inside of you. You can also experience deep into nature by renting a kayak to tour around the riverside.
After the morning walk, we checked out and drove straight to North Fremantle for 3 hours to get to Rottnest Island by ferry. The ferry prices are varied from AUD 64 to AUD 87 which includes the Island entrance fee altogether. It only took 35 minutes ride to reach the island but I couldn’t stand my seasickness for just 15 minutes. Luckily, I didn’t throw up or it will another drama for this trip (phew!).
We were planning to ride a bike around Rottnest Island but we canceled due to the price. It was out of our budget, which cost between AUD 30 to AUD 50 per bike. So, we decided to walk. We had our veggie sandwich at Subway for lunch before starting the touring. Despite the uphill climb on certain parts of the Island, it was quite a peaceful walk, especially at the Pinky Beach. I LOVE watching the sunset on the beach. You can just lay back and enjoy the view of nice pink and orange sunset with the sound of the ocean (imagine yourself experiencing it).
We took the last ferry ride back to Fremantle which was around 8.00 p.m. As we arrived, we were starving and went to Kailis Fish Market for dinner. We had fish and chips with a price range around AUD 14 to AUD 18 and a seafood platter for AUD 49. I would give a rating of 5 out of 5 for the food due to its freshness and reasonable price.
We drove to Lancelin afterward, with 1 hour and 45 minutes’ drive. Gallery Hotel Lancelin was our pick for the night. Self-check-in is standard here if you arrived after office hours. The hotel was quiet and had a laundry place for you to wash your clothes but without the dryer. Unless you will be staying more than 2 days here, I would not recommend you to wash your clothes when there is no dryer. Just a precaution of not having enough time to dry your clothes.
Lancelin Sand Dunes (4/3/2018)
Early in the morning after breakfast, we went straight to the famous sand dunes about 1 hour and 50 minutes’ drive using our google map. The location was a bit tricky to find but if you follow the maps exactly, you will find the place in no time.
The sand dune has only one company that provides rental activities such as buggy, quad bike, sandboards, and few others. The common rental is the sandboard that cost around AUD 12.50 per sandboard for an hour with a minimal deposit. At first, we thought one hour isn’t enough but once we started playing, we get exhausted after 15 minutes due to running up and down the dunes. I would highly recommend you visit early in the morning to avoid the hot sun.
Next, we went to the pinnacles with an hour’s drive. The entrance fee was about AUD 13 per car and you can tour around the pinnacles by car following the road signs. The pinnacles were huge and full of flies. We enjoyed our tour inside the car and only went out once or twice to take photos due to the hot weather and the flies.
After we finished the tour, we stopped by at the gift shop to buy some souvenirs. The gift shop is located at the inside gallery right before the exit. After staying for 2 hours at the pinnacles, we went back to the hotel, which took 3 hours’ drive. Along the way, we stopped for dinner at a Turkish kebab restaurant near town. We had the set of lamb and chicken kebab for AUD 16. We did walk around the town for a bit to find something to buy for our family, but most of the items were not cheap. Well, maybe because we were on a budget and expect to buy something less than AUD 10 per gift for the family.
Perth City Centre (5/3/2018)
After enjoying the sightseeing, we moved to the Perth city center for the rest of our days. We were staying at the Quality Hotel Ambassador located in the heart of the city. In the evening, we went to the Watertown Factory Outlet to find some baby clothes at the bonds shop for my friend. The factory outlet had no attractive items that we can buy, so we went to Hay Street, where most of my husband’s favorite shops are located. After Hay Street, right across the market is the London Court, where it will make you feel like you are in London because of the architecture design. The shops were mostly closed as it was almost 5.00 p.m by the time we get there.
After we were done shopping, we paid for the parking which cost us about AUD 12 for 3 hours. Parking inside the town was not cheap, similar to our hometown in Kuala Lumpur, so keep some extra cash with you. We were then rushed to the Blue Boathouse to enjoy the sunset. We were lucky to arrive early, as we don’t need to queue to take pictures. You should have seen the long queue behind us when we were finished, there were about ten people in the queue. We then enjoyed the rest of the night staying in the room and watch some movies before we packed everything back to our hometown tomorrow.
Going back to Kuala Lumpur (6/3/2018)
As today is our last day in Perth, we purposely woke up late as our flight will be at 3.00 p.m. Before we return the car to the Bayswater Car Rental, we stopped at a nearby souvenirs shop to buy something for our family and most of the shops were owned by Asian. Some of them spoke Bahasa Malaysia with us and we felt like we were in Malaysia. We spend about AUD 60 for keychains, pouches, fridge magnets and pins for our family (better price than the previous one).
As we need to follow the shuttle bus schedule to the airport, we return the car at 11.00 a.m and had to wait for 4 hours before departure. There is nothing much you can do at the airport except hanging out at the cafes and restaurants OR sleep your 4 hours waiting time.
We landed at our hometown late at night and felt lazy to start our work, save, travel and repeat the routine. But yeah, that’s all for my Honeymoon trip. Thank you for reading!
