Tales of the riverbank
If Sydney seemed slow, Perth was even more peaceful for former Claridge's general manager Ron Jones and his wife, Eve, as they continued their excursion to Australia.
Perth, Western Australia. Smiling ground staff in Sydney's ritzy departures terminal showed real eagerness to find the seats you wanted. Qantas flight attendants were as friendly, attentive and patient as you could wish for. Whoever trains them deserves congratulations.
The 747 had generous leg-room. The captain left us alone, and didn't interrupt conversation or in-flight movies with pointless observations on the weather, or scare us with a blow-by-blow account of how many empty miles lay between us and the ground. Five-and-a-half hours from one state capital to another were, in fact, remarkably unstressful.
A foretaste of things to come? We thought Sydney was laid-back, but in Perth they reckon Sydneysiders are stressed-out and work-obsessed, notorious for rushing everywhere. It's too hot and too tranquil here to think of rushing. They say WA stands for "wait awhile".
Public transport sounds good, but in our salubrious suburb of South Perth it seems to run only between 9am and 5pm. The ferry to the city stops at 9pm. Ours is a desirable address on the banks of the Swan River, with miles of towpaths, lush green parks, cycle paths and scenic walks. The city with its hotels and restaurants, theatres and cinemas, is a five-minute ferry ride away. After two days we managed to locate bicycles to rent.
In Sydney, life revolves around the ocean and the beaches; Perth's is river-based and gentler. This is The Wind in the Willows.
The citizens are so untroubled they can afford to be nice to each other even where sales are involved. A sign outside one of many coffee bars almost boasted "The best cappuccino on this side of town", and over a newsagents' magazine rack was "Please feel free to purchase if you wish to read". We're still trying to work out another favourite notice, on the grass near Government House: "Bore water used for reticulation." Optimism is rife, even in the press. Under a display ad in the Sunday Times (WA) for a new treatment for impotence, another box heralds a sale of maternity clothes.
Last Saturday we telephoned highly recommended B&B Rosewood Cottage in Margaret River. An answering machine recorded our message. Two hours later came an apologetic return call from the owners from their boat. They'd been out fishing and our phone call should have been diverted to their mobile. They were still on the boat and the line was fading, but they'd be home in 45 minutes… could they call us then?
The big gamble Las Vegas it ain't, but Perth has more casinos to the square mile than most other capital cities. And it all belongs to Burswood, or to give it its proper name, Burswood International Resort Casino. Nowhere else in the state of Western Australia will you find so much as a pokie (slot machine to you). Burswood sits in solitary splendour in several hundred acres of manicured park, gardens and 18-hole golf course on the banks of the Swan River. Opened in 1987, it has just had a Aus$96m (£35.6m) refurbishment.
The casino's main gaming floor covers 4,686sq m, with 91 tables and 1,145 computerised video gaming machines with jackpots worth up to a thousand dollars. These are not slots, we were corrected. No mere games of chance, but of "skill" - ie punters must make a decision, even if it's only choosing numbers for keno. High rollers have their own International Room where stakes are higher, drinks are free and the restaurant expensive. The resort has nine restaurants and six bars and has gone all-out for a no-smoking policy throughout.
A free bus service whisks tourists from city hotels out to Burswood, within view of the city centre. For $10 (£3.70) local "seniors" and others sometimes described here as "aged pensioners" get free transport, lunch and gaming vouchers. The casino is open 24 hours a day, no membership required.
For non-gamblers, Burswood is a fully fledged 374-bedroom resort hotel, with hi-tech convention centre, 2,300-seat theatre and separate concert venue in the 20,000-capacity Dome. This year's attractions have included President Clinton, Rod Stewart, the Red Army Choir and the Hopman Cup tennis tournament - all within a few weeks.
