One of the best things about being home is that we can finally host our friends who have hosted us all around the world. We have spent the last month busily furnishing our home to get it ready to entertain and host friends, and along with Dave going back to work full time in a new job at WAToday (!) we have been extremely busy… although we did have time for a day out in the Swan Valley recently.
I will post photos of the house soon – I managed to furnish it mostly with second hand and free items and I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out. We’ve even done up the nursery!
Owls we saw during our day out at Caversham Wildlife Park in the Swan Valley recently
Our first guest
Anyway, our first guest has been Keith, whose house we stayed in when we were in Bali recently. He came across to Perth for a couple of days and tried out our spare room. It was great to finally be on the giving end for accommodation, as we must’ve slept on hundreds of people’s couches and in spare rooms over the years. So it was lovely to begin to repay the favour.
A cockrel at Caversham Wildlife Park in the Swan Valley
Playing tourist during a day out in the Swan Valley
We wanted to show Keith a good time so Dave took a day off work and we decided to venture out into the Swan Valley. If you’ve never been to Perth before, the Swan Valley is about half an hour from the city and is a tourist hotspot. There are lots of wineries, breweries, restaurants and nature reserves to explore out there, so it’s the perfect place to spend a leisurely day.
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The view from the beautiful Sittella Winery in the Swan Valley
Lunch at Sittella Winery
The first stop off was lunch at Sittella winery. Dave and I nearly got married here back in 2012 but the venue wasn’t large enough to hold all our guests (!). It’s certainly a beautiful spot though, and the food and wine is divine.
During the week, they have a lunch special which is $40 for a main and dessert, plus a glass of wine. I handed over my glass of wine to Keith, and he ordered the kangaroo. When in Australia! The food didn’t disappoint; just check out the photo below!
Delicious dessert at Sittella Winery
What you need to know:
Where: 100 Barrett St, Herne Hill WA 6056
When to go: Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 10am – 11.30am for morning coffee and tea, along with cellar wine sales (there’s free tasting!), and from noon to 4pm for lunch. Last orders are at 2:30pm for lunch though. You should book because even mid-week it can get busy.
Cost: The lunch special is $40 Tuesday to Friday and $58 for Sundays.
A grumpy owl at Caversham Wildlife Park
Exploring Caversham Wildlife Park
After eating kangaroo, we decided to go pat some… so we headed to Caversham Wildlife Park. My cousin reckons it’s better than the zoo and I have to agree that for a privately run wildlife park, it’s very impressive.
Keith feeds a kangaroo at Caversham
The centre allows a lot of interaction with the animals and is focused purely on Aussie native wildlife, so it’s the perfect place to come if you’re unfamiliar with Aussie animals and want to learn more about them.
My favourite exhibit was the koalas – they’re just like big teddy bears, and laze about just as much. The native birds were also fun – some of them would talk back to you and there was one that kept asking Keith to scratch his back.
Playing tourist with a beautiful koala
What you need to know:
Where: B/99 Lord St, Whiteman WA 6068
When to go: The park is open from 9am – 5:30pm but I recommend allowing at least three hours if you want to see everything at a leisurely pace.
Cost: $28 for adults and $12.50 for children
I dropped Keith off at the airport the next day and he said he’d had a great time exploring Perth with us. We can’t wait to host our next guests next month! And if you’re reading this… you should come and visit! Our door is open…!
A cheeky parrot at Caversham
Have you been to the Swan Valley? What’s your favourite thing to do there?
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