Packing for Perth: What to Put in the Suitcase, What to Leave Out

Packing for your trip to Perth? You need my tips on what to pack and what to leave out if you’re spending your vacation in our sunny Western Australian capital. For many travelers, Perth may seem like the other side of the world but it’s really not such a strange place so packing isn’t too tricky; just the same, there are a few quirks you should be ready for:

Necessary items

The key necessary items can be summed up in one simple phrase: Slip, slop, slap. Any idea what I mean? Aussies will know the old advertising jingle which goes:

Slip on a shirt
Slop on sunscreen
Slap on a hat

Get it? These are the things you need to bring so you can deal with the strong heat and sunlight of Perth – don’t be tricked even in winter because the ozone hole makes our sunshine a whole lot more dangerous than in other places and you can get sunburnt quickly. Don’t get me started on skin cancer rates in Australia. Along with the shirt, sunscreen and hat, I’ve heard that the catch-cry has recently been extended to “slip, slop, slap, seek and slide” with the last two meaning seek shade, and slide on sunglasses – so let’s add sunglasses to the packing list. (Difficult to pack some shade – perhaps a parasol, but you’ll look a bit out of place here).

Insect repellent is also an unfortunate necessity in Perth if you’ll be spending much time outside, especially in the evenings, although I’ve heard it said that you’re better off buying the repellent here in Perth.

If you’re bringing any electrical items with you, consider whether you’ll need just a power point adapter or an entire transformer (and then, whether or not it’s worth it to bring that item!). We use 240V power and our power points look like two eyes and a wide open mouth – better explained by the picture to the left, perhaps. Incidentally if you have an adapter that only has the top two points (the eyes!) then that works fine too, the bottom bit (the mouth!!) is just for earthing. If you’re coming from parts of Europe where the power is 220V, I can confirm from my own experience that this stuff works fine with our 240V – I brought a house full of appliances here from Germany and nothing blew up.

Totally unnecessary items

The number one unnecessary item that you mightn’t think is so bad to bring is fruit. You will absolutely, categorically, not be allowed to bring your banana into Perth. If the humans don’t notice it in your baggage, the friendly quarantine dogs (usually beagles) will, and it’s not worth it. In fact, coming in to Australian airports you generally face very strict quarantine regulations – being an island and reasonably far away from the rest of the world means we have managed to keep the country free of lots of pests and diseases that exist in other parts of the world. When you fly into Perth you’ll have to fill out a declaration form and if you have any kind of food at all, you need to declare it. That doesn’t mean it will be confiscated, just checked, but anything raw (fruit, vegetables, honey, meat, and so on) definitely won’t be allowed in. Same applies for wooden items and a few other things – read your form carefully so you’ll avoid a fine. Basically if you declare anything you’re not sure about, they’ll check it and you can’t get in any trouble.

Things you might not think to pack … but they’ll come in pretty handy

Unfortunately you’ll need your iPod or MP3 player to listen to music while you wait for Perth public transport – the trains are pretty good but buses are a little bit unreliable and often late. Alternatively, a good pair of walking shoes will get you around town and give you some exercise at the same time, but bear in mind that distances between sightseeing spots can be quite far in Perth, especially in hot weather. And finally, if you’ve got your own comfy snorkel and mask and a little bit of room in your bags, throw that in for a summer trip to Perth – along the Sunset Coast or over at Rottnest Island you’ll find heaps of gorgeous snorkeling spots.

[Perth airport: courtesy of Hengest; Snorkelling at Rottnest: courtesy of Abeeeer]