2004-2014: 10 years, 10 cities, 10 language schools!

10 one-month stays, sometimes longer…

Small tribute to each of the ten cities, from A to Z.

Second city: Perth (Australia).

Capital city and gateway to the huge state of Western Australia…

A

A like… Australia Day. Australia Day, celebrated on January 26th. The fireworks, with the buildings of Perth as a background, are simply awesome!

B

B like… Barbecue! A true Australian institution!

C

C like… Cricket. The Western Warriors play at WACA (Western Australia Cricket Association), stadium with a capacity of 24,500 spectators. The games can last up to 4 days and are interrupted whatever happens at tea time!

D

D like… Denmark & Albany. Yes, Denmark and Albania are in Western Australia! Well, it’s more precisely the name of two cities, Denmark and Albany.

E

E like… Eagles, West Coast Eagles, the Perth based AFL team.

F

F like… Fremantle. Considered as the port of Perth, the small town of Fremantle is worth seeing, especially for its market. Fremantle is just 20 km away from Perth.

G

G like… Grace, Lake Grace. This is the name of a small town and a lake, or rather what is left of it: salt. Several salt lakes are visible at Lake Grace, offering unique viewpoints.

H

H like… Hopman Cup, the most famous mixed-gender team tennis event, held annually late December or early January in Perth.

I

I like… Immense! With over 2.6 million km2, Western Australia would be ranked 10th in the world if it was an independent country, just between Kazakhstan and Argentina!

J

J like… James, Cap’tain James Stirling. The founder of Perth (1829).

K

K like… Kalgoorlie, a town in the middle of nowhere, born with the gold rush.

L

L like… Leeuwin, Cape Leeuwin. This cape marks the south-westernmost point of Australia.

M

M like… Margaret River. City (and river) south of Perth, known for both its wine and chocolate.

N

N like… Noongar. Noongar people, sometimes also called Nyungar, Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah or Noonga. They speak nyungar and populated the Perth area long before the arrival of British settlers.

O

O like… Indian Ocean. The entire coast of Western Australia overlooks the Indian Ocean.

P

P like… Pinnacles. The Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park, north of Perth, is famous for its natural limestone menhirs.

Q

Q like… Quokka. Small marsupial living on Rottnest Island.

R

R like… Rottnest Island, island and nature reserve, 19 km2, near Fremantle, home of the quokkas.

S

S like… Singapore. Singapore is closer to Perth than Sydney is!

T

T like… Tower, Swan Bells Tower. Tower with 18 bells.

U

U like… University of Western Australia, founded in Perth more than a century ago and home to nine faculties.

V

V like… Vineyards. Less known than other parts of Australia, Western Australia also produces wine for local consumption and for export.

W

W like… Wave Rock. The name says it all. A wave-shaped rock. Normal, in a country of surfers!

X

X like… XV, Super XV, the major rugby championship of the southern hemisphere. Perth is taking part, with the “Western Force” team.

Y

Y like… Yalgorup National Park, one of the 62 (!) national parks of Western Australia.

Z

Z like… Zoo. Perth Zoo is home of 164 species, among them the meerkat, the black-and-white ruffed lemur, the Sumatran orang-utan, the emperor tamarin and the green-cheeked parakeet.

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Next month: Auckland (New Zealand).