Perth – Gateway To Western Australia

It’s no wonder that Australia is high on the wish list of eco-tourists, especially those who wish to see lots of parrot species and many other birds too.  And don’t forget Australia’s amazing mammals such as kangaroos, koalas and wallabies (not the rugby playing ones)!  Australia is a huge country and you won’t be able to see it all in one go if you have the usual 2-4 weeks annual leave so you need to break it up into separate trips.  In this series, we will be looking at Western Australia and some of it’s best eco-tourism hotspots.  Perth is a great place to start your birding/eco-travel adventure and if you have miles and points you can save a bundle!

GETTING TO PERTH

Perth is the only international airport serving Western Australia.  There are several options for using your miles to get from your home country to Australia.  Perth specifically is served by:

STAR ALLIANCE

Air New Zealand – Auckland

Singapore Airlines – Singapore

South African – Johannesburg

Thai Airways – Bangkok

ONE WORLD

Qantas (home carrier) – Singapore,

Jetstar (Qantas affiliate) – Jakarta, Denpasar

Cathay Pacific – Hong Kong

Malaysian – Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu

Qatar Airways (future One World) – Doha

SKYTEAM

China Southern – Guangzhou

Garuda (future Skyteam) – Jakarta, Denpasar

NON-ALLIANCE AIRLINES

Virgin Australia – Phuket

Emirates – Dubai

Air Mauritius – Mauritius

DOMESTIC ROUTES

The only two airlines you are likely to be able to redeem miles on are Qantas and Virgin Australia.  Here are their route maps with their domestic connections.

QANTAS

Qantas routes to Perth

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA

Virgin Australia routes to Perth

WHERE TO STAY ON POINTS

Parmelia Hilton – 60,000 and up, varies by season and room

Hyatt Regency Perth – 12,000

Four Points by Sheraton (SPG) – 12,000

Holiday Inn Perth City Centre (IHG) – 35,000

Crowne Plaza Perth (IHG) – 40,000

Comfort Hotel Perth City (Choice) – 30,000

Comfort Hotel Wentworth Plaza (Choice) – 20,000

BEST OPTIONS IF YOU ARE PAYING CASH

Accor Hotels – Quite a few but unless you use these properties a lot you would be better off using Pointshound to book these or any other independent hotel of your choice.  All else being equal, I would choose a hotel based on location and proximity to public transportation.