The Mint was one of the places where Australia’s coinage was produced but now it mints mainly commemorative medals and the like – the 2000 Olympics medals for instance – but it stages a ‘Gold Pour’ half a dozen times a day. This is industry as theatre, as a bloke melts down gold (and they do use real gold, unlike other mints that have a similar attraction) and pours into a mould, plunges that into a bucket of cold water and then presents the finished article for the audience to admire – all of this done with an informative and witty patter. It was fascinating and the Mint also has a very upmarket gift shop and tea gardens.

This was, I reckon, the best cuppa I had for the entire nine weeks I was away from home – a fresh pot of Orange Pekoe made with leaf tea not bags, slices of lemon instead of milk, piping hot water for top-up and a plate of excellent scones with raspberry jam and cream - terrific.

On the excellent free tram circuit

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Yes, you heard correctly. Not much like the UK Scarborough beach, imagine laying on the beach watching dolphins about 1/2 mile offshore, the lifeguards having a quick check to make sure they 'were' dolphins. Fantasic, free car parks all they way down the miles of great beaches. Wish I was back there.

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It's a hostel booking site that I used when I travelled to Perth. They have a quite a good selection and I found them to be cheaper.

www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/perth/

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Read the review of Northbridge below, and could hardly believe my eyes. I'm a fan of WA, so don't agree with all the east coasters that choose to give Perth a good slagging - BUT - and it's a big one - every time I've been there on a weekend evening it has been packed with, for want of a better word, utter w**kers, and if you know WA's lifestyle ethic at all, you know I don't mean workers.

I don't think I've seen so many people itching for a fight since a drunken night in Leeds many years ago - and I was a student with a southern accent, so I was asking for it.

I don't have anything against energetic and enthusiastic young people out to have a good time - but it's not normally the best envrionment for a nice meal.

Much better idea for the end of a rugby tour pub crawl.

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