For those in Perth always looking for a better, faster, cheaper way

Friday, March 26, 2010

Some more videos from Youtube of Perth's storm

Since everyone's still talking about it, here are more videos!

Listen to a car being trashed by hail *language warning*


Storm clouds, hail and lightning

Cars swimming on St Georges Tce

UWA Library being filled by the storm

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Best video of Perth Storm

Everyone had their camera phones and cameras out yesterday during Perth's first rain in three months as the massive storm tore through the city with hail stones the size of golf balls and leaving cars looking like golf balls.

I think this was the best video of the flooding in Perth city mall on Murray street and the rain that turned underwater car parks into pools and the escalators into waterfalls. Take a look..



Rain collected at Murdoch University's rain gauge over time (Bureau does not have this breakdown)

Monday, March 22, 2010

Severe Thunderstorm in Perth Today

TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING for Damaging Winds, Large Hail and Flash Flooding

For people in the Central West district, the Lower West district including the Perth Metropolitan area, western parts of the Central Wheat Belt, western Great Southern and southwestern parts of the Gascoyne. 
Issued at 3:30 pm on Monday 22 March 2010 
People are advised that there is a risk of severe thunderstorms during Monday afternoon and evening. Storms may be accompanied by strong winds, large hail and possible flash flooding that could result in damage to property. 
At 3:30pm Perth radar showed a thunderstorm over northern coastal suburbs of the Perth Metropolitan area that may produce damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding. On current motion this cell is expected to be near western coastal suburbs about 4:00pm and southern coastal suburbs about 4:30pm.  Thunderstorms are also evident in the Central West and western Central Wheat Belt and are moving to the south.   Badgingarra Research Station recorded a wind gust of 117 kilometres per hour at 2:52pm.  

The FESA - State Emergency Service advises that people should be aware of thunderstorms. As storms approach secure loose items and move vehicles under cover. If lightning accompanies the storm disconnect non-essential electrical appliances and avoid using the phone. Stay indoors until the storms have passed.   If you are caught outside seek shelter away from trees and metal structures. Driving conditions will be hazardous. Should flash flooding occur, avoid affected roads, watercourses and floodways in the vicinity until safe to proceed.


First picture of real rain in Perth from here

Leave a link to any photos you get of the storm

Photos from Buzz 






From Simon Hicks buzz


From Kevin Ho buzz



@Murdoch University

@Applecross


@ Northbridge


from Thomas Friberg buzz

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Everydaymoney credit card: Reuters Interbank Wholesale exchange rate or Credit Card Exchange rate?


I was buying tickets on the Jetstar Asia website when I was asked which foreign exchange rate would I like to take? They offered the Reuters Interbank Wholesale exchange rate or let my credit card company determine the fee? Because I was buying two separate but identical fee flights, I used this to compare the rates.

Reuters Interbank Wholesale
SG$148 = AUD$120.13
SG x 0.8117 = AUD


The Jetstar itinerary and tax invoice said  "This transaction is based on a Reuters Interbank Wholesale
exchange rate and includes all fees and charges. Cardholder choice is final."

The second transaction, I opted for the EverydayMoney option to see what I would get. 

Everyday Money Credit card
SG$148 = AUD$116.68
SG x 0.788 = AUD

Everyday Money offered a better exchange rate. However, there is also a 2% overseas transaction charge which took Everyday Money up to AUD$119.01. It seems that going with the Everyday Money credit card exchange rate was better than Reuters by 1% even after factoring in the overseas transacation charge.

EDIT: Everyday Money credit card has since increased their Overseas Transaction Charge to 3% so be warned! 


As you may know, each credit card's exchange rate and overseas transaction rates will be different so be careful with all such transactions. But if you have an everyday money credit card, let everyday money handle overseas transactions. Also see our comparison of Overseas Transaction charges between AMEX platinum, everydaymoney and BP Citibank cards.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Hudsons Free Coffee at Perth Domestic Airport


You can get a free standard coffee from Hudsons when you use the parking at Perth Domestic Airport. Just bring your parking ticket to Hudsons and receive a free coffee before 31st May 2010. So how much is parking at the Domestic Airport? These prices are current as at15th March 2010. Get your coffee voucher here. Read more about this offer at the Perth Airport website.


First 5 mins Free

5 - 30 mins A$3.90


30 mins -1 hour A$5.40


1 - 2 hours A$7.80


2 - 3 hours A$8.80


3 - 4 hours A$9.80


4 - 5 hours A$10.80


5 - 6 hours A$11.80


Over 6 hours A$35.00


Day 2 thereafter the daily rate apples(flat rate) A$35.00

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Congratulations to the Perth Wildcats!

Wildcats won their fifth championship becoming the most successful Australian basketball team, appearing in 25 consecutive playoff series! Celebrations will be at Forest Chase in the middle of Murray Street mall on Wednesday from 12:30pm - 1:40pm!

Watch the game wrap up here:

Friday, March 12, 2010

Perth Wildcats grand final today

The Perth Wildcats will take on Wollongong tomorrow for final Game 3 of the best-of-3 grand final series at 7pm Perth Time. As the game at Challenge Stadium (or the Jungle) is sold out, including standing room, there are only a few options left.
  • ABC RADIO will be broadcasting live with online streaming at http://www.abc.net.au/perth/?ref=portal_m11
  • FOX SPORTS will be showing the game but you will need to be a foxtel subscriber. 
  • Carbon sports bar in Burswood seems to have become the default place for people to see the game on FOX SPORTS if you want a little more atmosphere. 
  • Up to the minute scores and play-by-play updates will be made on www.nbl.com.au as the game progresses. 
  • Northbridge Piazza MAY be showing the Wildcats grand final as well. This is an outdoor screen on the corner of James Street and Lake Street in Northbridge. This is yet to be confirmed.  
The Perth Wildcats is one of the most successful sporting teams in the world with 25 consecutive playoff appearances in the National Basketball League and four championships. If you have never watched a basketball game, tonight will be the night to start.

Friday, March 5, 2010

How to see Perth Google Buzz on your computer

Google has started a revolution in bringing people from the Internet back into the real world with location specific updates made by strangers in the form of Google Buzz. Perth has only started to buzz and we've taken on ourselves to welcome Perth people to the world of Google Buzz as there are only about 20 or so regular buzzers out there.. get your phone and join in and keep an eye on this blog as we bring you the best tips for Perth coming from buzz! You cannot see buzzes on Google Maps unless you use your mobile phone or follow this link (if you are in Perth) https://m.google.com/app/buzz?force=1#~buzz:view=nearby.

Recent Perth buzzes have been from:
  • Travellers asking about the coffee in Perth 
  • Locals sharing quotes of the day 
  • Workers declaring free icecreams near their office 
  • People sharing their random thoughts 
and reviews such as the one Mark Palandri posted about Zafferano's Seafood restaurant. When Mark asked how the food is there, we asked him to buzz his experience after the meal. With his permission, here's his review of Zafferano's - the longest buzz update posted in Perth so far! 

Zafferano's Seafood Restaurant
First restaurant buzz review in Perth by Mark Palandri

Last night, my wife and I joined several members of our extended family for dinner at Zafferano to celebrate my mother's birthday. Zafferano can be found at the old Swan Brewery on the edge of the Swan River right below Kings Park. The location for the meal was a suggestion from my uncle who described it as "pricey, but with a great view". In retrospect, I'm not sure I can improve much on this summary except perhaps to add, "and excellent food".

We had reservations, and though we arrived early, the table was ready for us and we were seated immediately. The staff were generally attentive and, if not quite rising to the level of friendly, at least managed to react professionally and efficiently to the demands of our largish group. The interior was uncrowded and comfortable; everyone had plenty of space to enjoy their meals in a light and open atmosphere. The decorator clearly recognized that the views of the river were the best part of the decor, and didn't try to compete with them too much.

Good ambiance and great views are one thing, but what about the food? In a nutshell: the food was easily a match for the surroundings. As the name suggests, Zafferano serves Italian style dishes, with the majority being seafood in a multitude of forms. Not to worry though, there are also plenty of meaty and vegetable dishes to choose from if fish isn’t your cup of tea.

After a round of Kyr Royales to whet the appetite while perusing the menu, dinner orders were taken and bread baskets appeared. I've found that the quality of a meal is closely correlated to the quality of the bread that is served before it. My fears were put to rest by the warm and tasty ciabatta accompanied by an even tastier sun-dried tomato tapenade. I'm glad I grabbed a piece when I had the chance because there wasn't any left when I went back for a second. Another reason I was glad for that piece of bread is that it was the better part of an hour before our first courses appeared from the kitchen.

I love gnocchi and the gnocchi gorgonzola entrée I ordered was everything I had hoped for. So often when I order gnocchi I am served a plate of hard rubber lumps, but not this time. They were perfectly cooked soft doughy pillows from heaven in a deliciously pungent gorgonzola cream sauce. The only odd thing about the dish was the inclusion of a dollop of stewed eggplant chunks in the centre. The eggplant would have been OK on its own, but was an unnecessary and distracting addition to my gnocchi. My wife ordered the beef carpaccio and it too was excellent; the tender meat just melted in my mouth. Once again though, the dish had some unnecessary additions in the form of mayonnaise stripes and thinly sliced cucumbers. It's almost as if the chef didn't trust the dishes to stand on their own without these superfluous extras. My mother and aunt ordered the raw oysters and effusively complimented their freshness and taste.

For the main dish, I ordered the crispy skinned barramundi special. The fish arrived balanced on a lump of mashed potatoes surrounded by a two small piles of cubed steamed vegetables and a light butter sauce. The fish was really good; the skin was super crispy and its texture and taste were a perfect counter to the more subtle and flaky flesh beneath. The accompanying mashed potatoes were only so-so though and I didn't bother finishing them; I think a light risotto would have worked better instead. A little more of the delicious butter sauce would have been nice too. My wife ordered the Frittura Mista and seemed quite happy with her choice. In fact, I didn’t hear a bad word about any of the food from anyone at the table.

The portions were good sized and by this time we were all starting to creak a little at the seams. But, we still managed to find a little room for dessert. I ordered the Graffe di Mela which turned out to be three sugar-coated doughnut balls filled with custard served with some warm stewed apple chunks and vanilla ice-cream. The presentation was so nice that I felt a little guilty when I took my fork to it. All guilt vanished though when the first bite hit my taste buds; it was a great finish to a great meal. My wife ordered the Frangelico gelato affogato, which a stolen bite confirmed to be similarly delicious.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening spent with close family and excellent food in an unforgettable environment. It was particularly unforgettable for my father who ended up footing the bill. One thing you cannot say about Zafferano is that it is cheap; expect to cough up at least $100-$150 per person, even more if your taste in wine is particularly refined.





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