The Pinnacles Desert.

Weekends in the city mean picnics in parks, gentle strolls in the historical old town of Fremantle, exercising on Swan River'€™s jogging track or simply reading a book under the pine trees at Cottesloe beach while occasionally gazing at passing surfers. Such scenes make it understandable why Perth is ranked 9th in the 2013 Global Livability Survey. Perth residents seem to be more than happy with their outdoor lives. 

If such a lifestyle was adopted in Jakarta, which is only about four hours away by air, many might have a picnic in tiny Suropati Park in Menteng, exercise at the West Flood Canal (BKT) jogging track or read a book on a packed Ancol beach.          

Facing hectic daily lives and frustrating traffic, it is understandable why many Jakartans are quite happy with their shopping mall weekend lives, taking short cruises to the Thousands Islands or flying to Bali for a weekend break.

The weekend gateway in Perth, a trip made available for the media by Garuda Indonesia, Tourism Australia and the Tourism of Western Australia recently, can be a family adventure of a road trip heading to the iconic Pinnacles Desert, a lobster lunch and a thrilling sand boarding experience.

Located some two hours from Perth, the 190 hectares of the Pinnacles Desert boasts thousands of strange short and tall limestone pillars. The limestone pillars and the sand in the iconic yellow desert are cool in temperature.

According to the sign, visitors are not allowed to climb the ancient pinnacles, but some naughty visitors still sat on a pillar to take pictures.

The view of Perth city and Swan River from Kings Park and Botanic Garden.
We also had an adrenaline-fuelled experience with a 4-wheel drive over the vast Lancelin sand dune where the driver of the group'€™s tour bus company brought the bus up and down sand dunes at a 45-degree angle.  

However, the real adventure during the trip was the sand boarding experience where people sat on a firm thin board to slide down a hill and used both hands to sweep the sand as a brake.

The excitement of sliding down at high speed went beyond expectations and the beautiful sunset in the panoramic sand hills was magical.

The trip to the Lobster Shack near the Pinnacles Desert was not an ordinary one, as we had a tour of the 45-year-old lobster processing company to see numerous baskets containing amazingly huge lobsters, which are locally known as crayfish.

'€œBe careful in handling the lobster because the tail can suddenly move. They also have dangerously sharp parts on their body,'€ said Troy Simmons, an employee with the company.

The former fisherman tightened his grip when the lobster suddenly flipped hard in his hand a few minutes later.

Fremantle Markets.
A colleague who asked permission to hold a lobster in his hand immediately chickened out after Simmons said that the intact lobster was worth Aus$70 per kilogram, but the price would be cut to $20 if they lost some parts of the body, such as the legs.

The lobster dish was a big treat. Grilled with butter sauce, the red lobster was succulent, sweet in flavor and very fresh. It was accompanied by fresh red onion salad sprinkled with lemon and mixed with sweet chili sauce and a generous amount of fried potato.

At Little Creatures brewery in Fremantle, I got my first bites of the delectable Kangaroo skewer and my first gulp of the sweet pipsqueak pear cider. I was also crazy for the frites - fried unpeeled potato chips served with sour cream mayo.

The dinner in Fraser Suites Perth was also unforgettable, thanks to the perfect medium cooked lamb rack and the crispy skin pork belly.

A shop inside the Fremantle Markets.

The Pioneer Women'€™s Memorial in Western Australian Botanic Garden.

Surfing at the Cottesloe Beach.

Sand boarding at Lancelin sand dunes.
'€” Photos by Indah Setiawati