So much WA - Part 2

Perth is the Graz of Australia: in the tourist shadow of Sydney (Vienna) and Melbourne (Salzburg), but all the more livable and blessed with many small highlights. One such highlight is The Perth Mint, the oldest mint in Australia.
Leon is very interested in coins and gemstones, so he asked for a silver coin for Christmas (after his parents refused the hoped-for platinum coin). On Christmas Eve, he received a voucher for a coin, which was then redeemed in Australia, specifically at the Perth Mint. In addition to silver coins, there are also some bizarre gold coins there, such as those featuring Homer Simpson, Star Trek, or Frozen. By the way, Leon received a silver coin with a kangaroo on it.

Mining has always been an important industry in Australia. In the 19th century, the population doubled in Western Australia as a result of the gold rush, and to this day, Australia ranks among the top 3 gold producers along with China and the United States. For those who are interested in records: you can also see the world's largest gold coin at The Perth Mint, weighing one ton (!) and featuring a large red kangaroo alongside the Queen.

In 2004, the Big Phil in Vienna was still the world's largest gold coin, weighing a relatively modest 31kg. In 2nd place is the Canadian Maple Leaf, weighing a respectable 100kg. Well, the kangaroo has come out on top. At the exhibition, you can weigh yourself in gold or find out how much you would be worth as a gold nugget. According to that, Rene would be worth 1.7 million dollars! Finally, a scale where you can be happy about every extra kilo!

Penguin Island is an hour's drive and a 5-minute ferry ride from our house in Sorrento. The small island is inhabited by little penguins, the smallest of the 18 existing penguin species. While the emperor penguin can reach a height of one meter, the little penguins native to Australia are only about 30cm tall. When the children saw these cute little creatures, it was immediately clear to them that we should have penguins as pets!

Since the animals are shy and nocturnal, we only saw them at the Discovery Centre, where sick and injured animals are cared for. Pelicans also nest on Penguin Island, and at first glance, when they fly over you, you might wonder: pelican or rather flying dinosaur?

One of the numerous national parks in the Perth metropolitan area is Lesmurdie Falls National Park, which offers nice walking paths along a waterfall. If you think of Crocodile Dundee, impenetrable bushland, and venomous snakes when you hear the word national park, you can at least breathe a sigh of relief here in Perth: the pathways through the bushland are wide, well-maintained, and wonderfully signposted, and when you look at the many benches and BBQ facilities in the parking lot, you wonder if the Aussies now go to a national park for hiking or rather for picnicking...

Sofia, Leon, and I take the climbing route :o)