Aussie cities on world’s most-liveable list, Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2009 Liveability survey finds

Australian cities occupy five of the top 20 places in a British survey ranking the liveability of 140 of the world’s major centres.

Melbourne ranked third in the world, behind Vancouver in Canada and the Austrian city of Vienna in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2009 Liveability survey.

It assessed 140 cities based on stability, health care, education, infrastructure and culture and environment, giving each one a rating out of 100.

Perth was equal fifth with Calgary in Canada, with Sydney sharing ninth place with Zurich in Switzerland, Adelaide in 11th place and Brisbane 16th on the list.

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Posted by Posted in: General Stuff No Comments » June 2009

Swan River foreshore wheel – eyesore on the foreshore

As Perth’s newest tourist attraction gets ready for its first paying passengers, it interesting to compare it to two other wheels that i have seen while on holiday in the UK. Firstly there is the The Wheel of Manchester and then the really impressive London Eye. The wheel of Manchester has 42 capsules which are lifted to a height of 60 meters and the London Eye has 32 capsules which are lifted to a height of 135 meters. The new Perth wheel has 36 capsules which are lifted to a height of 50 meters.  View more wheels around the world on the World Attractions website.

Read the NEWS BLOG on the west.com.au – Will you ride the Wheel?

There are some very interesting comments on the blog below. Here are a few of my favorites.

“What a pathetic bunch our politicians and mayor of Perth must think we are that we need to be ammused and sit on a wheel to look at the view of Perth.”

“Measure the wheel it will be more like 44 then 50 meters. Small gondola’s you can not even stand up in them. To compare this baby wheel with the London eye or the Singapore flyer is simply a joke.”

‘Just when I thought I couldn’t be more embarrassed.’

For me i think it is just another eyesore on the foreshore that joins the Bell Tower and that shocking Convention Centre. I agree that the Perth city council is totally out of touch to come up with this idea. It also makes me remember that episode of the Simpsons called Marge vs. the Monorail, particularly the closing sequence.

As the camera pulls away from the scene, Marge’s voice narrates: ‘And that was the only folly the people of Springfield ever embarked upon.  Except for the popsicle stick skyscraper.  And the 50-foot magnifying glass.  And that escalator to nowhere.” The magnifying glass focuses the sun’s rays on the skyscraper, igniting a fire.  Meanwhile, people rise to the top of a huge escalator, only to fall off when it reaches the top.

PS: want a great view of Perth, simply go to Kings Park and the best part is, it’s free!

Posted by Posted in: General Stuff, Griffs View No Comments » January 2009

The walk of shame

I consider myself lucky to live in Perth, and after a great ride on this beautiful sunny Saturday, it makes you realise what a clean, pollution free city Perth actually is. Now this vision is one that is easy to keep in your mind as you ride along the cycleways next to the Swan River and gaze over the water and surrounding parklands.  Wildlife is everywhere and the water looks clean and fresh as does the bright blue sky over the city.

Now lets look at the other side of things which unfortunately i see most week days, the untidy and embarrassing side of Perth, or the walk of shame as i call it. If you exit the Perth train station and head towards the Art Gallery of WA you start to see a side of Perth you wish was not there. It seems to be a constant vision of rubbish , graffiti and an overall look of complete untidiness.

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Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: Griffs View Comments Off December 2008

$1 billion upgrade for Perth Airport

Today as i read the paper i noticed a story that made me smile, and in some small way justify my continual love hate relationship with Perth Airport. As part of the planned $1 billion upgrade which has been touted as the saviour for what i think is currently an embarrassment on a huge scale, the initial $200 million terminal details have been released. In a state that has boomed beyond all expectations, its a well overdue upgrade.

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Posted by Mark Griffin Posted in: General Stuff 1 Comment » November 2008