{"id":9403,"date":"2025-08-15T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/?p=9403"},"modified":"2026-10-08T07:40:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T23:40:22","slug":"sunshine-soundtracks-and-scenic-shores-a-perth-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2025\/08\/15\/sunshine-soundtracks-and-scenic-shores-a-perth-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunshine, Soundtracks and Scenic Shores: A Perth Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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It has been over 18 years since Mr Victor Paul made Perth, Australia, his home \u2014 a place he was drawn to for its people, warm climate and sweeping beaches. A graduate of the NUS Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences<\/a>, Mr Paul is now the music manager for British-Australian pop artist Alexandra Hainsworth<\/a>, with whom he recently secured a direct distribution deal through Sony Music’s The Orchard. He is also a published author, with his debut co-authored novella\u00a0Kingdom of Flight<\/em><\/a>\u00a0set for release on 15 August 2025. Though his career has taken him into the heart of the international music industry, Mr Paul remains closely connected to his alma mater and recently began engaging with fellow NUS alumni in Perth, hoping to share his journey and inspire others in the community.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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If you haven\u2019t visited Perth, <\/strong>you might have the impression that it is a small country town. However, there is a lot to do here. It is a vibrant city with many bars, places to eat, parks and a zoo. There are plenty of river views and scenic beachfronts as well. I\u2019m a big fan of summer, so I would recommend visiting between December and February, when the weather is warm.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Kings Park offers a relaxing way to spend the day. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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To me, the beaches and natural landscapes <\/strong>of Perth are what really stand out compared to other places I\u2019ve lived or visited. It\u2019s easy to be swept up in the fast pace of modern life, so it\u2019s important to seek tranquillity. I love the fact that Perth has plenty of serene places to unwind, which is something I\u2019m grateful for. In this respect, I highly recommend Kings Park <\/strong>and Cottesloe Beach<\/strong>. Both are relaxing and beautiful.<\/p>

When it comes to lesser-known spots<\/strong> in the city, the Art Gallery of Western Australia<\/strong><\/a> is a hidden gem for all those who love creative expression. “The Art of Banksy: Without Limits” is currently being exhibited. Banksy is a British anonymous street artist who uses stencilling techniques to convey anti-war themes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Image source: il Ciao Applecross Facebook page<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Perth is a foodie haven too<\/strong>, and in particular, has some amazing Italian restaurants. One of my recommendations would be il Ciao Applecross<\/strong><\/a>. You can\u2019t go wrong with the Penne Alla Vodka, which is short pasta with bacon, onion, vodka, tomato and cream. As a vegetarian, I order this with mushrooms rather than bacon, and it\u2019s simply delicious.<\/p>

For some retail therapy,<\/strong> Perth city centre has a variety of shopping experiences to offer, including the Hay Street Mall and Watertown Brand Outlet Centre where you\u2019ll find all the top-tier brands.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Perth boasts a plethora of shopping and dining options for travellers.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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My idea of a perfect day<\/strong> in Perth would be to start at a nice caf\u00e9 in the city, where you will be spoilt for choice. I enjoy Zamia Caf\u00e9 in King\u2019s Park, where I indulge in a soy latte and a vegan chocolate tart. Following that, I would head down to one of Perth\u2019s beaches, such as Cottesloe or Scarborough to relax, unwind and dine. The Cottesloe Beach Club has a particularly fun and lively atmosphere to enjoy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A view of the Busselton coastline<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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If you are able to venture beyond the city limits, there are many places to visit in Western Australia, such as Northam, <\/strong>where you can ride in a hot air balloon. Busselton<\/strong> is a historic and friendly town, and Margaret River<\/strong> is our wine region, offering a broad range of delectable wine tasting.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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For more travel recommendations from the NUS community, visit the NUS Food & Travel Map<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From global music deals to quiet beach mornings, Mr Victor Paul (Arts & Social Sciences \u201907) shares how Perth shaped his life and career, and why it might just be your next favourite destination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":9404,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life","category-travel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9403"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16024,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9403\/revisions\/16024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}