Beautiful Perth & Cottesloe Beach

Though I traveled to Western Australia to see a pair of Bruce Springsteen shows, what made the trip unforgettable was the hospitality of a couple I met in Brisbane during the 2013 Springsteen tour of Australia. Heather and Peter not only opened up their home, but drove me to and from Perth Arena and gave me a tour of the CBD and Fremantle to the south. A tremendous couple, their sprawling property sits in the hills of Perth and offers commanding views westward towards the CBD.

I arrived late Thursday to a city full of unusual excitement.

Sunbathers in Cottesloe, Perth's most popular beach. I swam and got a sunburn Friday, a day after Springsteen and at least one other member of the E Street Band -- Roy Bittan -- did the same.

Towel view of the Indian Ocean.

A shark net was once tied to this concrete pole. At the moment, WA is in the grip of 'shark fever', and has instituted a cull. Because that's what they do to wildlife in Australia.

The Indiana Tea House on Cottesloe Beach.

Cottesloe Beach.

Cottesloe Beach.

Perth Arena, where Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played their first-ever concerts in Perth. I attended the last two of three epic concerts and reported on them for Backstreets.

Western Australia's mining boom but it's far from dead. Perth's skyline is brimming with cranes and new construction.

Over the hill behind Heather and Peter's is a park that's home to a variety of wildlife. They said it's common for Wallabies to visit the neighbourhood, as they did Saturday morning.

Heather and Peter in Kings Park, which overlooks Perth.

Several Xanthorrhoea preissii, otherwise known as grass trees, are indigenous to Western Australia. These are in the beautifully landscaped Kings Park.