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  You can expect our services to change for the best.

  For any questions and information feel free to contact reception.

  We, at Planet Inn, wish you an enjoyable stay.

  Your hostess, the always friendly Tigg, Joe, Iz and Peter

I remember arriving in Perth Airport with Jadie and Sarah in Feb 2006, overwhelmed by the heat and quite anxious as completely unaware of what to expect..

Sarah had randomly come across the Planet online and booked us in for I think around a week or two, on day one of our adventures I knew I’d be staying for a lot longer than anticipated.. Around 7 months in total I think we stayed with you!!

Swedish Dan came in the Planet Inn van and whisked us off to the ‘Hotel California…’ I celebrated my 19th birthday in your bar.

You were like a father pickin me up from the bus/train station after I went galavanting working random pubs those few weeks (quite skimpily haha)… We have spent hundreds of nights sitting around singing til the early hours of the morning while you played your guitar… Harrassed you in your office with those cans of red bull haha… I’ve worked for you, laughed with you and loved every minute of time with you..

Basically Tone I just want to say that you really are one of the best people I met on my travels and I will never forget you.. And if it weren’t for you making this place such a great home to live in I would never have gotten so close to the people I did, we only stayed because it was our home…

So basically thank you for everything and I am sooooooo happy that next time I finally make it over I may still have a chance of staying with you at the Planet..

Lots of love and hugs from around the world…

Claire Boardman

Stoke-on-Trent England

Reef Shark

A top Sydney chef says shark fin soup should be banned from Australian restaurants because the demand for the delicacy is driving sharks to extinction.

Dank Street Depot’s Jared Ingersoll said serving shark fin dishes in Australia is promoting an unsustainable industry.

“Stocks of shark and shark fin are depleting and unless we take a stand and say no to this product it’s going to run out,” he said.

Mr Ingersoll said as well as the restaurant ban, the importation of the shark fins from other countries should be stopped.

“Buying it in from other countries, we’re actually not solving the problems because we’re shifting the problem to someone else’s front door,” he said.

Shark finning — the brutal but lucrative practice of cutting fins off live sharks and throwing them back into the ocean to slowly drown — is banned in Australia.

But Australia still imports 10,000kg of dried shark fins every year from countries that have not banned finning, including China and The Philippines, which equates to an estimated 26,000 sharks.

Ninemsn has found that dried sharks fins are widely available in Sydney’s Chinatown with price tags up to $1400 per kilogram and $158 a bowl of shark fin soup.

The dish is a symbol of wealth in Asian culture, but recently it has also appeared on western-style menus, including at Quay restaurant in Sydney.

Murdering Sharks For Their Fins

Glenn Sant, from Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network TRAFFIC, said the global trade in shark fins was a major concern.

“Its not identified at all when it appears in a ship or through markets whether it’s from a sustainable source or a legal source,” he said.

Mr Sant said Australia had come a long way to protecting sharks but still played a significant role in the shark fishing industry — catching up to 12,000 tonnes per year.

He said the government needed to do more to demonstrate that they are managing in a sustainable way.

Chef Neil Perry, who heads Rockpool restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne, will only only serve seafood that is harvested sustainably.

“We know where it comes from, we know the fishermen and we know the fishing methodology,” Mr Perry said.

But he said the real issue was how the industry is managed.

“We should probably be able to have shark fin at some stage if the inhumanity of finning is stopped, the shark is being harvested from a sustainable biomass and all of the shark is being used.”

“It’s not a matter of getting banners and marching outside Chinese restaurants in Chinatown — it’s really a matter of having a dialogue at [a global] government level.”

Documentary film SharkWater, released in Australian cinemas this month, has ignited controversy over shark finning with it’s portrayal of cracking the black market fin trade in Costa Rica.

Director Rob Stewart, also a marine biologist, said shark populations have dropped 90 percent in the last 30 years because of the growing demand for shark fin soup in Asia.

“We’re not living in a sustainable relationship with the world that allows us to survive on land and we need to turn that around really quickly,” he told ninemsn.

Last month, the Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, placed an export ban on a fishery in northern Western Australia because of an alarming decline in one shark species.

“The rate of decline in the sandbar shark was considered so severe that shark fishing had to be stopped in the area,” a WA Fisheries Department spokesman said.

Story by Josephine Asher, ninemsn

Plankton-eating Whale Shark

Comment by Tony Inman at Planet Inn – As a keen scuba diver, I am absolutely an advocate of the importance of preserving our marine eco-systems around the World. I highly recommend the film ‘Sharkwater’, which explains the bad rep that sharks have received from Hollwood movies such as ‘Jaws’.

Sharks kill only about 5 people a year in the whole world, whereas we kill around 50 million of them. They kill usually only because they mistake us for something else that they would usually eat, such as a seal or a turtle, whereas in many cases humans kill sharks for their fins, often throwing them back in the water still alive, and leaving them to die a cruel and painful death.

I have personally dived up close to many sharks, of which there are hundreds of species, a lot of which are quite harmless to humans.

The incidents of shark attacks really come down to being very unlucky – “wrong place, wrong time”. Stats show that more people are killed by coconuts falling on their heads or being struck by lightning. More people die from defective electric toasters than from shark attacks, yet you don’t often find people fearing for their life as they avoid the kitchen bench!

Leopard Shark

If you are healthy and can pluck up the courage, I highly recommend learning to scuba dive. Failing that. have a go at snorkelling. If that’s still not your cup of tea, then take a tour in a glass bottom boat or visit AQWA, our WA aquarium, where you can watch sharks through the safety of a window.

All of these activities can be organised for you by our staff at Planet Inn.

Education is the key to understanding that sharks have an important place in our world and that they actually fulfill a vital role in maintaining the good health of the oceans and ultimately, of  our Planet Earth.

We at Planet Inn recognise that a lot of people out there are finding things tough at the moment!

As a result of the ‘Global Financial Crisis’, tourism has been hit hard and people who may have intended to travel have held off because of cut-backs and job losses in other countries.

Those who have still come to Australia seem to not have as much cash available to spend and are seeking work sooner than in previous years.

So how are we at Planet Inn Backpackers responding to this ‘global crisis’ to help our customers?

We have held off the price increases that we normally apply at this time of year, which is usually our peak season.

Instead we are offering prospective and current guests “Recession Buster” Prices – Dorm Rates that would normally be around $27 to $28 per night are available for just $20 per night,

In addition to this we have been making steady improvements and refurbishements to our premises to make things more comfortable and more convenient for our customers.

From Monday 23rd November, we will be offering a ‘Complimentary Breakfast’ between 8am and 10am.

In response to customer requests, we can now offer our guests free WIFI (wireless internet connection) for your laptops.

Our bar prices include customer-friendly “Happy Hours” in accordance with the local regulations.

We offer a free pick up service from Airports, Bus and Train Stations (min 2 ‘guest nights’ stay – ie one person for two nights or two people for one night).

We have found that a lot of travellers on Working Holiday Visas are asking us for work as soon as they arrive in Perth.

So we have responded by reactivating the Planet Inn Job Club. Anyone who stays with us can register at no cost for assistance in finding work.

Of course we cannot guarantee you a job, but we have helped thousands of backpackers to successfully find work.

The recent trend has been that more and more employers are starting to call us looking for staff and on some occasions we have had more jobs than people available to work.

Our ‘Promotional Planner’ offers discounted food, drinks and nightclub deals to keep more money in your pocket.

Jason Le Signe

from Jersey, Channel Islands

2008 to 2009 (!) with trips away!

Rains and sunshine greatly influence the timing of the wildflower season, causing it to span severa months and regions.In the north of the state, wildflowers will appear in July with early rains hastening their arrival. As late as November a blaze of wildflower colour will take over the south where the warmer weather produces a totally different collage of species.

Each of the trails covered on this website boasts unique wildflower species due to variances in environmental elements such as soil type, local fauna, the broader plant system, geological structure, and most importantly, the weather.

There are several ways of seeing this spectacle. Many of the tour operators run “wildflower tours”, or you can rent or buy a car and explore the region at your own pace. Contact Planet Inn for details!

Pictures courtesy of www.westernaustralia.com

Random Thoughts

Here are my Top Ten Tips (not necessarily in order of priority).

1. Plan your budget and keep an eye on the money! – This is crucial if you are just on a holiday visa because if the money runs out, it’s time to phone home! If you are on a Working Holiday Visa you can find a job to top up your travel funds. Nevertheless, make a plan and always make sure you have enough to keep a roof over your head. You don’t want to end up on a park bench somewhere because you’ve blown all your money on alcohol and partying.

2. Talk to your fellow travellers and invite people to tell you about their experiences, but always remember that everyone sees things from their own perspective. – Use other people’s experience. Ask them where they went, what they did, what was good and bad. Check that information though against the advice of hostel owners and managers and look for the balance. What someone else disliked, you may love, and vice-versa. So take the information, then make up your own mind.

3. Safety first – Always let someone who cares know where you are going and when you will return or arrive. Travellers are often a little vulnerable as you may not be familiar with your surroundings and may not be sure who to trust. Be sensible and go with your gut feelings – if a situation doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and take the safe option. For example, think carefully before getting into cars with strangers, walking alone late at night etc. Don’t get so drunk that you don’t know where you are or where you are going, especially girls travelling alone!

4. Ask hostel staff about ‘backpacker specials’ – people who work in the Tourism Industry look out for the special offers, particularly when it comes to deals with pubs, nightclubs and restaurants, plus they usually know about any tour discounts and promotions. They will be happy to tell you.

5. Look for the Discount Membership Cards – You may have heard of the old favourites such as the YHA, NOMADS, VIP and even Student cards, which often give you discounts on accommodation and/or tours. Check out the new Club Red Membership though, which is currently expanding in Australia so as to offer you far more.

6. Stay well – Preferably have a medical and dental check up before you go off backpacking. Ensure that you have any vaccinations required for the area you are visiting. Your Doctor can advise if there is evidence of diseases such as malaria or denghi fever and can prescribe appropriate medication. Always carry some first aid basic items, such as bandaids (plasters) and antiseptic cream, panadol (as long as you are not allergic to it) and any other specific items if you already have any medical conditions. Make travel companions aware of any special conditions you may have and what action is required if you are taken ill. Have an “In Case of Emergency” contact name and number on your person and in your luggage.
7. Be bold and live life – One of the great things about travelling is the opportunity to try different things. Sample experiences that you may never have the chance to do back home. Always be sensible and act on proper information, but if you are on a tour for example and the qualified guide says “It will be amazing to swim alongside this dolphin – do it this way”, give yourself a little push to step outside your comfort zone and try things. Later on, you will more likely regret the missed opportunities rather than the new experiences you were brave enough to try.
8. Take photos or keep a journal – the more you travel, the more amazing things you will see. Often the names and places can slip from your memory, so it’s great to keep a few reminders and souvenirs of your adventures. The advent of digital cameras has made this so easy, but don’t forget to make back up copies in case you lose or damage your equipment. One good idea is to back them up to a disc and mail them back home or upload them to a travel blog on the internet.
9. Be careful regarding baggage allowances and how you pack – these days airlines are being more restrictive about what you can and can’t carry, especially regarding what is permissible on board aircraft. Find out the luggage allowance before you go and keep below it or you may be charged hefty excess baggage penalties. If you have bought souvenirs or clothes while travelling, sometimes it’s cheaper to post them home. Make sure you don’t have any illegal items in your bags, especially if travelling to countries with different laws and cultures. Don’t make jokes about bombs in airports! The airline and security staff won’t find it funny and you could be in big trouble.

10. Practice safe sex if you engage in any such activities while travelling! – In some African countries, if you sleep with someone more than twice you could find yourself ‘married’, or worse still you may pick up a souvenir you don’t want, like HIV for example. Hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases can really spoil your holiday, so take the proper precautions and use condoms when enjoying yourself.

I love the follow up to my party, it really was an amazing night..by the way karoke was the best idea ever!!!! I didnt actually think i would be having a 21st party but thanks to all the fantastic friends that ive made here at the planet inn, i had a party which i will never forget!!!! thanks a million tony and everyone at the planet inn and especially the Irish girls (DEE,CIARA and AOIFE) xoxoxo

Fiona the Birthday Girl

One of the things we love at Planet Inn Backpackers is to help our guests feel like it is their ‘home away from home’.

This was certainly the case for Fiona O’Sullivan from Kenmare in Ireland, who thought that she would be spending her 21st birthday quietly with just her boyfriend, Ger, and possibly regretting being in Australia away from her friends and family.

Thanks to the determined efforts of our other Irish lasses, Dee, Aiofe and Ciara, we resolved to dedicate our party night to helping Fiona to celebrate her birthday in style with many of her backpacking friends, who have effectively become her surrogate family.

Fiona was kept in the dark about the surprise party and her movements were carefully engineered so as to ensure maximum impact!

While Fiona was out, a whole team of helpers put in their efforts to decorate the bar lounge with balloons, streamers and disco fever accessories. Every member of staff was involved in some way and Tony invited other friends along to swell the party revellers.

Fiona returned home to find it looking completely different and to be greeted with a large crowd, shouting “Surprise!”

Fiona and her support crew

Sam did a great job as DJ and Wayne found a new role as a ‘chocolate crackle maker’.

The craic was mighty, as the Irish like to say, and the karaoke certainly provided some extremes in entertainment standards!

Fiona also enjoyed the traditional 21 kiss salute from all the boys!

One of Tony’s dive buddies, Britney, dropped in with some friends and brought in some of the American sailors from their visiting ship – the USS George Washington, making Fiona’s 21st birthday a truly international event, which we hope she will remember fondly for many years to come.

The full image gallery for the evening appears on this Planet Inn website on the Photos 2009 page.