Not a single person lied when they said Perth has the best beaches in Australia. The air is hot and the bitumen is hotter, with white sand that meets pristine, turquoise water stretching as far as the eye can see. Nothing quite prepares you for country that still feels quite untouched, especially when you come from a city like Sydney where the beaches are speckled with bodies less than a metre away from one another. Over in Western Australia, the sand is populated by few and the water fewer – everything feeling like a new discovery. I spent the perfect 72 hours in Western Australia with Uber, who have recently introduced new travel features that make getting around in a new city feel like second nature. Below, are some highlights from the trip.

Stay...

Smith's Beach Resort in Yallingup was like stepping back in time to a family holiday destination, pattering down the path to the beach across the road for an early morning swim or an evening spent watching the sunset with the cicadas in your ear. Directly situated across the road from the endlessly beautiful Smith's Beach, go for the location, stay for the peaceful family energy. We travelled by car from Perth city, with Uber's new Uber Carshare app, allowing you to rent a car by the hour or day and pick up your ride from close by home. It was the perfect, fuss free way to get around.

 

Do...

Visit lots of wineries. Down in the Margaret River, bright green vineyards span across fields as you pass by, calling your name. We visited Vasse Felix, Xanadu, and Cape Mentelle, sampling some of the region's most delicious wine, and even converting some of us to like Chardonnay! A feat if we've ever experienced one.

We also visited Mammoth Caves which earn a special shout out as an unexpected, otherworldly affair that felt as though one was stepping into an Indiana Jones set.

The trip was rounded out by Uber's new Uber Reserve Airport Pickups feature, which allows riders to book a ride up to 30 days in advance so you know you’re set once you land. With technology that is integrated to automatically adjust your reservation time based on flight information, the feature notifies the driver-partner so they can be ready and waiting at the airport when your flight lands, whether it’s on time, early or delayed. Once landed, riders are given 60 minutes of wait time, so if you aren’t ready to get in your ride the moment you land, your driver will wait up to 60 minutes, included in your fare, making the trip from Perth airport to our hotel and our arrival back in Sydney seamless and stress-free. The trip was also supported by Uber Travel, the new in-app feature which imports upcoming trip plans from Gmail, Outlook or Hotmail  into the Uber app and enables riders to see all the legs of their itinerary (flights, hotels, rides) in one place.

 

Eat...

At Barnyard1978, just down the road from Smith's beach, I had a spiritual experience with a prawn and spinach spaghetti, which has been playing on my mind ever since. But the standout meal of the trip was at Cape Lodge, the cosy, country style hotel with a restaurant that looks out onto a serene river. Each course was perfectly balanced, leaving all of us giddy from the wine and full from the four course menu. My advice? Enjoy the starter snacks and don't skip dessert.

 

Take...

A great swimsuit, you'll live in it. Dos Swim is doing some of my favourite shapes and colours at the moment. Sun protection is a must, so a hat is a necessity. I've had my eye on this one from Gucci for a while, and of course, a good book.