PERTH: This is my first trip to the southern hemisphere since nearly half a decade ago. For those of us in Southeast Asia, Australia is geographically and geopolitically probably the closest Western developed country. I am of course no stranger to Australia, having visited many parts of the vast antipodean country over the last decade and a half. Mostly I spent time in the population centers along the eastern coast of this continental expanse of a country that straddles three time zones. But still, this is already my third trip to Perth, the capital of the state of Western Australia.

Perth is a popular travel and even settlement destination for many Southeast Asians, as it is probably the closest major Australian city to the region. Although I went for my university studies in the United States, I know that many Southeast Asian students chose Australia — and in particular Perth — to further their studies, some from high school onwards. Australian immigration policies vary from one government to another, but often the foreign graduates who completed their Australian university studies and whose professional skills happened to be in dire demand would be permitted to stay on, eventually becoming Australian permanent residents or even citizens.