Freo...as the locals call Fremantle

We drove to Fremantle on our anniversary.  We wanted to go to the E-Shed Markets and then somewhere for lunch.  We went to the E-Shed Markets which were a bit disappointing and then for a walk to find the "Cappuccino Strip".  We seemed to be walking for ages before ending up at a restaurant upstairs in a pub....well it was so noisy that we couldn't hear each other, on top of which, we where running out of time on the parking meter.......

So, we decided to go to Freo again but this time in style.  We all went on a Captain Cook Lunch Cruise, which provided tea and coffee on the way over, a tram tour of Freo and lunch on the way back.  We took the bus and train from Gwelup into the city and onto the esplanade and then walked to the Barrack Street Wharf.  While waiting to board the boat, just off the jetty, there were three dolphins that seemed to be herding fish for the pelicans and other birds. Apparently, there are lots of dolphins in the waters around Perth.

Located at the mouth of the Swan River, Fremantle and its harbour serve as the port of Perth.  Fremantle was settled in 1829 and in 1850 the first convicts arrived there with the thirty-seventh and last convict ship docking in 1868, signalling the end of penal transportation to Australia.  Fremantle was declared a city in 1929.  It has a population of approximately 25,000.

Fremantle is named after Captain Charles Fremantle, an English naval officer who pronounced possession of Western Australia and established a camp there. It is know as Freo to the locals.

The tram tour (well it is not a tram at all) hosted by tour guide extraordinaire,  Geoff, was very informative.  It took past the Round House, which had eight cells and a gaoler's residence but when the first 75 convicts arrived from Britain it was apparent that the Round House was inadequate to house them so the convicts had to build their own goal...Fremantle Prison which was used until 1991.

The Round House

World Heritage Listed Fremantle Prison

In 1892, an Irish-born engineer C.Y. O'Connor commenced work to deepen Fremantle Harbour by removing the limestone bar and sand shoals at the mouth of the Swan River.  It was successfully completed in 1903.   His plan was controversial and contrary to previous expert advice it was thought that his proposal was impracticable.  More than 100 years of continued use of Fremantle Harbour proved O'Connor's technical judgement to be correct.

Today, the Inner Harbour handles almost the entire container trade for the state as well as livestock exports, general cargo and motor vehicle imports whilst the Outer Harbour is a one of Australia's bulk cargo ports angling a variety of commodities form grain to LPG.

C.Y. O'Connor is best known for his work on the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, also known as the Goldfields Pipeline, perhaps the worlds longest water main which carries water 530 km from Perth to Kalgoorlie.  O'Connor was subjected to prolonged criticism by members of the press, libellous newspaper articles (so whats new) and by many members of the Western Australian Parliament over the scheme which lead to him committing suicide less than a year before the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme was officially commissioned.

We didn't go to Rottnest Island which is 20 klms off the coast.  Geoff said there was not much there for a day tour but was good if you wanted to "get away" from the world for a while.  

Geoff took us to the War Memorial which stands on Monument Hill, an 11 acre public reserve.  It was impressive but the best thing was the kids who were "ice boarding" down it.  They had these slabs of thick ice which had rope handles and they would "board" down to the bottom and then drag them back up the top...but, mostly they fell off half way down...they didn't care, they were having so much fun., must have been cold on the old tush though.

Kids "ice boarding" down Monument Hill, Fremantle

Would like to go back and stay in Freo for a while.....it is an interesting place.

Perth kept us busy....

We spent three weeks and three days in Perth....could have stayed longer.   Everything is close, it takes no time at all to get somewhere.

Take the Swan Valley Winery's for instance,  it only took 30 minutes to get there.  We had a lovely day starting at the Mulberry Winery at 10am (yes, I know, it is a tad early, even for me) and it just went on from there, who would have thought...haha.  We visited the Margaret River Chocolate Factory...OMG...devine!  Bought dark chocolate, nougat, chocolate almond clusters, some salted carmel sweets and chocolate ginger.   We also went to Morish Nuts.  Didn't like them very much....too expensive and the candy almonds only have half an almond (yes, can you believe they cut them in half) and then have a very thick coat of candy....not nice at all.    And, visited the Honey Shop.

We went to the Cheese factory for lunch.....had a lovely cheese platter and a glass of wine.... bought some Brie and blue cheese and some 'pan de higo' (Spanish Fig Cake) and tomato relish.  Forgot to buy olives!  Sorry there are no photo's, enjoyed it too much and forgot to take any.  This is all I have.

The evidence...all gone now.

The Nougat Shop

We visited Kings Park, 400 hectare of parklands and natural bush on the banks of the Swan and Canning Rivers.   There is an impressive War Memorial and a number of lookouts that provide panoramic views of Perth's skyline and the water.

Nick and John went to the Perth Mint - Deb and I went shopping.  The Perth Mint was founded as a colonial branch of the Royal Mint in 1899 in response to the gold rush which began near Kalgoorlie in 1893.  It was to refine the gold that was discovered in Western Australia and turn it into bullion bars and sovereigns for use throughout 'the Empire'.  The ownership of The Perth Mint was transferred to the Western Australian Government in 1970.  Under the authority of the Commonwealth Department of the Treasury, The Perth Mint now refines the total of Australia's gold production and gold sourced from surrounding countries.  The taking of photo's inside the mint is prohibited for security reasons

The Perth Mint

We visited Hillary's Boat Harbour,  which opened in 1988 and has marina's, lots of restaurants (even a South African one called 'Hippo Creek' which has Boerewors, Peri Peri Chicken, Biltong, Droewors,  and dishes with names like the '400g Hunters Assaghai', 'Lion Kill' and Chicken Shazaloza").  There are shops, art and craft markets, cycle paths, charter companies, Rottnest Fast Ferries, walkways and parklands as well are the Aquarium of Western Australia.

We also went to Scarborough Beach for lunch, beautiful white sand against the blue Indian Ocean with lots of green parklands.   Thats one of the lovely things about Perth - 75% of the foreshore has been kept as parkland for public use.

Scarborough as seen from Hillary's Boat Harbour.

There were two "cold weather fronts" that went through while we were in Perth.  They brought the temperate down, a lot of strong winds and rain. It's the wind that is the problem.   These fronts last for about three or four days from go to woe.  One of them was considered a "severe front" which would only happen once or twice a year.  We spent that day at a shopping centre.....safer and dryer.

Well, due to the bad weather, we had to take our annexe's down and roll up our awnings and we stopped having dinner together, which is a pity because with the annexe up and the heater on, it is toasty warm and we have dinner and then read, play on our iPads or play cards, or heavens above....talk (and drink, of course). With no annexe, we hibernate in our own vans and whilst that is good from time to time, it is no fun when that way of living is forced upon you.

We went down to Secret Harbour to have lunch at the Whistling Kite with our friends Michelle and Henry who we met at Lake Placid Caravan Park in Cairns....it was good to catch up.

(L-R)  John, Henry, Michelle, Gail, Nick and Deb

But with the weather being so bad in Western Australia this year, we decided not to go south and would make our way to Kalgoorlie and then head for South Australia.  Unfortunately, this also meant that we didn't get to catch up with a lovely couple, Carol and Gina, who we met in Harvey Bay earlier this year.  That will have to wait until we come back or we met them on the road elsewhere :)

We did get to go to Fremantle....twice....see next post.

An isolated beauty.

Perth, is a beautiful capital city.......it's a pity it is in Western Australia, but I suspect that is part of its charm and the locals like it like that.

The city of Perth is on the banks of the Swan River with the Indian Ocean only a few kilometres away.  Its population is 1.6 million with that total state population of 2.3 million.

City of Perth taken from Kings Park

Perth's climate is described as "Mediterranean" with warm to hot summers (from mid 30's) and mild winters (17c).   Ha.....mild winter, you mean freezing more like it,  with very cold, windy fronts popping through from time to time....bringing the temp down to 4-6 c.  The wind that accompanies the cold fronts is akin to a cat 1 or 2 cyclone.  Of course, we are here in one of the coldest and wettest months, July...although I am told that August is the actually the coldest.... won't be here to make any comparisons though.

Perth looks new, it is clean, fresh, nothing is far away (including the Swan Valley),  there are lots of green open spaces, fabulous white sandy beaches, people dress well, they look happy as they go about their business and the transport system is truly amazing. For example, we got on a bus that took us to the train station which is situated in the middle of a four lane highway, and the train arrived within a couple of minutes to take us to Perth.  It is planned that way.  The buses and trains all look new.   The cost.... $1.80 one way (concession, of course). We went on the train into Perth twice, once to go shopping and the other to get on a Captain Cook cruise to Fremantle.

Perth Skyline from Barack Street Jetty.
The building on the right with the glass spire is the fabulous Bell Tower.

The Bell Tower is an impressive structure.  It is 82.5 metres (271 ft) high made of copper and glass. There are 18 bells and 12 of them are bells of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, which are very old.   The bells were donated to Western Australia as part of the 1988 Australian bicentenary celebrations.  They come from before the 14th century, were recast in the16th century by Queen Elizabeth I and again recast between 1725 and 1770 by three generations of the Rudhall family, bell founders from Gloucester in England.  They are one of the few sets of royal bells and are the only ones known to have left England.

The twelve St Martin-in-the-Fields bells actually come from a famous church in London's Trafalgar Square and have apparently been rung to celebrate historic events like England's victory over the Spanish Armanda, the WWII victory at El Alamein, and among other events, they have also rung in the New Year at Trafalgar Square for more than 275 years.

Love Locks outside of the Bell Tower

A quaint  and different thing to do is to purchase a 'Love Lock'.  Love Locks originated in China when couples chose to fix a padlock to chains on sections of the Great Wall. Legend says that it symbolised their love and that it would last forever.   It might have started in China but the practice is taking place in many parts of the world...Nevada USA, Russia, South Korea, Italy, Hungry, Japan, Latvia...and the love goes on....So for $30 you can buy your own love lock in Perth,  it will inscribed with your names and the date, you choose a link on the chain and 'lock your Love'

The Pinnacles

The town of Cervantes, known as the 'Gateway to the Pinnacles' is named after the wreck "Cervantes" and like Port Gregory, has a thriving lobster/crayfish industry.

Situated in the nearby Nambung National Park is the Pinnacles Desert.  In this area of varying colour sand there are literally thousands of limestone pinnacles ranging in size up to 5 metres tall and 2 metres thick at the base.

Apparently, there are a number of theories as to how the pinnacles came about.  The most popular theory is that they were formed thousands of years ago when ancient plant roots formed a weak cementation of calcite within the dunes which have been exposed by wind and shifting sands. Either way, they are an awesome sight and well worth a visit.

The colour of the sand changes with the light or lack thereof....

The pinnacles are pretty tall

Will you be my friend?

"Child!!!"

Awesome...the Pinnacles set against the sea

Also at Cervantes is Lake Thetis which is only one for four known locations where the oldest living fossils - Stromatolites - can be found.  Stromatolites are not pretty things and could be easily overlooked unless you are told something about them.  They are in fact "layered bio-chemical structures that are formed in shallow water by the trapping binding and centurion of sedimentary grains of micro-organisms and provide the most ancient records of life on Earth by fossil remains which date from some 3.5 billion years ago". Phew...what a mouthful, but you get the picture, they are pretty old.

Stromatolites with a sign that says "Get off my Face"..very funny

Pink Lake

After leaving Kalbarri we headed south along the coast road to Cervantes via Port Gregory which is a 'serious' fishing hamlet.  By serious, I mean, fishermen go fishing up the beach on quad bikes.....they need them for all their gear.   The main catch in the area is lobster.

John and view up the beach at Port Gregory

Morning Stop - John, Deb and Nick waiting whilst I made morning coffee. 

Whilst we were stopped there for morning tea, we watched a large truck reverse onto the jetty, unload some crates and wait for a fishing boat to come in that we could see way out in the distance.

We watched the fishing boat coming and thought it would take a lot longer to get to the jetty than it did....it must have been flying.  There was a natural opening in the reef what we could not really see, which is why it took a  shorter the time for vessel to arrive.

Port Gregory has a natural harbour surrounded by 5 kms of exposed reef, a large jetty and water-ski area, although in this cold weather, there were no water skiers, trust me.    I am told the area is also popular for wind-surfing and sand boarding.

The area is also well known for the Pink Lake.  The colour of the lake is due to a bacteria that is trapped in the salt granules.  This provides a rich source of Beta Carotene, which is harvested from small ponds.  As the sun sinks, the lake apparently changes colour from a pink to a slightly darker purple.  We did not see this, but the lake was pretty spectacular anyway.

Whats 'Up' and 'why is it so'

We are loving Perth and the surrounding areas.  It is surprising though, how many places end with the word "up" and some of them can be quite a mouthful.  

We are staying in a suburb called Gwelup, we have been to Joondalup and Karrinyup.  There are others such as Konjonup, Gnowangerup, Jerramungup and Ongerup.  

An article that John read in the West Australian Newspaper on 2 July, answered the question; Why is it so?

This article that John shared with me indicated that there are a couple of schools of thought on this.  

Some say that those towns ending in "up" were named after water holes where Aboriginal family groups gathered or lived before the south was settled by European Settlers.   For example, during World War II, students at the North Perth Primary School cleared the land that was to become 'Goonderup Park'.  They were told that the word 'goonder' was the Aboriginal word for bark cradle and the "up" referred to a nearly swamp.

Others say that the reason that many Great Southern towns end in "up" is because the "up" means "place of" in Noongar (Aboriginal dialect).  For example, the Noongar word for male kangaroo is yonger but the Y fell off somewhere along the line and the town is now called Ongerup.  So, Ongerup means place of the male kangaroo.

Gnowangerup means place of the mallee fowl.  Gnow is Noongar for mallee fowl.  Kojonup means place of a stone axe and Jerramungup means place of the tall standing yate trees.

So all the place names in the Great Southern region which end in "up" have Noongar names which describe what they were known for.

Doesn't make pronouncing some of the names any easier but it is good to know why there are so many "ups"in this area.

Silence is golden....

Or so the words of the song goes (for those of you who are old enough to know).  You have not heard from me for a while because of a number of reasons.  

I had a data issue and used up my monthly download........I have been out and about enjoying myself.....and, I have been on the sick list.

My darling beloved love of my life, Nick, surprised me with some lovely red roses to make me feel better.

I think it did the trick because I am almost back to my normal self.  

What does an Indian Prince and a cattle station have in common?

Murchison House Station was founded in 1858 by Charles von Bibra to provide meat and wheat to lead miners at Galena, beef to the growing Perth market and remount horses for the British army in India.

Original homestead built by Charles von Bibra and convict labourers in 1858

We went out there to have a look around.  The homestead is about 14 klm east of Kalbarri.  It cost $10 per person for a self guided tour including morning tea on the gardens outside Murchison homestead.

Current Murchison Homestead....had morning tea at one of the tables on the lawn.

The lawns and pool

Beautiful.....

Its rich history has been shaped by the hands of pioneering battlers, wealthy wool merchants and even an Indian Prince ~ His Exalted Highness Prince Mukarram Jah Bahadur, 8th Nizam of Hyderabad.  The short story is that after Indian independence in 1947, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad (the Princes' father) refused to join the Indian Union.  The State of Hyderabad was invaded in 1948 and forcibly annexed but the 7th Nizam was able to keep most of his assests, including his palaces, servants and private fortune.   In 1970, when the Indian Government abolished princely titles, privileges and privy purses, the 8th Nizam took the momentous decision to settle in Australia, to carve out the life of a "gentlemen farmer".  He now lives in Turkey.

The old bridge across the Murchison River

Today, this 350,000 acre family run property (which includes 60 klms of Indian Ocean shore line and over 30 klm of flood plains) is endeavouring to continue the pastoral traditions of the past and offers an insight into outback life, although the property is scattered with decaying wrecks of machinery and vehicles which makes it look rather run down.  

"Water Buffalo....a 1943 landing craft built in the USA and brought to the property by the Prince. 

These days, Murchison House Station focuses on the production of beef cattle, rangeland goats as well as offering a range of tours such as quad bike safaris and canoe safaris on the Murchison River and accommodation such as camping along the banks of the river...not good for caravans though...too much soft sand.

Easter Cottage - the original Blacksmiths residence and workshop complete in 1901.
Currently under repair and it certainly needs a lot of work.

Shearers Cottage

In the cemetery lies the graves of RN Fawcett and EW Broad who where the pilot and mechanic aboard one of planes that were participating in Australia's first commercial air service.  They were tragically killed when their plan crashed on Murchison House Station in 1921

RIP

.

A Birthday is celebrated.

Whilst at Kalbarri we celebrated Johns birthday.  Short story.....John always says he 'doesn't like sweet stuff'....Ha!!!!

After dinner, drooling.... John would say.......'how about some profiteroles, with some yummy warm chocolate sauce', 

or 

'some lovely sticky date pudding would go down well right now'...

John has been talking about the profiteroles on and off for most of the trip.  So, we needed to find some for his birthday.

On the pretext of doing "girls stuff"  (read: shopping, in downtown Kalbarri....you have got to be kidding), Deb and I went on our secret mission to find a good restaurant with some nice deserts.

We checked them all out and were debating between two of them, when the decision became easier after the owner of a cafe confessed to "The Edge" being the best restaurant in town.  So, sitting in the car, Deb rang and made a booking.  She then asked whether the Chef would consider making profiteroles and explained about it being a celebration for Johns birthday. They said she would ask the Chef and call us back....we waited with bated breath, and the answer was......

Oh, Yes!

Deb and I knew what was coming so we had small meals.  John and Nick had pork belly....which came with three pieces of pork on a plate the same size of the desert one in the photo.  It was a huge meal, but we couldn't say anything without giving the game away.

The Chef did a marvellous job and the profiteroles were delicious.  As full as we were,  we had to eat the profiteroles didn't we, what was more, it came with a service of hazelnut ice cream....I can tell you ~ no one had breakfast the next morning.

John would not allow us to sing to him in the restaurant, saying that he would leave if we started.  Nick and I had already embarrassed John by singing 'happy birthday' to him first thing in the morning, loud enough so the whole caravan park could hear.

Happy Birthday John!

Lazy days

You will notice I have not posted for a while.......we were enjoying some lazy days at Kalbarri, just chilling.....reading, going for walks, watching the sunsets, going on drives to view the coast line, Kalbarri National Park and Murchinson Station. Nick and John tried fishing, but no luck!

We came for a week and stayed for two!

We thoroughly enjoyed Kalbarri.  We had all sorts of weather.....wind, rain, cold fronts coming through dispersed with glorious sun shining on the incredible white sands and the rugged red cliffs of the Kalbarri coast line.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is Kalbarri.

Kalbarri foreshore where the Murchinson River flows into the sea

The waves that lulled us to sleep at night

The View

Nick and Deb enjoying the view

Sunset

The Rugged Coast Line
"Pot Alley Arch"

 "Pot Alley"

"Red Bluff"

Fire!!!

I will write about Murchinson Station and Kalbarri National Park separately.