Blogs from Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania - page 19

I was convinced that Gina’s blood curdling scream would have made even Helen Keller run for the door. The subsequent stares and eventual laughter from the crowd came as no surprise. Typically strong willed and not easily scared, my wife had the unfortunate pleasure of being the target of a practical joke. As the guide on our flashlight-lit tour of Fremantle prison explained how the chain link mesh was installed above the main floor where we were standing to protect guards from prisoners’ aerial assaults, a life-sized cotton dummy hurtled from the darkness and landed directly above Gina. She had spotted the projectile mere milliseconds before its impact and reacted with the agility of a deer caught in an 18-wheeler’s headlights. En route to Cervantes the morning prior, Gina determined that we should overnight in Fremantle, ... read more

Went into Perth then went to catch the Freemantle train for 3 stops to Subiaco which is supposed to have the good souvenir market, the trains were not running and was replaced with a bus. The market was not that good so took the next bus and went to Freemantle for the day.... read more

We headed out to a local cafe for breakfast and what a feast - a full English in glorious sunshine - hard to beat. We then went over to Fremantle where we had a beer and watched a bit of the cricket - i.e. England losing a wicket or two. Darren and I then went to another pub for a few more beers (and wickets) and I became the proud owner of a Carlton Draught straw sun hat! We all then headed towards the marina and had some 'Fish & Chips' - all in over 30 degrees - very different from home! Isobel had woken with a bit of a cold and by the end of the day I was her favourite handkerchief!!! A quiet evening in front of the TV seeing England to victory, before ... read more

Having fully completed our road trip in Albany we headed back to the Perth area to reluctantly hand back our motor, then went for a few nights in Fremantle, so called Freo by the locals. Fremantle is only a few miles from Perth but it has completely different atmosphere and character. Staying in a less than perfect, dirty, overcrowded but lively backpackers called Pirates we had three nights in freo just to do nowt after our tours. It is one of the few towns in Oz that has a bit of extra character to it, a problem with such a new country. Freo consists of loads of brew pubs, cafes, markets and shops and is set right on the mouth of the Swan river on the fishing harbour, good fish and chips. Having got bored of ... read more

On Friday I headed to the Perth Mint, where i got to see a chap make a gold bar worth about $250,000 and then melt it again, and i also had a gold coin made to mark my visit there. Unfortunately we were banned from taking photos inside. Part of the Mint is a shop selling a lot of jewellery made from Australian gold and opals, and you can also buy actual gold nuggets! I guess you could say i got carried away by how beautiful it all was and ended up buying myself 2 rings, and 2 pairs of earrings (one of each in 18ct white gold and normal 18ct gold). They say a diamonds are a girls best friend, but until i find a man to buy me diamonds, i'll compromise on opals which ... read more