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Published: April 19th 2012
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Fremantle
..great spot that had many restored old buildings Perth
16
th to 19
th April
OMG, we are in the ‘big smoke’, Perth, the capital of WA. And it is big, after so long away from Adelaide, our last major city and when all is said and done we are just country folk from central Vic really.
Perth, how do we sum up this big city in a few words. Lets see…new, sterile, modern, smart, dead (quiet), gardens, Swan River, Geographically isolated, Poms, Kiwis, mining, that will do.
Yes we have enjoyed the city but no, we could never live here it is too far from anything else and you would never leave your suburban block, (where you live), well, not without a lot of planning anyway. Perth has lots of attractions, mostly great beaches but as we all know once you have ‘done them’ you don’t tend to keep going back no matter where you live. Once you have ‘done the city’ and settled into your weekly routine it is cheaper to go to Indonesia for the weekend than go to Augusta or Albany or even Busso, forget about Esperance or Broome or any other Australian State! And that is what you do…but only once or
twice a year. So my observation is that people here can be insular and isolated from events and the rest of the world…my opinion only !!!
Anyway, this pretty city was settled at the Swan River in 1828 by the Brits despite the fact the Dutch first sighted and landed here in 1616, (Dutch navigator Dirk Hartog). Captain Charles Fremantle raised ‘the British Flag’ at the head of the Swan River and ‘proudly’ took possession of the Territory in 1829. Captain James Stirling arrived on his ship ‘Parmelia’ and with ‘settlers in tow’, founded Perth at a site near the present town hall on August 12
th 1829. The Swan River Colony experienced initial economic hardship with financial problems, a shortage of labour and poor communication (some in the Eastern States would still say this exists due to ‘The West’ thinking they are bigger than the rest of the country!). To cope with this the British Gov’t sent convicts to WA from 1850 to 1868 to assist with development. The discovery of gold in the 1890’s resulted in incredible growth and ensured the struggling colonies survival and subsequent growth and development. The rest is history and we are currently in
Fremantle
..some of the streets just smelt of coffee and garlic, yummm the process of mining the whole of WA it seems.
Perth is Australia’s fourth largest city ad it is in local words ‘the capital of resource-rich Western Australia and as such the administrative centre for more than one third of the country’ !
Just a few of our ‘Must Do’s when here are….
Kings Park is one of the largest inner city parks in the world covering 400 hectares. With panoramic views of the city and the Swan River, Kings Park hosts the Botanic Gardens walking trails through parkland and natural scrubland as well as the War Memorial and other memorials and picnic areas. This is a highlight of Perth, no doubt, and we spent many hours here, a must do.
The Bell Tower in Barrack Square. To commemorate Australia’s Bicentenary in 1988, the twelve bells of St Martins-in-the-Field’s as well as five specially cast bells were presented to the people of WA and are now housed in a purpose built 82.5mtr high tower. With many galleries which you can view the city and the river from as well as a chance to ring the bells this was a unique attraction.
The Perth Mint founded
Fremantle
Wharf area, more foodies, coffee and grog..very impressive. in 1899 is one of the world’s oldest mints operating from its original premises. Housing Australia’s largest collection of natural gold nuggets, including the second largest nugget in the world, it is also holds the world’s largest collection of gold investment bars. The jewellery for sale in the mint is to ‘die for’ in Trisha’s words.
The beaches north of Freo are great despite there being the ever present threat of ‘Jaws’. From Cottesloe through Swanbourne, City, Scarborough, Trigg, North, Whitemans etc etc, all the way up to Burns and Mindarrie Beaches they are great. White sandy beaches mostly with dunes and scrub backing them onto a pristine blue ocean, they are all attractive and offer varied levels of solitude and ‘safety’. It is fair to say that all face west and can be subject to large swells at times which suit the surfers. Along this stretch of coast are many small communities where cafes and restaurants are plentiful and popular. A great day out is to drive this coastline stopping to enjoy coffee and fish & chips along the way as well as the many beaches.
London Court in the centre of the city is one of
Fremantle
they might be good but they were also quite expensive (for fish & chips). Perth’s best loved heritage listed shopping destinations. The Court linking Hay Street Mall and St Georges Terrace was built in 1937 and is built in the style of Tudor England. Originally housing a combination of housing space and commercial shops, today the Court is home to designer clothing, premium jewellery, footwear and antiques as well as quirky gifts and great coffee and eateries, plus much more.
And then there is Fremantle! The original Swan Settlement and Port City has undergone what can only be described as a major rejuvenation which started when it became the centre of world attention during the Australian defence of the America’s Cup in 1987. Many of Freo’s old heritage buildings have been painstakingly restored and the western end of town is acclaimed as one of the best examples of a Victorian Port streetscape in the world. I cannot but speculate what Port Adelaide could become if the developers were to do there what has been achieved in Freo. Freo is vibrant, centred around food, coffee and entertainment, there is always something happening, markets, street performers, exhibitions etc. Freo is still a working Port , host to a huge fishing fleet and large cruise liners.
Fremantle
...spoilt for choice, what will we have for dinner tonight ? This is a fantastic place, way better than The Rocks (Sydney) or Port Adelaide and full of good ‘foodies’ and an absolute must see is Little Creatures Brewery, (amongst many others). But I would say again, if I lived here would I come every weekend, I doubt it despite how good it is!
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judy law
non-member comment
king park
HI MIKE AND trish we like kings park the light over the city were great and trees were beauuitfull big old trees enjoyed the sights