Feel good Fremantle

---

- FOOD: Coffee and cake whilst chilling in the sun; squid and chips and wine.

- PEOPLE: Old hippy dormmate with lots of incense; families filling all the many fish and chip restaurants; lary, towny teens.

- AREA: Bohemian, small town - Cappucino Alley, nice market, quiet harbour, deserted South Beach with white sand and distant dolphin; 'Little Fish' at the cinema

- WEATHER: Occasional sun


Sat 10th Sep: I left the horrible hostel early and checked my backpack into the YHA (I caved). Feeling 15 kilos lighter I struggled with the maze of escalators, stairs and platforms at the central station to find my train to Fremantle.
This gorgeous town is a lot smaller than I expected, has a bohemian feel and hardly any people walking the streets. After chatting to the old hippy woman for a while (she was the only other person in the dorm - good job as she had taken it over with various bottles of nice smells) I hit the town.

I didn't get very far before Cappucino Alley lured me in. I sat amongst the masses (here is where all the people are),in the sun, with excellent coffee and cake.
The market was ok but I think I'm a bit marketed out as I found it just full of the usual stuff but with a hippy feel alongside.
I escaped the people part of town and walked along the harbour to South Beach. It's white sand and seaweed were deserted - the perfect location to wallow in my antisocialness and lay half sleeping in the sun listening to the gentle lap of the waves. A man disturbed my peace but I didn't mind as he was pointing out a dolphin way in the distance.

The sun was setting as I walked back along the harbour (stopping briefly to sing 'Happy Birthday' to my Nan (down the phone, not just in the street)). I stopped at the first fish and chip restaurant - 'Joes'. It was packed full to the brim, mainly with families, but they squeezed me in and I had squid and good wine. I left hurriedly as I was getting pitied looks from the families and I didn't have a view of the harbour. Of course, there was a cute little fish and chip stand next door with a view...

I was surprised to find the town filling up with lary teens and so escaped to the cinema to see 'Little Fish' - a good Australian film but depressing! I didn't like the town so much at night - bored, loud drunk checked shirt brigade people milling about. A bit like all other towns I guess.

---