Perth

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After our holiday within a holiday we were back in Perth for a few days before venturing off again, but this time down south. Our first day back (Saturday) was reserved for those tedious post-holiday chores - washing etc and for Chris and I to also plan and book our trip down south.


On the Sunday, just before dusk, Diane, Richard, Chris and I made our way up to Kings Park, a welcome green expanse which stretches from the Swan River back up to the inner suburbs. It affords a great view of the city and the river by day, but the reason we were here at dusk was to see the city light up at night. But firstly, before our free light show, we had a quick walk around the park taking in a small part of its 4sq kms. It is a really nice park, well kept with lots of different interesting parts for young and old alike and we were surprised at how popular it was with lots of people making the most of the warm evening - from families and extended families to romantic couples. Then there was us four, we didn’t quite fit in to either category! The occasion called for some nibbles and a bottle of bubbly, and it wasn’t until the cork was duly popped and we had managed to polish off half the bottle that we thought we probably weren’t supposed to be drinking alcohol in a public place. Luckily the booze police weren’t around to try and take it off us - liked to have seen them try!

The following day Chris and I went off into the city to have a look around. Perth is a great city which is still growing and the level of construction going on, not only in the city centre but also in the suburbs, bears testament to its success. However those involved in the construction today are somewhat different to those who laboured on some of the original buildings - namely convicts! The city also bears no resemblance to what it would have looked like when it was firstly inhabited by groups of the Aboriginal Noongar Tribe, who occupied the area for thousands of years before the first Europeans settled here. Perth was founded in 1829 as the Swan River Colony and when gold was discovered in the mid 1880s the population increased dramatically. Mining is still today one of the major factors driving Perth’s growth. In 2006 Perth Federal Court recognised the Noongar people’s connection to the land, which was a big step forward for their indigenous rights, but this decision was rapidly appealed by the state government.

Well, we ambled along the main shopping streets taking in the different buildings, which turned out to be a mixture of styles and ages. Some stood out as interesting such as Miss Maud’s Hotel, St Mary’s Cathedral and the ‘olde worlde’ London style shopping mall. We walked along Riverside Drive, by The Swan River, and made our way to the big wheel which we had seen lit up the night before. Not quite on the same scale as the London Eye. Next to it is the architecturally interesting Swan Bell Tower. Although smaller than the majority of the neighbouring skyscrapers, at night it is prominent as the tower eerily glows first green then purple then blue. During the day the smooth lines of the wooden sail effect mixed with the green glass of the tower make it an intriguing piece of architecture. After our exhausting walk, followed by some coffee and people watching we made our way back to Diane and Richards on the excellent commuter train system.

The following day was Australia Day (previously known as Anniversary Day, Foundation Day and ANA Day is and also referred to as Invasion Day by several groups within Australian society) which is the official national day of Australia. It is celebrated annually on 26 January and commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788, the hoisting of the British flag there, and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia. It is an official public holiday in every state and territory of Australia. Although it was not known as Australia Day until over a century later, records of celebrations on 26 January date back to 1808, with Governor Lachlan Macquarie having held the first official celebration of the formation of New South Wales in 1818. Australia Day is seen as controversial by some Australians, who see it as a celebration of the destruction of Indigenous culture by British colonialism. There have been significant protests from and on behalf of the Indigenous Australian community, including, since 1988, "Invasion Day" protests.

Perth had a number of organised activities going on such as concerts, kids activities culminating in the harbour fireworks but this year it was strangely enough all alcohol free. Being good poms the blokes spent the day golfing and the girls made the most of the sunshine and the pool. Despite being hampered by a dodgy knee, borrowed clubs, a new course and 40 degree heat the poms managed to scrape home by a single hole but the moment of the day was when kangaroos hopped over and started munching just off the 18th while the winning putt was being lined up. Never got a camera when you really want one. We later heard that the festivities were down on last year - maybe no booze wasn’t such a great idea in Aus after all ;-)

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Photos

Perth by Day
A city that's growing upwards as well as out

Picnic
See the common theme in every picture with the Paveleys?

Perth by Night
and some clever camera settings

Swan Bell Tower
looks great (not sure what it does though)

Two Sides
The best of old and new

Barmy Venue
An iconic breakfast stop for the Army on the way to the WACA

Old London Town
A mall straight from Dickens