Fun and indulgence in Perth

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31^stOctober – Halloween, Reformation Day and Joan’s birthday! Which to celebrate? We opted for the last of these with a dinner booking at Matilda Bay Restaurant in Crawley, Perth. http://www.matbay.com.au/

This turned out to be a stunning restaurant with an amazing view of the bay full of yachts and boats, the city lights and a menu that was hard to choose from as there were so many tempting options.

Joan’s slow roasted beef cheeks on a galic mash was topped with dried orange slices. The whole thing was melt in your mouth. Greg’s sashimi kingfish with a seaweed and shitake salad was also stunning.

Joan’s main was a pork loin served on a puy lentil mash while Greg had seared tuna with radish and enochi mushrooms. We didn’t really need dessert, but we couldn’t resist sharing a serve of the banana bread pudding. It was yummy but very rich.

Of course the food was accompanied by some celebratory bubbles, a bottle of Spanish Tempranillo and a glass of Pedro Ximenez.

This was a fitting end to a somewhat strange birthday.

The next day we spent a little time relocating in the caravan park as when we had arrived they were full so we were placed in an over-flow site until a proper one became available. As we planned to stay a number of nights the move was worth making.

We decided to check out the Swan Valley wine district, having lunch at one of the wineries and then doing a few tastings. Frankly we were disappointed with most of the places we visited. The grounds were generally beautiful, lots of cheeses on offer, but not from the local area and neither were the grapes used in the wines. After a couple of wineries we went grocery shopping, filled up with fuel and went back to the van to roast a chicken for dinner.

Friday morning we were up bright and early as we had the 4wheel drive booked in for a service in the centre of Perth. Thank goodness for the GPS although it did keep wanting to take us the wrong way up a one way street. We had asked for a lone car but weren’t sure if we were going to have one as they didn’t have any available when we booked but said they would see what they could do for us.

We were pleased to get a car, a Camry coupe that one of the workers generally drives as his personal car. We were advised not to get any fines nor to have any crashes as we would have to pay the excess of $1000.

We set off for the Perth Mint, parking in a street with 1 hour parking only to be walking back to the car observing a parking inspector printing a ticket. Bugger! The Perth mint was fantastic. We did a tour and then watched a gold ingot pour. It was fascinating. Security was very tight and no photos allowed.

Next we walked a bit along the Swan River which is very beautiful. The parklands are so green and inviting. Walkways and bike tracks were full of people enjoying the ambience of the setting. Off to Freo (Fremantle) next, stopping on the way at a Harvey Norman in Cottesloe to check out turbo ovens. After coffee and the purchase of an oven it was back on the road to Freo.

We didn’t really know where we were going and the GPS wasn’t a lot of help but eventually we found what we were looking for, a lunch spot on the water’s edge with good food and wine.

After a relaxed lunch, and with time to kill before picking up the 4WD, we went into King’s Park. Here we found Kangaroo Paws growing wild and lots of other wild flowers. It was fascinating to find such a large park with both formal and natural areas in the middle of a city. It was a Friday afternoon and yet we saw two weddings in progress in the park. A perfect setting for a wedding. While relaxing with a coffee and overlooking the city skyline we received the call that the 4wd was ready.

We sheepishly owned up to the parking fine which was duly added to our bill. We left with the car serviced and washed, ready for the road again.

That night we met up with Paul (our nephew) at the Empire Bar. We had a fun evening catching up, talking and laughing lots.

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Comments

[Yvonne Bruce]

That tree
Is actually a parasitic tree and is known as a Christmas tree because of the time of year it flowers, you should see them all the way down from perth

[Sheila]

Joan
Hi Joan Happy Birthday - sounds like it was fantastic! Must catch up for a birthday drink with Jenny when you return. Love the wildflowers. Brian wants to know, on average, how many nights do you stay at each spot? Sheila

[Angela Reimann]

Flowering yellow tree
Nuytsia floribunda if I remember rightly. WA Christmas Tree - you are in for a treat this time of year, as Yvonne mentions. They can get big, see them in paddocks - they need grass as parasitic.