Perth:

Kings Park: On Friday morning Toni and Denzel had to go to Perth so we drove in with them and went to see Kings Park. This is a very large area which includes about four hundred acres of bushland that has been preserved for the public. There are some spectacular views of the Swan River and Perth city. We were lucky as it was the wildflower festival and the gardens were looking magnificent with lots of wildflowers as well as lots of activates. I went on a guided tour which was interesting but we really saw more variety of flowers in the wild than we did here.
We did see lots of different kangaroo paws which are a stunning plant especially the bright red and green ones.
There was a lovely tree walk were you can walk in the tree tops and then wander through stands of the tuart trees as well as jarrah and karri which I believe grow extensively down south.
A 700 year old large boab tree has been transplanted from the Kimberly and they are very pleased that is thriving as this is a major feat.
After walking around we were able to sit on the green grass, look at the fountain and enjoy the sunshine while watching all the activity of others enjoying a relaxing afternoon.

Mandurah: The next day Toni took us for a drive around Mandurah which is very much like the Gold Coast with a marina with lots of restaurants, coffee shops and a lovely foreshore.

On Sunday we met with Toni and Denzel’s daughter, her husband and two children who live on a small island on the Murray River which is near Mandurah. They have a boat and we all went in the boat to a local pub for lunch. It was a lovely day. After that we motored back to their island paradise for coffee. How nice and peaceful it was there and so close to the city.

Rockingham: On Monday (which was a public holiday) we decided to take a trip to Rockingham which is on the coast and north of
Mandurah. It was a picturesque drive and once again the sea was very blue. The rocks are lime stone so are very convoluted and the sand is white. There are lots of small islands just off the coast and some are inhabited by penguins and seals.
A bike track right along the foreshore and it would be fun to ride along this.

Freemantle: On Tuesday Toni and Denzel had to go to Freemantle so Brian and I went with them in the car and then made our own way home. Fremantle is a very interesting old town with lots of historic buildings. We started with a tour of the
jail which is the longest heritage building in the world. We were informed of the hardships endured by the prisoners and viewed some of the cells- no heating, no electricity and no plumbing. The walls are so thick that’s its almost impossible to install the basics. The cells are very small and the exercise yard is also small and had no covering from the hot sun for a long time. Boredom was a big issue.
The prison was closed in 1992 after a fire and a riot. The gates to the prison were so narrow (built for the old days) that the fire engine couldn’t fit through.
Unfortunately there wasn’t much info on the convict days in the prison which I would have liked to find out more.

Brian was very anxious to go to the shipwreck museum which houses lots of info about
all the shipwrecks that occurred on the dangerous W.A. coast. There was half a hull of the infamous Batavia on display.

I went to visit the Round House which was the first prison built in Fremantle. It wasn’t for convicts because Perth didn’t have any convicts when it was first established – just free settlers. However after 25 years it was proving very difficult without the “free labour” so they requested convicts be sent out to help build infrastructure. In the Round House was a set of stocks and I had a try. It was very uncomfortable and you couldn’t lift your head. There was a nice view of the harbour from this little prison and underneath the prison was a tunnel built for the whalers.

We had a great day in Free-o and didn’t get to the new maritime museum so we decided to return the next day and then go onto Perth.
Unfortunately when we did return we found out the Museum was closed on Wednesdays so we caught the train into Perth. The Perth show was on so the train was full of kids. We had forgotten how crowded and busy a city can be.

We found a little street called London court and you would think you were in London.

We hopped on a city cat bus which is a free bus that takes you around the city. It’s a good way to get your bearings. We hopped off at the foreshore and jetty.


There is a large bell tower where you can see the bell pullers ringing the bells. Unfortunately we were feeling rather tired by now so we just listened to them, looked at the big "sail" clock and then headed home.

We were all set to leave the next day when I realised I had left my credit card in the Post Office in Freemantle (lucky I was able to pinpoint when I used it last ) so we had to drive all the way back there – about an hour’s drive – and back again. I wasn’t very popular.

We really enjoyed our stay with Toni and Denzel. It was good to see where they live.
It is a lovely retirement village with all the facilities and lovely gardens. Denzel certainly can cook up a good barbie as well as a fish and chippery. Thanks to you both