Citybreak in Perth and Fremantle

A Pelican waiting to fish in the Harbour (Fremantle AUS 8 Nov 07)
see all photos »

A very late flight from Broome to Perth meant that we had to navigate to our flat in Fremantle in the dead of night, and after a quick detour (not lost!) we found a small and very green studio that was to be our home for the next few days.

Fremantle was a separate city to the South of Perth, but over the years development seems to have slowly combined the two. However, its town centre has retained some small town appeal, and the Little Creatures brewery, whilst not our main reason for being based here, proved a pleasant enough detour for a couple of the evenings.

The seaguls didn't both to fish, just stole the fish&chips instead! (Fremantle AUS 8 Nov 07)
see all photos »

We spent the first day wandering around the local environs, ending up at the fantastic Maritime Museum of Western Australia. Rob was glad he had not chosen to be a submariner after touring HMAS Ovens, a post war submarine, but V was still considering whether a career move to professional sailor would be feasible after seeing Australia II, the yacht that brought the America's Cup down under  for the first time.

The Nautical theme continued the next day as we boarded the ferry to Perth up the famous Swan river. Stunning multimillion dollar houses lined the banks of the river, and brave dayboats struggled against the tide and the wind surfing the waves towards the estuary and the ocean. A great trip was continued as we took an open top tour bus around the city, to glimpse King's Park, the WACA, the Perth Mint and other interesting sites. A good afternoon was rounded off by an excellent beer by the river with Steve, a friend we had met in Margaret River. Steve, a graphic designer by trade (see www.evendesign.com.au) has designed our clothes hang tags and business cards. They look awesome - thanks!

Looking out towards Rotnest Island (Fremantle AUS 8 Nov 07)
see all photos »

Our final day was spent buying up Austaliana for family and friends (how many Ugg Boots and Kangaroo hats can we fit in our suitcases?!) and wandering up the coast to see the lovely beaches of Scarborough and Cottesloe. We finished up with a great afternoon at the Western Australia aquarium, which concentrated purely on marine life of Western Australia and was all the better for it. An imaginatively arranged exhibition included a tunnel under an enormous tank, from which we could gaze up at stingrays the size of a human being, and sharks that were significantly bigger. Suitably put off swimming in the sea, we returned our car to the airport after a few fun days.