On Saturday we had a bit of a lie in, Jo had sensibly booked a tour of the Perth Mint for mid-morning so we did not need to rush. Add to this we were in close walking distance to the Mint it made for a nice relaxed morning.
We registered and had a brief look around at the many shiny expensive things on offer before joining our tour.
It was refreshing to be taken around by a young enthusiastic tour guide, we ogled at millions of dollars (Australian dollars, don’t get too excited) of gold, and the largest gold coin being kilograms above anything I could even move. She told us of the gold strike/rush period and the effects on the state, and were shown gold and other precious metals in “nugget” (or naturally found) form.
We were then invited into a melting room where an enthusiastic young chap used an electric induction kiln to melt a crucible of pure gold and then proceed to pour a bar. Explaining the perils of hot metals and human flesh, as well as the processes of assaying and marking the bar with weight, purity and other verification methods. All very entertaining, polished and well done.
Exiting through the gift shop, one cannot help to be a little struck by all that shiny. No wonder that when it was found out in the wild it created a sort of fever for instant riches.
After we were done in the Mint, we walked to a blue cat stop and traveled around to Elizabeth Quay for the start of the public art walk. We have been impressed by how tidy the city is, and how much public art there is around. Jo found a trail, so we began zigging and zagging across cbd.
Our art discovery walk wended around the city and we broke it to visit Momoto for sushi lunch. Suitably recharged, we continued the art trail after lunch – fortunately it terminated near a bus stop we then used to get home weary but satisfied by a good day out.
Sunday was a scheduled rest day, with time to catch up on washing, meal prep and provisioning. Living out of suitcases requires a special type of organisation and I think we have hit our stride when we know where to find things.
Kings Park
Monday we were up and ready to go, catching a red cat all the way to the edge of Kings Park, where we had a nice brunch at cafe.
Suitably fed and watered, we then started to walk, via the scenic route through a section of the Botanical Gardens towards Kings Park Hub. My goal today was to locate as many different species of Kangaroo Paw as I could find, along with native orchids. Jo was busily looking for wildflowers not yet encountered.
The Botanical Gardens focuses on plants from across the vast state of Western Australia, so we saw a lot of wildflowers along the way.
At the hub, we joined the wildlife bushland walking tour. Our volunteer guides took us through the native bushland section of Kings Park, focusing primarily on wildflowers and plants endemic to the region. One of them was a retired Biology Teacher, so we had a good natter as my latent botany knowledge (I was originally a botanist and Biol teacher) re-surfaced. Our guides were fantastic and helped us spot a few end of season green hood orchid species we would have otherwise overlooked.
At the end of the walk we returned via federation walk and glass bridge, among tall trees and stunning views across the to Perth. Parched, we headed for the cafe and some caffeine and a wonderfully chocolatey GF brownie while we took in the scenic views.
We boarded a regular bus (amazingly still inside the inner city free zone) and rode to a stop near home – what a fabulous day out.
Go to Jail, Go Indirectly to Jail.
Tuesday we had planned as our second visit to Fremantle and began with a bit of a kerfuffle. We bussed to Perth Station, bought a pair of day tripper concession fares, then took the train to Fremantle. We had planned on exploring the Fremantle Markets, but discovered they were only open on the weekend, so did a walk around fishing docks instead.
Like most days we have had in Perth, the weather has been difficult to predict. Cold in the morning, sunny to make you peel layers then it goes cloudy and overcast when the winds arrive requiring you to re-add the layers. We have day tripped with coats, warm under layers and waterproofs just to be sure. We grabbed an early lunch at Ciccerellos, a local seafood legend, and successfully battled off the greedy seagulls for some nicely grilled snapper.
We then walked up the hill to Fremantle Prison, or “The Establishment” as it was once known. Now UNESCO world heritage listed as the largest convict-built structure in the Southern Hemisphere, we learned the actual cellblock has changed little in the 100+ years it had been used as a prison.
Our first tour was the Convicts tour, seeing us get up close and personal with most aspects of a convicts life. Convicts were first housed in warehouses in Fremantle while they built the prison, but the conditions seem to me intolerable from the start right up until the end of the facility’s life as a working prison in 1991. The imposing old prison block looked much like I imagine prisons look on the inside with vast internal voids ringed with Jarrah walk ways, high Jarah ceilings housing a myriad of cells opening into the void.
The tiny 1x2m cells must have been fridges in the winter and ovens in the summer, with no plumbing (bar a bucket) and little ventilation, being locked up in one for 15 hours each day must have been like hell on earth. Prisoners joined work parties during the day and early convicts were responsible for building much of the public infrastructure that makes Perth and Fremantle liveable today.
Our tour guide was very animated but so informative. Walking through the 4 story building, still standing today, gives testimony to the skill of the builders. I must admit I found the conditions and oppression palpable and depressing. There was some amazing prisoner-drawn art still intact on the walls of some cells, I guess life finds a way of coping.
Our second tour “Behind Bars” took a more in-depth view of prison life, routine, kitchens, cell management and discipline, I found the solitary confinement block and hanging rooms very confronting, but could also easily imagine the brutality of being locked in the exercise yards for 8-10 hours a day regardless of snow, rain or baking sun as a particular type of punishment also. For some the routine was a godsend, for others a slow journey into madness and rage.
Overall, the historic site is well worth a visit, so much to see, so much of it well documented and explained with experienced and informative guides.
Tired but satisfied, we walked back to Fremantle train station and easily made our way home. We have become really good at using the public transport system, like many trips before we have found travel options within the cities pretty well coordinated and very accessible.
The next day we had a leisurely walk to iVisitor centre to join another volunteer walking tour, this time focusing on Convicts and Colonials.
Our guide talked about how the struggling colony at Perth changed with the import of convicts (having previously proudly bragged they did not need them), and how prosperity in the state changed dramatically with the discovery of gold and other minerals. We re-trod a lot of the city we were familiar with but the different slant on the information was interesting.
We had a (sadly) disappointing Venezuelan lunch but cheered ourselves up with an extravagant fruit patisserie for afternoon tea. We had only planned a half day and were glad because we were tired – we have found it is not the walking, but the standing on hard surfaces that is most fatiguing.
Shipwrecks and sailing
Thursday was our last scheduled visit to Fremantle and we got going fairly early. We caught the train to Fremantle and walked to the Shipwreck museum, housed in part of a lovely old restored limestone building complex. After a cursory look around we were joined by a volunteer tour guide who took us through early exploration and mapping history of the Western Australian Coastline.
The arrogance, or perhaps ignorance, of early explorers amuses me no end. When they see green vegetation they assume there must be adequate water and fertile soil suitable for crops that grow well at home. Sadly, early settlers fed these misunderstandings found the exact opposite. WA was so inhospitable it is amazing there was any interest in forming a settlement, with the Dutch, Spanish and French all early explorers, each claiming sovereignty, that subsequently abandoned the area as of no value.
We marvelled at hilariously inaccurate but gradually refining maps, recognisable land mass shapes and the astonishing work of early seafaring explorers and their work to understand flora, fauna and look for suitable trade partners, resources, fresh water and food to top up their supplies. A life on the ocean must have been a boon for those wanting to find new places and did not get seasick.
We spent ages looking at wreck salvage, stories of discovery, large preserved pieces of the Batavia and more. Such an interesting museum, well worth the visit.
We then walked to Kailis Fishmarket Cafe for lunch, and had lovely bits of grilled Red Emperor (judging it a better fish lunch than Ciccerellos) at the seafood bbq. After a good feed, we walked to the Historic Roundhouse (another early intact prison) for the daily 1pm cannon blast. We followed this with another visit to Aunt Lucy’s Cakery for a nice sit down and delicious afternoon tea.
We caught an Uber to the Fremantle Maritime Museum, from the outside this modern building looks a little like one sail of the Sydney Opera House. Inside we realised the custom built space was designed to house a number of fully rigged ships.
We wandered among boats and ships of all kinds, including, amazingly, the fully rigged Australia II – you know, the one with the winged keel that won the America’s Cup back in the 80s. I never imagined I would get up close and personal to the actual thing, hanging in the air so you could clearly see the controversial keel flanges. There was an embarrassing collection of memorabilia, much of which I recognised, back when the “boxing kangaroo” was as ubiquitous as Bob Hawke was excited.
The maritime museum was mostly devoted to more modern ocean going, with displays centred around the fishing industry, wildlife conservation, whaling and Navy. We also sat and watched a hemispherical movie about Humpback Whales along the WA coastline which was fabulous.
We surprised ourselves by managing to walk back to Fremantle train station. The local footy team, The Fremantle Dockers, were playing a semi-final match at a stadium not that far from home base, so we struggled to get a seat on the packed train back. I get a bit aggrophobic, so felt uncomfortable being so squished. I hope the fans had a good time, even though their team was just a little bit thrashed. A bustling end to a brilliant day out – our last for the Perth and Fremantle legs of our holiday.
Friday was a scheduled rest day, giving us time to catch up on washing, provisioning and a very tight pack for Rottnest Island and an early start tomorrow. We have greatly enjoyed our time in Perth and Fremantle, but in retrospect we could have done it in a couple fewer days.