Perth and Fremantle

After a full day looking at the wildflowers, we got a bit short on time and started to run low on fuel and also somewhere to stay for the night. We ended up in Lancelin, on the coast about 100Km north of Perth. Too late for service stations and couldn't find a caravan park so we ended up staying in the Lancelin Hotel car park with another van. No problems as the place was pretty quiet. The next morning we drove to the beach for breakfast and had the view below from our door - nice eh? Lancelin is a small fishing town with an increasing appeal to tourists for all water activities, but we only stayed one night then drove down to Perth.

Lancelin Bay Area

Australian Ringneck Parrot in our Van Park in East Perth

On arrival in Perth we found the caravan parks to be very busy and had to check into a park in Hazelmere, East Perth, about 18 Km from the CBD. It was a quite park and OK for our needs. Completed our census form here. Had visits in the park from several Australian Ringneck parrots - very tame and took food from the hand. These birds are also called No. 28 parrots.

Perth's CBD from Kings Park

Along with the Swan River,Kings Park is one of the best attractions in Perth. It is a great place for families to gather and for tourists to see the Perth landscape. Even though it was late in the day when we were there, a number of people were gathering to relax on the lawn and take in the ambience. The views of the city and Swan River are spectacular.

Evening View of Swan River from Kings Park

Like the harbour is to Sydney and the Yarra is to Melbourne, the Swan River is the focal point for Perth. Boating and water sports are abundant and many entertainment spots and restaurants adorn the shoreline. We were fortunate to attend a Hatch (my former employer) dinner in the old Swan Brewery, on the banks of the Swan. A delightful evening and great to catch up with some old work colleagues. 

Peter, Allison and Family at Fremantle Harbour

Stayed a couple of days with Diane's cousin, Peter Evans and his wife Alison. On Sunday, they took us to a great fish and chips place, Kailis', on Fremantle waterfront - beautiful! Had a great lunch with Peter, Alison and some of their family.

Fishing Boats at Fremantle

As well as the many pleasure craft at fremantle, there are many fishing boats based here. They make a great sight sitting in the calm water. The water front area is very popular with the public, especially on weekends, when the atmosphere is buzzing.

Beautiful Heritage Building in Fremantle

Fremantle is a vibrant port city, about 20 minutes from Perth CBD at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle boasts the best preserved example of a 19th century port streetscape in the world with its world famous heritage buildings and a fascinating maritime and convict history. 

Swan River from Peter & Alison's Balcony

Peter and Alison have a great apartment on King's Park and overlooking the Swan. The views from their balcony are magnificent. The outlook is such that you could sit for hours just watching the river and the boats. It's especially peaceful at dawn and dusk when the air and water is still.

Perth CBD and Swan River from Burswood Entertainment Precinct

Another well know part of Perth is the Burswood Entertainment Complex. Situated across the Swan, this is an area comprising bars, restuarants, hotels ,shows and casino. Many of the overseas visitors to Perth either stay here or visit the area. The view across the river to the city is OK as well.

Black Swans on the Swan River

I don't know if we were lucky or if it is common, but while we were looking across the river a couple of black swans floated past. What a great sight, swans on the Swan River with the city in the background. I don't know for sure but I think the river is named after these particular birds.

Sandalford Winery in the Swan Valley

We took a tour to the Swan Valley, which was quite close to our Caravan Park in Hazelmere. From the visitors centre at Guildford, we drove around the Swan valley Food and Wine Trail. This is a 32 Km scenic loop taking in a number of wineries, breweries, restaurants, cafes, shops and roadside stalls. We stopped at a few places including a chocolate factory (to sample the free chocolate), a honey place where we bought some beautiful honey, a winery and a coffee place called Yahava where we sampled a number of different coffees. We were given a fascinating rundown of the coffee blending and grinding process and bought a couple of their varieties to use in our coffee machines at home and in the van. We can recommend a tour of the Swan Valley.

Boat Stacking at Fremantle Harbour

We left our park in Perth and drove the 30 minutes to Fremantle to prepare for our trip over to Rotnest the following day. On the way we noticed one of the boat storage facilities there. There are so many boats in Fremantle that they have to stack them for storage. They're not just dinghys either. Most of the boats are of the expensive variety. After driving around the exclusive Perth and Fremantle streets, we could see why this is a very affluent place. We saw several houses valued over 50 million dollars and one under construction which would end up being nearly 80 million. Amazing. Back to our caravan to prepare for the day trip over to Rotnest Island.