A long way from the rest

18 February 2008

Perth, Australia

We hit a port in Australia that I had never been to before but everyone I’ve spoken to who has been there has had nothing but the best to say about it and it has been a place I’ve wanted to see for myself for a long time. Perth may be a long way from the rest of Australia but the number of glowing reports are hard to ignore and there must be something about the place. I wanted to find out what it was and luckily I did.

We docked in Fremantle, just don’t call it a suburb of Peth, the locals will get indignant and point out it’s a city in its own right. For me Fremantle is now synonymous with yacht racing and the Americas Cup. It got so much promotion out of the defence of the Cup that it is now hard not to hear the name and get immediate impressions of rich people in sailing attire and multimillion dollar boats built for one purpose only.

Exiting through the now familiar style of port building I wondered if this would be the last of its kind we would see for a while as we head off to South East Asia next and maybe a return to the style of disembarkation I grew so familiar with in the Caribbean and across the Pacific. I kind of miss the ease and casualness now of just being able to walk down the gangway and off a simple pier. It fit with the laid back island style somehow.

I was escorting another tour (my fifth!) which was a four hour bus tour of the highlights of Perth and Fremantle. I’m beginning to think that these sorts of tours are a good way to get a taste of a place, especially if you still have enough time afterwards to get out on your own and explore. A few hours on a bus with someone who can point out sights and give you a bit of background is handy for these places where you only have one day to try and soak up the local atmosphere. The guide for this one even called it a taster of Perth.

They may not be the most exciting and adrenalin packed experiences but there seems to be a lack of bungy jumping/shark feeding tours on this cruise anyway.

We managed to leave early, everyone being ready to go before the appointed time, something that endeared us to the driver and guide before we even started. In fact at each of the stops everyone was back on the bus and ready to go at the appointed time, an almost unheard of thing when you have over forty people but a definite boon to those of us who have to worry about these sorts of things. The bus was a large one and due to being full I ended up in the seat at the front next to the guide rather than the seat at the very back where I’m supposed to sit. Once she found out I lived on the Gold Coast we managed to chat about a few things during breaks in the commentary and once the driver found out I was from New Zealand an immediate rapport was formed there as well. He was from Gisborne, had been living in Perth for a while, and had nothing but nice things to say about it. He compared the wide open spaces to those of New Zealand and had no intention of leaving.

We headed straight from the dock into Perth, a good half hour drive away. Being a Saturday the traffic wasn’t too heavy and we had glimpses of the Swan River as we drove. We were taken through one of the more expensive suburbs so that we could see the best the city had to offer and then to our first stop, Kings Park. I’ve been to a few parks in my time and a few in Australia but this was one of the prettiest, best maintained and well situated I have seen. For a first taste of Perth I was extremely impressed. The drive through the upper crust suburb to get there may have been unrealistic in terms of my property buying ability but this was a park that anyone in the city could enjoy and be justifiably proud of. As we drove in a local RSL club was holding a dedication ceremony and the guide pointed out the little plaques at the base of many trees where they had been dedicated to fallen soldiers. At a small rotunda a little deeper into the park, and at a spot that looked over the river, a wedding was taking place and you couldn’t have hoped for a nicer backdrop or better weather as the slight overcast began to burn off.

We got to spend an hour in the park and the guide took those of us who could manage it on a walk along the paths and up a walkway that rose among the tree tops. The park is built along a promontory that overlooks the Swan and has views across it to the city centre. It has natural bush, little nooks and crannies with fountains and ponds and some of the best maintained open areas of grass I’ve seen in Australia. All in all a lovely spot and if the care and pride taken in it are any indication of the rest of the city then the reports I’ve heard are true.

Next we drove around the CBD, an area unremarkable and typical in comparison with most other Australian cities. A combination of newer buildings leaning over the still standing stone ones that were built by convict labour as the city was establishing itself. I think that the attraction of Perth may be less its downtown and more the suburbs, the river and beaches. One nice feature that was pointed out to us was that riverside properties are unable to claim the land all the way down to the water and there is still access for people to be able to walk almost the entire length of the river.

From the city we drove to Cottesloe Beach and another opportunity to stretch our legs. The beach had that picture perfect combination of clean white sand, bronzed lifesavers, a small bathing pavilion and the dark blue waters of the Indian Ocean backing it all. I grabbed a hamburger and chips from the pavilion and sat on the grass fringing the beach while I ate.

After Cottesloe we drove back to Fremantle and a quick tour through town. It was enough to give me my bearings and show me the places I wanted to walk to on my own. I could have taken a bus or train back into Perth but to be honest there seemed to be more activity in Fremantle on a Saturday morning than the city itself. We were dropped back at the ship; I dropped off my escort report and then headed back out of the port building and into Fremantle.

Fremantle had been described to me as the place people from Perth head to on the weekend. I don’t know what it’s like on weekdays but there was a buzz about the place and plenty of activity once I got out of the port area and into the centre of town. Plenty of shops were open and one street seemed to be nothing but coffee shops, all with outdoor seating and not an empty chair to be seen. It seemed like the place to go and caffeinate on a Saturday afternoon.

I walked up and down the streets and through the malls and arcades. There were little markets, boutiques and craft places and I bought a small painting that was hanging on a fence outside a row of century old terrace houses. One of the houses had a sign saying ‘knock on my front door if you want to buy a painting’. The man who came out looked a little dazed and dishevelled and seemed to be the type that that you would find in any artists enclave in the world, eking a living from his art while suffering for it at the same time. I paid $20 for a small abstract piece and took his photo. It turns out to be the only souvenir I’ve purchased in Australia and while it has no obvious Australianness it will always remind me of Fremantle when I look at it.

I found a microbrewery and sat with a pint while I watched a busker doing his best to attract and keep a crowd. I found myself spending more time looking at the eclectic crowd than watching the busker, the people being far more interesting. Sitting in the sun with a uniquely local beer and an ever passing parade of characters would have been an extremely pleasant way to spend the rest of the day but I had donated the evening portion of my day to someone else who had port manning so they could get off the ship and I wanted to eat before I had to go back. I walked down to the marina area, the place that would have been such a part of the Americas Cup fever, and still retained the seafood restaurants built in a careful rustic portside style. They sat along a wooden boardwalk and circled a real working fisherman’s wharf so they had that view of boats that would be called charming in the brochures. It was charming and sucked me into paying much more for a seafood meal than I might otherwise have just so I could sit outside and look at the view.

After having my fill of both seafood and view I started back to the ship by way of the Maritime Museum, Motor Museum and Shipwreck Museum; this is a town I could spend some time in. From there I found a little market place virtually in the shadow of the ship that occupied a space that was probably a storage shed at some time but was now filled with little stalls selling all manner of arts, crafts and souvenirs. By chance I wandered into the food court area and found a large TV showing the Super14 rugby. Even luckier I got to sit and watch the mighty Blues win a game! It was a great finish to a really good day.

I don’t intend selling my house and moving any time soon but I feel Perth could be a serious option if I do. It’s a feeling based on a single day and I’m a believer that visiting a place is different to living there but there was certainly a nice vibe to the place.

And so ends our stops in New Zealand and Australia and for the first time I’m travelling away from home instead of towards it. We start back into, what are for me at any rate, exotic foreign ports. Of all the places left on our itinerary Egypt is the only one I have been to before so it’s pretty much all virgin territory for me. Just think of the countries I’ll be able to tick off my life list.