Tag: Perth

THE RETIREES IN PERTH W.A. FOR THE CELESTIAL FESTIVAL

Blog 494

Perth

We feel as though we have just got off the merry-go-round and we get back on to fly to Perth to support our youngest daughter treat Perth to the Celestial Festival. Carly puts together packages for readers of the books by Sarah Maas presenting a themed festival in a gothic setting so they can all dress up and “play” in the make-believe world – Yes, a masked ball! Hundreds of young and not so young people dress up and travel to each festival around Australia and Kerry is the dressmaker.

This adventure started Thursday morning with travelling by early morning flight to Perth and settling into our hotel the Europe in Murray St. Our plans would be shaped by the demands of the festival. Carly and her family were travelling on a later flight and staying at the QT Hotel; a little classier than the European. Kerry has relatives here just outside of Perth and we had plans to catch up with her cousin Ken and his wife Yena and a more distant relative Zenith.

We dropped into our hotel and left our luggage and then went exploring to find out what was around us. Murray St mall was 2 blocks down Murray St., Town Hall, where the festival would be held was nearby the mall and St Georges Tce. and the docks area was nearby. The architecture of the pre-Federation period, the statuary, and street furniture particularly at St Martins Centre was impressive. We had dinner with Carly and family at the Beef and Wine Company in St Georges Tce. and wandered through nighttime Perth. Some of our photos are below.

Photos – the Bell Tower by night, St Martins Centre

Kerry caught up with Carly regarding organisation for Saturday after which we caught the train to Yanchep, 56 klms north of Perth and part of the city of Wanneroo. Last time we were in Perth (quite a few years ago) the rail finished at Joondalup. The extension has been designed to allow the trains to travel at 130 klms per hr + or so we were told by a proud Rail worker, possibly a driver also catching the train to Yanchep.

The rail station is large and modern with 900 parking bays for residents travelling south. It seems someone has put some thought into the future of the rail line. Kerry’s stepbrother’s stepdaughter Zenith lives all the way out here. Zenith, her sister, and her mother and stepfather (Kerry’s stepbrother) had lived with us for a short time in Holland Park in Brisbane. So having determined that they were not related in anyway, we had remained friends with Zenith. We chatted with Zenith who is a proud owner of 2 French Bulldogs about “family”. We decided we would go to the beach for lunch. Zentih drove us to a beach side café with a terrific outlook over the beach and obviously popular even mid-week. We passed one couple coming back from the beach. Now g-string bikinis are now common place but for me, I find them unflattering on many girls who wear them and this girl was a point in question. However, there was a “knight” on a push bike riding hard to catch up with her. He called out “you have left your swimsuit on the beach” to the g-string bikini girl. We don’t know what happened after that, but he was closing in on her quickly. At least lunch was nice and we had a superb lookout at the view not just the girls.

Photos

We finished up at Yanchep after visiting the bottle shop to buy a bottle of whisky. Years ago, Kerry’s uncle Barry Ashworth, now deceased, and I developed a “partnership” – when we were together in person or by phone, we would have a drink of a single malt whisky. After Barry passed, Kerry’s cousin and Barry’s son Ken carried on the partnership. As we were catching up with Ken on Sunday, I purchased a 12-yr old bottle of Ardbeg single malt from the fair isle of Isla. We visited Isla some years ago and I had a fondness for the island’s whisky.

We travelled with Zenith to the rail station where we bid her goodbye and climbed aboard to return to Perth. That night we took a walk amongst the lights of Perth.

Saturday was the night of the festival and most of the day was taken up with a walk in the streets and then the festival in the evening at Town Hall. Our walk took us to the gardens of the Supreme Court of WA where a few pieces of bronze depict bits of the history of WA and some obscure pieces such as the pen nib bronzes depicting the rulings of the Courts I suppose. From there we went to the bell tower and the locks of love amassed on the wire fences to the statues in the parkland, the green bridges connecting bits and pieces then St Martins Place and its walk through a small piece of WA history from the Dutch to the English to the colony then the state and federation.

Photos: Trinity Arcade, Percy Button bronze, explorer and politician Alexander Forrest statue, the Old Supreme Court building now a museum of early law enforcement in WA, various statues in Stirling Gardens

We ended up at Perth’s oldest colonial structure – the original Court house. It is located between Stirling Gardens and Supreme Court Gardens, off Barrack Street, adjacent to the Supreme Court building. It is a single-storey cream rendered building, with a wooden shingle roof. Completed in 1836, it is the city’s oldest surviving public building. The Old Court House currently houses the Old Court House Law Museum, operated by the Law Society of Western Australia, which focuses on the history of the law, legal issues and the legal profession in Western Australia.

We returned to the hotel to rest and then Kerry met with Carly and her band for preparation for the festival. What happens at the festival stays on Facebook, so I won’t bore you with all that. I was surprised to bump into Ken’s son Arden who had come to help Carly with knocking down and packing up all her gear.

Sunday was a day of rest for everyone but us. Ken and his wife Yena arrived to take us on a tour to Cottesloe Beach, and I presented him with the whisky. A broad smile decorated his face. So, we enjoyed a grand tour to Cottesloe and onto the beach with Ken giving us his version of history of Perth. The Sculpture by the Sea Exhibition was celebrating its 21st anniversary and Sunday was the 2nd last day. On arriving at the beach, Ken dropped Kerry, Yena and me off and went on a safari to find a carpark. Kerry bought the guidebook in readiness of Ken’s return and then we waited. Ken found a park some 800m away. Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe is a premier free outdoor art exhibition held annually on Perth’s iconic Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia. The 21st exhibition featured over 70 sculptures from local and international artists along the sea wall, sand, and grassed areas.

Photos of some artistic pieces in St Georges Tce on the way to Cottesloe Beach and the Sculptures by the Sea.

We strolled through the exhibition for a couple of hours until we could feel a thirst coming on. No chance of sitting quietly looking at the sea so we moved onto our lunch destination and enjoyed the quiet and the refreshing drinks. Ken continued our tour dropping us back at the Europe Hotel just on dusk. Ken and Yena are a happy couple which is great to see and good company.

Monday morning and our return to Brisbane. Now we had 2 extra suitcases courtesy of Celestial Events. Part of the reason for our trip was to help bring the props back to Brisbane. The flight was on time but not without a hitch as we were turned around due to a fault in the plane. Finally picked up the car at the terminal in Brisbane. We couldn’t find it for some time and between the airline delay and finding the car we had to pay a late fee of $60 which I recovered from the airline. Back to normal. Next trip is to New Zealand South Island to experience a real winter! Get ready for “THE REITREES EXPLORE THE SOUTH ISLAND”

THE RETIREES AND FRIENDS VISIT PERTH AND MARGARET RIVER – days 10 & 11 Back to our Itinerary in Margaret River

Star Date 3rd & 4th August 2024

Busselton a city in the South West region of Western Australia approximately 220 km (140 mi) south-west of Perth was home to the Noongar Aboriginal people was one of the earliest settlements in Western Australia. John Bussell was granted land in the area in July 1832 and the settlers moved there in April 1834. The present name of Busselton derives from the Bussell family. It was first officially used in June 1835. Busselton soon established itself as a leading port. In 1850, being in close proximity to the tall timber country, timber was being exported and the small town prospered. Jetties for this purpose were built at Wonnerup, Busselton, and Quindalup but of these, only the Busselton Jetty remains. During the 1850s, Busselton began to receive convicts who were beginning to arrive in Western Australia; they particularly helped with the timber industry.

The 1960s saw the beginnings of the professional fishing industry and, in particular, the Margaret River wine region, which greatly increased tourist numbers in and around Busselton. Busselton’s nearest city is Bunbury named after Lieutenant Henry Bunbury who led a contingent of troops stationed at Wonnerup. Bunbury is 52 kilometres (32 mi) north-east of Busselton. Busselton is home to the longest wooden jetty (pier) in the Southern Hemisphere, stretching 1,841 metres (6,040 ft) out to sea. Construction of the jetty began in 1864 and it was continually extended until the 1960s, when it reached its current length. It was closed to shipping in 1972, and maintenance was discontinued for a time. Following major damage caused by Cyclone Alby in 1978 and a fire in 1999, it was restored and improved. Since 2003, the jetty has offered visitors a tourist train ride, an underwater observatory, and an interpretive centre.

Photo #1 from the top left is the Visitors Centre, Gift Shop and train terminus. The train is rubber tyred but the carriages run on the rails. Photo #5 two gulls nesting – this is a remnant of an earlier part of the pier providing nesting spots for the gulls. We rode the train out and then walked back to the new building you can see in photo #2 for lunch and a lot of other people had the same idea. There are reminders of Busselton’s past in muriels on building walls such as the picture below. After Cyclone Alby.

Prior to the visit to the pier we visited a number of different spots in town. It remains a port city as seen in photos #1 to 3, with lighthouses sited amongst the residences. Surprisingly there is a lot of historic street art to admire as well as seen in photo #11.

We made our way home but both arriving we noticed the historic buildings at the northern end of Margaret River Village. It had blown up windy with sprinkles of rain so while it seemed miserable we were not going to miss this opportunity. Once again the pictorial artwork was terrific to see images of the past.

Well tomorrow we board the bus to Perth Airport so time to do some washing. Although there is a laundry in the house/home we decided to use the local laundromat – cannot recall why at the present but here’s the proof – the dryers and the lost and found basket.

The following morning 5th August we drove down to the bus stop in the darkness and sat in the shelter until the bus arrived. Dale and Zdravka protested that they would drive us to the airport but we won out and stayed for the bus. It was both cold and dark but gradually the sun peeped over the horizon, the street lights disappeared and the bus arrived. There would be one change before arriving at our accommodation at the airport. Now if you remember in my first of these blogs we had intended to meet Kerry’s cousin Ken and his wife Yena. Yena’s mother passed away suddenly and as she lived in Bali Ken and Yena had left Perth the morning of our arrival. So on our return journey we arranged to catch up that evening.

Our bus took us on an interesting circuit on the way to the accommodation – in this world of FIFO we went to every small aircraft operator providing FIFO travel taking men and women to work. Interesting!

After showering and pulling on some of those clean clothes we went to the inhouse restaurant to meet Ken and Yena. Reminded me a bit like Star Wars and the bar on Tatoon but fortunately Jaba was not in. Ken and Yena arrived and we caught up on everything from Ken’s father Barry passing away to Yena’s mother passing – a characteristic of getting old. Here is Ken and Yena.

Well after farewelling Ken and Yena we dragged ourselves to bed. We were scheduled to travel with the FIFO workers to the airport and what a shock. The bus transfer was a true shuttle with everyone jostling for space and once we got to the departure terminals all of the shuttles were converging and spewing passengers into the terminal. We were stunned but we had allowed plenty of time fortunately. We were not going to Brisbane but to Hobart to catchup with our youngest son Paul and his family. Whilst we booked a direct flight the plane took us firstly to Sydney then to Hobart where caught an Uber to our hotel. Having found our way to the hotel we arranged to catch up for dinner at a local eatery. The reason for our visit was tomorrow our granddaughter Lola was to perform in a school band.

December 2024

THE RETIREES AND FRIENDS VISIT PERTH AND MARGARET RIVER – SWAN VALLEY – 2024 DAY 1

Star Date 26th July 2024.

It all started as a conversation over a coffee meeting. Dale and Zdravka (long term friends) were talking about an across country trip they were planning once they had taken delivery of their new Land Cruiser. Their plans to go skiing had expanded into driving across the Nullarbor through the eastern goldfields of Western Australia onto Perth because they had never been there before – as you do.

Now we saw an opportunity. Between breaking my neck, undergoing months of treatment, surgeries for that then surgery (a craniotomy) for my brain tumour discovered during the second operation to screw my head back on then radiology therapy and now chemotherapy, that we needed a holiday and a return visit to Swan Valley and Margaret River wine districts might be just the go. However, we were not ready to drive across the Nullarbor to get there.

As members of the Accor Vacation Club, we were able to book accommodation in Swan Valley so we did a deal that we would meet up in Swan Valley for a few days sharing accommodation and then travel with them to Margaret River to again share accommodation in exchange for which we would hitch a ride with them whilst we were together. As we were developing the itinerary our son Paul let it be known that our granddaughter was playing lead guitar in her school band and that generally coincided with the end of the WA adventure, so our planning then included a return trip through Tasmania.

So, the fun of planning how to stitch these ideas together started resulting in Zdravka producing an elaborate itinerary which included us for part of their tour. The tour for us commenced with an early morning plane flight from Brisbane to Perth (a five-hour flight) then an Uber ride to Sebel Swan Valley.

              Home at Sebel  

We arrived in Perth just about the same time as we received a text from Kerry’s cousin Ken advising that his mother-in-law had passed away and he would not be at his home to greet us (Ken lives in Swan Valley). Even so Arden, Ken’s son, would be home and Ken offered us the use of his car. So, our Uber ride from the airport was shorter but not by much to pick up Ken’s car and catch up with Arden.

After collecting the car, we arrived at the Sebel before Dale and Zdravka. Fortunately, as it was somewhat of a puzzle to find the place. Despite its seclusion the amenities were very good. Surrounded by a golf course and a Novotel Hotel it was very comfortable and had some interesting WA neighbours.

Our neighbours were very quiet, but they were not your usual types. A mob of kangaroos gathered in the back of the apartment on the edge of the green of one of the course holes. Even when I took a walk the following morning the mob was there. However right on 8.00am they would race from the course proper to the area behind our unit – rather obvious sign that someone is feeding them. Similarly, the local parrots which looked like the Lorikeets from the Currumbin Bird Sanctuary only predominantly green.

8.00am the mob arrives                       and loiters there all day local parrot

Dale and Zdravka arrived about midday and the usual preparations for a short stay commenced – a visit to the supermarket and bottle shop. The following morning, I was up and feeling good so I took a walk on the golf course where our neighbours were settling a minor dispute and haunting the golfers: –

A playful fist-a-cuffs, Haunting the green and a Xanthorrhoea in the fairway

Zdravka had their day planned and as we unexpectedly had a car, we decided to do something different from them. It was Friday so we took a drive and ended up in Guildford (the old town area) and spent most of the day exploring this earliest British settlement in Swan Valley. Guildford was founded in 1829 at the confluence of the Helena River and Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply and was one of the earliest settlements of the Swan River Colony. It is one of only three towns in the metropolitan area listed on the Register of the National Trust. Guildford was originally the centre of the Swan River Colony before Perth succeeded in being the dominant location on the Swan Coastal Plain.

We found ourselves recalling the area from earlier visits but this time we stumbled across the Visitors Centre being the converted former Magistrates Court, Gaol house and a settlers cottage (relocated for its historic preservation). The Courthouse has a fabulous small museum on British settlement and some of the history of the 10th Australian Lighthouse Regiment that trained there before and during WW1 and still operates as a unit of the Australian Defence Force today. Across the road from the Courthouse is a relaxing park full of magnificent gum trees, cockatoos and memorials to the Regiment. We visited this later with Dale and Zdravka and I will return to it later.

               History board The old Magistrates Court now Visitors Centre

The old Gaol                                                       The curfew bell

The curfew bell has stood there since early settlement and no one thought to steal it until the twentieth century. A country of convicts in deed.

The “settler’s cottage” is a two-room shanty one room for sleeping and the main room was for kitchen, dining and everything else and was once the home of an early settler who had been transported as a convict. He and his wife raised 13 children in this home and outdoor dunny.

Kerry and our guide outside the shanty                    the only internal wall in the house.

The kitchen and below the bedroom.   The dunny

Our guide is a local teacher, who volunteers on weekends and her family has been living in Swan Valley for several generations in the same house 11 Meadow St built in the 1860s. If memory serves me, I think, her grandmother may have been the last family member to live there but the new owner is only too obliging to show the home and its historic features. The house was just down the road, and our guide told us to tell the new owners she had sent us to see the house. So, we strolled across the rail line passed the old local Council Chambers, the local theatre company, a large pub, and made an acquaintance with another resident in the street. Whilst Kerry was chatting with her new friend I was trying to find the house our guides grandmother had lived in, when I was rushed by our the new owner keen to show us the house. Very warm community. We were shown into the backyard where we met her partner doing some gardening and our host then pointed out the original house and its extensions.

The front of number 11                                             

The shed at the back and its extension A grape vine originally planted in 1860

The Dunny/garden shed                                           

Our guide had told us about the 10th Light Horse Regiment and how her grandfather (now deceased) was a veteran of WW1 and had been a member of the regiment. The town has remembered their service by providing each home where the veterans lived with a poppy to stand at the front of the house to remember them and their service.

The original well with a modern accessory                Front door of No 11

Well, feeling a bit sombre from this journey through history we needed a coffee so we headed to the oldest pub in town the Rose & Crown and the fable underground cellar. In the earliest days of settlement when the pub was catering to a much rougher crowd, they brought in their supplies of alcohol from sailing ships plying the Swan River through an underground tunnel which has today been transformed into a bar and night spot.

Cellar – this way Original fittings Dark and sinister bar

I have left writing this blog too long – I think we wandered a bit up the main street and then went home dragging Dale and Zdravka to the Rose and Crown for dinner that night.

September 2024

The Retirees Home in Brisbane – Travels to the Wild West – Days 3

After two days in Perth’s suburbs we were ready for some adventure. It started when we had to find our wine drinking partners Kerry and Rod in a new suburb north of Perth. With great ingenuity I guided Kerry Y (because there are now two Kerrys) to the front door and we collected them for the trip to Margaret River. Out past the new hospital and on through Mandurup we cruised south for three hours with a short stop at Mandurup and Busselton. We knew we had arrived in wine drinking country when we were hailed to stop at Island Brook Winery on the northern outskirts of the Margaret River Region. The host at the cellar door was Evan – jovial and a fountain of local knowledge. We also found his wines to be enjoyable drinking particularly his Merlot which was quite alive rather than flat and boring like most Merlots. He basically set the itinerary for us for our few days in Margaret River.

First Working Bee
Main St looking north
Local Church
Council Chambers to the square
Main St looking south

Evan recommended our first stop at Margaret Riveria, a deli with local produce located in the quaint village of Cowaramup or Cow Town as it is locally known – presumably because of the herd of cows inhabiting the main street. After loading up on cheeses etc, we finished our journey to our accommodation at Forest Glen Chalets in Carters Road less than 5 minutes’ walk from the Margaret River township. Comfortable self-contained two bedroom chalets – this was to be our base and sanctuary for the next few days. Our bedroom was in the loft – loads of space but a bit of a walk for the bathroom.

Traffic Italian style
Park Art – Lugano
Main square Lugano
Hundreds of steps
View from “Hundreds of steps”
Lugano is down there somewhere
Rushing back to the bus tour
Not looking good – Monte San Salvador

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The Retirees Home in Brisbane – Travels to the Wild West – Days 1 and 2

Each year over the Labour Day weekend we have travelled to a different wine region in Australia or the World. This year we chose Margaret River Western Australia for a few reasons not the least of which was to catch up with Uncle Barry, Ken, Peter, Lesley and the twins in Perth.
We had lost Aunty Dottie whilst we were overseas and this trip was to catch up with Barry and pay our respect to Dot – a wonderful Aunt and friend for Kerry. Our first day was spent getting over our midnight trip – with Perth 5 ½ hrs away by plane we were weary on arriving and through the next day. We visited Trigg Beach and two of Kerry’s nieces Zenith and Summer who have re-located to Perth.

Trigg Beach

Sitting Room
Walk to Church
the manor house
Atlantic Pine
Sitting room

We also visited Dottie’s last resting place. Dot wanted her ashes spread in the forest so Barry and the twins selected a tree in the Fred Jacoby Heritage Trail marked it with Dot’s favourite name pin and returned her to nature. Here we were surprised to find a giant oak tree a remnant of the English settler 150 years ago. It is a beautiful place and most suitable for the beautiful person she was.

 

“the Bed”
Staff bells
the kitchen as they left it
Letterbox for the staff

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