Perth Western Australia

We arrived in Fremantle on an overcast morning. As we exited the port for our tour the drizzle began. Thankfully we came prepared with our wet weather gear and the rain wasn't too annoying. It did make getting photos a bit tricky...

Our tour began with a drive around Fremantle. We went round in circles a bit as it's not very large. I really enjoyed seeing the architecture- lots of stone and brick heritage buildings. We even saw one building with a traditional façade but a brand new brick building inside the façade. Not sure if it's cool or just an example of how far unrealistic heritage laws make people go.

We drove to Perth the back way through the wealthy suburbs. We saw fascinating architecture that was very diverse. Every building was unique and there wasn't much uniformity. We kept getting glimpses of the Swan River as we drive along. The guide explained that even though the properties fronted the river they did not have exclusive access to it. The riverfront must be accessible to the public.

We went to Kings Park and wandered around a bit in the rain. It was quite beautiful and I enjoyed seeing the uniqueness of the plants. 

Of course there are also wonderful views of Perth.

We drove through Perth a bit before being dropped off to explore on our own for a couple of hours.

First primary school.

Miss Mauds.

We walked to the Perth Mint but unfortunately couldn't do the tour as we lacked the time.

Finally we headed to the wharf for our cruise down the Swan River back to Fremantle, taking about 70 minutes. The Swan River was named after the black swans who live here.

Bell tower gifted by the Queen.

Perth city scene from the river.

Kings Park.

Royal Perth Yacht club.

I can imagine how beautiful Perth would be in fine weather!

Food Glorious Food

One of the delights when cruising is the amazing and delicious food. In fact you have to pace yourself as it is over abundant and there's a real danger of over consuming. Having said that the food and meals are a highlight for me.

Meals:

Tiger prawns, papaya and seeded mustard

Vegetable satay kebabs

Rib eye steak

Afternoon tea:

The best scones ever - I have to stop at one.

My favourite- Dessert!

Yes that is gold paint on the top. I've eaten gold...

This one is called "Princess Live Boat Dream".

Lemon meringue pie.

Chocolate, peanut butter and chocolate mousse cake. 

Every night they offer 3 home made flavours of icecream. I've had:

Mango and mint

Pecan and honey 

Peanut butter

Honey swirl

Butterscotch 

Macadamia nut

Cookies and cream

Then there's the buffet...

Broome - Western Australia

We arrived in Broome today with perfect weather for a magical docking. I watched the pilot boat come alongside the ship. A rope ladder was rolled out from the ship and the local Harbour pilot climbed up the ladder holding onto two ropes while both ship and pilot boat were moving. It was like something out of James Bond!

The ship inched towards the dock perfectly straight and parallel with the wharf. Docking was so smooth I didn't feel it. Had to look to check we'd actually landed. 😀 We docked about 11.30am due to the tides and it was very interesting to watch.

I went on a tour today to a pearling museum. The industry had quite a tragic history of injustice against various groups, particularly the local indigenous people. I wasn't aware that the initial attraction was the pearl shells which were used to make buttons, rather than pearls themselves. Only 1 in 5000 shells contains a natural pearl so they were very rare. This pearl she'll is resting on my knees so that gives an idea of its size!

The Japanese figured out how to seed the pearls and also how to grow them in 2 years instead of 4. Once plastic was invented in the 1950s pearl shells became worthless.

Next stop was a crocodile reserve which was a safe haven for crocodiles. We saw them being fed and were thoroughly informed about the behaviour of crocodiles and the need to be wise around them. They can be very clever but are also largely predictable so danger can be avoided with a little knowledge.

One year old crocs.

I saw some amazing flora as well that I haven't seen anywhere else. 

OK I've seen these!

Best of all was Gantheame Point. It was breathtakingly beautiful. This shot is looking towards Cable Beach.

The steel structure is actually a lighthouse.

Broome is truly beautiful and has such vivid colours. I can see why artists are attracted to this place.

The tide dropped by 11 metres!

Sunset sail away ...