Tuesday 23rd May

It was not far for us to go to Freemantle, or Freo to the locals. After a GP visit for me (UTI) then booked into Woodman Park Caravan Park. Another lovely park, very quiet with good amenities. A good place for some R & R.

Wednesday 24th May

Sleep in again then lunch with Anne & Hammy, (our nephew's sister and brother-in-law). They picked us up early and gave us a terrific tour of Freemantle. Hammy was great and took us to the old section of Freemantle and was a wealth of information on the history of Freo. He also took us out to Cottesloe Beach which unfortunately was covered in seaweed.

We had fish 'n chips at Cicerellos on the pier, apparently "a must"when in Freo according to Anne. They were great company and Hammy was a wealth of information on Freo and Western Australia in general. We had a lovely day with them.

Thursday 25th May

An early start to catch the bus into town to board the Red Tram around Freo, boat up the Swan River to Perth, Red Bus tour of Perth then train and bus home. Whew!

The Red Tram ride was brilliant. A very informative driver who was so easy to listen to and knew the history of Freemantle so well. We were the only tourists on board as well, which helped.

"Fremantle's role as a port began with the foundation of the Swan River Colony in 1829.

The port city derives its name from Captain Charles H. Fremantle who arrived on HMS Challenger and took possession of this part of the continent in the name of His Majesty King George IV at Arthur Head on 2 May 1829.

Captain James Stirling arrived with 68 settlers in 1829, and established the settlement on the Swan River.

At that time, the mouth of the river was blocked by a rocky bar, making the entrance virtually impassable for seagoing vessels.

The earliest port facility was a small jetty situated near Arthur Head.

However, as time passed, the need for a protected anchorage became increasingly urgent.

The benefits of a sheltered harbour had been recognised as far back as the 1830s, and various proposals were considered over the years, but cost was a major drawback. Some engineers at the time also doubted the practicality of establishing a commercial port inside the mouth of the Swan River."

The gold discoveries of the 1890s brought people and prosperity to Western Australia. There was a rapid growth in trade, and the massive economic expansion that occurred provided both the funds and the impetus for the development of new port facilities.

In 1891, Western Australia's first Premier, John Forrest appointed Charles Yelverton O'Connor as Engineer-in-Chief. Work on his scheme for the development of a safe harbour at Fremantle began the following year.

The project involved blasting and dredging of the rocky bar to create a channel, dredging to deepen the river basin and construction of two moles to protect the entrance to the harbour. The scheme also involved land reclamation to allow for the construction of quays and warehouses.

On 4 May 1897, the official opening of the Inner Harbour was marked by the entry of the SS Sultan, a 2063-ton steamer on the Fremantle to Batavia and Singapore run. This was the beginning of a new era in the history of shipping in Western Australia.

While the harbour has been deepened, and facilities extended and modernised over the years, the basic structure of the Inner Harbour remains essentially unchanged to this day, testament to the boldness, brilliance and foresight of its designer."

Ron the tram driver also relayed the story of how C. Y. O'Connor proposed pumping water more than 500 kilometres from Mundaring, on the Helena River outside Perth, to the goldfields. Many thought the idea was madness, not least because it involved lifting water 390 metres over the Darling Escarpment. Furthermore, the cost of constructing the pipeline would be equal to the colony's entire annual budget.

However, O'Connor's credentials and the political skills and determination of Premier Sir John Forrest laid the basis for success. Work began in 1898, and the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme was officially opened on 22 January 1903 at Coolgardie. Two days later it was opened at Mount Charlotte in Kalgoorlie.

O'Connor, however, was ostracized by the politicians and the press to the point where he committed suicide prior to the completion of the pipeline. His engineer, however, completed his vision and the pipeline still services the area to this day.

This man was certainly a genius, and this area owes much to his vision and foresight.

The tour also included riding around the historic jetty area of Freemantle, the Freemantle Gaol, Maritime Museum, and Anzac Hill.

The War Memorial is located on Monument Hill in Freemantle, and stands approximately 43 metres above sea level. The hill overlooks Freemantle Harbour, Garden Island and Rottnest Island to the west, and the Darling Ranges to the east.

It was very impressive and the view was just amazing. The driver commented that pity we didn't bring a "chook and a bottle of white" and we could have spent the rest of the day there. Sounded like a good option to us, but unfortunately no chook and no wine!

A very interesting morning and we both enjoyed it immensly.

The Tram dropped us back to the jetty to board the Captain Cook Cruise on the Swan River to Perth. Lucky for us it also included tasting local wines, both white and red, and we could help ourselves along the way. It was very pleasant indeed, and once again an excellent commentary by the captain.

We alighted at Perth Wharf to have some lunch prior to boarding the red bus. The area around the port was almost totally under construction and it was difficult to navigate our way around. Apparently a multi story hotel is being built on the site, along with other "improvements" and it has a 10 year time frame! A lot happening, and maybe not for the better, but who knows?

Wandered up town to grab some lunch and back to the wharf where we boarded a very tired and very run down red bus. A big disappointment after the morning we had enjoyed. The bus should have been pensioned off about 20 years ago.

But still it was very interesting, but we were getting tired by the end of it and were looking forward to catching the train to Freemantle and a bus back home. A big, interesting day out and about.

Friday 26th May

Bus back into Freemantle where we planned to have lunch at Little Creatures Brewery. We ran into Caroe & Ray Brun (A'Vanners from Vic) so met them there for coffee. They headed out and we stayed and enjoyed a delicious pizza.

Kev then did the Maritime Museum while I headed out to the Markets and shops.

Saturday 27th May

Kev spent all morning at Bob Jane in Clermont to get new tyres, while I did the blog of Vietnam as Travelpod were closing down and I didn't want to lose everything.

After lunch we walked around the Woodman Point area and beach, where the tram driver told us there was a statue of C.Y. O'Conner and his horse in the water, as this was the area that he committed suicide. Apparently because of all the criticism this poor man received from the press in relation to his grand plan to build a pipeline to the goldfields in Kalgoorlie, that he rode his horse into the ocean and shot himself.

We then headed out to have dinner with Dione, our niece, and Chris and Jess. Lily was away for the weekend unfortunately. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of Coral Trout caught and cooked expertly by Chris, along with delicious salads and dessert. Jess was a wonderful help and is such a beautiful young girl.

Home to a cold van and bed.

Sunday 28th May

A walk around Port Coogee - wow what a surprise. Very luxurious high rise apartments as far as the eye can see. And hundreds of boats moored in the Marina! I don't think the mining boom is over yet, or it certainly isn't obvious to us.

As Warren & Simone cancelled lunch because of illness, we decided to leave a day earlier, so pack up time again.