Fun in Fremantle

After phoning Hayden to wish him a very happy 28^th birthday, we were on the road heading for Fremantle! We stopped in at Lancelin for a coffee and bathroom break on the way and were very impressed with the little seaside town. We put it in the memory bank for a stopover next time we travel in WA.

As we got closer to the city, the lanes began multiplying and the traffic lights reappeared. At least we were travelling through just after midday, so the traffic wasn’t too bad. Andrew did well navigating the BT along the freeway, past King’s Park and across the city, where we caught a glimpse of Perth’s city skyline – on a much smaller scale to Sydney. We arrived safely in Fremantle Village Caravan Park, just 3km from the heart of Fremantle, so a great spot to base ourselves for 5 nights. After setting up we grabbed the bikes and rode along the beach front, into Fremantle and along to the port and the B Shed Ferry Terminal, investigating the all-day parking options for our day trip to Rottnest Island on Friday. We watched the sun set across Fremantle Harbour and then headed back to the BT for some pasta and salad.

Thursday morning we were off to South Perth to find Alison, a good friend of mine since the Third Grade at Kirrawee Public School. Alison had moved to Perth over 30 years ago, after marrying Paul, a great, local WA guy. Al often travels to Sydney to see family and friends, but this was the first time we had managed to catch up with her in her hometown. After hugs and a tour of Al and Paul’s lovely home in South Perth, including Al’s awesome artwork, we headed for a day out in Perth.

We strolled around Kings Park, chatting continuously as we walked, visited famous Cottesloe Beach and the bobbing, blue-striped buoy and had a lovely café lunch. It was then downtown for a walk through the city, which included a stroll through King’s Square, past the Bell Tower and across Elizabeth Quay Bridge. After a quick stop into Myer to replace our kitchen knife, it was back into the car to head back to the Baker’s house just in time to greet Paul. We were treated to a viewing of the recently refurbished Torana car project and later spoilt with a delicious homemade meal, enjoying a wonderful evening of catch up.

Friday morning we were up early for our day to Rottnest Island. We boarded the Rottnest Express, departing at 7:30am and arriving 30mins later. After a lovely breakfast at the Dome Café, we collected hired bikes from Pedal and Flipper and enjoyed a great day exploring the island. We rode past Henrietta Rocks, Parker Point, Salmon Bay and up to Wadjemup Lighthouse. We then continued past Stickland Bay and onto Cathedral Rocks, where we were lucky enough to see Sea Lions playing in the water off the cliffs. On the way we also saw two big Osprey nests, with mum and dad perched on top looking after the babies below. We then cycled back along the other side of the island to Geordie Bay, returning back to The Settlement - 22km later! After such a big ride we deserved the double scoop ice cream and grabbed us some Quokka love, having fun capturing selfies with the cute little marsupials. We even had a mum and bub come say hello while we resting and eating ice creams. We boarded the boat at 4:30pm, returning to the mainland as the sun set. We were tired, but what a great day we had!

Saturday morning we were back on the bikes (ouch), riding into Fremantle to find Cappuccino Strip, in particularly Gino’s Café. It had been recommended as the best coffee in Fremantle by some locals we met whilst in Monkey Mia. It didn’t disappoint! Made extra special with the delicious Chocolate Éclair and Portuguese Tart that we also purchased as a morning treat. We then strolled through the Fremantle Markets, buying some beautiful fresh produce and sour dough bread, before exploring the Shipwreck Museum, which houses the original timbers from the Batavia Shipwreck back in 1629. After a lovely morning we rode back to the Caravan Park for a quick lunch, shower and time to change to head back into Fremantle. We met Dave and Michelle at Little Creatures Brewery, where we enjoyed a tour and beer tasting before walking across town for dinner. Bree had organised a birthday dinner for me at a hip restaurant which was receiving rave reviews in Fremantle, Ginger and Tonic. We first had a pre-dinner drink at the secret underground bar, through the library wall, and then enjoyed a delicious four-course, Asian Fusion meal – what a great pressie! Very spoilt.

Sunday morning we met Al and Paul at the Fremantle Prison for the much anticipated Tunnel Tour. Our guide Sarah was full of energy and enthusiasm and we had a terrific morning learning how the convicts dug the tunnels under the prison, which ended up supporting the ports and later the town of Fremantle with fresh drinking water for many years. The tour involved us dressing in gum boots and harnesses to climb down a 20-metre small, metal ladder to the tunnels below. We then climbed into little boats to paddle and propel ourselves, using the rock walls, through a myriad of dark tunnels, with about a metre and a half of water below us. It was an awesome tour and we shared lots of laughs with Al and Paul.

Al then led us to lunch at Emily Taylor’s Bar and Kitchen in Market Lane, where we enjoyed a lovely afternoon eating great food, sipping wine and delighting in catching up with good friends. It was then back to the Fremantle Village for a cup of tea and a show and tell of the BT. A wonderful day ended with Sippy gashing his head as he bounced up onto the bed, unfortunately hitting his head on the sharp edge of the overhead cupboard. That bought the afternoon to a close, with hugs all round, sad goodbyes and leaving me to clean and bandage the wound – fun and games.