28th February 2008, Fremantle for Perth, Western Australia, Australia
We arrived from Tasmania yesterday evening and caught the local bus to our accommodation previously booked at Adelaide Airport. We had an excellent meal at an eatery attached to the hotel.
The next morning we checked out and set off with our rucksacks to explore Perth. We walked through the average shopping centre and down towards the colonial areas. We passed the Town Hall, the Cathedral, Government House, the Council House and down via the Supreme Court of Australia (complete with Park and Roo Statues) to Barrack Square Jetty. Here there was the Swan Bells Tower housing the original bells from St Martin in the Fields (London). We purchased river cruise tickets to Fremantle (Freo) where the MSVG was due to arrive this morning. This was an excellent hour and a half cruise on the shallow Swan River where we passed the original Swan Brewery, The University of Western Australia, many yacht clubs and assorted millionaires residences. We arrived at Freo at 12.30 and re-embarked the MSVG where we had lunch before going ashore to explore Freo.
This was an interesting colonial settlement, the centrepiece being the Fremantle Prison. Unfortunately we were not able to do the full tour as we were required to return to MSVG by Oz immigration to clear customs. We did stay long enough in the information centre to discover that amongst the prisoners in 1873 was a certain Richard Gleaves from Lancashire convicted in Liverpool of horse stealing and sentenced to 7 years in Freo Prison. M's relatives made no appearance (D maintains that this is because there are not many Turnidges and M is sticking to the "we are whiter than white" contention). We briefly walked the streets and saw the Town Hall, did a short booze shop, and returned to the ship.
Freo may have been worth another half day and ditto the vineyards, but Perth is unexceptional (nothing to criticise but nothing to get excited about either).
Now 8 days at sea!
