Flowing down the Swan River to Fremantle

Every day things have been unusually unpredictable these past few months and I have neglected this blog - just haven't had the space to sit at the computer for very long. Next week, however, we will be going on another short and unexpected trip, this time in a southerly direction, so I have decided to play catch up. The  last two trips were really enjoyable so I will relive them as I write. This post is Part 2 of our Perth trip and is about a very pleasant and significant day.

We were last in Fremantle in 1991 when we called there on a ship bound for New Zealand, as were we, so we could not return home without a visit down memory lane. The voyage had been a disappointment, delayed because of at sea incidents, bad weather and such and we had been very happy to spend a day on land.

Bell Tower, Perth waterfront

To get to Fremantle we decided to take the ferry so walked from our central city hotel to the ferry terminal. This was easy to find because of the Bell Tower in the front. This tower, we were told, houses the biggest musical instrument in the world. You can go up to the top to see the bells, for a fee.

Golden Cruises ferry

There were several different ferry companies all offering different cruises - whole day, half day, sunset and so on. We were soon on our way downstream with the pilot giving a commentary along the way.

Former Swan Brewery from River Level

Yachting and other water sports are very popular here and no one allows you to forget that Alan Bond scored the Americas Cup. The day was a bit windy but there were a few yachties about, including several yachts crewed by young teens.

One of several boat club moorings

 We soon came to the stretch of river with its banks lined with the homes of seemingly every excessively wealthy Australian. Think of one such person - they have a triple digit million home beside the water here. Rather than being impressed by such wealth, I was uneasy at the obscenity [IMO] of millions being spent on places that are used occasionally by just a few people, about whom we hear only news of their objections to paying taxes or their unhappy and litigious relationships.

The most pricey real estate in Australia

See the building behind the boats! This has been labelled an ëyesore"and a "headache"and there is talk of having it bulldozed when its building license runs out before too long. Unfinished because its owner's company went into receivership it has already had a cool 9 million of the estimated 70 million for construction spent on it. And, the neighbours just don't like it and want it down - according to the local newspaper.

Select neighbourhood

 Back to real life on arrival in Fremantle where we walked about 600 metres from the ferry terminal to the free Fremantle CAT bus. Once on the bus we realised that only another 200 metres walk and we'd have been in town.

May Day March in Fremantle

Fremantle was a very pleasant town - old buildings, trees, interesting old fashioned shops, clean - just a cosy feel about the place. We walked around a corner and found ourselves almost in a very cheerful May Day parade which I appreciated as I am conscious that it is so very easy to lose our democratic ways with so few people in the world, Australia included, holding so much economic, and therefore political, power.

Fremantle Town Hall

There were many such buildings like this one. Lovely!

Welcome Wall at the Freemantle Port

This spot was where we felt that we had come full circle. It was here, early in 1971, that we watched some of our fellow passengers who had travelled as Australian Government sponsored migrants disembark to start their new lives in Australia while we continued to my birth country, New Zealand. You see, we had preferred to come to Australia but although the "White Australia"policy was supposedly dead, no one had told the Australian officials in London who had denied one of us a resident visa, saying that they believed that assimilation would not be possible. Despite the person concerned having a double degree in English medium from a New Zealand University and having lived and worked there for several years. Interestingly, during the voyage I was employed by the Australian government to teach English to these new migrants most of whom knew seemingly none at all. Anyway, we continued happily to New Zealand, had a good life there and eventually got here and the rest is history, as they say.

I was very interested in these welcome walls which pay tribute to Western Australia's migrants who came by sea from 1911 to 1980s. I think that there were 491 walls honouring 45,000 migrants. Over one third of Western Australia's population came from elsewhere and this we noticed during our time there. I spent some time reading the names and looking for those of fellow passengers from the Australis. I found some! I hoped that Australia became all they dreamed of and that they managed to overcome the strangeness of a new environment and culture - these things being within my own experience.

Welcome Wall, Freemantle

I remember many of the child migrants on the boat from the second class I taught each day on the ship. Lovely that they have this sculpture to remember them by.

Child Migrant Sculpture, Fremantle

Today Fremantle is a busy commercial port.

Portside, Perth

Despite an oncoming squall, we watched as this mighty container ship was guided into the port by two tugs and remembered hanging over the rails watching the same manoeuver in 1971.

Entering Fremantle Port

The photos of this container ship have been very much appreciated by a small boy who had me enlarge the above one for his wall. The video of the ship slowly berthing was received with great delight and the plea, "Can you take me to Fremantle? Please! Please!"

Freemantle train sign

I couldn't resist taking this photo for my sign collection!

We loved Fremantle and vowed to return and stay there at our leisure.