Perth

When we arrived in Perth we settled in walked to the Swan River waterfront and Elizabeth Quay. The main attraction is the Perth Bell Tower. It is one of the largest musical instruments in the world and was built to house the 18 bells from the parish church of Buckingham Palace in Trafalgar Square in London.

One wonderful thing we discovered is that Perth has several routes for their free “Cat Bus”. There are 5 or 6 different colored routes that yiu can just hop on and ride for free! It was a great convenience for us since we needed to get to the laundromat one of the days we were there!

The next day we took a tour of Rottnest Island. Located just 11 miles west of Fremantle the island is only 7.3 square miles. Rottnest is a sandy, low-lying island formed on limestone. Around the island are 12 salt lakes saltier than the ocean filled with brine shrimp.

The traditional native name for the island is Wadjemup, which means “place across the water where spirits lie.” Rottnest got its current name from it’s furry inhabitants the quokkas. Quokkas have a rat-like appearance so early Dutch explorers named the island “rotte nest” or rat nest.

Like other marsupials, such as kangaroos, and wallabies, female quokkas carry their young in pouches. Quokkas give birth in late summer and their young remain in their pouches until August or September. After about one-and-a-half to two years of age, the quokka reaches maturity, reaching a size similar to a house cat and living to about ten years of age.

During World War II, two 9.2 inch guns were installed near the middle of the island at Oliver Hill, and two 6 inch guns installed at Bickley Point, for the defense of the Fremantle port. The location of the island was seen as being important to the defense of the important port of Fremantle, the major base for the Allies in the Indian Ocean, as bombardment of any attacking ships could be made from the island before the ships would come into range of the port. The island also has secret intricate tunnel system to help with the defense of the island and the port.

We noticed a tree painted bright blue and wondered why. Asking around we discovered it was to stress the importance of suicide prevention and helping others. The they told that the trees are all over Australia but it is the only one we have seen to date.

On the next day we took a tour of Perth and Fremantle. Our first stop was at the Western Australian Botanical Gardens. Even though it is winter there were still lots of beautiful plants to see.

Fremantle is located on the Swan River and its port is lively with container ships and water traffic. During WWII Fremantle was home to the largest base for Allied submarines in the Southern Hemisphere, and the second largest in the Pacific Ocean after Pearl Harbor.

In the early days of the settlement of Australia, prisoners were sent to the port of Fremantle as well as other port cities of Australia. The clever British allowed them to build their very own prison. Prison life wasn’t all that bad. They built themselves pretty nice digs and were treated very well by the guards. Since most of the crimes were minor offenses the prisoners typically served minimal sentences. Once they had completed their sentence they were set free and typically became respectable members of the community. They were given the opportunity to return to England but few ever did. Today you can book a cell for an overnight stay.