Fremantle



The port city of Fremantle is mysterious, unexpected, historical, eclectic, and dark yet delightful. It’s a place where creative types, backpacking travelers, the outlandish, and locals converge. It’s also the home of my favorite old church with sunshine colored doors, my favorite Italian restaurant, my favorite Asian food court, my favorite gelato and finally (deep breath) my favorite organic, rice bran oil, no trans fat, low saturated fat, GMO free, cinnamon sugar doughnuts - surprisingly mouth watering and thankfully only available on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when the Fremantle Markets are open.

Fremantle IS my favorite corner of Perth. Located at the mouth of the Swan River, 19 kilometers west of the city, Fremantle has a vibrant urban appeal that in many ways Perth lacks.

Fremantle was founded in 1825 as a part of the Swan River Colony and the facades of many of the buildings still display their 19th century charm. Equally old churches appear to flag the ends of Fremantle’s main streets but churches aren’t the only reminder of the days of the Swan River Colony.

Sitting high on a hill alongside the Indian Ocean is the Round house – an eight cell prison and the oldest standing building in WA and first permanent building of the Swan River Colony. At the other end of town sits the much larger Fremantle Prison built in the 1850’s. Today it operates as a popular tourist attraction. Fremantle is a glorious example of Australia’s British convict history which adds to the intrigue and mysticism surrounding the city.

Although the Fremantle of the 1800’s still lingers like a tenacious ghost, the city streets of today are alive with trendy cafes, restaurants, and shops. The smell of coffee fills the morning streets while the scent of garlic and wood fire ovens will guide you to one of the areas many Italian restaurants during the days and nights.

But there’s also a seedy side to Fremantle. In between the charming shops and colorful cafes are tattoo parlors, questionable adult shops, fortune tellers, new age stores filled with promises of a better future, and an abundance of souvenir shops. Along the wharf sits large abandoned warehouses with no signs of rehabilitation. In Fremantle, anything goes and it’s this mix of new and old, sordid and sophisticated that gives Fremantle its personality.

The town itself is only half the equation. Every day ships from all over the world dock in Fremantle’s Harbor. We are fortunate to live just outside “Freo’s” doorstep and every time Shane and I pass the docks on our way to the beach one of us comments on the enormity of a standing ship as if it were the first time we had seen such a thing.

It’s not only cargo ships that grace Fremantle’s shores but yachts and fishing boats of all sizes can be viewed from Fisherman’s Wharf over a meal of fish and chips from one of the many seafood restaurants. Next door sits the Maritime Museum filled with stories of sunken ships and the history of WA’s first explorers.

A day in Fremantle would be at the top of my list for anyone visiting Perth. Friday through Sunday the Fremantle Markets are open which sell everything from produce to patchouli and my favorite organic, rice bran oil, no trans fat, low saturated fat, GMO free, cinnamon sugar doughnuts.

remains of the past

Maritime Museum

Scots Presbyterian

Fremantle Markets

Town Hall

Cafes on South Terrace

old warehouse

Wharf

High Street with the Round House prison at the end

an old facade disguising a parking lot

Round House prison

High Street from the Round House

Fisherman's Wharf

Travel with a Mate

Check out my article on Perth here on the travel site Travel with a Mate !

Sunday drive



Yep. Today was one of those Sundays.

Our friend Norto wanted to dust the cobwebs off his boat and stretch its legs so being the good friends that we are, we kindly offered to stretch our legs on his boat.

We put the boat in the water just north of the city and headed east along the upper Swan. We had no agenda or destination. We were just going for a Sunday drive.

The narrow channels of the upper swan with its swampy banks and smooth dark waters are a different sight to the white sand and turquoise waters of its delta to the west. Fishing boats replace yachts. Old farm houses replace mansions. Tall yellow grasses replace manicured lawns. Lonely fisherman replace groups of cyclists. And the sound of the wind replaces the zoom of cars. It is nothing short of charming.

And if it wasn’t already charming enough, the banks of the upper swan are scattered with wineries. We stopped off at one of these wineries – waters edge. Waters Edge is home to WA’s oldest underground cellar - also Australia’s second oldest underground cellar

Life on the Swan in the 1850's...

And in 2010...



As they said above, it's just as it was over 160 years ago.

waters edge cellar

waters edge from the jetty

 a vineyard on the banks

 a Shag and its chick

welcomed clouds on a hot day

Sailing the Swan, cruising the Canning

One of Perth’s greatest attributes is its waterways. Hold on. Perth’s greatest attribute is its waterways. With Australia’s largest cities situated on the coast, impressive waterways aren’t exactly a unique asset. But for the millions of us across the world that have spent most of our lives landlocked, an extensive river system which is home to a dozen different water sports and drains into an ocean lined with unending beaches – then it’s kind-of cool.

I should mention that I myself grew up along an extensive river system – one famous for riverboat casinos, devastating floods, and a certain Chevy Chase movie. Not to discredit St. Louis and the mighty Mississippi (I just wanted to type it) and Missouri Rivers. The Mississippi River (he he) played a significant part in US history and St. Louis has its own unique assets like Imo’s Pizza and Ted Drewes Frozen Custard.

Perth has some other wonderful assets such as amazing weather, beautiful beaches, amazing weather and beautiful beaches. My point is, you don’t come to Perth for a shopping holiday or to experience the nightlife and that’s Ok because if you have any interest in the great outdoors, exercise, boating or fishing, you won’t be at a loss for things to do.

The City of Perth sits where the Swan and Canning Rivers meet and become the Swan - about 14 kilometers (9 miles) as the crow flies from Fremantle, the port city where the Swan dumps into the Indian Ocean. If you are a visual person like me with a strong desire to know exactly where you are on a map then click here. Zoom in a couple times and scroll west. See Attadale? That’s where I live.

If I were a crow flying from Perth to Fremantle, during my flight I’d see sail boats, water skiers, jet skiers, yachts, paddle and dragon boaters, rowing teams, kite surfers, wind surfers, fisherman and even booze cruises. I’d also see costal parks, jetties, rowing clubs, sailing clubs, cafes, and walkers, runners and bikers along the extensive walkways that cover every inch of land along the water. I might also see people jumping off the cliffs into the river at Blackwall Reach or boats parked casually in a bay enjoying a Sunday afternoon. There’s also a pretty good chance I’d see Dolphins and Perth’s famous Black Swans.

And that’s why the state of Western Australia has the largest per capita boat ownership in the world. Perth also claims to have the largest per capita population of self made millionaires of any capital city in the world. Coincidence? Well maybe, because we have a boat and so do some of our friends.

In case you’d like to skip the writing and go straight to the photos…

 como jetty

 como jetty

 south perth foreshore

 city views from King's Park

 river views from King's Park

 the narrows from King's Park

 boat shed

 

 views from Peppermint Grove

 more views from Peppermint Grove

 black swans

 south of perth yacht club

views from our dog park