14/1/22 Swan River Cruise

 

   Time for another afternoon in the city , this time we head up to Kings Park for a look . We haven't been to the park for about 4 years , so it was going to be a casual look around while we passed a few hours prior to our dinner cruise . We went to the May Drive Parkland first , it's an area to relax in and probably more set up for kids , with playgrounds , a pond , a cafe and an outdoor moonlight cinema . It's a very manicured area of lawns , gardens & trees .

   In the pond , they have recreated the stromatolites found along the coast in several areas . The pond although large , isn't deep - only about 300mm .

 The Anzac Memorial here is a standout , with views in the background over the Swan River and the city, as well as South Perth and to the Darling Scarp ( the hills in the background ). 

    The Eternal Flame burns continuously in a small pond . The grassed areas and the gardens a immaculately tended and there's not a blade of grass out of place . Many people come and utilise the lawned areas for picnics and to just relax - so good to see that happening so close to the city itself .

  This is Fraser Avenue , a tree lined road into the park from the city side - magnificent gum trees !

   And here's the view down to the river and the city .

    Some of the specimen trees here are beautiful .

   Enjoyed our stroll through the gardens before we drove around to another area where we parked for about 20 mins , before driving down to the parking area near Barrack St Jetty - that's where our dinner cruise departs from . We arrived about 30 mins early as requested , then we stood around and waited to board . People watching was interesting , and we soon realised there would be a few birthday parties on board , but also lots of couples out for the night with their own celebrations . Finally we boarded and we were shown to our table beside the windows , which was excellent , but we were right next to the party of about 40 people ! It wasn't long before we were under way , leaving the jetty and going past Elizabeth Quay , the glow from the sun reflecting in the buildings .

     Through and under the Narrows Bridge and we started our cruise to Fremantle , there was a bit of wind about , but got another shot of the city with the golden glow .

    Darkness enveloped us and the lights of the suburbs showed us a lot of the waterfront properties at night  photos don't do it justice and were harder to take . Our dinner was good with a variety of dishes , barramundi , prawns , beef cheeks and a chicken dish as well as several salads & veggies . If you were hungry you were invited back for more a few times before they cleaned that course away - you couldn't go away hungry from this !! 

  We arrived at Fremantle and performed a 180 degree turn in between the new and old bridges just near the port , which is lit up well at night - here it is behind the old bridge .

    The trip back to Perth was dedicated to dessert and a little entertainment . The entertainment got a little hijacked by someone wanting to sing a Robbie Williams song to his wife - it was time for us to go out for some fresh air on the back deck - several other people had the same idea !!! The city appeared and was looking good , before long we were back at Elizabeth Quay .

    The Bell Tower and the City of Perth building certainly showed up , the Bell Tower looking like a candle and the City of Perth glowing brightly . The Hilton is on the right , the rounded building is The Towers at Elizabeth Quay on the left .

    Leaving the city , we drove past the City of Perth building , very colourful . It gets lit up in different colours for different causes during the year .

   While we were out , we decided to go over to South Perth for a look at the city across the river - and to take some photos - when in Rome ! I won't bombard you with all the photos , but here are 2 of them . 

  What a good afternoon and evening we've had , hope you enjoyed it . Here's a map link :- https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1iFYJsuG1Sh7rjrjXgLQj7KwDxn5F0QBS&usp=sharing

5/1/22 Mandurah and an E bike tour of Perth

    Here we are for another year , ready to start all over again . Time has been spent at Emma's , while we wait for the tidal wave of travellers to subside a little when school returns ( hopefully ) - people are finally learning there's plenty to do & see in Australia , damn it 🤨

   Time has been spent riding our bikes around the many bike tracks - when it's been cool enough - we've had some very hot days , with the mercury hitting 40+ on a few days and high 30's on others .

  This is the Serpentine River at Greenfields .

   This is the Christmas Tree in flower - it's the largest tree of the Mistletoe variety .

    Serpentine River near the boat ramp

    Some beautiful gum blossom

    This is Seascapes Beach near Halls Head .

    We visited some friends who were house sitting in Baldivis , there were some beautiful flowers in the garden there . 

    Back to the estuary in Mandurah on another bike ride while the ute was being serviced .

    This is Venice Quays , a short distance from the estuary , and connected with it via these canals .

   We've received vouchers for tours & trips for christmas over the last few years and finally got around to using some of them - covid also got in the way of some !

    This is the Supreme Court Gardens , one of the very immaculately cared for gardens in & around Perth city.

    The gardens are a mix of established trees and a flowering understory of plants , these are Spider Lillies 

   Palm trees also feature prominently here .

   We wandered through the gardens to Barrack St Jetty to start our E bike tour , which was leaving from Elizabeth Quay . We couldn't find it anywhere , so rang Paul from Pauls Eco Bike Tours , and asked where he was - waiting patiently for us as it turns out !! He was waiting below the rings at the right in this photo . We got sorted and rode around to this bridge . None of this was here the last time we were in Perth city - that's our excuse anyway - Paul didn't mind - we were the only ones doing the tour . He took a few photo's of us .

    The bikes were easy to ride with power assisted pedalling , we could zing along without too much effort. He took us along the foreshore and past some ponds , explaining the ponds were to catch pollutants and help to stop them entering the river . Across the Narrow's Bridge and we stopped to have a look at Perth's first Flour Mill - we've driven past here many times but didn't know a thing about it , must have been concentrating on the traffic , because we hadn't even seen it !! - it's right beside the freeway !!

    There are a few sculptures beside the river as well , I was able to stop and take photos , then catch up with Paul & Lyn without a lot of effort . 

   Bike tracks are very well set up here , there's a footpath for walkers on the left near the river and a dedicated track for bikes etc - very impressive - and both get very well used .

   This was our first view of Matagarup Bridge , it links Perth City with Optus Stadium - Paul explained it was designed to resemble two swans - it becomes clearer later .

   The two wires at the top of the photo are a zip line - you get to climb to the platform in the bridge , then zip line down to the eastern side of the river , all the while going over half of the Swan River .

    Here's Optus Stadium , a very well designed stadium , and very popular .

More of the bridge 

 You can make out the zip line here it runs to just left of centre of the photo . Burswood Casino in on the right .

This is looking to East Perth .

This is the bike path below the road level of Windan Bridge , where we cross the river and go back toward the city .

   And this is probably the best view of the bridge and the two swans neck to neck .

   And before long we were back to the start of our ride . If the seat on the bike were a bit more comfortable , I would have suggested to do it all again , such was the ease of riding the E bike . We covered 18.5 kms and did it very easily . If you're ever in Perth or Rottnest Island and want  an interesting ride , look up Paul's Eco tours , well worth it !!

 Here's a map link :- https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1OfPtD3prCEM9Zc9ujXjieNzVc6D7q3wm&usp=sharing