(pics: Swan River from Kings Park in Perth, Pension of Perth, Downtown Perth by night from Kings Park)
We all got good night’s sleep and didn’t get up until about 7:30 - amazing for birdwatchers as it gets light here about 5:30. Walked next door for fruit, yogurt, cereal, eggs and the famous thick, meaty Aussie bacon. Cool and artly cloudy.
After breakfast Mark said he had to do a few hours of UC business to do on his computer, so Bob and I drove down to the Botanic Garden in Kings Park, a couple of miles from the Pension. To our surprise the park is on a hillside overlooking the wide Swan River with a wonderful view of the modern skyscrapers of downtown Perth, bridges, ferries and sailboats. The land looked so flat when we were flying in that I was amazed to see such interesting topography.
The park has a wonderful collection of Australian and other Mediterranean climate vegetation, lots of it in bloom being the height of spring. We walked a couple of miles along trails over looking the river, through eucalyptus groves, over a glass bridge, by blooming banksias. Being Saturday, the park was full of families and cute kids. Saw lots of Red Wattlebirds, the dominant bird, and also a new life bird: the White-cheeked Honeycreeper, a robin-sized bird with huge puffy white cheek patches. We stopped by the Garden bookstore and by the Café for a “flat white” (Aussie coffee with milk) and returned to the Pension at noon, where Mark was still deep in correspondence with UC.
Bob and I decided to drive downtown and take Lonely Planet’s walking tour of historic buildings. We parked in a cavernous underground car park and climbed up three stores to a pedestrian overpass to the main train station. We were overwhelmed by the smell of bratwurst, onion and sauerkraut sandwiches grilling nearby and bought one and consumed it messily while standing in the walkway.
Revived, we walked out onto a large shopping mall surrounded by Victorian government buildings mixed with very modern ones. One glass and steel building had the portico of a 1900’s one weirdly attached to the front. We made our way down to the waterfront and ferry building to the sound of the tall, modern Swan bell tower chiming its 14th century bells. Several wedding parties, very festive. Perth is the most isolated city in the world but quite a cosmopolitan and multi-cultural one in a lovely setting.
Exhausted, we returned to the car park and drove around and around in the gloom as there seemed to be no exit, Finally one appeared and we emerged onto a street with no sign of where we were. A little disconcerting, but finally figured out what street we were on and return to the Pension about four.
Mark still typing away. The one reservation we haven’t made is for our last two nights in either Perth or Fremantle before we fly out. We contacted a few B&Bs but they are full, so we may have a problem!
We showered and changed and Mark, who was finally finished, drove us back to the Botanic Garden where we just were able to make out the view before it got dark. We went into a slightly fancier café and had a great meal: wine, beer, pizza with roasted pumpkin, Portobello mushrooms and pine nuts for me, veal schnitzel for RR and salad for Mark. Licorice and coconut gelatos for dessert. We walked out to see the spectacular lights of Perth and returned home for bed.
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