Day 144 Karrinyup Waters, (Freemantle), Perth, WA

Part of the reason we have extended our stay in Perth was because we were waiting for a part for our cooktop that we were assured would arrive this week.  As it is now Friday Philip rang the caravan repair place only to be told that the part wasn't ordered!  (Two phone calls to them last week and they assured us the part was ordered).  We were both feeling pretty angry with the company but what can you do.  They now say that the part will be here on Monday with Wednesday being the latest.  We will see but we are extending our time here for another four nights just to make certain.

So when we walked out the door this morning, feeling slightly discombobulated, we completely forgot the camera and GoPro that usually goes EVERYWHERE with us!  Thank goodness for iPhone Cameras is all I can say.  We are heading to Freemantle and the drive from where we are staying is 30 kilometres and takes around 40 minutes.  It is easy driving now that the roads are beginning to feel familiar.  Gee, by the time we leave we will be able to drive anywhere!

Can I just say right here and now, I really like Freemantle.  We found a Parking area quite near the heart of the city and once we had parked up the car we made our way towards High Street.  On our way we dropped into Kathmandu to purchase some replacement mesh travel bags.  They are a godsend in the caravan but a couple of ours (we have twelve of various sizes) have the zippers broken and they are starting to fall apart.  We have had them for quite a few years and they have travelled thousands of kilometres with us so replacements were inevitable.

The shop assistant at Kathmandu was very friendly and gave us a heads up on which way to head in the city centre.  As it is Friday the Freeo markets are taking place so that was our first port of call.  The markets were like any other and terribly crowded so we didn't stay long at all.  The old building that the markets are housed in though is quite lovely.

After the markets, we started to make our way towards the harbour but spotted a cafe that looked like a nice place to stop and have brunch.  The restaurant was called Mr Chappel and the food here was excellent and far superior to what we had for breakfast yesterday.  After my experience with the fried egg from yesterdays Brunch I decided to go with the Orange Pancakes with Coconut Yoghurt, Grilled Pineapple, Strawberries and Chocolate Sauce.  Perfect.  Philip went for the Bennie and he was a very happy Chappy.

After our hearty breakfast it was time to walk.  We kept heading towards the harbour and made a bee-line for the Ferris wheel that we could see in the distance.  We walked down a lovely tree lined street with some interesting terrace houses but nothing like the heritage buildings that are everywhere in Freemantle.

Once we reached the Ferris wheel I could tell Philip was a little nervous as he is not great with heights but he assured me he would be fine.  I think this photo says otherwise...

We only did three rotations but it was enough to afford us some fantastic views around Freemantle.

From the Ferris wheel we could see the Ship Wreck Museum so that was our next destination. All the way down the West Coast we have been reading about the number of ships that were wrecked along the coastline. An extract from Museum brochure:

"The museum is housed in an 1850's era Commissariat building which has been restored to its historic glory, and houses hundreds of relics from ships wrecked along Western Australia's treacherous coastline, including the original timbers from the ship Baravia (wrecked in 1629), The de Vlamingh plate, and artefacts from the Dutch shipwrecks Zuytdorp, Zeewijk and Vergulde Draeck"

It was a very interesting place and we spent a good amount of time wandering around the two storey building.

Next stop on our walk was the Round Goal.  My goodness those prisoners had it tough.  Prisons these days are five stars in comparison.

Continuing our walk we stopped at a nearby lookout where we had some lovely harbour and beach views.

We made the decision to start heading back towards the parked car as it was close to 1.00pm.  We weren't hungry but we picked up some fresh bread rolls so that we could have ham and salad rolls later in the afternoon. Our return to the car took us a different route and along another one of the city's main streets.  We both commented on the number of restaurants in Freemantle's city area and we both had a vague recollection that it has become a bit of a foodies paradise.  I love that most of the heritage buildings in the city have been restored and still retain their Olde Worldly Charm.  It really is a lovely city that I hope we get to return to over the coming week.