We left the town of Cervantes on Sunday to drive south to Perth for a multi-night stop and a catch-up with with friends and family.
Before going too far, we made another visit to the Pinnacles in Nambung National Park . We made a second trip around the 4 kilometre long loop road around the pinnacles and desert area. The Pinnacles are very spectacular and at times the gap between them is narrow and tests how well you know the width of your car.
For most of its distance, the Indian Ocean Drive took us through thick coastal scrub and unless we deviated into a location on the coast, there wasn’t much Indian Ocean to see. Just before we reached the northern suburbs of Perth, the terrain opened out and we travelled through many large areas of Grass Trees. In my youth, these plants were known as ‘Blackboys’ but that name is now considered to be culturally insensitive, they are now known as Grass Trees or by the botanical name of Xanthorrhoea.
Monday was a public Holiday in Perth (KIng’s Birthday) so the city was rather quiet. Jill and I went for a walk around the main CBD area looking at some of its sights.
His Majesty’s Theatre in Hay St Perth. My 11 year old grandson performed there in the ballet, Dracula, a few months ago.
Rio Tinto headquarters building. This mining company sponsors Aboriginal art as a project to support the communities in which it has mining operations. I believe that this annual exhibition is curently showing in the large foyer of this building. On a previous visit, we purchased a painting and have it on the wall at home.
The entrance to the historic London Arcade.
The Hay Street Mall has a bronze statue of the famous local street entertainer Percy Button. Percy (1892–1954) was a loved local identity and World War I veteran who became a well-known Perth street performer. The sculpture shows Percy performing a handstand while dressed in his trademark long tail coat.
On St Georges Terrace, is a series of over-life-size bronze figures showing the progression of businessmen and figures that shaped the Perth CBD across five eras:
1. Dutch exploration and mapping (1697)
2. Early Anglo-Celtic settlement (1829)
3. The gold rush era discovery (1885–1895)
4. Post-WWII European immigration (1945–1955)
5. The Millennium Man (2004)
The historic State Buildings on the corner of Barrack Street and St Georges Terrace in the Perth CBD.
The Supreme Court Building, located in Stirling Gardens, was officially opened on June 8, 1903, serving as the principal seat of justice in Western Australia. It is the oldest public building in Perth.
Wild flowers at the entrance to Stirling Gardens.
Jill with more flowers in the Hay Street Mall. The city council should be applauded for these beautiful planter boxes.
Perth City Town Hall
I caught up with my good friend Ibrahim Abdullah with whom I worked at Control Data Corratiion over 40 years ago. We have kept in touch ever since and I really enjoy the chance to see him whenever I am in Perth.
We have also had afternoons and dinners on each of the nights that we have been in town with my family. It’s been a few yars since I have seen them The boys have certainky grown a few inches and it is good to see tham all looking so well. We are going out to an Italian Restaurant for dinner tonight.
Jill had to have a regular injection today that strengthens her bone density. We went to a clinic in Subiaco hoping to see Cathy’s friend and bridesmaid, Janice, who works there as a GP. Unfortunately, Janice was on leave and we missd her. However, we were looked after superbly by all the staff in the clinic.
I found a car wsh and had our car cleaned. It now looks shiny rather than its previous dusty, dirty self.
We spent Tuesday afternoon at Kings Park where the Perth war memorial and botanic gardens are located.
The memorial sits on high ground above the Swan River and overlooks Perth. From it, we had a grand view oif the city.
The botanic gardens are alive with spring lowers – both individual species and large areas of massed plantings.
Tomorrow, we head south down the coast to the towns of Bunburry and Bustleton.
