Days in Perth
The days pass by. Perth has been hot all week, with temperatures rarely (if ever) falling below 30 degrees. The heat of the afternoon makes it difficult to be out and about so I’m spending more time staying around the hostel and the pool.
Tuesday morning, I headed up to the top of the hill around the edge of Kings Park. The Red CAT is a useful service for this and a short walk down Fraser Avenue brings me to the Bali Bombing Memorial site and some wonderful views of Perth. The plan was to walk down the hill to see more of Kings Park but by mid-morning the heat was already getting too much.
A trip to the aquarium proved to be more difficult than was necessary. Using public transport means getting a train out of Perth to Warwick then waiting for a bus to Hilary’s Bout Harbour, where the aquarium is located. The buses run very infrequently.
Still, the aquarium itself proved to be an excellent place. The Aquarium of Western Australia, or AQWA as it is commonly known, has a great mix of marine life from around the west coast of Australia. From the colder waters of the Indian Ocean to the tropical coral reefs of the northern borders, everything in AQWA can be found off the coast of Western Australia.
The main tank exhibit is exceptional. The 40m by 20m tank with all the big and beastly fish and marine life inside with a 98m tunnel to walk under and see everything above.
Christmas is fast approaching but it doesn’t feel like Christmas to me. Not quite. This morning I was having coffee at the hostel before heading out and a drunk Irish guy duly informed me that since it was Christmas week all bets were off. The guy had been up all night drinking.
I was reminded about why Aussies are great people. Heading over to Northbridge for the day I got chatting to a woman from Perth. She extolled the virtues of the WA Museum and Art Gallery and mentioned a couple of good places to eat in Northbridge.
The Western Australian Museum was a very interesting place, focusing on the history of Western Australia, the Aboriginal culture of the area and the wildlife. I always like to learn more about places I visit and here was a chance to understand more about the growth of the Swan River Colony.
There are also a group of skeletons in the WA Museum, interesting to see just how small a koala skeleton is.
In the grounds of the WA Museum, the old Perth Gaol building still stands. Built in the 1850s the gaol was used to house colonial prisoners until Fremantle Prison was completed. Perth Gaol was closed as a prison in 1888. The gaol has been changed over the years and now serves as an extension to the WA Museum.
A Megamouth shark is also housed in the WA Museum grounds. The first shark was caught in 1976 and few have been seen since. This one was washed up on the shore near Mandurah, WA, in 1988.
