top of page

Day 9 - Perth

  • Writer: Inner Pilot
    Inner Pilot
  • Dec 18, 2010
  • 2 min read

Updated: Dec 11, 2024

ree

Perth


I met a wonderful couple on the flight from Sydney and learned that “Six White Boomers” (see Day 7 photos) is from an Australian Christmas song.


Marion was my taxi cab driver in Perth, and we had a nice chat. She mentioned Australia was playing England in “The Ashes” as we passed the cricket grounds. ‘What are the ashes?’, I asked. ‘Are they from a dead king or something?’ She laughed, ‘no, it’s ashes from a wicket stump or something.’ But she really didn’t know either. Later in the day, as I was changing radio stations in my rental car, I heard an announcer exclaim, “Australia has just won the third test by 267 runs, staying in The Ashes, which is just fantastic!” Oh boy…


Marion said she came from Holland following WWII with all of her family (grandparents, parents, uncles, cousins, etc…) when she was age 5. She said Perth didn’t even have an airport then, and they had to take the long train ride from Sydney. My National Geographic Australia guide book indicates that 2 million immigrants poured into the country from war torn Europe, with travel paid for by the Australian Government. Just to put that number in perspective, note that Australia only had about 7.5 million total population at the end of WWII.


Perth is the most isolated big city in the world, they say. Heath Ledger was from Perth.


Oh, Fremantle (south side of Perth) - This used to be a working port town in the 1800’s and has kept the historic colonial buildings. It seems like a bit overdone theme town to me. But it was very active and people were enjoying themselves.


ree

Fremantle Market


I couldn’t take any more city life and headed south for a couple of hours. The scenery and development vaguely reminded me of Arizona. I wasn’t really enjoying myself all that much; that is, not until the sunset.


ree

Sunset over The Indian Ocean


You know the sound a human baby makes when it’s truly sad (not because it wants something)? A baby cooing with hurt feelings? Well, that’s what the crows sound like here. I love it. The locals apparently do not. The Indian Ocean seems very placid here.


ree

Fremantle Market


ree

Fremantle Market


ree

Fremantle Market


ree

Perth


ree

Fremantle Streetscape



Return to Oz

Day 9 – Perth

 

bottom of page