Day 52: Thu 09 May 24 - Rockingham - @KJ's (Perth / Fremantle)

Thu 09 May 24 - Rockingham - @KJ's (Fremantle)

19 feeling like 15 Deg C, cloudy for most of the day with a moderate NE wind reaching 27 Deg C, clearing by the late afternoon.

After getting ourselves organised, Rajinda the Uber driver met us on time at 08:00am in the driveway and drove us to SIXT Car Hire on Adelaide Terrace in Perth to collect our hire car. The small car that we requested turned out to be a not-so-small Toyota Prada. I've never had any interest in owning a Prada, and after driving one today, I'm certain I never will. After arrival followed by a much needed coffee and some toasted sourdough for breakfast at a nearby cafe, we collected our car, then drove to Fremantle for the day. First stop after parking the car for the day, was the Visitor Information Centre to find out more about a Rottnest Island visit. The lady who served us tried hard, but wasn't as helpful as we had hoped. Leaving with an arm full of brochures we decided to do our own research back at the van, with a plan to book a day visit out of Fremantle, possibly on Saturday when the weather is expected to be ideal.

The rest of the day was very enjoyable, strolling leisurely around Fremantle through the streets of the old town to the Fishing Boat Harbour and the Round House - the oldest public building still standing in West Australia. From here we continued back through the old streets, admiring the lovely buildings, before stopping for light and tasty lunch at a neat little cafe, followed by gelato at Gellatisimo a little further, then an outstanding coffee a little more further at another nice al-fresco cafe. With batteries recharged, we proceeded to visit the WA Shipwrecks Museum near the Fishing Boat Harbour. Recognised as the foremost maritime archaeology museum in the southern hemisphere, the Museum is housed in 1850s-era Commissariat building and has since been restored to its historic glory. Steeped in history, the galleries house hundreds of relics from ships wrecked along WA’s treacherous coastline, including the original timbers from Batavia wrecked in 1629. It really is a wonderful museum, and one full day would still not be enough. With traffic building, we returned to the car and drove back home before it got too busy. We eventually arrived back home in Warnbro at about 5:00pm, and while Noel had a rest, I sat out the back of Kingsley's house on the shady deck and enjoyed a refreshing ale. After Dinner (very tasty grilled fresh snapper for me and chicken schnitzel for Noel), I started the daily routine of sorting through photos and compiling the blog, bringing to end a most enjoyable day.

A day in Fremantle after collecting our hire car from Perth

We asked for a small car - We got a Toyota Prado. I suppose it is small compared to a RAM!

One day early for the Fremantle Markets - closed

The Vasco da Gama monument on the Esplanade Reserve at Marine Terrace in Fremantle commemorates the 500th anniversary of the voyage of the explorer (1469 - 1525), a Portuguese navigator whose voyages linked Europe with the Indian Ocean.

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour - Statue of Bon Scott.
The AC/DC singer moved to Fremantle with his family in 1956 and his ashes are interred in Fremantle Cemetery.

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour - Honouring the Fishermen. This sculpture honours the many families that have contributed to the fishing industry in Fremantle.

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour - Honouring the Fishermen sculpture

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour - Cicerello's Seafood Restaurant regarded as the best seafood restaurant in Australia (some say the world)

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour - Biker monument built for the owner of the bike hire and cafe store by a keen cycling friend

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour - Making Friends

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour - View from the Round House

The Round House - The first permanent building built in the Swan River Colony. Built in late 1830 and opened in 1831, it is the oldest building still standing in Western Australia

The Round House was used for colonial and indigenous prisoners until 1886, when control of the Convict Establishment prison (now Fremantle Prison) was transferred to the colony. After that, the Round House was used as a police lockup until 1900, when it became the living quarters for the chief constable and his family.

View from the Round House in to the streets of Fremantle

Fremantle is renowned for its well-preserved architectural heritage, including convict-built colonial-era buildings.

Fremantle is also regarded as Perth's Old Town

Flora in the city

A walk through the charming old town of Fremantle

A walk through the charming old town of Fremantle - with splashes of colour

Brew Time... 👌

Brew Time vista

A walk through the charming old town of Fremantle

Visit to the WA Shipwrecks Museum

Visit to the WA Shipwrecks Museum - Part of the hull from The Batavia

Almost 400 years ago on 4 June 1629, a flagship of the Dutch East India Company was wrecked upon Morning Reef near Beacon Island, 60 kilometres off the Western Australian coast. It was the maiden voyage of the Batavia, bound for the Dutch East Indian colonies of modern-day Jakarta, but the tragedy of shipwreck would be overshadowed by the subsequent mutiny among the survivors on the isolated Houtman Abrolhos Islands. Read about Batavia

Batavia Model (before it sunk)

Part of the hull of The Batavia

Beardman jugs - Saltglaze stoneware jugs from various parts of Germany and Belgium have been recovered from the Batavia. The popularly known Beardmen jugs were principally manufactured in Frechen, near the German city of Cologne. The jugs were sturdy and suitable for storing or decanting various liquids - wine, vinegar, etc. - or even as containers for mercury, and became popular for drinking beer

Barbers surgeon's bowl

This is one of two barbers' bowls found on the wreck site. The cut-out neck in the bowl was used for shaving or for catching blood from surgery. The barber cut hair and performed the surgeries.

Batavia was carrying a consignment of silver and gold goods when it wrecked in 1629.

Part of the consignment was salvaged in 1629, but the rest remained on the wreck until archaeologically excavated by Museum divers over three centuries later.

In 1978, a group of skindivers discovered a new shipwreck at Point Cloates. While sifting through the debris they found a mass of what they described as 'black biscuits. On closer inspection, they realised they were silver coins camouflaged in black silver oxide corrosion. Coins are considered valuable to archaeologists as they can help to identify shipwrecks by providing a likely date-range for when they were wrecked. The coins from the Point Cloates wreck dated between 1754 and 1809, which together with other finds, led archaeologists to identify the wreck as the American ship Rapid wrecked in 1811.