Thursday 28th March 2019 - Fremantle

Our last day! Oh dear! With our flight not leaving until late this evening we decided the best thing to do was to have a plan for something that we still wanted to do. That plan was to visit Fremantle, just 25 minutes on the train from Perth. With long flights coming up we wanted to be as active as possible so walked to the station to get the train.

On arrival in the town it immediately looked and felt different to Perth, even though essentially they are joined. All the suburbs and then North Fremantle are one side of the Swan, and the main town, or city as it is called, the other. City here is not the same as a city at home. Many of the suburbs are called cities, but there is no cathedral, they are brand new developments and there doesn’t appear to be any similarity to the cities at home. Of course someone may know something I don’t and put me right!!

We had been told that there was an element of Fremantle that was a bit alternative, even hippyish, and this was apparent in some of the shops and restaurants, where clothes and menus were perhaps a bit different. However there was some lovely old colonial looking buildings and no real high rise, so it had a much more open feel.

We walked up to the old prison, built by convicts in the 1800’s and had a look around the free bit! This prison wasn‘t closed down until 1991, 100 years after it was declared unfit for purpose. Looking at it, even the little that we were able to see, made us shudder to think what it must have been like.

From here we walked up to Monument Hill, with not only a monument to various wars that Western Australia has been involved in, but also good views back to Perth and out over the ocean. We could see Rottnest Island, and also Garden Island, which is used by the Australian navy as a base.

Fremantle has a harbour area with lots of bars and restaurants as well as a thriving street of the same in the town centre, there is a beach area too, plus a maritime musem and various other attractions so the day soon passed and we were back on the train to Perth and our hotel.

I will miss these beautiful blue skies!

We are now at the airport and both a bit quiet. In fact we have been quiet and reflective all day!

It’s been a strange day, knowing that the trip was about to end, and having mixed feelings about returning home!

What can I say about the last 10 weeks? It has been the most amazing time! How fortunate are we to have had the opportunity to do it! There are so many highlights! The busiest place ever was obviously Hong Kong! The best breakfast award has to go to the Auckland Pullman. There was everything you could ever have wanted there for your breakfast and the fresh fruit selection was superb! Most fluffy bath robes - Regent of Rotorua, where we also had lovely accommodation. Best view goes to the apartment at Paihia, where we were still a bit jet lagged and watched day break over the bay. Most memorable sunrise was when we stopped on The Ghan. Best overall accommodation was on The Great Ocean Road - the view, the rooms, the welcome pack - fruit, eggs, decent bread, coffee, wine and chocolate! Most relaxing time probably in Port Douglas, where we were a bit lazy on some days! Best meal has to be at Bennelong - thank you David and Helen! Most special moments were meeting up with family and friends, all of whom made us feel so welcome. Greatest achievements - all of the New Zealand trek which was a highlight in itself, completing the Tongariro Crossing, and not being totally freaked by snakes on the path!! Other highlights include being at Mount Cook for our 40th anniversary and seeing both sunset and sunrise on the mountain, camping out at the Ballroom Overhang, seeing my first whales, snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, The Ghan, Uluru, I could go on!! Of course we have met many people on our travels and made good friends, some of whom we hope to see again on other adventures. There have been few low moments other than seeing the devastating effects of the Christchurch earthquakes and then the shootings so soon after we had left. A reminder that life is precious and fragile and we need to cherish every moment. The other would be seeing how the human race is destroying this wonderful planet that we live on.

I‘ve not yet read the blog that I’ve written! And I don’t really know who else has been reading it either, other than those who have been in touch which has been great! It started out as our diary, a way to keep a record of our adventure and for David and Helen to know what we were up to. I think it is a bit bigger than that and it will be interesting to find out how many people have been following us on our journey! I only hope that you have enjoyed it as much as us!

I would happily keep travelling! So maybe I need to start thinking about where next!!!