Last Days in Perth

There's a lot to like about Perth. And a lot to discover. With two days left to explore, the choices about where to go and what to see were plentiful, so a walking tour was in order. My first destination was Heirisson Island, a small mile long nature reserve that sits in the middle of the Swan River,accessed from the Causeway Bridge just on the edge of the central business district. Our walk took us past the WACA..a mecca for cricket fans. Tall concrete floodlights towered over the stands which had recently hosted some Cricket World Cup matches. 

Avoiding distraction and navigating some busy roads we finally arrived on Heirisson Island, an oasis of calm. Surrounded by water and birdsong a gentle track led us around the island. The reason for our visit was some wildlife spotting as we'd read that there were some wild grey kangaroos living on the island. At first we thought we'd been led on a wild goose chase (or more accurately a wild roo chase) but eventually Mrs B spotted the silhouette of a roos ears...and then the rest of the roo camouflaged against scrub and short spiky clumps of grass in a wetland area. I walked quietly and slowly through the grass, camera in hand and then realised there were three roos chilling out no more than 6 feet from my feet. After taking plenty of photos we reluctantly left the roos in peace..and before Mrs B could smuggle one into her backpack. 

The next leg of our walking tour took us along the banks of the Swan River until we reached the Barrack St jetty. Refuelling with coffee and suitably revived some culture was in order. Our first stop in the cultural quarter was the Museum of Western Australia. This was a mixed bag. A photographic exhibition and a gallery devoted to aboriginal culture were both terrific. We also inadvertently attended a short talk on the endangered black cockatoo...with a live specimen called 'Rex'. I was simply trying to see a particular part of the museum but an attendant seemed keen to encourage us to sit down and learn about cockatoos. When travelling I've learnt to go with the flow - so not wishing to disrupt proceedings I sat down with a slightly bemused Mrs B and learnt more about black cockatoos than I ever expected to in my life. 

The Art Gallery of WA was next up..and I avoided any mishaps. It was a rather bland building but housed a fine collection of both modern and contemporary art. A meandering route found us in an area called Northbridge where we enjoyed the street art and quirky shopping opportunities. 

After 6 miles of exploring on foot we headed back to our apartment having been enchanted by Perth and happy we'd stil got one more day in the city and lots more to see.

For our final day, before heading South, we thought a visit to Perth Mint would be interesting. Alas these plans were foiled by a coach load of pensioners. Admission was by guided tour only..and all the upcoming places were taken. Rather than wait we headed for the beach!  A cheap train jouney took us through Perth suburbs before we alighted at Cottesloe Station. Ten minutes of walking and the beach was in sight..it was beautiful. Cloudless skies and blue sea with clean golden sand made for a beautiful sight. Cottesloe Beach was backed by a beautiful pavilion and trees. There wasn't a pensioner in sight!

A flock of white cockatoos squawked and argued on the grass and in the trees behind the beach, doing their best to imitate a flock of seagulls. 

We walked for a while along the seafront, watched a few surfers and reapplied sun tan lotion. It was getting warm! The local convenience store sold made to order cheese toasties..so lunch was taken al fresco. Then some more walking and sunbathing made for a relaxing time.

It was hard to leave Cottesloe but our rucksacks needed repacking in readiness for the next stage of our journey. The next destination would be Peppermint Grove Beach, 150 miles further South but likely to offer plenty more beachcombing opportunities.