So here we are with a new series! Steph's and Jenny's Epic Perth Trip. Why epic? Because this was their very first time to Perth, and because the trip was so enjoyable. The two of them were really good travel companions, and they made my mid-semester break so enjoyable. I took 4 days off to travel around with them - and that was because I did most of my work way before they arrived.
In case you were wondering, I went to Hillary's Boat Harbour one day after Steph and Jenny's trip to Perth, but decided to write about my trip to Hillary's Boat Harbour as this series MIGHT get a tad too long. Anyway, my adventures with HF to Hillary's Boat Harbour, Scarborough Beach and Burswood Hotel are documented here. Funny thing was - it rained half the time when Steph and Jenny were here, but on the day HF and I went to Hillary's Boat Harbour, it was so beautiful and sunny! Nevertheless, we still survived and finished off in one piece!
The fun began when Steph and Jenny arrived in Perth at around noon. Their hotel was conveniently located in the outskirts of Fremantle (or Freo as I call it). So we decided to head to Cicerello's - at the fishing boat harbour in Freo - for some lunch. It's kinda weird because - I've been to the harbour so many times and yet I don't have a single picture of it! But now I do! :)
There were a few restaurants around the harbour - and the one I photographed was Kaili's - another fish-and-chips shop.
Some more pics of the harbour before going back in. It was kind of chilly that day!
The rest of the day was spent settling in and letting our food digest. Steph and Jenny checked in while I just chilled out, and went for a briefing session after that.
On the next day, I decided to stay overnight at the hotel, but prior to that, we headed to the city for a look. We decided on visiting the Perth Mint, London Court, Lake Monger, Kings Park and well...walk around the city a bit! And as we were walking to the Perth Mint, I spotted this poster on the WASO (West Australian Symphony Orchestra) box office window. I'd really, really want to go for this! But I don't even know if I am able to make it. Will see how things go! I might actually go for it!
We were experiencing really wet weather that day. It rained heavily, then stopped, and then rained heavily again. And it was COLD!!! 15 degrees in Perth in spring is just unusual! Which meant going to the Perth Mint was quite a good choice. Anyway I've not stepped into Perth Mint since I was around 6 (I think!), so this was a good time to relive some of the good ol' days.
Took some pics of the exterior just before we were drenched yet again. Grabbed some hot chocolate from the cafe inside - and it was just soooooooooo delicious! I wouldn't mind going back to that cafe again! Steph even bought a slab of chocolate in a box resembling a gold bar - and so did I (but for a friend). We finished one slab within minutes. I might go back to the mint someday...just for that gorgeous slab of chocolate again.
And because of the rain, our tour within the mint had to start from another spot. The tour guide mentioned about the Gold Rush in Australia and provided us with really good information on how it came about. He then talked about famous gold nuggets discovered in Australia - and even showed us replicas of them! One of them was called the Welcome Stranger - the largest nugget known to date (found on 5th February 1869), another was called the Hand of Faith (discovered in 1980). The third one resembled an eagle, but on second looks, it looked like a machine gun as well! Only the Hand of Faith remained intact, and it's now on display in Las Vegas.
The area was also designed to show how camping in rural areas was like during the Gold Rush. Explorers weren't equipped for the scorching summers, and their camps were usually simple and scarce.
We were then led into the mint where we saw lots of famous gold nuggets, and even got to hold a 15-kg slab of gold - which was extremely heavy! We also witness a gold-pouring show, where a trained demonstrator showed us how liquid gold was moulded based on an iron mould. The pouring of gold was really fascinating. Gold was first melted in a furnace at over 1000 degrees Celsius, and took on a white-hot appearance. When it was poured into the iron mould, it cooled down and solidified really fast. But it took a few dips in cold water to cool it down completely. The pots used to hold molten gold were only used for 2 weeks before being discarded, but before they were discarded, the residual gold would be extracted from them.
Anyway the gold pouring was exceptionally amazing. The tour ended with a free-and-easy walk around the mint, before Steph and I got some souvenirs. We then headed off to London Court for a walk - where I bought more chocolates and some keychains with vintage advertisements on them. I love vintage ads - they're just so pretty! And the punchlines they use are pretty interesting too! The shop I bought them from also had lots of British-inspired stuff like phone booth keychains (the bright red ones!), sweets and so on.
It's been a while since I last stepped into London Court. But nothing much has changed. I like walking through London Court though, it's always so fascinating. It's like being in a different world.
As we were waiting to cross the road, I noticed this shop known as the Stockade. I've been in there before and they sold good-quality clothing and stuff. Sadly the shop was closing down (not too sure why), so I decided to take a pic of its shop front before it closed for good.
We drove to Lake Monger Reserve shortly after. Had a bit of a fail moment in navigation, but eventually we got there!
Lake Monger Reserve was certainly different from what I anticipated. It was just surprisingly quiet. I remembered coming here when I first came to Perth (as in, my very very first trip to Perth), but it was much more popular back then. There used to be black swans, but they've now moved over to the Swan River.
There were other birds and ducks around though!
While Jenny stayed in the car (it was still cold!), Steph and I explored the area a bit. I like the surroundings around Lake Monger, especially the tree-lined footpath...
And the quiet, tranquil nature of Lake Monger itself. HF and I even drove past Lake Monger on our way to Hillary's Boat Harbour...and the spot we drove past was directly opposite the spot I was standing on!
I might come back to Lake Monger again someday - to explore the area further. But for now, I'm happy with the pics I took of it.
As we were leaving the reserve, I took a couple more shots from the car.
We then headed to Kings Park and braved the rain to explore the Glass Bridge. More to that in the next post!
But for now...let's move on to the rest of the day. As we were driving from Kings Park back to Freo, we spotted this dramatic sunset - made even more interesting by the clouds. It had been raining non-stop as we were leaving Kings Park, and this certainly paid off!
Had dinner in an Italian restaurant in Freo, near the Roundhouse. This was actually my first time out to Freo at night (I usually like to stay in at night as I'm too lazy!), and I HAD to take pics of it! It was quite a different experience...and Freo looked gorgeous even at night.
Some street views just as the sky was getting dark...
And while I was waiting for food, I ducked out to take more pics. It was drizzling a little and was getting colder and colder, so I couldn't stay out for long. Anyway I decided to go against the "star" lighting we normally see in night photography, and opted to preserve the original shape of the lamps instead. Made the pictures look a little different.
We decided on hot chocolate to warm ourselves up before heading back to the hotel. And as we were walking to San Churros, I spotted a gorgeous dress on a mannequin. So out came the camera!
I guess I'd never be able to wear such a dress...so all I can do is admire it!
Had really good hot chocolate in San Churro before braving the cold weather back to the car. And just opposite San Churro was the Newport Hotel - a favourite hangout spot for uni students. I wanted to take pics of Cappuccino Strip (the famous restaurant/bar/cafe belt of Freo) - but it was cordoned off. Ah well - next time then!
Headed back to the hotel to freshen up, and promptly fell asleep. Must be the effects of the chocolate!
Anyway our next part will be on the trip to Kings Park - where we braved strong winds and rains atop the Glass Bridge and enjoyed breath-taking views of a strong, intense double rainbow! Stay tuned!