Tag: day trips

All in a day # 1 Fremantle Western Australia

Wondering what to do with your day? A quick trip down the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) to the port of Fremantle is a fine thing to do on a Summer’s day.

Perth to Fremantle – Boats, trains and cocktails

January 2023

One sunny Saturday in January, we were home with no plans. It was one of those perfect Perth summer days – not too hot with the promise of a breeze. So an afternoon in Fremantle was just what the doctor ordered (see what I did there). If you are not from Perth, you may not know that the sea breeze is fondly known as the Fremantle Doctor.

The train is usually my transport of choice when heading to the port city as parking can be a nightmare, and what’s not to love about riding the train along the coast? However, today we decided to do as the tourists do and jump on the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) for a boat ride. I quickly checked online and discovered a Captain Cook cruise departing from Elizabeth Quay at 2:15 pm. $43 for a one-way trip – probably not something I would do every day. So without overthinking it, I booked!

Elizabeth Quay
Captain Cook Cruises

We threw on some hats, grabbed the camera, and caught a bus to Elizabeth Quay. The boat was ready to board when we got there, so we headed for the top deck. The bar was open, and beer was on the menu, so we ordered a beer and sat back to enjoy the trip of just over an hour. There was a commentary of course, which is not always to my liking – but this was OK. The skipper pointed out landmarks and told us about some of the houses we passed.

Swan Brewery
Perth City

We arrived in Fremantle Harbour, where we caught sight of frolicking dolphins and could see the bustling Gage Roads Brewery, now situated on the wharf in one of the old passenger terminals. We decided to go and check out the brewery first. The brewery was impressive, with views of the harbour and enough seating configurations to suit groups of all sizes. A playground at one end with a real boat and an old four-wheel drive for the kids to climb on.

Freo Giraffes
Maritime Museum
Gage Roads Brewery
Gage Roads Brewery
This might be the best bar view in Perth!

Next stop was the Fremantle Markets – I must admit I last went there some time ago, and it feels a bit tired. Even though it was bustling, it didn’t have the same vibe as the old days when permanent markets like Fremantle were king (or queen). I enjoy the outdoors of a farmers market these days. We did a quick circuit, breathed in the flavoured coffee smell that always assaults the senses when you enter the market and decided to head back to the other end of town. We meandered and stopped to check out op shops and bookshops. Fremantle wins hands down when it comes to secondhand books and killer op shops.

Op Shop
Vintage clothing

The next stop was the Jungle Bird, where the cocktails were flowing – so when in a rum bar… We stopped for a cocktail and soaked up the atmosphere before deciding that we should think about getting on the train for home.

The Jungle Bird
Rum bar

The train was in the station, so we boarded and sat back to enjoy the coastal view. By this stage, we were starting to feel a bit hungry, so we decided to get off the train in West Leederville and duck into Besk for some share plates and one last drink. The food was delicious and really hit the spot – we over ordered, of course, and had to abandon the basket of french fries!

Besk Bar – West Leederville

We could have gotten back on the train and continued our journey as we started by returning home on the bus. But with full stomachs and all that fresh sea air, we were happy to jump into an Uber for the trip home.

We arrived home as the sun set and agreed that our adventure had met all expectations considering we had none about 30 minutes before we had set off.

What’s the skinny?

  • Fremantle is around 30 minutes from Perth City.
  • The train departs every 15 minutes during peak hour and every 30 minutes on weekends and at other times.
  • Fremantle is a port city with a rich maritime history.
  • Gage Roads Brewery is worth a visit, if not for a beer, just for a gander.
  • Its best to catch a train (or ferry) because parking can be tight.
  • Captain Cook Cruises depart from Barrack Street Jetty in the city & arrive at B Shed in Fremantle.
  • Give yourself a day to meander.
  • Go and visit the Maritime Museum – there are two.

Avon Valley Hikes: Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary and the Numbat Trail

So, quite some time back my 26 year old son said that he wanted to walk the Numbat Trail and I was keen as were a few others. So we finally settled on the 1st September at 11.00 am for our walk. I had emailed ahead to book and pay the $10 pp entry fee. Contact Paruna Wildlife Sanctuary

The beginning of the Trails; The Possum, The Quenda & The Numbat

The Paruna Sanctuary is situated in the Avon Valley around 1 hour east of Perth. It is a wildlife corridor that links the Walyunga and Avon Valley National Park’s, an area of around 1 912 hectares. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy operate the park where many species of wildlife live including the Western Quoll (Chuditch), the Black-Flanked Rock-Wallaby, Tamara Wallaby, Woolies, Quenda and Brushtail Possum.

The date approached and leading up to the Sunday we were due to walk the weather became increasingly nasty. On the Sunday morning the Bureau of Meteorology clearly stated that storms were expected and that the wettest time of the day would be the middle part. Both my son and I checked the radar and cheerfully said to one another that it didn’t look too bad up in the Avon Valley. We drove up to Paruna in torrential rain still chatting and hoping against hope that the rain would “rain itself out”.

  • The beginning…
  • Water, water everywhere
  • A map of the trails
  • Stunning bushland
  • Two little friends we discovered on our trek
  • Tracks are well maintained

Well lo and behold it stopped raining when we arrived and there was “enough blue sky to make a pair of sailor’s trousers” (a saying my grandmother was oft to use) and we enthusiastically exited our cars and put on our wet weather gear. We had already decided before we arrived that we would do the 12 km Numbat Trail. There being 3 options of varying lengths and difficulty. The Numbat being the most challenging.

The first part of our walk was punctuated by showers but nothing too wild. I was quite disappointed that the skies remained grey because being the photographer that I am it’s all about the light! The trail was well marked and maintained. We stopped periodically to look out from the various look-outs and to have a quick drink or snack.

The wildflowers didn’t disappoint and there was a healthy flow of water in the waterfalls and streams that we passed. We reached the point where the Numbat Trail takes a turn and leaves the main trail to begin the loop. One of our party decided that she would turn back and meet us at the beginning of the main trail and the rest of us soldiered on.

  • Well-cleared tracks
  • Fast running streams
  • Waterfalls
  • The mighty Avon River
  • View through the rain
  • The spot where the Numbat Trail Loop begins
  • One of the smaller creatures on the trail
  • Many picnic spots on the way

The loop was probably the most challenging part of the walk as it wound it’s way up to the highest point of our journey. The surrounding landscape was quite clear with many grazing areas. As we ascended the steep incline we saw mobs of grey kangaroos who stopped their grazing to gaze at us with curiosity and we also noticed that there was mobs of grey clouds approaching accompanied by howling wind. When we reached the very top we were hit by gale force winds and horizontal rain. There was nowhere to shelter so we crouched behind some shrubs.

  • Another flowing stream
  • Grey kangaroos
  • Fleeing kangaroo
  • Steps
  • Grass tree
  • Stunning view half way up

Absolutely drenched, we decided that it was best to keep moving. I abandoned all hopes of taking amazing panoramic photos of the view and the surrounding bushland and jammed my camera into a plastic bag for the downhill descent.

The water was, by this time, flowing under our feet and some of us were beginning to feel that first squelch that meant that our shoes had finally given into saturation. None of this, however, took from the beauty of the surrounding bush and landscape. I only wish that there had been a break in the rain so we could stop and take in the beauty of the elevation.

When we got back to our fellow-walker , she too had tales of trying to huddle under the bushes and even attempting to get under the picnic table! The rest of the walk back was really wet but I did manage to pull my camera out for one attempt at photographing some drenched Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos.

  • Against the grey sky
  • Bedraggled Cocky

The entire walk took us 4.5 hours and we were suitably exhausted and very very wet when we got back to our cars, by now the only cars in the carpark! The hot shower and glass of red wine was very welcome when I got home. I am definitely returning in the finer weather to do this walk again. Unfortunately the park closes at the end of September so I might not get there this year. Oh well, there is always next year.

If you would like to read about another hike close to Perth, click here https://www.lisabenjess.org/the-sixty-foot-falls-walk-trail-in-the-perth-hills/