2 cities in 2 days, our whirlwind tour of Fremantle and Perth.

The Pinnacles and Yanchep NP (on our way to Fremantle)

Wednesday 23rd November

On our way to Fremantle we stopped at the Pinnacles - where there are thousands of limestone mounds sticking up from the yellow desert sand. They are up to 30,000 years old, however how they came about is still debated and there are at least 2 theories as to how, and why, they were formed. No matter how the Pinnacles came about, it is certainly a unique experience to walk through them.

Gazing out at the spectacular scene.

There are so many different shaped and sized Pinnacles - and of course the kids (and Daniel) found a few they thought were shaped like a part of a male's anatomy!!

We stopped for lunch at Yanchep NP and got to see a few of their resident koalas.

Fremantle

Wednesday 23rd- Saturday 26th November

Although we spent 3 nights in Fremantle, we arrived late on Wednesday then spent Friday in Perth so we really only had a day and half to enjoy all that Freo has to offer. As well as walking along the foreshore and having coffee at one of the many alfresco cafes along 'Cappuccino Strip' we spent the whole day Thursday exploring some of sights of Fremantle, including:

• The Fremantle Prison (it was in continual use from 1855- when it housed convicts- to 1991- when it was closed because of concerns with the conditions).
• The Roundhouse (Fremantle's oldest public building - built by convicts)
• Cicerello's - the famous fish and chip restaurant on the Fremantle Harbour
• The Shipwreck Museum
• Monument Hill
• A great ninja warrior style playground
• We also did a drive by past the old Lunatic Asylum- another iconic Freo building constructed though convict labour.
• The street art decorating the walls of many of the city buildings and warehouses

The kids were both nearly as tall as an average 1800's convict.

The Roundhouse - the first public building in Fremantle (built by the convicts and used as the initial prison until the actual Fremantle Gaol was built- also by convicts).

The cannon at the Roundhouse is fired every day at 1pm, as it used to be in the past when it was used to inform ships of the time. We stood just back from it and the vibration reverberated right through our bodies. We were grateful we had our hands over our ears- it was so loud!

Fish and chips at Cicerello's- the oldest fish and chip restaurant in WA. It has so much character and our meal was great.

These signs were all around the outside eating area - it took the kids a little while to work out the acronym!

There are heaps of aquariums in the restaurant and we all enjoyed looking at the huge array of marine life that call this place home. Jackson's fave was this blue swimmer crab.

WA Shipwreck Museum - we weren't sure what to expect, but it was fantastic. So many artifacts retrieved from shipwrecks along the WA coast, including a ship's engine that had been underwater for 100 years, but was still able to be restored and now works!

SS Batavia- a Dutch ship that was wrecked off the coast between Perth and Geraldton in 1629. More than 200 people eventually died, though many were massacred by the second in charge when the ship's captain went for help. Quite a bit of the wreckage has been found, including this large part of the ship.

Just a few of the anchors from the many shipwrecks that have been discovered off the WA coast.

War memorial on the top of Monument Hill - overlooking Fremantle.

Below are just a few examples of the incredible street art we saw whilst walking around Fremantle

Perth.

Friday 25th November

After our big day walking the streets of Fremantle we had a relaxing morning before spending the afternoon and evening in Perth. We began at King's Park for a picnic lunch and a play in one of the many playgrounds before we headed into the city centre. From 3.30- 9.30pm we walked around the city streets, enjoying the ambiance of the first big city we have been to in months. During our walking 'tour' we:

- Saw the huge Xmas themed sand sculpture at Elizabeth Quay

- Wandered through the city centre looking at the grand old buildings (and the new skyscrapers)

- Walked down Hay and Murray St Malls and gazed at all the Xmas decorations, while dancing in the 'snow' that was being pumped out to create a Xmas wonderland.

- Followed the Xmas lights trail and got into the Xmas spirit

- Had a selfie with Santa and saw the Perth city Xmas tree in Forrest Place

- Had a delicious dinner at a Thai restaurant

- Went in a lift, rode an escalator and went round and round in a glass circular entry door- big city treats for our small town kids!!

- Had hot cinnamon and sugar donuts from the Twilight Hawkers Market.

We all had a fantastic afternoon and evening and we revelled in the energy and vibrancy of the Perth, it's a really great city.

There were so many lovely plants and flowers in King's Park.

Elizabeth Quay

Gazing up at one of the skyscrapers being built- we haven't seen anything like this for awhile.

The Xmas sand sculpture - the best sand sculptors in the world are in Perth to do this amazing piece of art- including the current world champion.

Leonardo (from Italy) specialises in perspective- we couldn't work out how he created such crisp lines and edges using sand.

The kids even got to have a go and created a mini masterpiece :)

We all enjoyed this kangaroo sculpture during our walk through the streets of Perth.

By chance, we discovered a newly opened art installation: Floribots- an interactive origami robotic flower garden that responds to audience movement. It was so unique and quite addictive - when you moved the flowers near you started to grow and a pattern was created. We nearly ended up on Channel 10 news, they began filming just as we were leaving!

We felt like we were in Europe when we turned down this laneway.

Pink explosion - one of the many Xmas displays around Perth.

Who can resist a photo with Santa - especially when you get a candy cane afterwards!!

Below are photos from the Perth Xmas lights trail - there were 35 different light installations to see, located all over the city. We ended up seeing about 25 of them before we decided to call it a night.

One of the malls- the city was bustling.