Here's our final installment of the Swan River/David Carr Memorial Park series. I reckon it's kind of a mixed post as I'll be talking about other things, other than the park itself. Anyway, let's get started!
So remember the swan family I saw during the same trip? Yup, they crossed the road and ended up HERE! The David Carr Memorial Park - a small, peaceful area located near Mounts Bay Road (which leads into the city itself).
And just a quick recap - here is the family (minus the dad) at the park, just chilling out and enjoying the pleasant weather. Plus some bonus snacks by an old gentleman who was also chilling out with them.
I was also chilling out on the grass myself, and this was what I first saw - when I crossed the same road and walked down the hill - carefully of course! The water was right at the foot of the hill, and I did not want to roll into it!
The park was generally empty, except for the swans and the old gentleman. He was just sitting there quietly, enjoying the peace and feeding the swans. He was quite a cheerful bloke, and I did talk to him a little - when the swans had crossed the road.
Anyway - the water was very still, and lots of ducks were swimming in it, trying to break up the reflection in it. I managed to capture some shots of the water when it was pretty much still. And the good thing is - my camera managed to bring out the blue colour of the sky AND the water! Yay for manual mode!
I ventured on to another part of the same area - where there was a smaller pond, which wasn't as well defined. I reckon it's because of lack of rain. This one was quite dried up, and there were some spots which was damp and sticky. But when the bus sped past the same area today - I noticed that the place was more flooded and the water looked as if it was going to overflow. It's been raining heavily for the past 2 days - on and off - and temperatures have really plunged! On the day I went to the park, it was about 24-25 degrees. Now it's probably between 16-18 degrees.
So I trudged through the grass and got to this spot - where the city skyline was visible. There were some black and white ducks swimming around, but they weren't as hyperactive as the ones before.
Just behind the trees was the road I crossed - in order to get here. I first spotted this place when I was touring the city on one of the Blue Cat buses (a free bus within the city), and couldn't hop off as I was heading somewhere else. So I decided to come back again.
The walking trail. Plenty of shade and lots of photo-taking opportunities. :)
And that marks the end of my trip! I took those pictures on the weekend the semester ended - to commemorate the end of my first semester in Perth! And of course - it was my so-called last day of freedom before gruelling exams.
Now that exams are over - I decided to head to the nearby shopping centre to grab gifts.
These pictures were taken yesterday - it's pretty evident that the weather's gloomy, erratic and the grey clouds just didn't go away! The grey clouds provided stark contrast for these red leaves though! Although it's technically winter here in Perth, the trees are just starting to shed their leaves. By this time in Melbourne, most of the trees would have been bare.
A recap of what I did for the past 2 weeks before exams finished.
Study, study, study. In the university library - one of my favourite "hangout" places.
And this is how thick my notes ended up being. Just in case you were wondering, I called it "Hardcore Revision" as I spent lots of time going through the lecture notes word by word, and ensuring that all points were jotted down.
Snapshots of the exam venue for this semester. For the 2nd one, I actually took pictures of the building as I wanted to be very certain that it was the right building. Many of us were baffled by the venue for our 2nd exam, and I actually went to search for the venue - just in case. Things worked out in the end, and we all ended our exams on a pretty good note - as the paper was good! :)
The day after I finished exams, I headed to UWA (on the other side of the river) to participate in my friend's psychology experiment. Travelled by train along the Kwinana Freeway (my university is just off this freeway). The freeway's really gorgeous as it goes across the mouth of the river, and everytime I'm on the train, I get to enjoy a gorgeous view. It's particularly beautiful when the skies are clear, but this time, something stood out despite the rain clouds.
A rainbow! Rising from the surface of the waters! :) It was kinda far and I didn't bring my dSLR, but here are 2 snapshots of it!
Skies had cleared up by the time I finished with the first 2 sessions, and I took pictures of the famous Winthrop Hall in UWA.
Anyway while I was heading back from the city along the Kwinana Freeway, I had a taste of gorgeous scenery...again. I really enjoy my train rides to and from the city! Never experienced that in Melbourne before. I think I'm going to miss Perth when I eventually leave. It's quiet and laid-back, but beautiful in its own ways. What I will miss most - cruising down the Kwinana Freeway on the train! And my university of course (I know it sounds weird but hey, I love this university so much!).
Anyway - the same routine was observed today, and I took pictures from the moment I started my journey to the bus port. Here we go!
Waiting on the platform - as the train comes in. I kinda like this shot as the train comes in at about the same time as the white lorry towards the right. And it happened that the lorry ended up being captured within a "grid" - made by the metal poles supporting the roof. I like this shot very much.
Initially, while travelling down the Kwinana Freeway, we see nothing but trees and cars. Then at a certain point (I'm guessing it's somewhat halfway between the Bull Creek and Canning Bridge stations), we end up on a bridge spanning the river - and we also end up enjoying a view of the river.
Back down again at water level. We're literally cruising on the same level as the water. It was really fascinating when I first took the train, but unfortunately I didn't take pictures then. Anyway, I plan to take more pictures tomorrow.
We then encounter a long stretch of road alongside the water....all the way......
Until we end up on a bridge again. This was the same bridge I spotted on my way to the David Carr Memorial Park and when I was on the walking trail, as mentioned in the previous post.
And we can also see a tiny bit of King's Park - located right at the top of the hill. One of the places I haven't been to is King's Park - and I plan to go there next semester. Other places I aim to go to include Lake Monger, Hilary's Boat Harbour (where the aquarium is), Cottlesloe Beach, Subiaco Markets, Northbridge (though I went once already) and some other places. I might even go back to the places I visited before.
Till then - I'll be posting pictures of Melbourne and Singapore for the next month or so! Can't wait to be home in Singapore!