Have been missing in action lately as I was mostly away during the one-week break!
A cold front swept through Perth during that week, and when I was travelling with my friend (who came specially from Melbourne), we were literally freezing...even though both of us survived the frigid Melbourne winter! It was just so unlike spring weather. Imagine seeing rain and more rain for 3 whole days in a row...unpleasant! Anyway the skies cleared up on Saturday, and I went to Hillarys Boat Harbour the next day (see pic below)! More to that soon.
Now back to the main topic - the Wildflower Festival.
I happened to miss the bus when I reached the city, so I decided to WALK to Kings Park from the train station. Route was simple - walk up St Georges Terrace (past the gorgeous buildings), climb up the hill past the Parliament House (and West Perth), and then turn into Fraser Avenue - the main entrance for Kings Park. Along the way I took a couple of pictures.
I wonder what this is, but it looks like a gateway or something. Definitely unused, and at the foot of the bridge.
Parliament House from where I was. Covered it in this post. This is the other side of the Parliament House. Sheesh, and I'm reminded of the bloody magpie who swooped me. I'm now kind of apprehensive when it comes to passing trees with magpies below them!
Walking wasn't an issue. Walking UP the hill to get to Fraser Avenue was quite a challenge! And it was quite a warm day too. Glad I wore white though! Anyway the climb was definitely worth it, for I reached one of the scenic spots at the entrance of Kings Park.
And then the madness began...I spent at least half an hour or more trying to get pictures of the wildflowers. If I'm not wrong the festival's ending soon.
That is why I said - this post is gonna be long! Too many pictures - mostly flowers! After all, it's my favourite type of photography.
Anyway after shooting many many pictures of the flowers, I decided to go further up to check out the war memorial. And took some pics as I went along - of the city skyline. Fraser Avenue offers one of the best views of the city - uninterrupted and gorgeous.
People were just lounging around and relaxing on the grass, near the war memorial. I felt like doing so - but decided not to. Decided to walk around instead. After all, I'm quite a restless person and love walking around/running. I intend to run at least 5 times a week apart from going for regular photography trips.
"Let silent contemplation be your offering". The war memorial and the eternal flame look particularly beautiful amidst the clear sky.
People were just chilling out and enjoying the quietness. And there was an old gentleman standing beside me, with a Canon camera too! Had a tiny chat with him before we carried on our separate ways. People here in WA are just so friendly! It's another reason why I MIGHT come back to WA for postgraduate studies. Of course - I'm gonna learn driving and get a small car and go to more places!
Meanwhile...back to the war memorial...it's so peaceful! Just like the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne.
And the madness continued when I spotted flowerbeds near the war memorial. I just couldn't help it!
Oh and the lighting was good too, so yea...LOTS of pictures of those flowers. I went back to Kings Park on one of the rainy days (more to that later in another series!), and the flowers were withered! Wonder if it's because of the heavy rain, or because the season's over.
Was contemplating whether to walk to the train station again or take the bus. I chose the latter, BUT I walked down half of Fraser Avenue and spotted this beautiful shelter here. There was also a sculpture of Queen Victoria not too far away. There were quite a number of sculptures along Fraser Avenue - might scrutinise them in more detail someday.
Anyway that's all for Part 2. Part 3 will be about the famous Glass Bridge and the remaining attractions in Kings Park. I actually went up the Glass Bridge 3 times already! All during different weather conditions, and of course the pics will turn out differently.
I called this series the Wildflower Festival series - as these pics were all taken during the Wildflower season and the festival itself. Did lots of deviations from the original Wildflowers area, but yep, I did manage to explore the bulk of Kings Park!
Do stay tuned!