This post is a continuation from the previous post.
I still can't figure out why - but I spontaneously decided to head to Fremantle Prison to take some pics. Probably because I wanted some wide-angle shots (my old wide-angle lens malfunctioned last year and I haven't gotten good wide-angle shots ever since), and also because I haven't been back there for a while.
I used to be terrified of going to the Prison, as there was this ominous feel about it. But after visiting it once and going through a tour inside, my fears have kinda subsided.
Before I entered the prison grounds, I explored some of the smaller buildings around. These smaller buildings used to be residences of those working in the prison. For example, the Chief Warder's residence was nearest to the prison walls, followed by the magistrate's residence and then the surgeon's residence. These buildings were labelled accordingly.
If I'm not wrong, this was the former magistrate's residence or something...and it has been converted into the Neuropsychiatry Unit for UWA. Kinda related to what I am doing now - clinical psychology. Psychiatrists can prescribe drugs though, while us clinical psychologists cannot.
Decided to focus on black-and-white images to give a more old-school feel to the pics. The cloudiness also helped a bit. It's been cloudy for quite a long time now...I hope the sun comes out again soon!
Other buildings - also designated for prison staff - on the other side of the gatehouse, and also just outside the prison walls.
After exploring the area a bit, I decided to walk into the prison grounds. I didn't go on any tours this time though. Here I am - standing right in front of a sign at the gatehouse.
First thing I saw - visiting areas. Nothing had changed much since I last walked into the Prison grounds. There weren't many people either...and I reckon that there were some doing the tours within the Prison itself.
I was pretty hungry by the time I reached the Prison - as I had an early lunch...and then lost my way while walking to the Prison. By the time I reached the cafe, they were starting to close. Wasn't too keen on enduring hunger pangs...but oh well!!! Hung around the area and took as many wide-angle shots as I could. In some sense I was compensating for the lack of wide-angle shots from last year.
The famous Wray Gates...and the main prison compounds behind it.
Since I didn't go in to do the tour, I took pictures of the Prison from outside.
And went to explore some of the other buildings outside the Prison walls. These included heritage cottages and other designated houses. One of them was the Chaplain's residence.
Decided to walk up the street to get some pics of the prison walls. Again - another form of compensation for the lack of wide-angle shots from last year.
Check out the details on the wall! Limestone was mostly used to build the prison, and construction began in 1851. Convicts were mostly involved in building the prison. The first batch of prisoners went in - in 1855.
After quite a bit of shuffling and lots of turning back and forth, I finally reached the top of the hill! The last time I was here, I walked all the way from Fremantle Arts Centre. This time - I went from the entrance of the prison.
I was the only one on the street at that time...and I wanted to walk to the other side of the walls. But I kinda froze when I saw a magpie - I've been attacked twice by magpies and I don't want to relive that experience again.
The prison walls looked as ominous as ever...and I think the black-and-white effects accentuated that.
Instead of approaching the magpie, I decided to take on an avoidant approach (gee, I'm sounding more and more "clinical" now! The two main themes in clinical psychopathology are approach and avoidance)...and walked back down the same street. Sigh - after being attacked twice by magpies, I've become way more hypervigilant. I swear I'll avoid the Perth Parliament House area in September - that was where I was attacked.
The walk downhill was definitely easier than the walk up...unsurprisingly...
And check out how empty the streets are! I wonder where everyone has gone. So far I only saw one person drive past me...
Came to the bottom of the hill - where the crossroads were. And decided it was time to head off. I'm actually pretty happy with the pictures I took here - the last time I took these pics, they all turned out blurry because my wide-angle lens was malfunctioning.
Roamed around a bit before walking back to the Cappuccino Strip for hot chocolate. You might have seen this pic before in the previous post or so...but I am gonna post it again :)
I am really, really in need of hot chocolate now. Seeing pictures of hot chocolate makes me crave for it. Badly. Sigh...I HAVE to go to Fremantle this weekend to satisfy my cravings!
My next few posts will focus on places outside Perth. These include Caversham Wildlife Park, Lancelin (for sandboarding) and the famous Pinnacles! My flatmates and I travelled north during the break (when I didn't have to see clients of course) and visited a number of awesome places.
Here're some snapshots of the highway - we took the famous Indian Ocean Drive. I've been down south last year...and the countryside there certainly looked different to what I saw here! Anyway both were equally scenic.
And that's it for today! Time to get back to marking scripts and doing readings! Do stay tuned for posts on my adventures up north!