WA Maritime Museum

Can't believe it's gonna be the AFL Grand Finals this coming weekend! I'm so excited! Hopefully I'll be able to go to Fremantle to watch the Grand Finals - live...and soak up in the atmosphere.

Anyway speaking of Fremantle...here's a post on Fremantle! Went to the WA Maritime Museum to get away from assignments and also to enjoy some blue skies and sunshine...it was my first break in quite a while and I definitely wanted to make full use of it!

So I started off the day with some really delicious paella for lunch, from the Fremantle Markets. Oh gosh it was amazing! I'm actually craving for paella right now...

Spotted this Elvis impersonator (with his guitar) near the Anchor hotel. He was actually a street busker. I later found out that the Elvis face was a mask, and he was wearing clothes that were spray-painted. He didn't really have spray paint on him. But...he was pretty cool!

Artwork along the Cappuccino Strip. I didn't notice this until now...but it was an awesome discovery!

Headed to O'Connor's Landing (named after C.Y. O'Connor - an Irish engineer who was famous in designing and establishing the port and harbour of Fremantle)...and passed the Customs House - a prominent landmark in this area, as well as the statue of C.Y. O'Connor, standing proudly next to the Customs House.

Passed the A sheds - one of the major boatsheds along O'Connor's Landing and Victoria Quay - where ships would pass through and unload/load their cargo.

Reached the WA Maritime Museum! And took some pics of the Welcome Walls...it's been a while since I last came here. The last time was in November last year before I went back to Singapore.

I noticed people going around this part of the museum, and was kinda curious as to what was there. So I decided to explore it further. Followed a couple of folks......

And ended up in this open area...which was so beautiful and peaceful, and overlooking the sea! There weren't many big ships that day, so I could clearly see all the shipping equipment on the other side of the museum. It was so amazing...and the weather was awesome too! So I decided to lie on one of the benches...to chill out and enjoy the breeze.

And then I spotted this distinctive design...and decided to take more pics of it! This is a part of the Maritime Museum which I haven't seen before...

I wasn't too far away from the famous Submarine Ovens - a major attraction in the WA Maritime Museum. And of course, that meant that I was situated just opposite a couple of old cranes, originally used in the shipping industry.

There we go - the shipping cranes and Submarine Ovens in the background. I'd like to go on Submarine Ovens again! The tours were really cool, the last time I went!

The path I took after deciding to leave the open area...it took me so long to get my butt out of the bench!

Sculpture commemorating children who arrived by sea during the earlier days of Fremantle - situated near the Welcome Walls.

It started to get cloudy and I was worried that it might rain. Fortunately it didn't, so that gave me time to walk around the B sheds and O'Connor's Landing. There was a band playing in the B sheds, and I could hear the bass drum each time. I think they were playing 20th century music or something. Quirky and interesting!

Anyway the ferries to Rottnest Island (another place I intend to go someday!) depart from the B sheds, and I'm presuming we could get tickets here too! One day - I'll go to Rottnest Island and have a nice time there :)

Ended up on Philimore Street, and decided to walk around as I was still pretty full from my paella. I really love the architecture of old buildings. So glad that many of them have been preserved in Freo. I haven't seen as many in the main city...

Yay! Pasta addiction cafe! Unfortunately it was closed as it was the weekends. I should go back there someday, to satisfy my pasta cravings! AND garlic bread cravings!

Spotted this toy stuck to the grilles of a window...and that kinda freaked me out when I first passed by. I totally didn't expect something random like this. Anyway I presume it belonged to someone working in the building. I saw some desks and artsy stuff in there.

Ended the day with a nice cup of hot chocolate...as usual. I've been having the same hot choc every weekend...for around 7 weeks! And I never get tired of it!

And that's it for now! I really have to plan how to get to Fremantle's Cappuccino Strip this coming Saturday to catch the footy. Gosh so exciting!!

Kings Park Wildflower Festival Part 2

And here we are - the 2nd post of the Kings Park Wildflower Festival! I couldn't resist going back to Kings Park a second time to take pics of the lovely flowers! This time, I went with my housemate and her friend, and we also took a walk around Kings Park.

Before we started - we went over for lunch...and I had this delicious brownie again, with MORE chocolate sauce! I think they must have known that I'm a regular. Instead of having a large hot choc, I decided to settle for a smaller one this time.

Took this pic just as the bus was going up the hill. We were really lucky - it had been raining lots over the week, but it was really nice and sunny on the day we went.

Stopped by to take pics of the smaller flowers. They're a challenge to photograph sometimes...especially when the wind isn't in your favour. But once you get pics of them, there's always this sense of satisfaction. The flowers may look pretty big here...but it's because of my telephoto lens (with a built-in macro function).

My housemate spotted this bunch of people in flower costumes walking up the hill, and so I quickly took this pic before they disappeared into the trees. I think they were mascots for the Wildflower Festival.

We also found this hollow, but really old tree. It was really cool!

On the way to the Glass Bridge, we stopped by to take some pics of the Memorial Gardens, before taking some more pics of the city skyline and Narrows Bridge - a bridge spanning the Swan River and connecting the north and south banks of the river together. Narrows Bridge is a major landmark of Perth, and is very popular amongst photographers.

The Glass Bridge was actually part of the Lottery West Federation Walkway, established in 2003 in Kings Park. The walkway itself is surrounded by towering eucalyptus trees, and the Glass Bridge literally arches over the canopy of these trees, providing excellent views of the river and of the city.

Went up the Glass Bridge...and up till now I'm still impressed by this magnificent piece of architecture. The Glass Bridge is actually made of steel, with glass panels on either side. But it blends in really well with the surroundings. It isn't flat - it actually goes up and down - peaking right in the middle of the bridge. And that point is also a very popular spot for photo-taking.

So here we go - a walk across the Glass Bridge!

New bird stickers on the glass panels of the bridge. How cool!

On the way back, I noticed that the skies were much less cloudy than they were before. Which meant...these boab trees stood out in stark contrast against the skies...and I really like the effect it created.

Boabs actually live for a very long time, and their branches are usually bare in dry seasons. They have water stored in their trunks - which explains why their trunks have such unique shapes.

Unusual roots spotted on one of the plants. I had to crawl under the leaves to get a pic of this!

Also spotted some unusual, yet fascinating flowers and leaves along the way, as we made our way to the War Memorial. I believe these are native plants in Australia.

As we made our way up the pathway to the War Memorial, I caught a glimpse of Narrows Bridge and South Perth. I haven't visited South Perth much - and that's a part of the city which I'd like to explore more.

Ended up at the War Memorial, where we spotted lots of people chilling out and enjoying the wonderful sunshine. The War Memorial was built to commemorate soldiers who fought during the war. There is also an eternal flame - "Let Silent Contemplation Be Your Offering".

Some more mandatory flower shots before I called it a day. Well - I spotted these growing outside the "Aspects of Kings Park" shop...and decided that they deserved to be photographed!

As we were walking down Fraser Avenue (the main path leading up to Kings Park from the city), I spotted this gorgeous bell...and decided to have a pic of it against the clear skies. Turned out pretty well!

One last pic of some of the tall trees lining Fraser Avenue, before hopping onto the bus.

And I guess that's it for now! Will post more pics soon! Do stay tuned!