Heading to Prison

            The next morning, Sara and I headed to a ferry in South Perth near where she had grown up. Imagine growing up in a house that overlooked the Swan River! We were soon in the front seat of a sleek streamlined ferry headed toward Perth. We stepped off into a new waterfront nicknamed “Betty’s Jetty.” The multiple billion-dollar renewal project is still being completed and is dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II. (She is the “Betty.”) The sidewalks are giant mosaics of black and tan stones or planks of wood that swirl around the water’s edge.

            There is a delightful foot bridge you can see in the above photo. We had just enough time for a cup of coffee at an outdoor café before our river cruise on the Swan River. The Swan River was originally named the Black Swan River in honor of the black swans that inhabit it. (Two conveniently floated by so I could see them.) The river is so wide at Perth that it looks like a large lake. On the boat, Sara and I found an empty table next to a window and settled in for our trip to Fremantle, about 25 miles west of Perth. The captain pointed out sights along the way. We enjoyed looking at many multi-million-dollar houses that have been built next to the shore. Many people were out enjoying the sunny day; there were many boaters, water skiers and people fishing.

            After about an hour, we pulled into the harbor at Fremantle at O’Connor Landing, which was named after the ill-fated engineer. We were able to observe several military ships, an animal transport ship and a giant ship that carried new cars. There was also a cruise ship that does local tours.

            We were soon on a trolley driven by a gregarious driver who obviously enjoyed his job. The man kept us entertained with stories of the exploits of the early settlers and the histories of local buildings. Eventually, he landed us at the door of Fremantle Prison. In the early days of Australia, convicts were brought from England. There was no facility in the 1800s, so the prisoners were set to work building their own prison. It was on top of a limestone hill. The workers quarried the stone on the hill and then built the prison.

            In the early years, the convicts were sent out during the daytime to build things like government buildings, and then returned at night to the prison. There was little incentive to escape as there was little way to survive if they did in these days.

            The prison was used until 1991 when the world found out the conditions in the prison. The prisoners somehow set the roof on fire, but since the facility was so old, the fire trucks couldn’t get through the gate to put the fire out.

            Sara and I got back on the trolley to go to the next stop, a war memorial atop a large hill. From that viewpoint, I could look down on a residential area. The architecture is a mix of old and new, as it is in most cities. The oldest buildings are made of local limestone blocks and are very distinctive in style. Many of these buildings have been renovated and turned into tourist attractions, such as museums or art galleries.

In the residential areas I’ve seen so far, many of the single-family homes are one-story and have either red tiled roofs or corrugated roofs. Although the houses are packed together, most have delightful back yards and verandas. 

Our next stop was the maritime museum. http://museum.wa.gov.au/museums/wa-maritime-museum

It is home to the Australia II, which won the America’s Cup. The museum also had “Kylie on Stage” about a famous  Australian singer whose name meant nothing to me. She’d had a concert in Perth the night before. Even though I didn’t know who she was, the exhibit was interesting as it included a lot of her costumes.

I am finding I have little time to post, so am a few days behind! Sorry I haven't been able to add much detail. Later!