Oz and NZ Journal

2 - 14 November 2013 - Quokkas, street rubbish and the return of the rash

Hillarys Boat Harbour - a place to see and be seen.

Well, there you go, nearly two weeks have flown by and we've done very little except look at the sea, toast the sunset, cook, eat and sleep. Much like being at home really, which might explain why Fo started to feel homesick while out for lunch one day. The trigger was a young lad walking past the restaurant who had a passing resemblance to one of our rugrats and, before I had time to comment, she was in tears. To make matters worse and, ever the empath, I suggested she get a grip. Even after 35 years I still know how to put my foot in it with aplomb. A frosty lunch followed but she soon regained her default cheerful demeanour after a cheesecake dessert.

Some trollop flirting across
a crowded boat

So what have we done here? Well, we visited the Aquarium of Western Australia and marvelled, once again, at sharks, rays and other tropical fish. Adjacent to the aquarium is Hillary's Boat Harbour, a once small boardwalk that has mushroomed into a marina and beach complex housing more cafes, bars and restaurants than I have ever seen in one place. Add in numerous boutique shops and you'll see why we spent far too much time chilling here. We did rouse ourselves, though, to do another whale watching tour from the harbour. The seas were kind and we enjoyed the boat ride but the whales kept their distance, sadly. We had an amazing whale experiences at Hervey Bay in Queensland so perhaps we shouldn't be greedy.

The zoo nearly had a riot on its hands. Were they
in for a 10000 mile service?

We finally saw a quokka, but not without a scare along the way. Fo had been desperate to see these unassuming marsupials since arriving. They used to be widespread in the region but the early Europeans mistook them for rats and exterminated thousands. Things didn't really improve in the 20th century when locals started playing quokka soccer and literally kicked the defenceless animals to death. Thankfully they are now a protected species and there's a hefty fine for harming them (the quokkas that is, not the footballers). The largest population extant is on Rottnest Island (a derivation of Rats’ Nest), just offshore from Perth. Unfortunately this involves an $85 ferry boat fare so instead we settled for a day at Perth Zoo.

A quokka looks like a small wallaby, not
that you'd ever know from this truly
dismal photograph

On the way to the zoo we had to catch a ferry across the Swan River and were surprised to hear many French accents on the boat. We were even more surprised to find a French patisserie for coffee and croissants. For 20 minutes or so it felt like being in Provence. Weird or what?

It just keeps creeping higher. Yuk.

I have voiced my disapproval of zoos on many occasions but, wary of incurring any more spousal ire, I readily agreed to go. In the event it was a good day, we walked miles and got to see many Australian favourites like Tasmanian Devils, koalas, cassowaries, emus, wallabies as well as some lesser known species including numbats, bandicoots and biblies (you can look them up.) The day was marred by a return of the rash that I had in Queensland. It's back with a vengeance and my doctor this time has prescribed penicillin as he thinks the rash is bacterial. I’m not convinced and don’t particularly like taking broad-spectrum antibiotics but he did seem insistent. We’ll see.

Perth city and the Swan River viewed
from Kings Park

On another day we went to a local market. I say local but, in fact, it was a good 30 minutes away by car, Aussies think nothing of driving distances like this to do everyday chores. Also, as previously mentioned, food is pricey here, so everyone takes markets seriously and shops accordingly. It was huge and all too frantic for me so I let Fo, Robert and Ken do their thing while I retreated to a shady spot with coffee and a bun. They eventually emerged bearing veg, fruit, eggs and happy smiles so I assume they had a good time.

I'm sure it was here this morning. Must stop
doing this in public parks.

On Sunday our hosts, Robert & Ken, kindly organised a picnic for us. We threw our rug down in Kings Park, a magnificent botanical garden on a hill overlooking Perth city and the river. The views across the river were great and we would have explored more of the park in the afternoon but, by 2.30, the temperature was nearly 40c so we headed back for the sea breezes at Scarborough Beach. These are remarkably regular and on hot days are most welcome; so much so that the reviving wind has been named the Fremantle Doctor.

Robert, Ken and a wardrobe-challenged POM.

On the way back I drove through some really smart suburbs of Perth and was surprised to see piles of junk and old furniture simply dumped outside the houses at the side of the road. It seems that this is allowed here and, periodically, the local authority will clear it away. It seems odd that people would voluntarily clutter their smart neighbourhoods like this and it certainly wouldn't happen in the Home Counties; the net curtains wouldn't stop twitching my dear. It was another reminder that some things in Oz are very familiar, others are so, so different.

Finally, a few extra zoo pictures.