Fremantle & Perth - Our Australian Swan Song

Chatting with a hungry kangaroo at Caversham Wildlife Park,  Perth, Australia

With our arrival in Fremantle, Western Australia, our adventures down under were quickly drawing to a close.  We had so been looking forward to the month of February, which was spent entirely in two of our favorite countries, New Zealand and Australia, and we were very sad to bid farewell to these wonderful ports.

Fremantle, the port for Perth, is located at the mouth of the Swan River.  Founded in 1829, it is a small and “walkable” city.  Because we arrived at 4:00 PM, we had the opportunity to spend the first evening exploring.  Chuck was unable to leave the ship right away, but I decided to head out as soon as I could and explore on foot.  Within short order I had found a Woolworth’s (which is a grocery store in Australia and not a 5 & 10¢ store that we grew up with in the US) and went in to purchase one of my favorite Aussie treats, TimTams (chocolate-covered cookies).  I was hoping to find some souvenir shopping since in the last few ports I hadn’t had the chance to browse, but most of the shops either didn’t have what I wanted or closed by about 4:30.  However, it was interesting to see the typical early Australian buildings with their second-floor verandas, and it was obviously a university town with an arts school and a small Notre Dame college, both of which I saw in my stroll through town.  I also managed to find the Round House, the oldest public building in Western Australia, which was originally used as a prison. 

By the time I returned to the ship I decided that I had really overdone because my foot, which hadn’t been bothering me for the past few days, was really protesting!  I gave it a rest that evening, knowing I would need to be ready to go the next day, and fortunately it cooperated. 

Being an overnight in port, a folkloric show was brought on, the Wadumbah Dance Group, an Aboriginal group that performed several traditional dances to the music of the didgeridoo.  Our favorite by far was the kangaroo dance; it is amazing how grown men hopping around can so accurately portray the movements and behaviors of kangaroos – right down to the hand gestures and the tilting ears.  We thoroughly enjoyed their performance.

The following day we were scheduled for an excursion to a wildlife park in Perth.  Named for Perth, Scotland, the capital city of Western Australia has a population of 1.3 million people.  Geographically, Western Australia is the largest of the seven Australian states, and is approximately three times the size of Texas! Much of this state is sandy and dry, boasting three vast deserts. It is known for its mining, and we saw some multi-million dollar mansions along the river in Perth that had been built by mining magnates. Perth is recognized as the most isolated capital city in the western world.  It has the world’s largest city park, King’s Park, a 988-acre area that is sacred to the Aborigines.  Nearby is a large cemetery where one can often find kangaroos wandering among the gravestones.  This brings to mind St. Tudno’s churchyard & cemetery near Llandudno, Wales, where the sheep meander through grazing on the grass. 

We set out from Fremantle by bus to head toward Perth and the Caversham Wildlife Park.  We were pleased that for the first time on the cruise we were able to take a tour with our friends Sally & Ange.  The four of us sat together on the bus and enjoyed our time together in the park.  Our first stop was into the kangaroo enclosure, which boasted several species of kangaroo, including the rare white kangaroo, which many people mistakenly assume are albinos. Because of their white color, they do not blend in with their surroundings and therefore have more difficulty surviving in the wild.  We must have been some of the first visitors of the day because all the kangaroos were very eager to be fed!  On other occasions when we’ve tried to feed the animals, they’ve had no interest because everyone else in the park had already given them something to eat.  This time however, some of them actually grabbed our hands and wouldn’t let go, wanting as much food as we could give them.  Despite the walkway being so crowded with tourists and kangaroos that it was difficult to get pictures, we had a great time feeding these delightful animals.  We were really concerned about stepping on tails, but the guide assured us, “No worries. The tail is the strongest part of the kangaroo.  It won’t bother them.”  Despite this we stepped carefully. 

Before we’d had our fill of feeding the roos, we were escorted out and were soon on our way to visit the wombat.  There were probably more of them in the park, but only one was brought out to greet us.  The difference between this and other parks was that we could have our pictures taken, posing with the wombat.  She sat fairly still, though did fuss some after awhile, as if to say, “Enough of this tourist action! Let me down.  I’m done!”  We do get a kick out of wombats, finding them quite comical to watch.

Then we were whisked past the flying foxes (a large species of bat), the black cockatoos, and the quolls (another species of marsupial) to head toward the koala pen.  These sleepy little guys were really content to perch in their eucalyptus trees and let us take close-up pictures of them.  Koalas are not indigenous to Western Australia, so these had been brought in from the eastern and southern regions of the country. 

I’m not sure what it is about the Australian wildlife, but I am absolutely fascinated by all of these unusual animals that are found nowhere else in the world!  Seeing them in the wild is about as common for Aussies as it is for us to see squirrels or raccoons.  The only problem for the tourists is that the marsupials are nocturnal and are usually curled up somewhere sleeping when we are out and about. 

After hurrying through the park, we headed into the heart of Perth, where we would catch the ferry for a trip down the Swan River back to Fremantle.  We had hoped to get a tour of this beautiful city, but there just wasn’t time.  As we arrived at the harbor, the guide pointed out the Swan Bells, a famous landmark bell tower at the entrance to the harbor.  The bells that ring regularly are a gift from St Martin in the Field, a church we have visited many times while visiting Trafalgar Square in London.  Our timing was perfect because the bells were pealing as we arrived!

The ferry was packed with guests, considering that four busloads of cruisers were scheduled on this trip.  Sally and Ange were on before we were so they got us seats at a table for six on the upper level.  As we headed down the Swan River, we realized that the other two ladies at our table, although they had American accents, were not on our cruise.  Both were from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  One had married an Aussie and had been living in Perth for eleven years.  The other was visiting her for a month.  We thoroughly enjoyed visiting with both of them. They were fascinated by our cruise experiences, and we were equally fascinated by the first lady’s experience as an American living in Australia.  She was able to point out interesting sites on our 75-minute journey back to Fremantle. 

As we sailed down the Swan River, we realized how aptly the river was named.  Graceful black swans dotted the shoreline as we traveled past.  In fact, the black swan is such a well-known symbol of Western Australia that it adorns the state flag!  While we had anticipated catching glimpses of these beautiful birds, we were quite surprised to spot a dolphin in the river.  We had heard that dolphins sometimes swim up the Swan River, but we certainly hadn’t expected to see one so close to Perth! 

I must admit that when the ship’s horn blew as we set sail from Fremantle, I had tears in my eyes.  I do so love Australia and New Zealand, and while we are really looking forward to the rest of the cruise, we will miss the friendliness and familiarity of both of these wonderful countries!  We feel so comfortable in both countries, and while each has a very unique and fascinating heritage, they remind us in so many ways of home!

In Captain Jonathan’s departure announcement, he referred to the cyclone that we mentioned in the previous post.  Fortunately by the time we are in that area of the ocean, the cyclone should have headed inland and the most we will get is some small swells.  We were relieved to hear this for more reasons than one!  Naturally we did not look forward to violent storms, but we also knew that the days between Fremantle and our second Indonesian port would be Mariner Appreciation Days.  Stein Kruse, the CEO of Holland America, joined the ship in Fremantle, and the days while he is onboard are always filled with extravagant and gala events!  There are cocktail parties (which aren’t a big draw for us) and brunches, and one night we will be in the Pinnacle Grill for a special dinner hosted by Stein Kruse.  Another night will be a huge party where the Lido is transformed into a unique setting.  The theme is always a big surprise, but we are assuming that this year it will be an Indonesian theme.  Last year we celebrated Mardi Gras with a New Orleans theme while he was on board. This year’s event will be held while we are in Bali.  With so many Indonesian crew members, I’m sure they will be eager to show off their culture. 

So as we sail toward our first Asian port of Bali, we close another page on our wonderful cruise and look toward new horizons. 

BT