Perth
We were not going far today so we had no need to hurry this morning and had agreed last night on a 9:00 am start. Majella and I ate breakfast in our room and attended to morning puzzles and reading until it was time to go. It was a bright sunny morning with temperature predicted to rise to 27ºC.
John drove us out of the car park and headed for Kings Park, our first destination for today. We missed the main turn into Fraser Drive but found a second one at Jorang Grove. There was parking there near the tennis courts and we thought it should be a pleasant short walk through the park to the information centre. It was a pleasant walk with wildflowers to see but, at about a kilometre, not as short as we had expected.
At the information centre we found that there were free guided walks departing at 10 am. By then that was not a long wait so we sat for a while and then joined the walk. Lynne and John were both feeling less than 100% this morning and the walks offered the option of dropping out at any time if necessary.
Our volunteer guide, Doug, led us first to the floral mound which, as its name suggests, was covered in a variety of flowering natives. Some we had seen on our wildflower wandering but many, including the variety of kangaroo paws, were new to us. Doug described and explained some key characteristics of different species we were seeing.
From there we moved on through the botanic garden area which was divided into sections representing different areas of Western Australia. Doug explained the structure of eucalypt blossoms and the differences between mulga (acacia) and mallee (eucalypt). We passed through areas with a variety of different flowering plants, saw pink fairy and spider orchids, and walked through the treetops on an elevated walkway over a small valley.
Then it was back to the cafe where we enjoyed coffee and snacks. It was getting warm by then so rather than all walk back to the car, Majella and I walked back and brought the car around to collect Lynne and John.
Next stop was Cottesloe Beach. We found parking by the surf club easily enough and ate lunch of grilled fish and chips at a cafe across the street. A walk down to the beach and out on the breakwater gave us a view up the beach to the surf club and in the opposite direction toward the port at Fremantle. We plan to go there tomorrow morning.
It was approaching 2 pm by then and time for a rest. Majella drove us back to our hotel where we agreed to rest in the cool until 4 pm.
Around 4 pm Lynne messaged Majella to say they were still resting and suggested we meet up for drinks and dinner at 6 pm. Majella and I went for a walk down to the Swan River, along the bank, and back via the pier area. It was still 27ºC when we went out but there was a cool breeze by the river. We sat for a while watching small children playing in the waterpark and then had gelatos, pineapple and mint for Majella and pistachio for me, before walking back to the hotel.
At 6 pm we went out with Lynne and John to find dinner. They had scouted the local streets last night, found a nearby Indian restaurant, City Heart Indian Restaurant, and assumed from the south Asian clientele that the food might be good. They were right. John, Lynne, and Majella had dishes with steamed rice – madras chicken, butter chicken, and lamb Rogan josh – and I had chicken biryani. All were tasty and spicy.
After dinner we went for a walk through the mall and around some local streets. In an open square John struck up a conversation with a woman who was living on the streets and had not eaten. We gave her money for food and John urged her to contact Vinnies. She was well spoken, seemed with it though clearly down on her luck, and offered a prayer to bless us all.
Back at the hotel the card players took over the table in the hotel reception area. That was in front of the large plate glass windows that fronted to the street but nobody seemed to mind playing cards in public. By 9 pm they were ready to call it a night and get some rest for what will be a long last day.
