Well... my kind of town. On the western coast, about a 20 minute train ride south of Perth, Fremantle is the ultimate bohemian relaxing chill spot. Just what I needed after all the hustle and bustle of the previous week. It has art galleries, used book stores, architecture, churches, green spaces, little quirky bars and small hole in the wall restaurants with food that would rival Michelin star restaurants. Oh and did I mention it's right on the coast with surf, fishing, beach lounging and......the world's happiest animal. I think I might have found my nirvana.
I arrive around sunset on a Saturday night and quickly discover that this is the place to be on a weekend with your mates. My room was in The Federal Hotel. Now, I am used to staying in rooms in pubs in England and thought that it might be a little loud, and I would have to share a bathroom, but this was at a whole new level. The Federal, as people call it, was hopping. Live band, couple of different rooms, patio out back all filled with party goers. I had to yell over the bar that I was checking in, but they yelled back and it all went smoothly. It was a fun lively atmosphere and besides for the first time on this trip I had a room of my own. However, the shared bathroom made me laugh. It had a lock on it but nothing to latch to, so someone could see it was occupied when you turned the latch, but just push right in if they wanted to. But no worries, all good, no one did. So I just let the energy of the place fill me and was ready to go check out this seemingly cool little town.
View from just outside my room
I picked a direction that looked like it was toward the water and strolled towards it passing many cool looking bars all filled with laughter and people enjoying themselves, vintage shops that were closed for the evening and art teasing me with interesting looking window displays. I could not wait to explore all these the next day. I made it to the roundhouse, which was the first permanent building built in the Swan River Colony by convicts in late 1830s. It is the oldest building still standing in Western Australia. I went up on the lookout just as the colors of the sky were turning a deep purple orange and the lights from the harbor were beginning to twinkle. I kept thinking, is this place real?
Almost as if it came back with, oh we have more than this, just wait, I rounded the corner and saw a Ferris wheel in the middle of a park surrounded by pine trees. Kids were running around playing and shrieking with laughing, with generations of parents were enjoying ice cream cones. It was literally out of a Hallmark movie. I found a cool funky little restaurant called Frida Mexicana and had some of the best pork barbacoa tacos and fresh made margaritas I have ever had. I wish I had more energy to keep going and join in on the party scene, but I was pooped. Two days of travel wears on a 50 year old, so I inserted my provided earplugs let the vibration all the party below lull me to sleep.
I woke up refreshed and decided to just have a day for myself. I found a little cafe called Gino's for coffee and a cinnamon roll which became my favorite place to have coffee in the mornings and started from there. Then I just took off exploring Fremantle or Freo as it is called by locals. If a shop, gallery, or bar caught my interest I would stop and check it out. The street art... well, you can see for yourself was amazing. I loved the used book stores. Even though I knew my small suitcase wouldn't support my used book habit I restrained myself and was content just looking. The market blew me away. Little stalls were crammed into this clean, well lite, beautiful building all bustling with activity. It really had something for everyone. Interestly, Freo has an unusually large amount of barber shops, not hair salons, barber shops, all very chic. A hipsters dream.
As evening approached I started getting hungry and a sidewalk chalk sign with the word escargot caught my eye. I love a crisp white wine and escargot, so I popped in and inquired about dinner. I was seated in the back courtyard parousing the menu, and the descriptions of classic French bistro food made me decide right then and there this was where I would spend the birthday money my friend Jenny sent me and told me spend on something unexpected. It was so worth it. I savored every morsel of food and wine in this adorable little restaurant while listening to birds sing and enjoying the view of the very cute waiters. 😉. Perfecto.
The next day was designated for Rottnest island. This small island about a 30 minute ferry ride away is known for its white sand beaches, lighthouses, stories of shipwrecks and the happiest animal in the world, the quokka. How did I not know this animal existed? I had to check it out. So I boarded the 9:30am ferry which included a bike to explore the island and arrived in Rottnest to well...cold and wind. Not what I envisioned in my mind with white sand beaches, but I was excited,non the less, and set off to find the quokka and ask it's secret to happiness.
When explorers in the late 1600s first spotted this fuzzy, friendly-looking animal in Australia, they figured they’d stumbled on a house-cat-size rat. Not even close....okay maybe the tail looks the same as a rat, but Quokkas are marsupials like kangaroos and wallabies, but so much more. They climb trees and reach for leaves like koalas, eat leaves like giraffes, hop like rabbits, sleep like bats...well only in that they are upside down, and their expressions can not do anything but make you smile. They were not hard to find. In fact, they were everywhere. Be prepared for cuteness overload.
And of course must do a selfie with a quokka which is not easy because they are ground dwelling.
I continued riding my rented bike around to the different beaches and found a trail to a beach with no one on it. It was heaven. I put my toes in the water with the idea of going for a swim but the cold water changed my mind, took some photos and just laid down on my blanket for a snooze when I felt a drop, then another, then it was a down pour. Have you noticed this keeps happening to me? You can actually see the lightning above my head in one of the pictures below. What does this mean. So I grabbed my stuff, ran back to my bike and pedaled as fast as I could back to the ferry. I was literally a drowned rat or quokka, I guess. But is was a great day and even with the wind, rain and pesky flys who thought my face was a good place to rest, I enjoyed Rottnest island.
I returned to The Federal and had a long hot shower in the newly opened bathroom which had a lock on it, 😁 (See, you really just need to appreciate the small things in life) and got ready to meet my cousin Travis Brinnand. There are not many Brinnand in the world, and my Dad, through his diligent research, let me know we have two lines of Brinnands living in Australia directly related to us and Travis is related to me through one of those lines. He is my 4th cousin. His great great granddad Thomas Robinson Brinnand and my great great granddad Matthew Brinnand were brothers.
We met at The old courthouse and, although we have never met, hugged as cousins do, then noticed we both share the Brinnand nose, ah of all strong traits out there the Brinnands are cursed with the nose. For over two hours we got to know each other and learn about our families and the curious facts of how similar we are. It was one of the highlights of this amazing trip so far.
Of the places I have traveled so far in Australia, Freo is definately the place I connected to most. I really liked it. It might be the light of the western shore, the laid back atmosphere, the adorable quokka or connecting with family, but I have a feeling if I come back to Australia this is the spot I would like to spend more time. Ya never know.
What is The Blind Date With a Book? Either you don’t know what you’re about to read…or you read the same book with someone you don’t know. Either way interesting.