Perth and Fremantle

Fremantle
Arrive at Perth Airport having both managed some nap time during the flight from Adelaide. Our taxi had duly arrived at 4.30am (yawn) for the 6am flight - and we land at Western Australia's capital city as dawn breaks, having gained two-and-a-half hours.
Catch the shuttle bus to Fremantle some 20k south and book into modern apartment in converted warehouse for a week. It's very hot (mid to late 30s) and, exhausted after early start (body clocks not ticking properly perhaps) we crash out for a few hours mid-afternoon.
Early evening sees us take a stroll around Freo, which sits at the mouth of the Swan River - its port looking out towards the Indian Ocean.
The town itself is a melting pot of cafes, bars and restaurants. It's home to poets and painters, musos and hippies. It looks like the kind of place someone may have rolled into by accident back in the 60s and just stayed there. Think we're going to like it here.
A walk to the waterfront simply reinforces our initial 'good vibes.' Freo is still a working port - home to big cargo ships, cruise liners and fishing boats - while its marina boasts a plethora of good looking eateries and pubs.
We check out one. Little Creatures is a big barn of a place - an old boatshed now brewing its own beers and serving up fish dishes and woodfired pizzas.
It overlooks Freo's harbour and we watch the sun disappear beyond the horizon while sampling a couple of their brews.

Perth
Over breakfast watch TV coverage as Cyclone Yasi does its best to heap even more misery on the poor people of Queensland. Head to the port mid-morning and jump on Captain Cook Cruise for a two-hour river cruise up the Swan River to Perth.
To the left and right of us luxury homes, marinas, yachts - and yachties - galore - a case of how the other half live. (Not like this in Swonzee, just on the Swan). The highlight of the cruise, however, turns out not to be man-made.
Chris startles other fellow passengers up on deck. She has spotted a pod of dolphins close by and excitedly points them out. Just for good measure she spots a couple more (no need to go to Specsavers, girl).
Dolphins aside, the approach to the world's most remote capital is a fine one and doing it by river certainly the best way to appreciate its spectacular skyline and neat waterfront.
Behind lies a modern, vibrant and sophisticated city. A walking tour leads us to some interesting streets and attractions and the green area of Kings Park set in the middle of natural bushland.
The free buses you can hop on and off are an added bonus, as is the TigerTiger cafe we find down a little mews. It's all brightly coloured communal tables - and the food ain't half bad to0.
The heat of the afternoon has us beat, though, and we head back to Freo on the train (30 minutes and great value). Have an early drink, grabs some groceries and it's a quiet night in. Chris very happy to switch on TV and find that new series of Brothers and Sisters is about to start. John pleased to see that re-run of The Sopranos follows immediately. Told you we were going to like Freo - and that's just staying in.

Market day in Freo
The weekend starts on Friday when the markets come to town and with them come street musicians, acrobats and anyone and everyone out to grab your attention for a couple of minutes.
Crowds line the streets and pavements hunting for bargain souvenirs, fresh produce or that long lost hard to trace CD to add to the collection back home.
We sit outside Gino's, Freo's most famous cafe, for coffee and cake (our waistlines are taking a battering, but you've got to get some shade - and we can't think of a better way of finding it and doing some people-watching at the same time).
Have been in touch with Ed and Tranda Devereux. Ed and Tranda are great friends of our buddies Phil and Sian in Guildford and, although we have never met the Perth-based couple before, they have very kindly invited us to their home.
Ed picks us up at around 4pm and we stop off a super little beach bar he knows just outside Freo. It has a great setting - a gorgeous place for a cold one. We are obviously not the only ones who think so, as a wedding party rolls up to make hay before the sun goes down.
Head on to Ed and Tranda's home at Cottesloe some 15 minutes north of Freo. Meet Tranda and the couple's lovely children, Georgie and Patrick, who all make us feel so welcome.
Over a quick drink and some nibbles we get to speak to Sian and Phil on Skype, then it's onto a local restaurant that's a favourite of Ed and Tranda's - and we can see why. Fabulous food and a real chilled ambience. It's been a lovely evening and a pleasure getting to know the Devereux family.

Cottesloe
The next day we are back on the beach at Cottesloe after boarding a train. It - the train, not the beach - is packed to the rafters with youngsters heading for The Big Day Out rock festival in Perth which features, among others, Iggy Pop and The Stooges.
Despite Iggy, the beach is a good idea. Perth will be heaving, hot and sweaty. Train pulls in to local station and there is a free shuttle bus running to the beach every 10 minutes. Top-class service.
Find plenty of space on lovely stretch of coastline which seems to stretch for miles. Plenty of swim time to cool off and those almost obligatory coffees and cakes.
While taking in the rays and splashing about in the warm Indian Ocean, the sky behind us darkens and we can pick up the faint smell of smoke. Don't think too much about it at the time, but when we eventually arrive home we do.
News reports on TV confirm that homes are burning in a raging bush fire in the hills above Perth. Floods, cyclones and now bush fires. Australia is having one helluva year.
Find out the next day that more than 70 homes have been destroyed in Swan Valley, but, thankfully, there has been no loss of life.
Back in Freo we have just one day left before we hire a car for a two-week journey south to some of the more remote regions of Western Australia.
Spend the day checking out the Shipwreck Museum (name speaks for itself) and interesting Round House (once a local prison and scene of the grisly hanging of a young boy). Built in 1831, it's the oldest public building in WA.
Moving on tomorrow, but we did love our time in free and easy Freo and are planning on returning for a couple of days before flying first to Singapore and then Bangkok on the next leg of our journey.
Before we do, however, there's a lot more of WA to see - and we are starting at the little coastal town of Dunsborough, a good base to explore the magnificent Cape Naturaliste and its hidden secrets.