Fremantle/Perth

Fremantle was established in May 1829 when Captain Charles Howe Fremantle (after whom the settlement was named) formally took possession of the whole of the west coast of New Holland.  The captain did this in the name of His Britannic Majesty, and the Union jack was hoisted on the south head of the river.  The famous Fremantle Prison was built by convict labor from limestone rock quarried on site and it was used as a maximum security prison from 1855 until 1991.  The influence of the convicts on the architecture of Fremantle can never be overstated.  From 1850 until 1868 there was a huge building program in the settlement that has resulted in some of the city’s finest buildings.

The big turning point for Fremantle occurred in the 1980’s when it became one of the premier tourist destinations in Australia.  Recognition of the city’s historic heritage led to the preservation and development of the old buildings in the business district.  This process was greatly helped by the 1983 victory of Austrilia 11 in the America’s Cup competition.  This meant that the cup arrived in Australia and that the subsequent America’s Cup challenge was held off Fremantle’s coast.

The son of a friend of one of the gals on board, who lives in Perth, picked us up at the ship.  He drove us around the city and showed us all the beautiful sights.  The best stop was the Royal Perth Yacht Club.  For Gary it was like touching the Shroud of Turin as they had won the Americas Cup in the 80’s.  The club itself was just beautiful and the club historian showed us everything.  He asked us to stay for lunch, but since we only had until 4:30 and wanted to see the city, we declined.

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We leave Australia today for Indonesia.  Australia is a wonderful country, the people are just lovely and it’s absolutely immaculate.  You won’t find as much as a piece of paper on the street.  It’s also one of the most expensive places we will visit.  The minimum wage here is $21.00 per hour.  Maybelline Mascara, normally about $6. at home was $18. and my face cleanser, also $6. was $14. A small can of ordinary bug spray was $12.00.  A Land Rover is $75,000., a Pathfinder is $51,000 and a used Harley Davidson will run you $24,000. 

As we were leaving the port, hundreds of people came to the dock to see us off waving flags.  It was an awesome sight.  The passengers on the new Queen Elizabeth, who have been with us in the last 3 ports, also were on the decks and balconies waving flags as we went by.  What a send off!