Return to Perth
We returned to Perth for another week, to get the car serviced and to avoid the school holiday crush down south.
On our way up from Bunbury we stopped in to see Raquel and Ash, friends' of Matthias from his Ningaloo days. The kids made themselves immediately at home in the pool, the two of them having become a pair of water babies since Christmas.
This second stay with the Randazzos we got a better feel for life in Australia’s western most capital, packing in some uniquely Perth sight seeing and activites.
We spent a gorgeous warm summer evening picnicking and swimming with the Randazzo clan at Deep Water Point on the Canning river. People were catching blue manna (blue swimmer) crabs from the jetty while kids were summersaulting into the water and the river was busy with boats. To me it felt quinisentially West Australian.
Mid week we took the ferry out to Rottnest Island for a full day of sun, sand and quokkas. This was school holiday madness to the max but what a place to spend your summer break! Unrivalled swimming and snorkeling beaches, everything accessible by bike. Holiday cottages blinking out to the turquoise ocean. Boats moored within swimming distance from the sand. Kids afforded so much freedom. Again it had me thinking, what a way to grow up in WA.
We sampled more of the riverside lifestyle with a short walk from Tompkins Park to Heathcote Reserve along the riverfront in upmarket Applecross.
Matthias "Rolled up for WA" and got his booster vaccine at Claremont Showgrounds. With the kids in tow he was lucky enough to be fast tracked to the front of the long queues but without a pre-booking they wouldn’t also give me an on the spot jab.
That evening we had a great dinner with family friends in Floreat, taking a pre-dinner tour to nearby Reabold Hill lookout in Bold Park and to City Beach.
On Saturday we made a small walking tour of the city starting with the parkrun in Burswood Peninsula. We crossed the Matagarup Bridge, passed the Perth Mint, went through the Supreme Court Gardens and around Elizabeth Quay, where we stopped for a splash in the BHP Water Park.
Refreshed, we caught the free Blue CAT bus and popped into the WA Museum which was great entertainment for the kids. To complete an already busy day we met Renee and another of Matthias' Ningaloo friends for a picnic dinner at a free outdoor concert, featuring Grace Barbé at the Limestone Amphitheatre.
Sunday was another full day with an early breakfast at Bib and Tucker in North Fremantle, an excellent Christmas present from the Randazzos.
Our kids then joined the throng of activity for a swim at Leighton Beach, where the Fremantle Surf Life Saving club Nippers were out in force.
In the afternoon we returned to town to catch a taste of the Perth Fringe Festival at the William Street Sunday Funday. Hugh and Claire's eyes were opened to caberet, glitter balls and sequins but they were most enamoured with the tireless flower fairy in the kids corner. Exhausted, we returned home for a final dinner with the Randazzo troops.
