Now, my first few days were spent in and around Perth itself and I was extremely lucky to be staying right near Cottesloe Beach, which typifies the glorious sand and more glorious water of this area. Proving it can be as good (and probably better) than Bondi, it was also hosting ‘sculptures by the sea’, bringing all sorts of random objects to the beach. It was here I pottered about leisurely in my first morning, soaking up the sun, supping on a very average coffee and getting my first taste of the Indian Ocean.
Just south of Cottesloe is the port town of Fremantle, complete with a few ‘historic’ buildings, a relaxed vibe and fantastic fresh fish and chips beside the water. It also hosts the Maritime Museum of Western Australia, which is a convenient refuge from the mid afternoon heat and full of nautical narrations. The centrepiece is Australia II, the boat which won them the America’s Cup in 1983 and which people still go on about now as if it were yesterday. My vague recollections centre though on Bob Hawke (the then Prime Minister) wearing a truly horrific jacket and basically telling the country they could have a national holiday and get pissed to celebrate. Pleasingly, the jacket was on display, though the beer stains must have been washed out.
Returning to Cottesloe, time was getting on and with the sun lowering out to sea, ideal to mill about more around the sculptures and watch the sun go down over the ocean, a significant event for people from the East coast. And I don’t usually need an excuse to catch a sunset…
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