We have an early start today as the Prado is being serviced and they wanted it early. The Courtesy bus dropped us off in Fremantle. Had a walk around and found a breakfast spot before spending some time at the Freo Market.
It's amazing to think that when the Fremantle Market Hall was first established in 1897, visitors would arrive by horse and cart! The grand old Victorian building was designed by architects H.J.Eales and Charles Oldham. Sir John Forrest, the Premier of Western Australia, laid the foundation stone on Saturday, November 6 1897, with construction finishing in 1898 at a cost of £8268. This building is one of only two surviving municipal market buildings in Western Australia, and one of the few in Australia that continues to be used for its original purpose. Had a very nice coconut whipped soft-serve with berry sauce.
Lunch at the Fishing Boat Harbour at Kailis'. Garlic prawns and chips. The harbour is still a busy working port for fishermen blended with all types of eateries and the well known Brewery, Little Creatures. Had a wander around Little Creatures but it was soooo busy. No seats available. The harbour is also the site for the replica Duyfken. The original Duyfken ( Little Dove), was a small ship built in the Dutch Republic. She was a fast, lightly armed ship probably intended for shallow water, small valuable cargoes, bringing messages, sending provisions, or privateering. In 1606, during a voyage of discovery from Bantam (Banten), Java, captained by Willem Janszoon, she encountered the Australian mainland. Janszoon is credited with the first authenticated European discovery of Australia. In 1608. The replica Duyfken was built and launched in 1999.
We headed further around the harbour to the Roundhouse which is Fremantle's first permanent building – in fact, it is the oldest public building in Western Australia. Opened in January 1831, just 18 months after settlement, it was built to hold any person convicted of a crime in the settlement and was used until 1886. After it ceased being used as a gaol it became a Police Lock-up until the late 1890s and then was used as accommodation for the Water Police, and afterwards as a storage facility for Fremantle Ports. When threatened with demolition in the 1920s it was saved and later control went to the State Government before it was deeded to the City of Fremantle.
And we got a bonus while we were at the roundhouse. Stretching from the Roundhouse to the tip of the Fremantle Town Hall clocktower there are odd scraps of yellow on the historic buildings of High Street. The pieces appear jagged, random and become denser towards the Roundhouse. But from the Roundhouse stairs, the image suddenly snaps into focus. Six large yellow ellipses that appear flat against the three-dimensional landscape rise up over the street. Arcs d'Éllipses is the work of Paris-based Swiss artist Felice Varini, who has produced geometric optical illusions around the world.
His previous canvasses have included the Louvre in Paris, the Palace of Versailles and an entire village in the Swiss Alps. This latest work on High Street has been created for High Tide, the inaugural Fremantle art biennale."I'm doing a pictorial work that takes into account the architectural configurations and details in this entire street and I play, a bit like in an arena, and interact and engage with High Street," Varini said. The outlines for the Fremantle piece were created over four nights when High Street was plunged into total darkness, then a large projector lit up the design on the buildings. A small army of assistants climbed and used cherry pickers to create the precise outline. After that, the team spent three weeks filling in the outline with yellow colour. "The colour is in fact very thin aluminium sheets, which are self-adhesive," Varini said. "Because the artwork is of a temporary nature, the work has to be removable and this is the material we have developed over time that best fits." Although the installation only completely makes sense when viewed from the Roundhouse stairs, Varini wants the public to enjoy the splashes of colour and be intrigued as they walk down the street.
From the Roundhouse it was on to the E Shed Market – not much to see here!!
The Courtesy bus collected us and took as back to Toyota. The Prado was not ready so we walked to Bunnings around the corner looking for those elusive chairs. Found some but the quality was not up to scratch. After picking up the Prado we called into a BCF on the way back to camp. Found the chairs we were looking for. Director chairs with a side table. Good for “beer o'clock” and also better at sitting at a table to eat then our old camping chairs.
Back to the caravan park to pack up ready for departure north tomorrow.
