On Monday, February 28, 2011 at approximately 2:00pm our ship arrived at the small town of Bunbury, Australia. Bunbury is at the heart the picturesque south west corner of Australia. It is bordered by Koombana Bay, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean and Leschenault Inlet with 62,000 residents and is the third largest city in Western Australia. Bunbury is noted for some of the best surfing beaches in the country with beautiful white sands. To maximize our short visit to this town, we decided to take one of the ship’s tours. This tour included a walk through the 25,000 year old white mangroves; a climb up the Marlston Hill Lookout for a panoramic view of the City; Back Beach; a drive through the countryside and a visit to Big Swamp Wildlife Park. This was a 4 hour world wind tour with lots to see. We made it back to the ship at around 6:45pm, hot, tired, and hungry. Our ship departed Bunbury at 8:00pm for the short trip (168 kilometers) north up the coastline to Fremantle, our next stop.
The ship arrived in Fremantle, Australia at 7:00am on March 1, 2011. The weather forecast for the day was clear skies and temperatures nearing 90 degrees. We got out early with friends and walked into Fremantle or “Freo” as it is known to locals. It’s a small but very beautiful city. Fremantle was the western gateway to Australia’s millions of migrants that arrived by ship to settle this area. Many of Fremantle’s old buildings have been restored and are one of the best examples of Victorian port streetscape in the world. First things first—Curt made his way to an original 1930’s barber shop for a haircut. Then we continued our walk of the city arriving at the Fremantle Prison which was built in 1855 and remained operational until 1991. From there we head on to the port again to board a Captain Cook Cruise up the scenic Swan River to the city of Perth. The scenery is specular along the way and the view of Perth is great. We arrived at the base of the Bell Tower, home of the Swan Bells. This is one of the world’s largest musical instruments; an 82.5m tower houses the 12 bells of St. Martins from Trafalgar Square. The transportation system in both Fremantle and Perth is outstanding. We quickly found the CAT bus line and climbed onboard the Blue Line bus for the short trip to London Court between St. Georges Terrace and the Hay Street Mall. This Tudor-style arcade was built in 1937. It has all the feel of Elizabethan England with carved facades and clock towers. We looked through the shops and had a little snack in one of the sidewalk cafes. After our shopping we climbed back on the CAT bus and headed to the Perth Railway Station. To our surprise the rail fare from Perth to Fremantle was only $1.50. It’s a quick 30 minute trip back to downtown Fremantle and a short 10 block walk to the ship. When we arrived at the Fremantle pier, the city was hosting what they called “Purple Haze”. They provided all passengers of the Pacific Princess and Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth large purple flags to wave as each sailed away. Hundreds of locals came out to see our sail away. FYI….the Queen Elizabeth has followed us since Sydney. They too are doing a world cruise.
There will be three sea days until our arrival in Lombok, Indonesia.
