Give me a home among the gumtrees …….. we all know the famous song. I’m not one for big city lights, more of a country girl but it’s still good to get dressed up and hit the city from time to time. Which is what we did.
To save battling with the traffic we got an Uber Pet to do a day trip into the city of Perth, dropped off at Elizabeth Quay. A great place to walk around with some interesting things to see. From here you can catch a ferry over to Rottnest Island.
We wondered around the city exploring all the things to see. For a city we were actually pretty impressed. WA does architecture very well, with lots of shaped bridges, sculptures, statues, some wonderful sites around town.
Bell Tower is one giant musical instrument. The Bell Tower includes the twelve bells of St-Martin-in-the-Fields.
We walked up Hay Street Mall.
Ye London Court is a sort of arcade/laneway that comes off the mall, which has old style shops and is very cute.
There were many heritage buildings.
The Tree of life.
Old Central Fire Station & Heritage Centre was a bit of fun. You could even try on some fire fighters suits and hats. Jess was also welcome.
Kings Park and Botanic Gardens is one of the world’s largest inner city parks.
It has a large collection of Western Australian flora and is a popular place for picnics, BBQ’s, walks and family gatherings. With great views over Perth and the Swan River.
Kings Park and Botanic Garden has more memorials, statues and honour avenues than any other park in Australia. We only had time to see a small section of it, it’s huge covering 990 acres or 4 square km’s.
Fremantle (affectionately known as “Freo”) is a vibrant, historic port city in Western Australia, located just 30 minutes south-west of central Perth. Renowned for its maritime history, preserved 19th-century architecture, and creative arts culture, it sits where the Swan River meets the Indian Ocean.
Fremantle Prison: A UNESCO World Heritage-listed site and the state’s only built convict prison. You can take history, torchlight, or underground tunnel tours. It would have been awesome to have been able to do a tour of the prison but dogs are not allowed.
It was original known at The Establishment, was built by convict labour between 1852 and 1859, the first prisoners moved into the cell block in 1855. Its name was later changed to Fremantle Prison in 1867, it remained in continual use until 1991.
From 1788 to 1868 over 167,000 men, women and children were transported from Great Britain to Australia as punishment for their crimes. For Britain transportation was not only a penal sentence but also a means of expanding it’s geopolitical influence. It further provided an avenue for British authorities to displace people from the lower classes, whom they labelled as undesirable, to the Australian colonies.
Surgeon Residence.
Magistrates Residence.
Monument Hill Reserve, Fremantle’s War Memorial. The main memorial at 14m in height is constructed from Donnybrook stone, was built and funded by the citizens of Fremantle in 1928 to commemorate the 59,330 Australians killed or posted as missing in action in WW1.
Fremantle is one of Western Australia’s most historic destinations. With its well-preserved heritage buildings, convict history. We were astounded at the how many amazing beautiful heritage buildings there were just in the main city area. Everywhere we looked down side streets, along the main street. All still in amazing condition and being used still by businesses. You could spend several days exploring them all.
Whalers Tunnel, In 1837, the Fremantle Whaling Company dug a tunnel through the cliff under the Round House so they could move whale oil from the beach directly to Fremantle’s main street.
Fremantle Round House is the city’s oldest public building, built in 1831. Originally used as a prison for convicts and colonial lawbreakers, the Round House has since been preserved as a historical site, offering visitors a glimpse into Fremantle’s early colonial history.
There is a daily Cannon Firing Ceremony at 1:00 pm, a tradition that dates back to the 19th century when it was used to signal ships in the harbour to set their timepieces.
The Roundhouse offers fantastic views over the Indian Ocean.
The Giants of Mandurah. Wow amazing, incredible, awesome. Today we walked with the giants and it was breathtaking. There are 6 giants hidden in the bush and around the bay. 5 in the Mandurah area and one closer to Perth.
5 are dog friendly, the 6th is in a National Park. The Giants of Mandurah were officially launched and opened to the public on November 12, 2022.
Follow us on our epic adventure. The first point of call is the Mandurah visitor centre, to pick up a book and map of the giants. You can also download it from the Mandurah Giants website. The book has a QR code for each of the giants that links back to google maps which directs you to the giants. It’s like playing a game, one kids would love, excited to track down the giants of Mandurah. At each giant those playing the game and doing them in order, take note of the symbol it is wearing. Once you have collected all 5 symbols at each site, head back to the visitor centre. To reveal the final location of the super secret giant of Mandurah. (Spoiler Alert, It’s the one in the National Park), so I didn’t get to see that one.
First a word about the incredible artist who created these amazing giants. Thomas Dambo born in Denmark, he is considered to be the world’s leading recycle artist, having been taught at a young age the importance of recycling, sustainability and an unlimited imagination. He is an artist and an activist, who has exhibited throughout the world. His vision is to create art that inspires people to go and explore nature and to demonstrate that trash can be turned into something beautiful. His works are accompanied by narratives that blend folklore, environmentalism, and community participation. He has created giants all over the world, check his website out. https://www.thomasdambo.com/
I think that it would be fair to say he has achieved that with the giants in Mandurah. The QR code maps we found take you for a bit of a tour or a tikitour as my friend would say, around Mandurah and has you walking along the water ways and through bush. Sometimes there is closer parking to the actual giant as we found out the hard way. So my advice is to also use Wikicamps along side the giants map as it may show you some closer parking. Also take some water. You are encouraged in the book to think about what the giant is doing, what are they looking for or at. What things did you see along the way.
The first giant is Santi Ikto “First the sun must hit the ocean so the ocean turns to clouds” 1.3km return, grade 3 trail. There is actually two ways in to see the giant. We stumbled across the easiest way, which was also shorter in distance. It was an incredible site to see Santi Ikto reaching up to the sky as if praying to God overlooking the Indian Ocean. Maybe he is asking for protection on this land. We just thought it was incredible, the details, the skill and imagination required was amazing.
Also in this area are rock formations down on the beach which we found very fascinating. We spent a bit of time checking them out. Thomas’s giant drew us and others to this area to also see the incredible spectacle of nature. Which is what Thomas’s art is all about.
Seba’s Song “Then the wind must move the clouds to the land, collect them in a crowd” 1.2km easy return walk. Seba points out to the waterways sitting on a rock wall facing the boaties as they pass by. A harder one to get in front of to photograph. Again the face, the teeth with one missing, the eyes, the hand held up to shield the eyes from the bright sun, as they look out across the waters. Searching the horizon, maybe looking and waiting for their love to return from the sea, such incredible detail. There are table and chairs and toilets at the parking area.
Yaburgurt Winjan Cirkelstone “The clouds must let the raindrops fall until the earth will open” He is named after a very important Binjareb Noongar leader, George Winjan “the old one”. This giant was lying down on the job holding a rock. Apparently he is lying around the fire, yarning after catching crabs, making jokes . He is lying down because he ate too many crabs. Taking a full walk around looking at all the details even his bottom is well shaped. I loved the face on this one, such a kind looking face, I guess he is content after eating the crabs. Google maps takes you to a parking area a bit further up, than is required. A short easy 550m walk depending on where you park.
Little Lui “Then mountain water, rivers run and flow back to the ocean” The QR code has you parking some distance away. The walk from there is 3.6km return. It is an easy walk through park and bush. If you look at Wikicamps there is a carpark listed that is much closer. As mentioned the artist aim was to have people explore nature so taking the long route seems to be part of the game.
This giant was incredible, it sat with its back against a fallen tree. The roots of the fallen tree were the hair of Little Lui, so incredible well done, blending in with nature, holding onto a branch, it could easily be missed if you did not know it was there. The way Lui looked down on you when you sat on their knee. The smile and perfect teeth, the details of the ears. Just sitting there having a rest, maybe resting after having google maps take you the long way around. Feet so big, Jess sitting only covered half of the foot.
Bille Bob in Subiaco Perth, is an easy 2min walk from the carpark. Is this where the giants story starts or ends? Bille Bob is a long way from his friends at Mandurah, we are asked to make up a story as to why. Billie Bob can be found in a beautiful park with lots of green grass, trees, shade and a great playground. I think all the giants were playing here, singing their song, Bille Bob being younger got tired while playing with his friends and had a lie down, to have a rest and fell asleep. Bille Bob looked so peaceful that his friends did not want to wake Bille so they left and all went to find their own place to have a rest.
As mentioned the 6th and final giant is in a National Park, it is called. Jyttes Hytte. It is a 3.5km walk from the carpark. Due to having Jess I was not able to see this giant in person. I bought a wooden stencil of Jyttes from the visitor centre to take home as I thought this one looked the best.
The below photo was taken from Thomas Dambo’s website.
We had loads of fun, saw at lot of Mandurah we might not have, got some fresh air and exercise and saw some incredible amazing works of art. And Jess got to come along too.
The Rhythm of the Raindrops, by Thomas Dambo
The words you are about to here, they hold a special meaning
I know they’re seemingly untrue, but trust me, you’re not dreaming
There is a rhythm in the rain – you can hear it drop by drop
But if no-one sings along, then soon the song of rain will stop.
First the sun must hit the ocean so the ocean turns to clouds
Then the wind must move the clouds to the land, collect them in a crowd
The clouds must let the raindrops fall until the earth will open
Then mountain water, rivers run and flow back to the ocean
And there are six old hidden giants in the bush and on the bay
And each of their voices is crucial for the harmony to play
They used to sing the song together – the hidden giants
So go and find the hidden giants, and help restore the order
Cause a giant needs its company, like fire needs its water
There’s one in Perth, four in Mandurah, and one hidden far apart
But find the five and bring the mark before the last you start
Just one thing you must remember, be brave and do not tire
Through sun and clouds and rain and rocks, the ocean and the fire
Sing this song for them in honour – just like the old hidden giants
That’s all I had to say today: now on your way, and find them.
We stayed the night at Pinjarra RV Rest area. A 24hr free camp within walking distance of the town, a great spot, with some more murals.
