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| Australia & New Zealand Cruise 2019 Part 2 - Perth Continued and Melbourne |
Penguin Island
We set out in the morning to go to Penguin Island which is accessed from Rockingham, some 42 km south of Perth. It is part of the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, a chain of islands with breathtaking marine and coastal scenery. The 12.5-hectare island is home to the largest colony of Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) on the west coast of Australia as well as other wildlife. 'Dreaming' stories describe the use of the Shoalwater Islands and shallow coastal lagoons by Aboriginal people. In the 1800s the area was occasionally visited by whalers and sealers for hunting, shelter and relaxation. The Parks and Wildlife Service at the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is now responsible for managing the island, its visitor education and act as a focus for wildlife and scientific research.
Little Penguins are the the smallest of the penguin family and normally nest in sand depressions under dense vegetation and in limestone eaves on the island, as well as in manmade shelters. This is the largest colony of little penguins in WA. Penguins are polyphase on land and make their landfall at Penguin Island after sunset. Little penguins are vulnerable to human disturbance. especially when in moult, so it is important they are not approached too closely. Penguins are the most specialised of all birds for life in the marine environment Their feathers have evolved into a dense covering of pin-like structures that resist water and maintain the birds‘ streamlined contours, while vestigial wings have developed into flippers for underwater propulsion. They feed on small-school bait fish and squid, and may travel many kilometres from the island on feeding forays.
Penguin Island is reached by a short ferry crossing which leaves on the hour from Mersey Point on the mainland. At low tide and in calm conditions it is possible to walk across on the sand bar. We first walked round the island on the boardwalk path as the next feeding session for their 'rescue' penguins was not for an hour, at 1430. We were fortunate as we quickly found one of the penguins sitting outside his little house rather than at sea as it was moult time. Little penguins are normally quite secretive and are rarely seen in the wild and it was the only one we saw on our walk. We did see several large colonies of nesting Pelicans although we could not get close. We gather there are thousands of Pelicans nesting here each year. We also saw one of the Fairy terns nesting at the end on a sandspit and a number of other seabirds.
It was then time to go to the Discovery Centre where visitors can view rescued little penguins that could not be rehabilitated and released to the wild. Whilst sitting outside we saw several skinks which were much larger than we had anticipated. Penguin information and feeding sessions commence at 10:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm during the island's open season and provide an opportunity to learn about the intriguing life of little penguins and to watch feeding. The glass walls of the pool provide an unrestricted underwater view of these delightful animals. It was more interesting than we expected as many of the Penguins were moulting and we could see all stages close up as well as admiring them swimming. We had not realised that the Little Blue penguins we used to see so often when sailing in New Zealand are the same.
Canning River Park Walk: The following day we were dropped further along the Canning river at the Kent Street Weir Park. The walk started at the cafe and Information Centre and was well marked. The area has many cyclepaths and footpaths, and it is an easy flat walk along the river. The only difficulty was that one of the bridges over a side stream was being replaced, but the workers indicated an alternative path using roads to bypass the gap. The walk was circular so we crossed the Canning river just beyond our halfway point. Houses and traffic were close by for most of the walk and there was one shaded picnic and BBQ spot, with warnings about keeping watchful for snakes by the river. On completion of the walk there was plenty of time to look inside the Information Centre and to cross the park to see the miniature railway.
Pho Vietnamese Restaurant: In the evening we took Di out to one of her favourite restaurants, the Phoever. It was our first vietnamese meal and we were very impressed, the food was excellent as was the service. The surroundings were simple but the food was the best Asian food we have had for a long time and many of the dishes such as the Pho (Hofan Noodle Soup) were quite different to what we have previously experienced and memorable. Pho Trio was Hofan noodle soup topped with slices of beef, chicken and pork. Another speciality was Bo Luc Lac, shaking diced beef served with salad. It is a place to go back to - and a very economical meal at $66 for three people including corkage on a BYO bottle of wine. If we had gone earlier we would have pushed for a second time.
Perth Christmas Light Trail. After we had finished our excellent meal at Pho we went into the centre of Perth to see the Christmas Light Trails. There are several suggested trails mapped out. Having parked near the Elizabeth Quay, fondly called Betty's Jetty, the first illuminated feature was the Bell Tower in Barrack Square. It includes the 12 bells of St Martin-in-the-Fields and the ANZAC Centenary Bell. The waterfront development of Elizabeth Quay was completed only in 2016 and includes two new hotels: the Ritz Carlton and the Quay Perth, and a curved pedestrian bridge. The garden has striking sculptures and Christmas figures. The Council House was illuminated in the Supreme Court Gardens and there was a balloon and lots of oversize wireframe kangaroos.
The highlight was the Light Show projected onto St George's Anglican Cathedral which we watched for several cycles and Pete videod most of the show on his camera and has uploaded to YouTube as Perth Christmas Illuminations - St George's Cathedral 2019, we will add it properly in line here in due course. The street illuminations were not as impressive as London but the building and other illuminations superior.
Swan Valley Tasting Experiences: Last time we came to Perth we spent a day in the Swan Valley Wine Tasting and having a vineyard lunch at Little River. This year and in contrast to previous days, it was cooler and damp, so a good oportunity to get out and visit the area again. We had the impression that the majority of the activities in the area were vineyard oriented but this time the emphasis seemed to have shifted much more to "tourist oriented gourmet experiences", to use the description we found time after time at the various places and their web sites. Di drove us to the Swan Valley and we sampled a number of the 'experiences' in a leisurely manner unlike one tour (Speed Grazing) which promised to "Visit 10 locations to enjoy 25 different tasting experiences in a fast fun filled half day". Even so we made a number of visits before we got to the highlight of a wine tasting at the Talijancich Winery.
- The Margaret River Chocolate Company was interesting and had a wide range of chocolate products at serious prices as well as what seemed to be unlimited amounts of dark, milk and white chocolate to taste. Once sated Pete spotted an excellent and favourably priced branded cool bag which would also be good as a padded bag in which to hide a laptop - an economic extra Christmas present.
- Providore was next door to the Margaret River Chocolate Company and describes itself as a 'gourmet experience' originally established in Margaret River in 2005 where it combined an organic olive grove, orchard and vegetable gardens, large free range chicken pen and expansive vineyards. There were lots of samples of jams, chutneys, olive oils, honeys etc as well as wine and liquor tastings. Interesting but it did not seem good value with a typical small chutney being about £7.50 which is 50% more than even Fortnum and Mason. Margaret River wines from Coward and Black were for tasting in the same building.
- The Yahava KoffeeWorks on the opposite side of the road was interesting and we sampled 3 of their coffees in a tutored tasting at the Tasting Bench. The coffee was made using an Aeropress coffee maker which allowed small quantities to be pressed by hand through a paper filter. We did not feel sufficiently impressed to buy and take on the ship but it was overall quite instructive. The smell of the roasting was almost enough in itself to make the visit worthwhile. They also had an impressive collection of teas for Di who is not a coffee addict.
- The Cheese Barrel was on the other side of the Swan River on the Great Northern Highway which we crossed by bridge. They had an interesting stock of imported cheeses available, including unpasturised cheeses from Europe. Tastings of three tiny samples were part of an 'experience' but we did not bother. Not a patch on the shops we use in the UK, but better than normal supermarkets. Olive Farm Wines, said to be one of Australia's oldest wineries and dating from 1933, shares the site.
The Talijancich Winery further along the same road provided a very comprehensive and well informed tasting. Their Shiraz which Di had hoped to stock up on had sold out very quickly but we tried their normal 2017 and 2006 Reserve Verdelho, a less common grape in the UK but one we have had in its home of Madeira. The younger at $23 will be ideal with fish and we were told it would also be good with the Indian meal we were planning in the evening. The 2006 reserve ($50) was exceptional and we bought a bottle of each. We then tried the Zabava, a new style slightly petillant cold red wine which they describe as "not a rose or light red with deep fresh vibrant flavours and crimson in colour and a light spritz and sweetness. It is recommended to be served like sparkling wine - well chilled and in a Champagne flute".
The port-like liquer wines were another story altogether and got better and better even if less and less affordable! They can no longer call the basic one Peter's Port after their winemaker so it is now Peter's Ruby. Even without the name we felt we had to stock Di up and ended buying two 1.5 litre bottles at $23 each. It is reinforced with brandy to 17.5% so it keeps reasonably well after opening although it would disappear quickly in our hands. The Liquer wines then got better and better, smaller more expensive bottles but outstanding value with both 1981 and 1978 Solera wines available. The Solera wines are from what were even at the start old vines, 1926 and 1932 plantings - raisined fruit fortified with brandy and grape spirits to retain as much sweetness as possible. the average age of the Solera wines is over 25 years.
GuruSpices Indian Restaurant: In the evening we went to GuruSpices to join two of Di's friends from Belly dancing. Di had been before but it was the first time for the rest of the group. It quickly became obvious why Di had suggested it. We had a huge meal at a very reasonable price and the service was quick and attentive. Again the surroundings were simple but more than made up for by the food and the chef came out to speak with us several times to answer various questions - we understand he has been very responsive to comments in the past. There was a wide choice of dishes and we had a selection to share, all were good. If we had realised the portion sizes we would not have had even the Afghan single starter we shared but it was worth trying and we did not need too many 'doggy bags'. It was again BYO and we shared a bottle of the Talijancich 2017 Verdelho, we had correctly been told it would be good with an Indian meal. On our return we sampled the Talijancich Peter's Ruby so our driver did not miss out. We hope they get a new agent in the UK.
Melbourne, Victoria - 21-22 December
The flight from Perth to Melbourne arrived at 1700 and we caught the SkyBus to Southern Cross Railway Station. Our hotel, the Quality Hotel at Batmans Hill, was within sight of the bus terminus but was still a tedious walk with our 4 suitcases and rucksacs. Our large Premium Room was on the corner of the historic building with good views whereas our friends had a cheaper room in the new part. The day improved after finding there was cheap beer in the Happy Hour from 5 to 7, and then we all went walking in search of a meal. There are lots of places to eat around Flinders Street Station and we splurged on a Meat Grill Platter to share at Jing Jai Thai on Flinders Lane. Trams seemed to run all night and there are always people out late on a Saturday night.
Having arranged for a late checkout at 1200 there was over 2 hours to walk around Melbourne after breakfast. Retracing our steps to the Flinders Street Station, it was very close to St Paul's cathedral, Federation Square and the Yarra River.
Walking back to Collins Street junction there were interesting historic buildings including the Regent Theatre along Collins Street. The street ended at the Old Treasury Museum and the edge of Fitzroy Park, then a left turn soon arrived at the Parliament building. It had a partial covering of scaffolding. The free City Circle vintage tram 35 passes the Parliament building and the Old Treasury Museum, and goes along Flinders Street. At Bourke Street we decided to catch a free tram back to Southern Cross and the hotel which was quicker than walking as well as a new experience. It is a shopping area, even on a Sunday, and there were queues to look at the decorated window displays in the David Jones Department Store.
The journey continues with our Cruise starting with Burnie in Tasmania followed by Christmas and the Fiords in New Zealand on the Queen Elizabeth
