06 June 2014
Some of the waterfront restaurants and cafes on the Swan River under a cloudless and sunny Perth sky
Although we had driven along the river front on a few occasions, we had not had an opportunity to walk through this beautiful area, so this morning was to be the day. We were able to park the car in a good spot next to the picturesque Supreme Court Gardens, and had a walk along the river side, then to the Bell Tower.
The impressive entrance to the Supreme Court Gardens (right) and part of the Perth Skyline from the Gardens (left)
The Bell Tower located on Riverside Drive overlooking the picturesque Swan River is one of Perth’s most unique and must see tourist attractions. This historic ring of bells was given to the people of Western Australia as part of the national Bicentennial celebrations in 1988. Among its many attributes the Bell Tower includes the twelve bells of St Martin-in-the-Fields, which are recorded as being in existence from before the 14th century and recast in the 16th century by Queen Elizabeth I. The bells were again recast between 1725 and 1770 by three generations of the Rudhall family of bell founders from Gloucester in England, under the order of the Prince of Wales who was later crowned as King George II. They are one of the few sets of royal bells and are the only ones known to have left England.
There are some great views over Perth from the 5th storey of the Bell Tower and it was an opportunity to have a bird’s eye view of the massive construction works happening along the river front. It will be interesting to see the result of the completed work and it will certainly be a beautiful addition to an already spectacular city. There are also constructions works happening near our hotel where the railway line is being moved underground to make way for beautiful parklands that will merge with the CBD and the city of Northbridge, with its night life and cafe and restaurant scene. It is difficult to find a street where there is no new construction work happening – some real money is being spent on this city.
A view up Barrack Street (left) with the massive cranes constructing more skyscapers (left) and (right) a view of the skyline from the Bell Tower
We had a date to meet John and Penny Wither at Northbridge and we were looking forward to seeing them for what would be the last opportunity while we are in Perth. They have a favourite Chinese restaurant in Northbridge that serves a fabulous Yum Cha. The restaurant was very busy (a sign of a popular and excellent place to eat), we left the choice of food to them as they are more familiar with the best dishes, and it was a wonderful meal. Included were the pork buns, spring rolls, greens, chicken feet (no, I didn’t try them) and lots of other goodies.
Many delicious Yum Cha dishes from which to choose
We wandered round interesting Northbridge that was starting to come to life for the day (and night) and by coincidence (or planning) we discovered the wonderful Spanish chocolate shop. Chocolateria San Churro. It was a real eye opener the variety of chocolates and chocolate drinks, so of course we had to try some. The boys chose Churros with dark and white chocolate dip, Penny and I shared a special plate of Churros and chocolates (what decadence!) and we all had special chocolate drinks. Fabulous!
Such a variety of chocolates, cakes and drinks – impossible to choose
Penny was able to contact their son, Ben, who works in Perth and we walked around to his office to meet him. It was great to see him, now I have made contact with my cousin John Wither, and both of his sons Tim (and his family) and Ben – a very special end to our time in Perth.
It was eventually time for us to begin the packing for the journey home tomorrow, we decided to pack our larger bags and get them settled in the hire car, so that tomorrow we will only have to deal with getting our smaller luggage organised. Sorting out the different maps and brochures we had collected was a big job, we had so many, but had to be strong and get rid of most of them, too heavy to add to our flight luggage. As it was our last dinner in Perth we decided to choose one of the river front restaurants for a meal, walked down to the water, and found a table at Halo, a restaurant right on the water. It was a little expensive (but most of Perth is) but the meal was delicious, and with a glass of bubbly it made it a special last meal on our wonderful holiday.
Fillet Steak and Duck Confit (left) and Coconut Mousse and Summer Fruits for dessert (right) – back to the diet next week!!
We will need to be up by 5am tomorrow to drive to the airport, return the hire car, and organise our tickets for our 8.05am flight – had better get an early night!
