We were very domesticated to start the day, we threw any dirty clothes we had in the washing machine and waited half an hour for it to do and hung it all up outside. We will leave Australia with clean clothes!
After that, we drove into Perth and found a spot to park for free at the DNA tower in Kings Park. The park is huge and lies on the northern side of Perth Water, some of it has been left as natural forest/scrub whilst part of it has become the Western Australia Botanical Gardens. It was rather warm, but we slowly wandered through the gardens looking at plants and birds. At the main entrance to the Gardens we found the Botanical Cafe and stopped for a snack and coffee and lots of water.
As we wandered back to the car, we walked over the Glass Bridge which gave us beautiful views over the water and into the middle of the Central Business District. The city looks beautiful as it is right alongside the Swan River and Perth Water. It's an amazing watersports haven so close to the city.
The car was absolutely roasting when we got back in and it took some time for it to cool down as we drove into the middle of Perth. We found another parking spot down by the harbour and took a walk to Elizabeth Quay. They are in the process of redeveloping it and building a new Doubletree hotel there. Lots of tour boats depart from here, so it's a busy place. We found a small cafe where we got freshly made sandwiches for lunch and watched several Hen and Stag parties congregating. Some were clearly heading for Rottnest Island. I predict some sore heads tomorrow.
Looking back over the past 5 weeks here, we've enjoyed our visit, seen some amazing places and animals and stayed at some nice hotels. Overall, we've certainly got a feel for just how huge Australia is and appreciate the difficulties faced by the original European settlers. We've read and seen a fair bit about the Aboriginal people too, but not met very many. For British Visitors, I think Australia is an expensive destination, whether that is due to just weak Sterling or its just more expensive anyway is difficult to tell. We've met some wonderfully friendly Australians and maybe one day we will return.
Today finished, as I suppose it should, with a seafood dinner sitting by the fishing port of Fremantle. We have returned to the hotel and repacked our bags ready for tomorrow. It should only take us 35 minutes to get to the airport where we need to return our trusty Hyundai Tucson, after driving close to 4000km in Western Australia.
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