Mandurah - Part 1
We've just experienced Perth's driest and hottest summer on record. Last Sunday we decided to get out of the house for the day and go somewhere a bit cooler. We caught a train into Perth, then another on to Mandurah (pronounced Man-joor-ah).
Mandurah sits at the entrance to the Peel Inlet/Harvey Estuary, about 80km south of where we live. It was always a quiet little seaside town, a favourite place for families to stay during holiday periods. People would stay in beach shacks, caravans, or at camp sites. It's also a well known place to catch blue swimmer crabs (if we'd gone down there this weekend, we could have gone to "Crab Fest" - um - a celebration of crabs... :) )
Well, over the last 20 years or so the town has exploded in size. It's no longer a sleepy little holiday spot; it has become a city. Housing has expanded in all directions from the city centre. If you want to see some beautiful houses, go to Mandurah! More of that in part 2.
When we arrived, we walked along the foreshore past the Sunday markets, past a few restaurants then along the boardwalk to the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre.
I love this cute sculpture! I wonder how many sweethearts have their photos taken there?
The Performing Arts Centre. Just along around the curve of the building was a little coffee shop where we sat and sipped coffee while looking out over the water.
On the way back we enountered a flock of seagulls.
And a lovely fountain.
We passed a couple of drowsing seagulls perched on some rocks.
We walked back along the path and browsed through the markets. They had hand-made jewellery, framed photography, pottery, etc for sale.
On the way past I noticed this quirky addition to the top of a picnic shelter. Cute!
We stopped off at Ciccerello's (a well-known seafood restaurant also found in Fremantle) for lunch - grilled fish and chips. Yum!
Afterwards we walked back along the path beside the water. There's a fun park on the other side.
I love the crab in this mosaic in the footpath.
We walked to the old Mandurah bridge.
This bridge was built in 1894 and it has a structure underneath the road bridge where people can fish.
We walked out to the fishing area and found a couple of pelicans hopeful for a hand-out.
On the way back we made enquiries at a little stall by the water that had a sign advertising boat cruises around the canals. We decided to go on the cruise. What an eye-opener!
We passed this majestic moreton bay fig tree. It's been there a long time!
Over recent years new residential areas have opened up on a canal system. We'd never had the opportunity before to see what they were like. This is the first section - a "Venetian" style community...
As we emerged from this area, we were treated to a couple of dolphins cavorting in the water!
They're very difficult to photograph! By the time you see them and press the shutter, they've gone!
You can see a dolphin's head at the bottom left hand corner of this photo.
So ends part 1. You'll see some amazing houses in part 2!
Mandurah sits at the entrance to the Peel Inlet/Harvey Estuary, about 80km south of where we live. It was always a quiet little seaside town, a favourite place for families to stay during holiday periods. People would stay in beach shacks, caravans, or at camp sites. It's also a well known place to catch blue swimmer crabs (if we'd gone down there this weekend, we could have gone to "Crab Fest" - um - a celebration of crabs... :) )
Well, over the last 20 years or so the town has exploded in size. It's no longer a sleepy little holiday spot; it has become a city. Housing has expanded in all directions from the city centre. If you want to see some beautiful houses, go to Mandurah! More of that in part 2.
When we arrived, we walked along the foreshore past the Sunday markets, past a few restaurants then along the boardwalk to the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre.
I love this cute sculpture! I wonder how many sweethearts have their photos taken there?
The Performing Arts Centre. Just along around the curve of the building was a little coffee shop where we sat and sipped coffee while looking out over the water.
On the way back we enountered a flock of seagulls.
And a lovely fountain.
We passed a couple of drowsing seagulls perched on some rocks.
We walked back along the path and browsed through the markets. They had hand-made jewellery, framed photography, pottery, etc for sale.
On the way past I noticed this quirky addition to the top of a picnic shelter. Cute!
We stopped off at Ciccerello's (a well-known seafood restaurant also found in Fremantle) for lunch - grilled fish and chips. Yum!
Afterwards we walked back along the path beside the water. There's a fun park on the other side.
I love the crab in this mosaic in the footpath.
We walked to the old Mandurah bridge.
This bridge was built in 1894 and it has a structure underneath the road bridge where people can fish.
We walked out to the fishing area and found a couple of pelicans hopeful for a hand-out.
On the way back we made enquiries at a little stall by the water that had a sign advertising boat cruises around the canals. We decided to go on the cruise. What an eye-opener!
We passed this majestic moreton bay fig tree. It's been there a long time!
Over recent years new residential areas have opened up on a canal system. We'd never had the opportunity before to see what they were like. This is the first section - a "Venetian" style community...
As we emerged from this area, we were treated to a couple of dolphins cavorting in the water!
They're very difficult to photograph! By the time you see them and press the shutter, they've gone!
You can see a dolphin's head at the bottom left hand corner of this photo.
So ends part 1. You'll see some amazing houses in part 2!