1) Stay at The Apartment.
Our "landlady" Jane Ratten was a gracious host during our stay in her 107 year-old home. She is one of the very few who provides a continental breakfast (hence it's almost a B&B) and has a well-stocked pantry with coffee, tea, condiments, home-made jam, etc. The design of the studio apartment is well-thought-out, and beautifully-furnished with quality pieces and tasteful art. To make the whole experience more luxe, there were the Egyptian cotton hand-towels, Victorinox knives, Bodum coffee-plunger, and high thread-count bedlinen.
Us + Jane + Harriet
The deck.
Walkway to the studio.
The bedroom.
Chubbs enjoying yoghurt, and part of our daily breakfast spread. Thanks to Jane.
2) Monument Hill.
The apartment is situated right beside Monument Hill, and I brought Chubbs there every morning and evening for a carefree run-around. It is a peaceful place, which serves to remember those who fought with the Navy during WWII.
3) King's Park.
As you can tell by now, we are very into parks :) and this place reminded me of the Botanical Gardens we have back home. There was a family of ducks which roamed the main picnic area freely, and Chubbs, of course, had to give them a little chase. Unfortunately, the mother duck and her side-kick were a tad too protective, and swooped in to peck at Chubbs' legs on numerous occasions, when he got too close for comfort. I felt that they were over-reacting. I mean... all he wanted to do was pat and cuddle them a la Elmyra :/ Anyway, our little boy was oblivious to these attacks, as he was fully committed to his endeavours in fowl terrorism, and my brave hubby scooped him up to safety everytime (I was busy collecting video evidence). My hero.
4) Little Creatures brewery.
Housed in an old boat-shed and crocodile farm, this brewery produces one of the best pale ales I've had. To me, is tastes of honey, with nary a tinge of bitterness to it. It was so good that we had quite a few pints during our short stay there.
5) Taking the time to admire the historic architecture.
I loved the old houses that people lived in, the well-preserved Roundhouse that was a jail previously, the old chapels that dotted the city, and more.
Our neighbour across the street.
The Roundhouse.
Some chapel round the corner.
A gorgeous school.
6) Eat fish and chips.
There are a few well-known establishments at the harbour. On the first night, we braved the drizzle and cold wind to try the most popular one, Cicerello's, that was supposedly the pioneer fish and chips restaurant. We were impressed by the freshness and flavour of the fish, but were uncomfortable (understatement) with the relatively high prices, the need to pay a lot for sauces and ketchup, the ghetto vibe in the canteen and the even more ghetto folks dining with us. So for our next dinner, we tried the seemingly more up-market Khalis, and were blown away. Not only is the service better and more organized, the food was cheaper, the restaurant is cleaner, the chips are better, and the fish is as good as Cicerello's, except they give bigger pieces, and tartar sauce was free. We had this for lunch the next day too.
Where we sat and ate our take-out FnC in the car.
7) Eat well.
The produce we bought at the Fremantle Markets and supermarkets in general are really fresh and taste very good. The dairy products were outstanding, the vegetables taste so sweet, the fruit is exceptional. We suggest to stay at a self-contained apartment, that way you can buy some good cheese, bread, wine, fruit, sausages, olive oil, vegetables and knock together simple lunches and dinners. Sublime.
The best yoghurt ever.
Very sweet and fragrant muscat grapes.
Stewed rhubarb and muesli with yoghurt and apple.
We can't wait to return!
