The sidewalks were also lined with huge ghost gum trees...the bark actually glows when the light hits them at night. Love the colour variation!
After our walk, Cathy dropped me off at the Midland train station where I headed into Perth to take a look around. Being such a hot day it can be a challenge being outside all the time, so I planned to do a tour of the Perth Mint to break things up. I arrived downtown at the same location we went to the outdoor market my first night in Perth...located at Forrest Place.
Lots of interesting art work in the most unusual places...vacant store front windows, alleyways or just on sides of building...love coming across the unexpected!
I also walked along King Street where you found all the high end shops like Prada and Gucchi...nope I restrained myself from going in....and then I came across a lovely little church right in the heart of the city. Great contrast of old and new construction...
After getting a bite to eat I took the free bus...yes they have four free city lines you can use in the downtown core...and headed over to the mint. As I got off the bus I was greeted by a magnificent church...St. Mary's Cathedral.
It was beautiful from all angles and even had what appeared to be some modern sections added on each side. I couldn't stop taking pictures...another unexpected surprise.
Unfortunately I didn't have time for a look inside as I was going to be late for my 2:30pm tour of the mint. I hurried off down the street and arrived in time for my tour. Being a mint we could not take pictures inside...lots of security everywhere. The tour was excellent...talked about the history of gold in Australia, the gold rush and even did a gold pouring demonstration...very cool. Where the demonstration was done was actually part of the original gold melting room...only closed 18 years ago during a renovation.
We also saw the largest gold coin in the world...actual currency of 1 million dollars. It weighed 1 ton and the retail value was $50 million...held in a vault every night and protected by guards 24/7.
During my time there I also found out how much I was worth in gold, had a coin stamped, saw the diamond room and a variety of coins, including the medals from the Sydney Olympics that were made at the mint. A great tour and worth a visit by anyone who comes to Perth to visit.
After the mint I headed over to the bar district called Northbridge. Along the way, not far from the mint I did happen to pass by Mercedes College...a prestigious college for girls. Beautiful entry...
I was getting tired in the heat, and I got my first blister of my trip...glad I had my Oscar the Grouch bandaids!!...so I found a bar when I arrived in Northbridege and just relaxed for a bit with a cold beer. Perfect end to my time downtown.
I caught the train back to Midland, where Cathy picked me up at 6:00pm to head over to the coast. We arrived at Trigg...a small beach community...around 6:45pm and decided to take a wak along the beach before the sun set. Lots of little stretches of white sandy beaches...exactly like PEI beach sand...divided off by large rock, with good surf and people snorkelling.
Along our walk I enjoyed looking at all the multimillion dollar properties overlooking the water ...lots of different architecture.
I also loved watching the sun set and noticing how the colours changed as the sun set further in the distance.
After about an hour, we arrived back from our walk and headed to the Hillary's Boat Harbour for dinner. This is another beach community not far away, with a nice boardwalk full of lots of restaurants and shops, a water park, fair grounds and the Boathouse bar.
We decided to eat at 3 Sheets...love the name...and had a very unique and delicious "open faced" smoked salmon sandwich. Great vibe and a great way to end the evening.
We took a final tour around the waterfront...what a beautiful evening...and then headed for home. A full day for sure...looking forward to visiting Rottnest Island tomorrow for a full day on the water and at the beach!
Until then....
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