Fremantle, Australia: Day 65

If you are following on a map you will see that Fremantle is actually a part of Perth on the west coast of
Australia similar to the geography of the Quad Cities in Iowa. We had an overnight in this port so we
chose to visit Fremantle on day one and Perth on day two.





There was a shuttle into Fremantle provided by the ship. We decided that would be a great way to start
so we waited until 9:30 and headed out. We got on the pier and with the wind in the shade realized
that a short-sleeved shirt would not be enough causing Jerry to make a mad dash back to the room to
get a fleece. Total change from the whole east coast of Australia experienced 40 degree temps several
weeks ago. Celsius, not Fahrenheit. That’s over 100. We have experienced mid-80s and recently low
60’s with wind in the morning. Great days for sightseeing as the day warms up.

Jerry made it back and we went into town with friends, Jerry and Bonnie. Our first stop turned out to be
the indoor market. Seems to be the place to go in many of the towns. It was a bustling place, a bit
cleaner and less chaotic than the ones found in Asian countries. Not just vegetables and fruits but also
handicrafts of all kinds. We split off by ourselves to visit other shopping and by accident found the opal
store. Turned out to be the largest purveyor of such stones in the entire Perth area. The opal is Jennifer’s birth stone, and probably her favorite stone. Ever. We spent quite a while looking at opals.







Having done what we could we started angling back to the bus and found Jerry and Bonnie again. The
two guys headed back to the ship and the women continued to shop and see sights. There was a daily
ceremony scheduled for 1:00 at the roundhouse and the girls could just make it if they hustled. What a
find! Turns out that at 1:00 pm every day, a cannon at the roundhouse is sounded as a makeshift ball
drops (like Times Square on Jan. 1) in a ceremony started in 1800s so that all ships in the harbor can set
their clocks to the same time. Many vessels travel over lots of time zones, and this helps all to be
accurate.

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