Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, October 8, 2014,
Free wifi being available across whole areas is now a trend in Australia's big cities, as it is across the entire western world. The City of Perth offers this, as does the City of Fremantle. One particularly appealing part of the
Fremantle wifi zone is Kings Square, bang int he heart of the port city and right
next to the town hall.
It's a very pleasant place to sit down and surf the net on a sunny day. And if you run out of battery power there are mains outlets provided.
This pleasant scene is...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, July 3, 2013,
Not surprised that the Palmer United Party candidate for Fremantle Teresa van Lieshout
has been dumped. She, like Clive Palmer himself, is not exactly a team player.
This was obvious right from the start. Almost immediately after being endorsed as his candidate she was publicly questioning the party's
asylum seeker policy.
Ms van Lieshout, a teacher and author, told The Australian that Mr Palmer was entitled to his ideas but she thought asylum boats should be stopped and taken directly to Chris... Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, June 10, 2013,
Two things that always astonish me about the more zealous proponents of politically correct leftism are their childlike naivete and sheer brazen gall. It's a very odd combination. But these are very strange people.
The little ruckus about the trendy lefty cause of gay marriage meeting a hostile reception at Notre Dame Uni is a
good illustration of this:
Student Alex Kemp claims the university does not allow students to actively advocate for gay marriage on campus and refuses to recognise groups... Continue reading ...
Posted by Matt Hayden on Tuesday, May 21, 2013,
One thing I really like about Perth is how spread out it is. Even though it's much more densely populated than in years gone by, there's still a lot of empty space. And pretty much every suburb contains a nice big park or three. There are quite a few
lakes and swamps around the place, too. You can even find patches of land that are reminiscent of the country between suburbs that are quite close to the CBD and Fremantle.
The area near Dixon Park in Hamilton Hill is an example of this. It's just...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, December 7, 2012,
If you're anywhere near the intersection of Canning and Stirling Highways you can see an isolated and stately old building surrounded by vegetation called the Royal George Hotel. In its style and appearance it's quite similar to the
Brass Monkey Hotel in Northbridge.
It hasn't been used as a hotel for a long time, however. It's most recent function was as an arts and community centre, although I'm not sure if it's still being utilized as such. I think it might currently be empty and unused. It...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, June 18, 2012,
Something I've posted about repeatedly on this blog is the alarming increase in the amount of violence that is committed
in this city. Of course I've read or heard about it much more than I've actually witnessed it.
But I did observe a disturbing incident yesterday afternoon in Fremantle. At around 5 PM I started walking up Wray Avenue from South Terrace and I heard yelling from up the street. I saw some blokes beating up one guy near the Hampton Road intersection. He managed to escape and run...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Saturday, June 16, 2012,
Even though it's become a good deal more crowded than it used to be, Fremantle is still a very laid back place. And one of its most well known destinations is South Terrace. Along this short stretch of road there are many charming cafes, restaurants and pubs, as well as the iconic Fremantle Markets.
It's really buzzing on Friday and Saturday nights. But it can get pretty rowdy, with lots of young people hitting the bars, and often overdoing it.
The best time to go is during the day on a weeken...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, June 8, 2012,
Still on the subject of Fremantle and how its obvious sense of history can jar with other aspects of the place: One very distinctive and highly visible old building is the Flag and Whistle Hotel in Beach Street.
This is very close to the railway line and quite near the station itself. You can see it clearly from the train as you travel in or out of Freo.
It's a beautifully ramshackle old pub. I'm not sure if it's currently being used as such. But it certainly was a few years ago because I went ...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Friday, June 8, 2012,
As anyone who's ever been to Fremantle knows very well, it's a charming old place. You can really feel
the history there. The atmosphere is strongest in the town centre, where there are many old buildings that have been well preserved.
The other characteristic of Freo is that it's a haven of tolerance, and there are lots of greenies, hippies and New Agers living there. I find this quite incongruous because the age and history of the place evoke a strong, staid and Christian tradition.
Not so lo...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Monday, April 23, 2012,
Fremantle, south of Perth, is a hub for greenies, lefties, and other alternative lifestyle types who aren't exactly big fans of major new developments. But several such projects have already been completed in the area, with many more currently being constructed -- and others still on the drawing board, no doubt. I can imagine many of the locals being absolutely livid about this.
The Northbank precinct of North Fremantle is perhaps the most visible of these sites. You can see it very clearly f...
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Posted by Matt Hayden on Thursday, August 18, 2011,
I went down to Fremantle the other day on the bus. Coming down Canning Highway, towards the Inner Harbour, just near the railway bridge over the Swan River I could see a huge ship docked at the North Quay. Actually, it was so solid and bulky my first impression was that it was a building.
Anyway, I managed to get a snap of it, which is below.
I caught the train back into the city, and managed to capture this ship (called the MV Toreador) from another angle as I went south over the bridge. Not s...
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