June 29-30, Fremantle to Sydney

When we made our reservations, we must have been thinking we were 25 years younger! Yesterday was a grueling day for us. We awoke in Perth and took the train to Fremantle. Fremantle is a suburb of Perth, located where the Swan River empties into the Indian Ocean. It is a lovely seaside town. We went to see the World Heritage listed Fremantle Prison. It was originally built by convicts sent from England, then used to house Australian prisoners. During World War II the Australians detained Italian Americans, in much the same fashion the United States did the Japanese. Some of these prisoners were held at Fremantle. Displays throughout the prison explained housing, punishments, visitation, rehabilitation, rebellions and escapes. This prison operated until 1991. Fremantle is part of a group of Australian convict built prisons listed as World Heritage sites. They are considered an important historical and cultural example of the evolution of prisons over the years. We had planned to drive to Wave Rock, but realized after our travels through Western Australia that this was just a little too remote and scary for us. Fremantle was a great alternative!





After taking the train back from Fremantle, we had several hours to kill before leaving on the red eye to Sydney at midnight. We arrived in Sydney ay 6:00 a.m. tired and miserable. Fortunately our Holiday Inn had a room ready for us, and after a few hours sleep we were ready to explore a little. Because a harbor cruise is highly recommended we rode the Manly Ferry across the harbor to Manly and had dinner. We were able to get some great shots of the Harbor Bridge and Opera House. Tomorrow when we are rested up we plan to visit the Opera House, our 6th World Heritage site on this trip, and then spend the bulk of our day in the Royal Botanical Gardens. They have a special tropical center which we are excited to see. This garden is the site of the First Farm, established when the first convicts landed in Australia. Plants is a third grade unit and since we are moving next year, we hope to find out lots about Australian plants that fill similar niches to those in the US.