Funky Freo

We are still absolutely loving being in the west and especially Gooseberry Hill. We have all adjusted a little too well to being back around a house and normal day to day activities. Us adults are still sleeping in the van, though the kids are having the occasional sleep over with their friends. We are starting to realise how odd it is that we have such a big home to go back to. Our current home could fit on our new deck! We understand that life's needs are very different when you live the life of a nomad, however it does show you how little, in the material sense, one really needs to be happy.

This morning while Linda and Michelle go and do some final Christmas and birthday shopping, Andy took Robbie for a leisurely drive around their neighbourhood.

 The weir at Mundaring was built to provide fresh water to the inland goldfields of Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie and was finished in 1902.

The project involved building a 21 Gigalitre storage reservoir at Mundaring and then pumping the water via eight large steam-driven pumping stations through a 557km steel pipeline. At the time it was considered a unique technological triumph but, sadly, the projects' conceiver, CY O'Connor, died just before its completion. 

The pretty Mundaring Hotel which hosts concerts in its extensive beer garden.

Many orchards and wineries in these lush hills.

The Perth skyline as we descend back down to the Goddens home. You can actually see our caravan in their backyard from here! What, you can't see it??

Look closer. Still can't see it??

There it is!!!!

Tonight is the night before the night before. Translation - it is the night before Christmas Eve and, more importantly, the night before Timna's 10th birthday. We decide to shut the kitchen tonight and head out for fish and chips in Fremantle. We take the scenic drive and stop to check out the Endeavour which Rob and the kids had seen from the water yesterday. Quite an impressive boat and we all wonder what it would have been like to sail around the world in this. Probably safer in the big yellow one next to it!!

Driving through Fremantle. This is really a very pretty part of town but was very rundown until our Americas Cup win in 1983 injected a lot of money into cleaning it up.

Who could resist such a photo opportunity.

Nor this one! We must add she was a very strange looking mermaid and it did bring a smile to our dial when the kids all remarked at what big bosoms she had.



Love those sunsets!!



Down to the harbour we go. The Fremantle doctor has certainly come in and put quite a chill in the air. Now, where to eat??

Here??

No, here!! After a huge stuffing of many fried seafood things we rolled out, found some icecreams to fill the "dessert tank", as Boaz calls it, in our bellies, then drove home excited for tomorrow.