Fremantle Frivolities

After church we joined in the festivities that were going on in Fremantle for the Easter weekend. There was lots of street food and entertainment.  We had a bit of a look around the Roundhouse which was the first public building built in Western Australia. It seemed like a pretty substantial complex to house a few prisoners from time to time. 

It was probably built close to the place where Lt Stirling and party first came ashore and claimed the western half of Australia for Britain. What a cheek!   Directly below the Roundhouse is the first tunnel engineered in WA. It was built to give the whalers access from the place of slaughter to the town. Not sure why it is called a Roundhouse when it has 12 sides!  One may ask if it was wise to build a tunnel under a prison....... We are really having to push ourselves today after our last couple of big walking days. Bit tired.  Pushed on to the Maritime Museum. Beautifully set out but must say a lot of what didn't appeal to me as I am not that interested in fishing, sailing or war. I was hoping for a lot more on immigration as this port was where my relatives limped into after having had their sailing boat badly damaged in 1882 coming across from the Cape of Good Hope. I thought they may have had shipping records here. I did find a picture of the original jetty they would have come in on. 

There was a splendid exhibition about travel and trade that was on loan from different places. It featured all sorts of amazing things such as Dirk Hartog's plate- the real one! Lots of information about the moonsonal winds and how the mariners used them to get around. 

There was also archeological stuff from excavations from the Batavia wreck and the trial and execution of the mutineers who had murdered most of the passengers.  Later it was time to get a late lunch of street food and watch some of the performers.  Our favourite was a street band called WAHonk! Fest is a street band spectacle featuring alternative community bands from across the nation. It is a parade, a party and a raucous celebration. Energetic, irreverent and with a do-it-yourself approach to instrumentation and attire, Honk bands perform to celebrate; to proclaim; some play for peace; some for activist causes; for community spirit; and all of them play to have fun. They take their musical inspiration from Mardi Gras and Carnival, and from street music gatherings across Europe and South America. They were all ages and it was vital and great music.  Back home to get in the washing and sit down!