fremantle with the fam

we don't have much time left before dougs sister leaves us and goes back to america, so we decided to spend the day in fremantle as a family. i was blown away with how quiet it was, we had no issues getting parking right by the markets and then again by the fishing boat harbour... score! 

maddie loves walking baby alex in his pram - even more so now he's in his big boy seat... and gleefully pushed him up to the markets, chatting with him all the way.

before we walked around at the markets for a while... stopping for cupcakes - and to buy bird callers for aunty to take back to america with her.

afterwards we went down to the fishing boat harbour for fish and chips and icecream. yum. there is nothing like a good feed on the harbour - and the views are the best

there was even built-in entertainment in the form of the "bananaman" who was singing and dancing, including information about everyone within eyesight and even taking audience suggestions for things to include in his songs. he was hysterical! i must give fremantle that... it's never boring here.

my babes

being insanely cute together. oh do i love them!

♥

a day in freo

today we went off to one of my favourite places in the world - fremantle. i couldn't possibly have let sam come to perth and not shown off my precious freo! of course first stop was the prison. the tours have changed since i last went, so i found myself learning lots of new information on our way around, whilst trying to keep joseph in check and feeding baby a along the way. sam must think she's in a madhouse.

fun fact #1 fremantle prison only closed in 1991, basically coming down to the fact that the cells didn't have running water and it would have cost a fortune to fit it. 

inside the more modern block. this is the first time i've been on a tour that goes in here... all the others covered the older areas.

front view of the prison as the tour ends and you walk back to the front gates. the large piece on the right is the chapel. 

chapel view from the front

fun fact #2 the video clip for the acdc song jailbreak was shot in the chapel.

i love the prison and learning more about it. you can learn way more about it here. what a cool place to explore.

of course a visit to fremantle is not complete without visiting the markets. although they aren't nearly as fun these days as they seemed to me as a child (but really what is these days?!) they are still amazing, full of awesome food, colours, displays and just a cool atmosphere. i don't think they'll ever close.

we wandered down to the fishing boat harbour a bit later in the day, to get some fish and chips for lunch. (also a freo must!) we love this funky freo sign and decided to get some more pics with it (last set can be found here, along with the reason we love it haha)

me: joseph come and have a photo with this heart.

joseph: no

me: aunty dom will love it

joseph: (runs over) okay!

oh that kid. the cutest, but the actual worst.

one last walk back to the car past the bon scott statue and then out of freo we went

fun fact #3 in my early days working at the funeral home, i was rostered on to assist with a funeral at fremantle cemetery. i was wandering back to the main gate, when i was stopped by a couple who asked me where they might locate bon scott. before i continue yes, i had heard of acdc, but really only knew their music and definitely not the names of any members of the band. i said, "does he work here?" they lost it laughing and said, "noooo, he was the lead singer of acdc, he's dead and his ashes are buried here." me: ohhhhhhhhhhh. i have since learned the location of his ashes and where the bon scott memorial entrance to the fremantle cemetery is... but oh did doug and i have a laugh about that. he still brings it up occasionally and we'll have another giggle. 

we made one more stop on the way home up west coast highway... at cottesloe beach. it was the perfect afternoon, beautiful outside - and sam loved having a wander while joseph had a play and i fed alex yet again...

here's our pommy girl loving the late afternoon sunshine and the beach.

i hope she's loving her stay here. it's amazing finally getting to know her. ♥

wa day in fremantle

we spent the day in fremantle with some new friends today who recently moved to ellenbrook. we went from place to place with our five kids and had a great time! pictured above are the five of them, chilling on some local art, just seconds before some random "local photographer" came and started yelling at us to get them down... complaining that we should have obeyed the rules on the sign, which was a4 size and attached to the back, completely out of view. what a nong. needless to say we got them out of there pretty quickly after that.

we stopped off at my favourite shop... the pickled fairy - to start a new generation of little girls loving the place as much as i did! here they are, making wishes with one of the resident fairies ♥

lunch at cicerellos... as good as ever

made for some happy kids!

and of course, a trip to fremantle wouldn't be complete without a trip to the markets.

so. much. fun!

*****************************

on the way home, we quickly stopped in to see my grandfather joseph... he was one of the greatest people in my life and i love to tell my kids stories about him. i hope he will bear his name well and make him proud.  

fremantle for the day

i was born and bred in fremantle western australia - and even though i have never lived there as an adult, in fact my family moved away just days before my fourth birthday, my heart still lies in the old streets. to this day, a day in fremantle feels like coming home. it seemed only appropriate that i should show cara while she is touristing around perth, so today we took a drive with joseph while madeline was at school.

after the prison tour we headed in to the markets. i remember my grandfather (mums dad) having a honey stand, just out the side between the main markets and the food yard, perusing the 2 inch squares of stickers on rolls in one of the stalls up the raised side and most of all, mum sometimes relenting and getting me a marbled helium balloon which was tied to a washer to weigh it down. those were the good old days. sadly none of those things are there any more,but there is still plenty to look at

and to sample as you pass through

my all time favourite store is still "the pickled fairy and other myths" located not far from the markets in downtown fremantle. i can't wait to take maddie there some day soon... i love it! i remember spending hours there as a kid looking at every single little thing over and over. (bless my mum, she has way more patience that i do)

there is this gorgeous fountain in the courtyard which used to be full of coins... but seems to not be a wishing fountain these days. it's still super cute though!

cara and me! ♥

our second to last stop for the day was the roundhouse and the whalers tunnel, where doug and i took our wedding pictures so many years ago...

where i got to hang out with a new man... haha. lucky he loves me too!

last stop... i took joseph to see joseph. our family will always have our hearts in fremantle, seeing as all four of my grandparents were laid to rest in the fremantle cemetery.

fremantle i love you! i'll come one day, when i win the lottery!