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Fremantle and the southern beaches.

I feel like getting moving, so I’m off to Fremantle. Fremantle is the port of Perth, it’s a cute little town, very lively. On Saturdays, it’s the market under the covered market halls, market of fresh products, small gargotes and small souvenir shops.

Fremantle, Photo by Harry Cunningham on Unsplash

Saturday morning, I wake up pretty early. I feel like getting moving, so I’m off to Fremantle. Fremantle is the port of Perth, it’s a cute little town, very lively. On Saturdays, it’s the market under the covered market halls, market of fresh products, small gargotes and small souvenir shops.

Fremantle, the city centre

I’m going around Fremantle real quick, it’s a nice little town. But the sun is already beating down hard, I’m hot, thirsty and very eager to swim…

Freemantle un beau bâtiment

And yet, it will take me almost an hour to satisfy this urge.

At first, the road is not very pleasant. The buildings and warehouses prevent me from going along the coast, and I am forced to walk along the railway, under a blazing sun and relative shade. The sunburns of the day before make it difficult to carry my bag on my shoulders. I continue on my way, watching the ocean.

Along the beach
Southbeach panneau sur l'herbe verte

I finally arrive at a first beach lined with lawn, then a small dune, it is rather empty and populated mostly by families.

The beach is pretty, the water is clear, I decide to walk along it with my feet in the water, to see what the next beach has in store for me.

Why not put me on this one, why not spare me the long hours of walking that will be necessary at the end of the day? I don’t know, maybe I was looking for a beach with a more… Interesting, shall we say…

Première plage proche de Fremantle
The joy of swimming

In short, I go along this beach, then another one where the masters and their dogs have fun (the dog Cogee beach! It can’t be invented!), I finally stop on an almost empty beach.

I take the opportunity to swim, to read a little, and try to redo my CV. Yes, because the goal of being alone on this day was to redo my resume. But I find all the excuses in the world not to do it. I think I need a little more vacation time. Between wanting freedom and guilt, I’m a little torn.

Plantes qui donnent sur la plage

When in doubt, I go for a swim.

Eau turquoise de la plage
Cogee Beach

After almost an hour on this beach, I decide to reach Cogee Beach, still with my feet in the water. If it looks close enough on the map, it takes me a little more than an hour to get there. It’s a nice beach, you can easily swim there and the anti-nasty underwater nets protect you… From everything but jellyfish!

Soleil qui se reflète sur l'eau

It was close before I face myself again. After 5:00, I decide to go home… But what a journey! I was so far away from the arrival station that the recommended route became quite different. For 20 minutes I walked in residential areas, very posh, crossing a national highway, along large deserted avenues, losing all the freshness accumulated in the ocean.

Hell of a way to get home.
Banlieue résidentielle de Perth. Grandes maisons pas un chat

I finally arrive at my bus stop, I didn’t meet any living soul on the sidewalk, but I saw cars passing by.

The Australians must take me for a prowler, wandering around their neighborhood.

Finally the bus, then the train, and I’m finally at the hostel. I am welcomed by the Italians and a charming English girl. I join them after my shower.

Going out…

They want out, I decline nicely.

But a few drinks and a good atmosphere catch up with me in the resolutions and we leave the hostel for the same pub as the day before. Billiards, dancing and it’s already time to go home. Yes, the bars all close at 2 am, and only a few clubs are open until 5 am. Oh I almost forgot, but the state of the toilets is like the state of the australians ! Pitiful…

Toilettes dans la boîte, complètement défoncées.

Alcohol puts them in a very advanced state of intoxication. I’m not the best judge, but I’ve come across more than a dozen girls lying on the floor, decrepit and barely conscious.

Back at the hostel, we meet the Italians, the Englishwoman and I, and chat, we forget the time. At 6 o’clock, we leave for bed. The moment was perfect, a new friendship, a simple moment, without worrying about other people’s gaze, past or future, a moment in the moment, sharing stories and laughter.

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