Perth, Australia

Monday | December 12, 2017

Australia sure is a big country, and after first porting in Broome, we had to keep on sailing to make our way to Perth. Finally, at 3 o’clock this afternoon, we arrived in port at Freemantle Australia. Freemantle is the port city for nearby Perth and rests alongside the Swan River. It has a population of only 27,000 people, but actually appears to be larger than that.

Before we arrived, however, there was much to do and plenty of drama.

I began the day with the haircut at 8:30 AM, even though my previous one was only five days earlier. Then, we were treated to be able to watch the New York Giants against the Dallas Cowboys live at 9:00 AM due to the 13-hour time difference. I then had a long and hostile meeting with one of the residents who, I fear, suffers from dementia. That is one of the drawbacks of sailing with an aging population, but we all do our best to remain understanding and respectful.

Having been at sea for three days, and also fed up with all the board histrionics and politics and threats, it was time to go ashore and take a walk around. Fremantle appeared deserted.

Our goal was to visit the Freemantle Prison and although we eventually made it there, it was closed by the time we arrived.

The public park boasted grass tennis courts, something one never sees in public parks the United States.

The chamber of commerce seemed like an interesting building.

Nevertheless, we had a good chance to clear our heads and see some of Fremantle.

By the time I got back to the ship, it was almost time to leave for dinner. We headed out with friends to a local brewery called Little Creatures. It was great fun and we had wonderful food, including fried kangaroo. We drank lots of beer and commiserated about all the unfortunate happenings occurring on the ship.