HILLARY'S BOAT HARBOUR

Because Susan and I were looking north and south for our new home, we also needed to explore the Northern beaches because we don't know them as well as the beaches from City Beach south. Some, like Scarborough, are surfing beaches and so not our style, Some like Trigg are small and rocky. 

Because Susan had been forbidden to swim in the ocean for a couple of weeks after her medical incident, we only had our first northern swim on 26 February at Marmion Beach. There were some small kids filling all the space between the flags having lessons so we popped into the water near a small groyne. It was a slightly bouncy experience with the water pulling in and out quite strongly, but it was refreshing to be in the salty water again.



We trialled our new fold-up shelter which proved its worth, enabling us to stay on the beach longer than usual, reading books.

Next to the beach is Hillarys Boart Harbour which opened in 1988 shortly before I left to join the ABC in Sydney. As well as a marina, it has a ferry terminal to Rottnest, an aquarium, play grounds and an artifical beach for kids, shops and a surprising number of cafes and restaurants. 



As we sat there eating our lunch, we both had the same thought. A very 'white bread' world. Amongst the visitors, we saw one person of colour and the same number amongst the visible staff. On the other hand, there was other diversity to be had. There were a group of Downs Syndrom folk enjoying lunch and at least a dozen people in wheelchairs enjoying the promenade. Unlike Mr Trump, any diversity will do me!

One piece of diversity that might not be quite so amusing to some was the placement of a floor plaque on the Hillary's entrance for Tim Winton directly opposite one for Peter Wright, a mining entrepreneur, best know for his partnership with Lang Hancock. I can't imagine that Mr Winton would be happy to be in such company.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FARWELL TO THE PINK HOUSE

Image
Susan and I decided to say 'goodbye' to 14 Ward Grove, Pascoe Vale South by sharing the moment with friends. Although the house was full of packed boxes, we invited people over to say farewell...and take a momento. We both made bold decisions about art and craft that had been part of our lives for years. For example, I'd had a Gustav Klimt print hanging on various bedroom walls since the 1970s. A tea pot I'd bought from a ceramist in Canberra last century. A Boda vase that I'd been given. There were smaller pieces from ceramic pots to glassware, vases, both antique and modern, knick knacks from all over the world, and even hats. And in contemplating a new home, we needed to leave some space for new acquisitions. This was a clean out where we knew each piece was going to bring pleasure to someone else and so it was much easier to let it go. Debora, Glenda, Jesse, Murray & Loretta Kath, Susan & Julie Gemma, Pam, Dale & David
Read more

PACKING UP

Image
How do you sort out a house you've been in for 24 years? I should confess upfront that Susan and I are not Kondo afficiondos nor did we watch all the episodes of Swedish Death Cleaning series so we had a lot of stuff to sort through. For what seemed like months, I was making twice weekly visits to St Vinnies to drop off everything from clothes to kitchenware. We hired a 12 metre skip and recruited our wonderful neighbour Mike to smash up furntiture that was no good to anyone.  I even threw out Livia, the polystyrene statue that had starred in a production of "Women Beware Women" back in the 1980s. Poor thing. Her head had falled off a number of times only be stuck back on with jewel encrusted gaffer tape.But being outside for nearly twenty years meant that she had lost her charm.  Mike, our helpful neighbour Goodbye to Livia Another cultural challenge was books. Susan is a re-reader of books and I always claim that I'm going to so between us, we had 16 or was it 17 fu...
Read more

CHECKING THE IDEA

Image
In July 2024, on my return from a (wonderful) couple of months in Europe, I called into Perth to check the validity of my spreadsheets. Was it possible to buy a home with all the requirements that Susan and I needed for a home: - a pool - 3 to 4 bedrooms (so Sebastian & our Eastern States friends could come to visit)  - 2 living areas (because we have such different tastes in television) - single story (Susan in particular is over stairs) - close to a good beach...and to Perth friends. I enlisted my real estate researcher friend Stephanie and we drove all over the city looking at suburbs - north as far as Gwelup and south as far as Hamilton Hill. What had looked good on paper was starting to look dodgy because the Perth real estate market took off in 2024. By the end of the year prices had increased by 25% while the Melbourne market had sunk by 5%. What we could afford was looking further and further away from ideal locations. However, traipsing around the town with Stephanie w...
Read more