I have not done any serious cycling
since college in Chennai, which is 40 years ago. Yet, when Suresh and Ludi
suggested a tour by cycle around the Herdsmans Lake to start this day I was all
game. Suresh had a spare cycle and a helmet to go with it. It took me just a
little while to find my balance after all these years. Suresh said that one
round of the Lake would be 7.5 km; he does that round everyday as part of his
fitness regime. The lake has been maintained in such a way as to give a feel of
how it would have been without human intervention. For this certain weeds were
even transplanted and the swamp of paperbark trees has been maintained in its
pristine form. I was told that the
aboriginals used the paperbark tree to write and maintain their records. The lake
is also a wildlife sanctuary, where people come for bird watching and
photography. The premises is also host to the extremely poisonous tiger snake – which
I had the ‘privilege’ of seeing, mercifully not at close quarters. There were
quite a few cyclists and those out for filling their lungs – a young mother
running with her child in the pram was an interesting sight. Suresh took me to
a few lookouts in the swamp from where the views of the lake were glorious. Black
swans and grebes there were in plenty. The swamp is actually the soul of the
lake. The trees go through their entire cycle of birth, death and after life in
the swamp.
Last evening I had requested Ludi for
Puttu and Kadala for breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised to know that Suresh
too was very fond of this breakfast item. It is my all-time favourite. Ludi
made delicious Kadala and soft Puttu this morning and I wolfed as if I had been
starving till then. Over breakfast we chalked out the plans for the day.
Uppermost on my agenda for the day was servicing of the car, if possible, in
Perth. By the turn of events with Hertz customer service it did not look likely
to happen this day.
Ludi, Suresh and I left after 11 am
for King’s Park, which is bigger in area than the New York Central Park, and
was named thus in 1901 as a mark of respect for King Edward VII who had
ascended the British throne. The Botanical Garden in the Park is home to
hundreds of native plants from the various regions of Australia. Relocation of
such plants were done with extreme care, such as with the giant Gija Jumulu Boab
tree that was transported from the Kimberley region; the wounds sustained by
the tree during its transportation to the Park were treated and has now
‘healed’. There are nuggets of information about various trees and plant
species as well as its use by the indigenous people in their daily life such as
the salt bush, which was used as a natural source of salt. Various others were
used for treatment of ailments and for sustenance. When one goes around the Park
the spirit of John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia, stalks you.
It was he, as the first President of the Park, who envisioned that the Park
would “enable children 1000 years hence to see our country as it was when
Stirling landed”. It is such visionaries who transform a nation and breathe
life into it. 
The Park is used for concerts and
other entertainment programs. The special area was being readied for one such
when we were there. The Park also has possibly the largest memorial; the trees
that line the roads have beneath them the name of a martyr of the two world
wars whose sacrifice for the nation is cherished. The view of the Swan Lake and
the Darling ranges is glorious from near the State War Memorial. The Aboriginal
Art Gallery exhibits the work of aboriginals from Western Australia and has
some lovely pieces, that are pricey too. From the Kings Park we walked to the
Jacob’s Ladder, which has over 240 steep steps. It is popular among the
residents and office goers for exercise during off hours. I was amazed at the
number of people practicing there and was told that they are preparing for an
event that is to happen in Perth shortly.
We walked through the many buildings
adjacent to the Elizabeth Quay and went there to appreciate the new
constructions that are going on there. The erstwhile motorway was broken and
taken through the CBD to accommodate an inlet of water from the Swan River. The
initiative of the then Premier Barnett had weathered many storms including that
from environmentalists who objected to massive trees being cut down as a part
of the project. The view of the city’s skyline from the quay is quite dramatic.
The Bell Tower was built as part of the celebration of the millennium. It
overlooks the Swan River and is open for public tours. The reception area of the
tower has many souvenirs for collectors.
A short walk away is the Supreme Court
of Western Australia. We ambled through the lawns and gardens on the premises
expecting to be stopped by a security guard. Nothing like that happened and we
walked through to the entrance of the Supreme Court, where we were greeted by
another piece of history. The Old Court House is said to be the oldest public
building in the city of Perth, dating back to 1837. Later it served many needs
of the community such as church, immigration depot, school and store. The Ore
Obelisk is another fascinating monument that we found near the Supreme Court
building. The Obelisk symbolizes the expansion of mining in Western Australia
and celebrates its millionth citizen!
The St George’s Cathedral is the
mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Perth. The magnificent 125 year old
church has a lovely nave and an impressive organ. The State Library is in a new
building, made of granite and wood, in circular format. We went through to the
first floor and appreciated the workmanship of the building. The Town Hall of
Perth is another historic part of the city. The bells and various other
memorabilia from the past are treasured here. We walked through all the three
major streets of Perth – St George’s, Murphy and Hay – and returned to King’s
Park in a tram. All trams in the city are free for commuters.
Back home after a round of the lovely
and scenic University campus Suresh, with very little assistance from me,
washed and vacuumed the car. After that we drove to the new Optus Stadium,
which will replace the WACA for international tournaments, with upgraded
facilities and larger capacity. The tank was also filled up to ensure an early
morning start to Carnarvon the next morning.
I had a most enjoyable and informative
stay in Perth, thanks to the lovely couple, Ludi and Suresh. Ludi made
sandwiches, cleaned all the fruits, helped store food stuffs in cans and
completed all the laundry by the time we were back from the stadium. I just
could not get beyond a couple of cutlets and a bottle of beer for dinner, again
due to the devastatingly tasty Puttu and pork vindaloo that I had after coming
back from the Perth city tour. An amazing two days and so much to thank Ludi and Suresh for.
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