14 February - Mandurah


14 February – Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.
Great day to be heading down the coast. 41 degC forecast for Perth! A pleasant 38 greeted us in Mandurah. About an hour south of Perth, Mandurah is a beautiful coastal town with high class canal living. Definitely a playground for the wealthy!

We found a spot for coffee, which coincidentally is also the ice creamery which had enticed Isobel and Max to bring us here. We were going to take the train down. Having a car really did enable us to see and do more. Especially as it was so hot just doing the small amount of walking we did.

After coffee we weaved our way around the foreshore to an area adjacent to the ocean, but still protected by the canal system. We mused our later venue for lunch then headed back to the car to find the wetlands. We had armed ourselves with a map of how to get there.

This whole area is full of canal development. Some on reclaimed land, others simply built on the existing inlets of the Peel River system.

The wetland is quite dry at present, but there is an ecosystem which has been nurtured back to health after the area was abandoned as farmland. Some not unusual water fowl were out on the main waterway. Nothing of note so we did not linger.

Time to head for lunch.

We found our spot right on the waterfront at a seafood restaurant – perfect! Then it was time to head back to the ice creamery.

What a wonderful day.



Overlooking the wetlands



Lots of waterfront cafes and restaurants

A clever 3D artwork on the walkway



Such a hot day only saw a few birds at the wetlands


Good friends, good food. What more could one want

Because of drought, the wetlands are very dry, but there are some very interesting plants thriving where the water should be



Have to take photos of black swans when in WA!


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