Kings Park and the Botanic Gardens of Western Australia
Today was a day for a bit of a lie-in and to do some exploring around Perth, so to start off with it was a walk out to Kings Park and the Western Australia Botanic Gardens that are perched high on the crest of Mount Eliza and provide wonderful views of the Swan River and Perth city – and it’s free to enter! Getting up to the gardens from below was somewhat strenuous, as you must climb Jacob’s Ladder that is technically a long series of steep concrete steps. It appeared to be a good place for exercising, as I passed a few joggers and walkers on route. If you don’t fancy walking to the gardens, that didn’t take too long, then you can use the bus – it is also a stop on the Hop-on Hop-off bus route.
The gardens house a number of plants from this part of Australia and provide a wealth of learning that includes horticultural walks and workshops, school education programs, traineeships, science studies, and even volunteer gardening advice. The Park and gardens are one of the largest inner-city parks in the world and cover over 400 hectares. The park also has more memorials and statues than any other Australian park. The State War Memorial honours those who participated in the wars, along with the Cenotaph, Flame of Remembrance, the ANZAC Bluff Commemorative Plaque, and the Court of Contemplation. It was 25th April in a couple of days’ time, which is Anzac Day in Australia and a National Holiday, and so all the memorial areas were adorned with beautiful flowers. It was only when I got up close to them that I realised all the flowers were not real but crocheted – how amazing! I chatted to the ladies who produced them and were setting them up, and the amount of work that goes into producing all these flowers is enormous. Those ladies deserved an award all of their own!
The gardens are split up into different areas, and there is the beautiful Federation Walkway that is a series of paths and an arched bridge that meanders through the treetops showing Aboriginal Artworks and some great vantage points along the way. I was lucky enough, too, to spot several kookaburras. After a busy couple of hours, it was time to take a break and stop at the lovely café for some refreshments and visit the gift shop. I’m starting to think that I should start doing a top café and gift shop review page, as I visit at least one in every place I go to. Anyway, these two would come quite high up the list in terms of quality and location, but the gift shop was a little pricey!
After refreshments, it was time to walk back via the centre of Perth and take in a bit more of the city. I must have walked miles this day, as I covered quite a large area even though Perth is not as large as some cities. It was another good weather day, but not quite as hot as the previous two which was welcomed considering all the walking I did!