
Next weekend Mike and I were intending to go to Sydney to watch Clarkson, Hammond and May Live (the new incarnation of the Top Gear Live show). On Wednesday, while considering which hotel to book, we realised that instead of buying tickets to the Sydney show, my darling husband had instead bought tickets to the Perth event a week earlier. Yep, oops!
So, two days later we were catching a plane across the country for my first ever trip to Western Australia.

We began Saturday driving to Fremantle, just half an hour from the centre of Perth. After a wander through the market, and a stop for cupcakes, we took a tour of the Fremantle Prison. The prison operated from convict times up until 1991, when it closed down due in large part to the toilet facilities in the cells not having progressed beyond buckets.



44 people where hung at Fremantle Prison however the oak beam on the gallows saw over 100 deaths, having been relocated when a different prison closed down. Bureaucracy cares about the oddest things sometimes.


In the afternoon we took a two hour boat cruise up and down the Swan River. We saw some insanely expensive waterfront property, including the home of Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart, but really the cruise was just ridiculously relaxing.

We finished off the day with the reason for our trip, Clarkson, Hammond and May Live. I did enjoy the show, but I loved seeing Mike almost giddy with excitement. I'm not sure he's ever been so concerned with not being late, and said it was 'Good to see the boys in fine form'.


After breakfast on Sunday, we drove to King's Park for a last look around before heading to the airport for our midday flight home.
We didn't really do that much, and it's an awfully long way to fly for a day and a bit. but it was a pretty darn great weekend. Relaxing, low key and fun. Just what we needed.