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ESTATE NEWS

Cenotaph, Flame of Remembrance and Re ecting Pool, Kings Park With Dave and Eileen at the Revolving restaurant

prominent place in Kings Park. Over 80 bird
species have been recorded in Kings Park
and those that we saw included Maned and
Freckled Duck, Galah, Brown and Singing
Honeyeater, Willie Wagtail, Red Wattlebird
and Spotted Turtle-Dove.

There are a number of war memorials in the
park. The Cenotaph overlooking Perth Water
was erected in 1929 to commemorate the
men from W.A. that gave their lives during
the Great War. Underneath the Cenotaph
is the roll of honour with the names of all
W.A. servicemen and women who died in
the Boer War, WW1, WW2, Korean War and
Vietnam. A dawn service is held each year on
Anzac Day, 25 April, and an annual service is
held at 11am on Remembrance Day on 750 year old Boab tree The Bell Tower
11 November. In April 2000, Queen Elizabeth

inaugurated the flame of remembrance and Pied Oystercatcher River and then headed out across the ocean
the reflecting pool. where Rottnest Island could just be seen on

the horizon.
While in Perth we had arranged to meet
up with Dave and Eileen Hughes, former Once on the island, activities for tourists
residents of Kyalami Estates, who moved to included cycling, taking a bus around the
Perth in 2009. The meeting place was the island, snorkeling, visiting the shops and
Bell Tower, an easily recognisable landmark restaurants and looking for the quokka
in Barrack Street Square overlooking the and other wildlife. Birds we identified

Swan River. Twelve of the eighteen bells in included Caspian and Crested Tern, Pied
the tower were originally from St Martin- Oystercatcher, Little Pied Cormorant and
in-the-Fields in England and were cast in Silver Gull. Quokkas were plentiful and this
the 14th century. The revamped Barrack small marsupial is a must see on the island as
Street Square, which surrounds the tower, is it is found in only a few locations in Western
popular for its numerous restaurants, shops, enemy aliens during the two World wars. The Australia.
cycle and walking paths. After disembarking Dutch called the island Rottenest Eylandt
from a cruise down the Swan River, the (Rats Nest Island) after the sizeable quokka We then boarded a speedboat for a thrilling
four of us walked past the Bell Tower and population found on the island, which they high-speed boat ride around the island. All

the huge Moreton Bay fig trees in Stirling mistakenly identified as large rats. passengers were issued with waterproof
Gardens to the C Restaurant in the Sky on ponchos and, after fastening safety belts, we

the 33rd floor of St Martin’s Tower. The C Rotto, as the island is colloquially known set off first to observe a colony of fur seals

Restaurant, the only revolving restaurant in to locals, is now a very popular tourist and then some of the sea birds, including
W.A, completes a full 360-degree rotation in destination and ferries operate daily from nesting Ospreys. Then for the next half
90 minutes, giving diners spectacular views Perth and Freemantle to the island. Sue hour the pilot opened the throttle and we
of the city, Swan River and surrounding and I boarded the ferry at the Elizabeth crested waves at high speed and executed
area. Our thanks again to Paula and Craig, Quay terminal in Perth and during the half tight turns sending spray cascading over all
and to Dave and Eileen for their generous hour cruise down the Swan River towards the passengers while being watched with
hospitality. Freemantle we observed a number of bird perhaps a little envy by those walking along
species including Australian Pelican, Darter, the cliff path on the island.

Rottnest Island lies off the coast of Western White-faced Heron, Sacred Ibis, Black-
Australia, 18km west of Freemantle, and winged Stilt and Black Swan. Many very The Perth Freemantle area is the only large
covers an area of 19km². Although originally expensive mansions occupy prime riverside urban area in the vast state of Western
inhabited by the Aboriginal Noogar people, sites and dozens of yachts and other Australia and, seen from the International
the island was uninhabited when Dutch recreational craft were moored at marinas Space Station at night, the city lights are
sailors arrived in the 17th century. The island along the river. We passed large container surrounded for thousand of kilometres on all
has since been used as a penal colony, a ships being loaded and unloaded at the port sides by the darkness of the ocean and the
military base and an internment centre for of Freemantle at the mouth of the Swan desert.
12 Kyalami Estates • CONNECT • Issue 2 • 2019