Bunbury

Sunday:  Caught the 6 pm Vigil Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth (not very inspiring, though the building is imaginative, having just been renovated at cost of $35 million).  Wandered the city mall afterwards, quite deserted really for a Saturday night – found a cafe open to eat at;  then back to bed.
Indian taxi driver took me on a Cook’s Tour of Perth trying to find Europcar rentals, even though i gave him the full address.  He reckoned there were two Gordon Streets in the cbd – I haven’t had time to check!  Anyway, I was upgraded to a brand new Hyundai i30, which I am finding a delight to drive.
Took the expressway south out of town, as I will explore the Perth environs next week.  Then I hopped over the the old coast road that hugs the beaches all the way to Bunbury.  Called in at Florida and Preston beaches for a look and leg stretch.  Not Gold Coast, but nice – though all beaches seem to have heaps of seaweed littering the sand.
Booked into Bunbury Mantra apartments early afternoon.  Had a nap . The went walkabout exploring the town. The Mantra is interesting – four old silos have been converted into apartments, with an annexe added.  The main street is colourful and trying to project a traditional theme.  The new Catholic Cathedral sits on hill overlooking the city, and is quite an imposing building. It replaces the previous building that was destroyed by a tornado in 2005. The interior is very tastefully designed, with unusual photographic glass windows.  (see pic)
Watched the sun go down over the Indian Ocean at Back Beach;  then had a 5-star plate of minestrone soup at local pizza place.  Doing homework now, will read for a bit, then bed as I get ready to start the winery crawl tomorrow.
And more pics can be seen here