Fri, 18th Oct, 2019 Bob & Margaret’s place, Florida Beach, near Mandurah, WA

Quiet morning relaxing.

Next door neighbour called in with some fresh vegies for Margaret so he joined us for a cuppa. He was a vet who worked overseas and he had so many interesting stories to listen too.

After lunch we went into Mandurah and checked out the local museum. A lot of local oral stories and displays in what was the original Dalrymple school house which then became the police station (1947) and courthouse.

There have been three bridges now over the estuary. The first was built in 1894 and demolished in 1953.The newest one was just being completed when we were here in Christmas 2017. It replaced the second one – part of which is now been made into a fishing platform.

I tried to lock Bob in the prison cells (built 1960) while Margaret was in the exercise ground (now a library room).

This huge Megamouth Shark stranded itself on the beach on Steve’s birthday in 1988.

This is Mandurah’s oldest one-owner car – 1927 Essex ‘Super-Six’.

Bob is watching a video of what life was like in the school room here when it was open from 1900 to 1939. The Dalrymple School was named after the first headmaster, Robert Dalrymple. Students though had been educated earlier by local families. There were also a good collection of old bits and pieces.

The oldest building in Mandurah is Hall’s Cottage. We visited it when we first came to Mandurah in Christmas 2016.

The next display room was the old courtroom. There was a map of the area painted on the floor and lots of information.

Outside was a fabulous mural. Unfortunately there was no information about who this was.

We walked down to where the last two bridges were. The original one was just left of my photo.

Looking back up the estuary towards to the Bypass Road bridge that takes us south, across the ‘Cut’ which is a man-made opening in the Peel Estuary then on to Bob & Margaret’s place.

We walked under the road around to the site of Tuckey’s residence.

Across the road from the old residence (which then became a shop) was the old Brighton Hotel, built by Tuckey’s as a home but in 1895 it was the first hotel in Mandurah and traded for 108 years with the newer version a bit further down the road.

We walked around to the foreshore precinct and found the old ‘fisherman’ which is on the site of the Tuckey Cannery (est 1870s).

Margaret pointed out the floating box which is home to a ‘hermit’.

We walked the length of the foreshore to Simmo’s Icecream Shop and had a yummy treat.

As we headed back to the car I spotted this great mural which had a seat for photographs.

We checked out a florist who had heaps of fabulous ornaments and so much stuff in their shop that we could hardly move. There were seats made from 44 gallon drums and replica fuel pumps and old cars. Wasn’t game to take any photos in case the shop owners got upset.

Back home for drinks and yummy fish and chips for dinner. Margaret and I finished off the delicious dessert we bought yesterday at the Farmer’s Market in Bunbury. Bob is being good since he has lost some weight.