Fri, 24th Mar, 2023 Bob & Margaret’s place, Florida Beach, WA (Whiteman Park Museums)

Put my washing on as rain is forecast for tomorrow, then hung it out to dry while we are out.

Headed off with Bob & Margaret in the car to North Perth to check out Whiteman Park. There are a couple of museums, zoo and lots of parkland and Bob hasn’t been to it yet.

We had a cuppa first watching the old tram come in to the Info Centre and kids playing in the water park. You can do a trip on that or on other days a train. We just had to walk along a bit to the Motor Museum of WA (opened in 1994, staffed by volunteers). There are over 200 cars and motorcycles on display and lots of interesting motoring memorabilia as well a huge die-cast models so will take us a while to go through it all. Got the boys outside keen to discover what was inside.

This car was built by Cliff Byfield and there are others in here that he hand built too - amazing and to think he was 93 when he finished this one.

I just took some general photos and got on with exploring.

Sent this photo to Valerie as they have just bought an electric car - behind the time as this was built in 1914!

Amazing to see the change in tyres over the years.

So much to see and read. We liked this display - glad we are prospecting in the modern era.

Cliff Byfield made this Jaguar for his wife.

Such a great display and well set out.

Outside to another display before going into the next pavilion.

Daniel Ricciardo’s (WA lad) Formula 1 car from 2014 - great to see it up close.

Great RAC display too.

Spotted lots of old favourites. Supercars have changed to the Camaro now but Steve read that they have stopped making them so they might have to change again. Ford has the Mustang.

Another of Cliff Byfield’s handiwork - Buttercup.

Aah the Mini - we both wish we had kept ours.

But wait there's more.

A section on Speedway but no Formula 500. Found an old sidecar same style as what Bob used to race though he had a metal platform on it by then. When he read the article he realised it was about the chap that he rode with some times in the early days. Great memories for him.

Chatted with one of the volunteers who said they start the cars regularly and the displays change regularly too as a lot of items are on loan but the Museum owns a heap too.

Back to the first pavilion. Played with the slot car set then wandered down to check out more displays on the other side. Steve found a version of his old Capri that he raced at Speedway before he got into Formula 500s.

This is the ute used in the Red Dog movie filmed in the Pilbara region.

Of course there is always a DeLorean on display at car museums - made famous by the Back to the Future movies.

Lots of motorbikes and an old style servo too.

Interesting reading about Lloyd Hartnett - bet he wished he stayed building Holdens.

That was very interesting. We walked down the road a bit to the Tractor Museum but decided to just check out the items outside as we have all seen so many tractor museums on our travels.

Back to the cafe for lunch. Some feathered friends dropped in to say hello. Two more species dropped in too but I didn’t get photos of them.

Drove around to the Revolutions Transport Museum. Climbed up the rail overpass then checked out the display outside.

Inside we found lots of interesting things to see and read about. More reminders of how good we have it nowadays.

Looks fun but I bet it hurt when they fell off.

Information about Lew Whiteman who owned this land previously. Off the brochure too. We are lucky that people collected things and then were happy to share it with others later on.

Dad had a tool box like this downstairs that I think was his cousin Cyril’s.

This was very interesting. You never think about how people got about in the older days who had disabilities.

Steve’s uncle, Greg, rode these. We also saw them raced in Evandale in Tasmania - crazy.

Cooking implements - trying to work out what this was for. Bob said egg in the round bit and bacon on the fingers. I thought meat on the fingers and the fat flowed down the ridges into the round bit as everyone kept the fat (lard) back then to have on their bread. One of Mum’s favourite childhood memories - on the way home from school, stopping in at Grandma Ingham’s for fresh bread layered with dripping (lard) and salt and pepper.

Fabulous map of the rail network in WA in 1939.

Shearing truck and wagon. The boys trying to tie a Sheepshank knot. The both know the trucker’s knot.

Tuart trees made good wagon wheels.

Lovely coaches.

Outside was a little memorial carriage that Margaret and I tried out.

Walked around to the other end of the building that looked nice.

Wandered down to the rail station which is an old one from Subiaco that has been relocated here - what a big job and they have done a great job of it too.

Drove around the many car parking areas to Caversham Wildlife Park. We have run out of time to go there. Behind that is the Woodland Reserve. We drove down Mussel Pool Road and check out all the facilities there for picnics and sports etc. Back to the Weir for a quick walk as dark clouds are looming over us. Read the info then walked back to take a photo of Bunyip Rock.

Not much water in the creek and what there is is very muddy. You can easily see the rocks mentioned on the info board.

No fish swimming in this fish ladder.

Quickly grabbed a few photos of the old hut and information as rain drops started.

A Log Whim with a huge log and info then across the park to the wind mill etc.

A few drops for the pool as we run back to the car.

Headed back out then turned off to check out the Look Out. Margaret and I ran up - not much of a view though - looking across to the escarpment to the east.

Bob drove us back home via the freeway but it was later in the day so it was a slow drive with all that traffic. Home again. No rain here so my washing was dry.

Drinks on the verandah watching the wispy clouds come over. Looked good as the sun set.