We took Albany Highway 30 to Armadale, about 40 minutes drive from Perth. We came to the place the day before but it was a bit late to visit any attraction. Armadale is just a small rural town founded in 1831. This region known as “Heritage Country” includes the nearby townships of Kelmscott, Rolleystone, Bedforddale and Forrestdale. It is a scenic Australian rural backdrop with a touch of English countryside.
Since we had no idea of where to proceed, we dropped by the information centre. The lady was very helpful in recommending us the Heritage Country Tourist Route 205 that would take us to Araluen.
We drove past the Elizabethan Cottage, a place built to reflect the Elizabethan era. It has a bed & breakfast, a pub, William Shakespeare’s centre and all things Elizabethan. The visitors are greeted by a walk through entrance under a canopy of plants grown on a pergola. We made a quick photo stop.
Ton, Anas & Nina in Heritage country
The Heritage Country Trail passes through bushes, farms and dams. From the advertisement along the road, I conclude that it is an ideal retirement hideout for the locales. We stopped at a shop in Brackenridge Village advertising antiques for sale and bought 2 old Aussie coins. Since we came during spring time, there were galleries of beautiful wild flowers along the way. The problem with the Australian roads is that they have concrete kerbs at the side that prevent motorists from stopping at the road side. The only option is to stop on the road to take pictures. It was a calculated risk considering lack of traffic on the road.
Kangaroo Crossing sign, I didn't run into any kangaroo
From Brackenridge Village, we took Brookton Highway and Croyden Road to Araluen Botanic Park. The park started as a holiday camp in 1929 had been transformed into an idyllic nature retreat complete with shaded walkways, extensive water features and flower-lined picnic sites. We had our picnic by the huge pergolas that served as a walkway. The roses at Araluen are worth the trip. Beside, it has other exotic and native plant species. We had a field day taking photos of the flowers.
Ton in a rose garden
On the way back, we stopped at Fremantle, Western Australia port city. We stopped at the Fremantle Markets, its most famous attraction. We bought Anas a leather belt to replace the one we bought from the same place when we first came to Perth. Many old buildings have been restored making a walk or drive around the place a pleasant experience.
Anas at the entrance of Freemantle MarketTo us, Fremantle reminds us of 2 things; good fish and chips at the Fishing Boat Harbour and E Shed Markets located at Victoria Quay where we would go to buy nougats. Interestingly, the shop owners where we bought souvenirs and nougats were Malaysian Chinese.
Kaili's Cafe claims to serve the best fish & chips
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