My first visit to Fremantle was also my first visit to Australia and took place on 13 Nov 1989 when I was assigned to the USS Midway (CV 41).  Today was my fifth visit to Fremantle, each time arriving by sea – twice with the US Navy and three times with Holland America.

Back in 1989, the USS Midway was the largest ship to moor in Fremantle as they had just completed a major dredging operation of the port.  We were homeported in Japan and Judy flew down to Perth to spend 5 days with me during our port visit.

Visiting Australia is a dream of every US Navy sailor, and I was fortunate to visit several times when I was in the Navy.  Australia and especially Fremantle is always a very special port.

In 2020 we arrived once again only this time we were not able to enjoy Australia’s hospitality but had to escape to the USA due to the Pandemic.  And now three years later we are back, and this time we will be able to enjoy Fremantle and Perth while we celebrate the continuation of our aborted 2020 Grand World Voyage.

As we closed on Victoria Quay we could see the Western Australian Brass Band getting ready for a musical welcome which started as soon as the first passengers left the ship.  Henk, Ian, and other senior officers lined the upper level of the cruise terminal and danced to the lively tunes from the WA Brass Band.

YARN CRAWL

Our last normal visit here was in 2018 and we planned to visit the same five yarn shops, which were surprisingly all still in business and in the same locations – except for one.  We connected with local resident, Deb, thru Ravelry prior to our visit and she graciously offered to drive us around to the five shops.  Deb, who is from the USA, met and married Colin, an Australian and they now live in Spearwood, Western Australia.

The Fremantle Cruise terminal is two stories, and you cross over from Deck 3 to the upper level.  There is a large seating area on the upper level with Wi-Fi which is quite popular with many guests.  When you take the escalator down to the main level, you will find a staffed information desk with many maps and brochures available.

Outside the terminal, we were surprised to find a free shuttle bus that would take us to the Fremantle information center about one mile away.  There weren’t any taxis waiting, but Uber was available.  The nearby pedestrian bridge that used to offer a speedy path to town and the nearby Coles Grocery was closed for repairs.  The Coles grocery was gone and we learned the site was going to be developed for other purposes.

Before we connected with Deb, we had planned to use Uber to visit the shops.  In 2018 we had enough interest to justify renting a large van, but not for this visit.  Taking UBER to visit the 5 shops would have cost $80 – $100 USD.

YARNS ON COLLIE

We took the Shuttle Bus to Kings Square and walked a few blocks to our first yarn shop – Yarns on Collie, where we met Deb.  Yarns on Collie is a nice shop with a selection of yarns from Katia, King Cole, Filatura Di Crosa, Malabrigo and Sirdar to name a few. Judy bought some 100% merino fingering weight yarn that was an interesting blue with hints of other colors and she found some blue buttons that were the right shade of blue for a cardigan that she is knitting.  After about 15 minutes we headed out with Deb, and we drove to the next shop, Bilby Yarns

BILBY YARNS

Bilby Yarns was about 15 minutes away.  The shop was rearranged since our last visit to facilitate social distancing.  Judy bought some pink and some white Papyrus yarn by Fibra Natura to knit a striped scarf or small shawl.  June and Charmaine were very helpful and fun to chat with…..Bilby has the best selection of rovings, spinning supplies, and accessories.

TEDDY TREE

Teddy Tree has an extensive selection of quilting fabric and teddy bears, which takes up over half the shop.  The shop is fairly large, so there is still a large selection of yarn, especially Bernat, Katia and Patons.  Judy found a brand of knitting needles she hadn’t seen before — PRYM ERGONOMICS Knitting Needles.  They have a tear-drop shaped tip and a triangle body.  Judy has been known to snap plastic needles in two while knitting, and she is curious to see how these needles hold up to her knitting style.

CROSSWAYS WOOL AND FABRIC

Crossways Wool and Fabrics has the most extensive selection of yarn, with less space dedicated to quilting fabrics.  They have a great selection of Malabrigo, Cleckheaton, Fiddlesticks, Patons, and more.  Judy bought two hanks each of three different colorways of Fiori hand-dyed sock yarn that was very close in color.  She plans to knit a cardigan melding these three different shades of blues & greens together.

CALICO AND IVY

Calico and Ivy moved since we were here in 2018.  They have the largest selection of Brooklyn Tweed Judy has seen, as well as Cleckheaton, Woolfolk, and more.  This shop also carries an extensive selection of quilting fabrics in addition to yarn.

COOGEE COMMON

With the help of Deb driving us around, we were able to visit all five shops in record time, and we headed to Coogee, south of Fremantle, for a late lunch at Coogee Common, a unique farm-to-table style restaurant with a menu featuring various items from the local area.  The menu is designed for sharing, so we ordered a couple of vegetable dishes featuring broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, and chickpeas along with a few proteins, including fish and pork and a shrimp skewer.  The food was excellent and would be a nice place to visit if you are looking for something a little different during your visit.

Afterward,  Deb invited us to her home, where we chatted briefly before heading back to the ship via a quick stop at a Farmer Jack’s grocery store for some Tim Tams.   We missed meeting her husband, Colin,  a retired Submariner and bicycle racer, and we would have enjoyed sharing sea stories.

MARDI GRAS IN FREMANTLE

The ship was in port overnight, and it was also Fat Tuesday.   Mardi Gras celebrations were scheduled in the Rolling Stone Lounge starting at 8 pm

They had a Mardi Gras Gold Coin Scavenger Hunt – they hid 200 chocolate gold coins, and 138 were turned in.  The winner had 38 coins.

Other events included a “Mardi Gras Bead Toss Game” contest which involved bouncing a ping pong ball into your partner’s paper cup and a Mardi Gras “Pass the Beads” contest.

The highlight of the evening was the Mardi Gras King and Queen Costume Contest.    I wore my black and gold jacket along with a Mardi Gras hat and mask with a green and purple bow tie.   As it turned out I was the only man to enter along with 6 women and one young girl, about 10 years old or so.     Consequently I was declared the King of Mardi Gras by default and the young girl was declared the Queen of Mardi Gras.  I suspect that participation was less since we were in port and many of the party people were probably ashore enjoying some Fremantle night spots.

YARN SHOP REFERENCE

Bilby Yarns
Showroom: shop 2, 6 Harrison Street, Willagee, Western Australia
Postal Address:  P.O. BOX 165, Bull Creek, Western Australia 6149
Email: info@bilbyyarns.com
Phone: [61+08] 9331 8818

http://www.bilbyyarns.com.au  and  http://www.bilbyyarns.com
11:00 am – 5:00 pm Tuesday to Friday
Open on most Saturdays from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

 The Teddy Tree
226 Scarborough Beach Road
(corner Egina St)
Mount Hawthorn WA 6016
Ph: (08) 9201 1011
Tue-Sat 9:30 am-3:00 pm

http://teddytree.com.au/
sales@teddytree.com.au

Crossways Wool and Fabrics

Shop 15, Crossways Shopping Centre,
180 Rokeby Rd, Subiaco WA 6008
Phone: 08 9381 4286
Monday to Friday: 9 am – 5.00 pm
Saturday: 9 am – 4.30 pm

http://crosswayswoolandfabrics.com.au/
sales@crosswayswoolandfabrics.com.au

Calico and Ivy
10 to 5:00 pm (M- Sat)

https://www.calicoandivy.com/
4/111 Claremont Crescent
Swanbourne WA 6010
Phone :  (08) 9383 3794
Email: info@calicoandivy.com

Yarns on Collie
Shop 3
19 Collie St, Fremantle WA 6160, Australia
10:00 to 5pm (M – Sat)
http://www.woolshop.com.au
(08) 9335 4455