Sunny Day on the Mandurah Boardwalk

We hadn't strayed far from the marina and the boat since we'd arrived and when a gorgeous sunny day appeared over the weekend, we decided to spend a few hours wandering along the Mandurah Boardwalk and foreshore. It's not far away … only a 10 minute walk or so … from our marina. We got to take a good look at Cups parked beside the end of the t-dock and she was looking fine in the noonday sun.  

A beautiful walkway and pedestrian bridge took us up over the calm waters of the Dolphin Pool and to the Boardwalk. It was gorgeous and warm and everyone seemed to be out enjoying the sunshine and the day. Shops and restaurants were all open, inviting patrons to brunch and lunch and browse.

There were several Farmer's Markets going on concurrently and we passed from one to the other, buying a flat white at one tent to sip as we ambled along and some tomatoes at another and stopping to look at crafts further along.

Beyond buying freshies, we could have loaded up on gourmet cupcakes, gotten tattooed and even had a pony or a camel ride. Never having ridden a camel, I was quite tempted, but declined when I noticed only 4-year olds were riding and insurance required wearing Hello Kitty helmets. I'd fit right in with the 4-year-olds, but the helmets? No, thanks.

The waters of the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary, one of Australia's larger inlet systems, form the center of Mandurah. According to Wiki, this estuary is approximately twice the size of Sydney Harbour. The city lies in and around this freshwater system which in turn feeds into the Indian Ocean. The whole foreshore area is a tourist magnet and people were taking full advantage of water sports, boating, estuary tours and fishing on a sunny autumn day.

There's a public art walk on the eastern foreshore of Mandjar Bay that is well-signed and very appropriate to the bay and its Aboriginal Noongar heritage.

A small sailboat was tied up to a wooden jetty along the foreshore loading passengers and David walked out to query the captain about the depths in the area. They chatted for a bit and when David returned he didn't know much more about the depths, but had an invitation to dinner. That's how it is with Aussies … friendly, generous and welcoming people.

There's lots more to see, but after what seemed like a hundred kilometers on foot and our backpacks full of freshies, we were ready to head back to the boat. Time for a late lunch … and a siesta.