SUNRISE OVER FREMANTLE PORT

 

 

It was quite a pretty early morning today, but according to BOM it will get a whole lot worse, with very heavy rain expected over the weekend.

The icy wind chilled my poor old bones when I sat outside at Chalkys to drink my double espresso.

Roel Loopers

THE FINE FREO ART OF REFLECTIONS

 

 

 

The in art circles around the world widely acclaimed Loopy’s Stanbury Series is an ongoing project of reflections on surfaces around Fremantle, from puddles, to windows, car bonnets and roofs, and of course water. I took this photo in Fremantle Port yesterday afternoon.

There is beauty and art in everything for those of us who are observant. Life is good in Freo!

Roel Loopers

PS. I am of course kidding when I claim the worldwide attention for my photos. ;>))

 

SMOKE HAZE MAKES FREO SMELLING LIKE A BBQ

 

 

It smells in Fremantle this morning as if a huge BBQ is going on somewhere, but it is smoke haze from down south, that also makes it quite hazy.

It made for a lovely photo of the SS Leeuwin II at Victoria Quay, with port cranes at North Quay in the background.

Roel Loopers

SPECIAL FREO DEALS FOR CRUISE CREWS

 

 

While the Majestic Princess cruise ship left Fremantle yesterday the Radiance of the Sea entered our port this morning, so there is a lot of cruise activity in Freo.

It is good to know that the special offers available under a City of Fremantle program targeting the crews of visiting cruise ships have been extended until the end of the year.

The City’s Crew Friendly program provides cruise ship crew with both a digital and hard copy brochure about where to access essential supplies and services like groceries, clothes, pharmacies and health clinics, as well as a guide to local restaurants, bars, entertainment and visitor attractions.

The program also allows local businesses to offer discounts and deals to crew who show their Crew ID.

The special deals offered through the Crew Friendly program for this cruise season will now be available to the large number of cruise ships being diverted to Fremantle outside of the normal cruise season due to concerns about coronavirus.

“Making more of the opportunities associated with cruise ships is a key priority flagged within the Destination Marketing Strategic Plan we launched last year,” Mayor Brad Pettitt said.

“While cruise ship passengers make an important contribution to the local Fremantle economy, it’s important not to overlook the crew.

“There are often a thousand or more crew on the larger ships, and most of them disembark in destinations to restock personal supplies, take some well-earned R&R or simply find Wi-Fi to connect with home.

“Crew are also much more independent and unlikely to be on pre-booked tours, so they are more likely to explore the city and spend in local businesses. We’ll be reaching out to the operators of all of the additional ships to make them aware of the program and to give local traders more of an opportunity to grow their business.”

The Crew Friendly deals are listed on the visitfremantle.com.au website and participating businesses are provided with a ‘Crew Friendly’ poster to put up in their shop windows.

A special link is included in the brochure to direct crew to the deals website.

Businesses wishing to participate in the program can do so by contacting marketing@fremantle.wa.gov.au with their offer or discount.

The City of Fremantle also provides cruise ship arrival alerts so businesses can stay up to date with what ships are arriving and when. Businesses can receive these alerts by simply subscribing to the City’s This is Business e-newsletter.

Roel Loopers

A FREO SUNDAY FULL OF LIFE

 

 

It is going to be a gorgeous day in the best port city in the world, so make sure to take advantage of all that is on offer today.

Of course start the day at the Freo Farmers Market at Fremantle College, which is open till midday.

Then off to Bathers Beach for the Sculpture at Bathers exhibition, and from there to the Fremantle Arts Centre for the free courtyard music session from2-4pm. Gordon Koang is one of South Sudan’s biggest popstars, so bring your dancing shoes!

Then head of to the port where at Victoria Quay there are Foodtrucks in B Shed with DJs and a great ambience. And at the Maritime Museum the free concert is on from 5pm with Lorraine Cliiford, The Lost Quays and Dan Howls.

Have fun. I’ll see you around. ; >)

 

Roel Loopers

HARBOUR SUNDAYS GREAT SETTING

 

 

Here some arty impressions from the Harbour Sundays concert on the deck of the Fremantle Maritime Museum.

The band of very young musicians was excellent, but it would have been even better if they had turned the sound down a bit, as the deck is not that large and there is no real need to turn it up as high as they did.

It is a very popular session and a real delight to watch the port activities and sunset from there.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE HIGH STREET UPGRADE STARTS

 

 

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Fremantle HIGH STREET UPGRADE project this morning with Premier Mark McGowan, the Member for Fremantle, Minister Simone McGurk, Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt, and Mainroads officials, but no one though about inviting this Freo blogger, so all I can show is this latest plan.

There will no doubt be traffic disruptions when the work starts in a few weeks from now, so I will try to keep you up to date, but that will depend a lot on receiving the relevant information.

Roel Loopers

 

PEACE BOAT ARRIVES IN FREMANTLE

 

 

I am looking forward to the first Fremantle Council meeting next Wednesday because it has been a slow news  period for too long, as far as I am concerned.

But this morning I went and took these two arty photos of the Ocean Dream PEACE BOAT, which arrived in Fremantle Port yesterday, from the foot bridge.

Roel Loopers

CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD YACHTS LEAVES FREMANTLE

 

 

The Clipper Round the World yachts left for their next leg from Fremantle to Seattle on Sunday afternoon and did a parade of sails in the inner harbour, where I took these photos.

The crew had been on R&R and yacht repair and maintenance at the Fremantle Sailing Club for a few weeks.

Roel Loopers

CLIPPER YACHTS LEAVING FREMANTLE

 

 

The yachts participating in the Clipper Round the World race will be leaving Fremantle tomorrow-Sunday, after staying at the Fremantle Sailing Club for a few weeks.

They will be doing a Parade of Sails in the inner harbour at 1pm, and after that man overboard exercises on the ocean.

Start of the next leg will be at 3pm near the North Mole, so go and have a look at the impressive sight of them all together.

Roel Loopers