Shop 3 & 4, Manning Arcade, High Street,
Fremantle Western Australia 6160
(08) 9433 209
Hours:
Mon-Wed, Fri-Sat 9 am - 5 pm
Thu 9 am - 8 pm
Sun 11 am - 5 pm
Website
Facebook
Located in the heart of Fremantle, in the quiet Manning Arcade, The Blue Buddha is an eclectic harmonious and extensive bazaar that mixes the esoteric, the New Age, the Fen Shui and the otherworldly, and allows you to travel from Tibet to Fairyland by walking the shop's long and sinuous arcade-following layout.
They have one of the most extensive range of tarot and oracle desks I have seen in Perth, a huge selection of crystals and semiprecious stones (mounted and unmounted), tons of decoration items, meditation and relaxation CDs, aromatherapy and tarot material, hippy-style clothing, Indian-style furniture and tons of figurines. There is also also
several rotating psychics and tarot readers in the shop, just in case
you feel like consulting the Gods via their mediums (50 bucks for half
an hour, 100 for an hour). The two stand-outs, to me, are the tarot and aromatherapy areas.
I love the fact that all every tarot or oracle pile of decks has one open to browse at you heart's content. Tarots and oracle desks are like perfumes, they could talk and be perfect for you, or not to speak to you at all. Having one box open allows you to let the magic work magic, and choose a deck that you know is going to speak to you. This is always better, and cheaper than purchasing a deck hopping that the cards will speak to you once you open it.
The people attending to
the shop are very knowledgeable about what they sell, and help you
find anything you like if you are a bit lost in the shop. You can wander
without being disturbed if you decide to.
Prices are OK, not cheap, but not expensive, and very similar to what you find in similar shops or bookshops. Let's be honest, unless you are a professional tarot reader or psychic, you do not need anything of what they sell, so it is matter of feeding your whimsical wishes without being wishy-washy with your money.
I do
not like, though, how crowded the shop is and the small space to move
around, which becomes obvious when there are more than two people standing in the
same area. Still, this is what a bazaar is.
There are other Blue Buddha Shops in Fremantle and in Perth, but this one is my favourite. If you feel lazy, you can also shop online.
82 High St
(Inside the New Edition Bookshop)
Fremantle Western Australia 6160
(08) 9335 2383
Hours:
Mon to Fri 7.30am-5pm
Sat 8am-5pm
Sun 9am-5pm
Website
Facebook
There is little to say about this café, and everything is good. The most important thing about the Grumpy Sailor is that they have an excellent coffee. In fact, they have one of the best coffees, if not the best, in the whole Perth Metropolitan Area -my opinion-, plus one of the cutest and more recognisable branded logos and cups in the city. They also have an awesome selection of home-made sweets. The pistachio brownie is my winner!
Located within the New Edition Bookshop, this cafe is a dream for any book lover. You are having a damn good cup of coffee surrounded by an ocean of books, in a place that is ample, cosy and charming. The Grumpy sailor has cute and comfortable pieces of furniture and table service, a lovely wall with iconic movie posters, and an ambience that induces you to very good things beyond "coffeeing", like enjoying your company's company, having a intellectual conversation, listening to other people's conversations, reading, writing, browsing the newspaper, playing with your tarot cards, doing solitaires, or watching the Fremantlites pass by. You choose your mood and what you want to do, and push your bottom down into one of their lovely seating areas: one of the tables around the cafe, one of the many tables spread around the bookshop, or one of the little seating places located at the faux-balcony facing the street.
The service at the café is diligent and helpful but, unlike the guys who used to attend at the Grumpy Sailor Northbridge, the ones I have found during my visits here lack a bit of warmth.
The pricing of the sweets is a bit high and the size small. They are great and yummy, though. Bagels are not my thing, so I have not tried theirs.
The Grumpy Sailor is worth the ride to Fremantle. You will feel like one of Woody Allen's characters, if you aren't already one. Follow the rail Camino and you will get to any caffiend's pilgrimage destination. No sailing needed. We are all grumpy.
Perth City Train Station to Fremantle Train Station
Perth Western Australia 6000
13 62 13
TransPerth Website
The Fremantle Railway Line was the first train line opened in Perth, in 1881, during the charming Colonial era, when trains and steam machines had the wow factor. Fremantle Train Line is still a charming line, whether you need to use it, want to get lost, or you are a tourist.
The train departs from
Perth and passes trough City West, West
Leederville, Subiaco, Daglish, Shenton Park, Karrakatta, Loch Street, Showgrounds,
Claremont, Swanbourne, Grant Street, and North Fremantle before arriving at Fremantle. The whole ride takes about half an hour.
This is my favourite train line, and one of those lines that I enjoy riding for the sake of riding it, disregarding I need to go somewhere, or just want to venture somewhere out of the blue. There are many charming places you might decide to stop at to have a meal, a coffee, a drink, go to traditional markets, visit an exhibition or fair, or just to take a stroll. My favourite stops are Subiaco, Swanbourne, Cottesloe and Fremantle.
One of the things I like the most about this line is the fact that it traverses very different urban areas: from the dry City of Perth to the coastal towns of Cottlesloe and Fremantle; from the urban to the suburban, from the middle and middle-upper class areas to the bohemian areas. No surprise, this line also has a mixed colourful group of riders: locals, tourists, beach lovers, market lovers, students, business people, families with kids, intellectuals, Footy fans, loonies, loners, you name it. An archetypal collection of human beings. You will not need a book or a phone to pass the time. Just open your eyes and enjoy the ride.
Fremantle is within TransPerth Zone 2. Fees from Perth to Fremantle or vice versa (effective 1/7/2013), are 50 cents for students, 4.20 cash (or 1.70 concession), 3.47-3.15 for multi-rider users (1.45-1.28 concession).
The Fremantle Train Line's timetable is very good, the service very frequent all day long and great part of the night. Some of the trains stop at all stations, and others just at selected ones.
MIND
Two main shuts will affect this line in the coming days. Alternative transportation will be provided. Afterwards, there were be changes in the trains timetables.
Shut 1: Friday 12 July- Wednesday 17 July 2013.
Shut 2: Wednesday 31 July-Sunday 4 August 2013
Phillmore St
Fremantle Western Australia 6160
Fremantle Train Station is an iconic Fremantle landmark, Heritage listed since 2001. The Station has an air of grandeur, with an impressive and charming stone Federation Classical façade, whose elegance and magnificence gets somewhat magnified by its less impressive surroundings. In a way, it feels a bit too grand for a bohemian little town like Fremantle. However, once you enter in, the Station reflects well the laid-back style of the town.
The Station is clean, well organised and fuss free. Only the Fremantle Train Line operates in this station and, although the trains arrive and leave frequently, there is never a huge traffic or big human agglomerations except for peak hours some days. The Station reminds me of those little old train stations you find in some small European villages and towns; if they hanged a few flower plants from the beams, the space-travel-machine feeling would be magnified.
Part of the original
grandeur of the Station can still be appreciated, if you happen to be a lady, at the
surprisingly magnificent eerie toilets. They seem designed for
giants or, most probably, for ladies wearing long dresses with cancans,
awesome feather hats and delicate parasols, who needed to
get from "Lady" to human being in need of physical relief, and lots of space for the gruelling and almost Kafkaesque transformation. They probably have huge bottoms, too. If you happen to have one, congratulations!, this is your place. The chilliness of
the place, the large empty space, the high dark-wood doors and the ultra-white walls create a
ghostly atmosphere that you do not want to miss.
Although the seating area is large and quite comfortable, and the station has electronic info pannels regarding trains departures, the station lacks some facilities that, due to he ample room available, one wonders why are not there. A cosy elegant French-style café could be perfect here, a small newsagent, a colourful flowers stand, and the now absent Info booth. That is my vision. The vision of TransPerth is a bit more Spartan, and at present there is just a little convenience store, and a Security booth, plus the ticket machines, which, of course, have a charm of their own. The security guards at the station are very friendly and helpful if you happen to request their help.
Fremantle Train Station makes you at ease as soon as you enter in. Things change after the lights of the day fade off, but, even then, the Station lives up to its Jekyll & Hyde soul.
A full page of Friday's Western Australian newspaper was devoted to the new anti-graffiti campaign started by the Fremantle City Council in which everything that is not Art or artistic will be removed. A step ahead with regards to the current erase-all policy of the Council. The Article, among other things, says:
"Any work considered potentially interesting will be referred to other staff, with the city's public art officer and director of community services making the ultimate decision."
It worries me that an administrative institution considers itself
good enough to discriminate Art from non-Art based on the initial evaluation of a group of cleaners or Art Department officers. Unless a group of artists is walking the streets and/or part of the department, the news should be taken with caution. Australia is full, I mean full, of examples of idiotic
senseless policies by City Councils. If we knew who these final-decision people are, we might feel more at ease with this new policy and join the clapping party.
Let's be clear.
I hate my taxes paying for the indiscriminate destruction of private and public property. I hate buses or trains being scratched, painted or destroyed with ugly scrawls and insults, vandalised by young kids who use their spray cans to kill their time or get a thrill by doing something illegal. I hate the front of a household being painted with a scrawl or tag. There are plenty of lanes, back walls, car parks, and abandoned sites where they could do so easily and will save us the expenses of the cleaning up. I do not support or
encourage any sort of vandalism.
Still, there are many forms and styles of graffiti. You cannot put all in the same bucket based on the opinion of a group of cleaners or public officers whose knowledge of Art is unknown or dubious. And, to be honest, if the graffiti is not damaging anybody's house or it is not especially ugly, why remove it? It would be cheaper for the tax payer to leave it there, no?
Plenty of "illegal" tagging, sticks and stencils in our State are -I'd dare to say- quite artistic and philosophical, as they are the way in which their creators show their inner world, wishes, frustrations and/or creative side and connect with us. It is a way of saying, I do exist and my opinion also counts and of the readers to share the same feelings or just reflect on what it is said.
If Councils regulate
Art, Art is going to become a sheep within a herd, and nothing truly creative or slightly critical will come out. If Councils invest themselves with the power to decide what Art is or should be, they are killing its very core - Art is challenging, provocative, thoughtful and magical, no matter how beautiful it is. Look at Picasso's work. Not all of it is beautiful, easy to look at, or approachable to the vulgus; still, he was the most remarkable artist of the 20th century. If he was painting his work on the walls today, we would find plenty of people, and I mean plenty, that would think that it needs to be removed because it is non-artistic and ugly. If you are a fan of Picasso, think, for example, about Pollock or Rothko?
I am convinced that anti-graffiti campaigns actually encourage illegal graffiti and tagging, sticking and painting. Councils should be diverting the cleaning money to implement policies that let the youth use their cans in ways and places that suit their needs. I think that would be cheaper than cleaning up. So many millions spent on erasing instead of creating something.
Graffiti is a valid form of expression. It shows the pulse of a city, of a generation, and of a Culture. That is why there are remakable differences between the Street Art and graffiti you see in Granada (Spain), Malaka (Malaysia) or Perth WA, just to mention three very different places.
There is an empty wall close to my place, the lateral wall of a building hosting several businesses. A freaking ugly huge wall that I pass by every day to always tell myself that it needs of something painted on it. Last week, however, the wall was fully covered by a sentence -written in white- expressing a deep sense of social alienation. I guess, it was written by an Aborigine or an Immigrant. Or so I thought. I thought that that was subversive, in a good way, and something that lived up the ugly wall. The graffiti has barely lasted a week, now dormant beneath a layer of ugly brown paint that does not make anything lively.
Many graffiti vigilantes -City Councils included- look with scary eyes at the world and see scary things everywhere, so they need to cover their eyes and ears from anything that subverts their pink unrealistic view of our community. Who is cleaning their way of looking?
