Guildford Again

Perth Hills

On the weekend I braved the rain and headed to the Perth Hills in search of wildflowers. Got rained on a bit, but did get to go for a bit of a walk and see some flowers.

Grass trees

The sun did come out in the end:

Interesting signs

Ashes

One of my favourite spots in Perth (not that I've seen much of it) is Guildford. Mostly I drive through it on my way to Midland for furniture shopping, Spotlight, patchwork stores, but twice now I have actually stopped. There are a number of quaint antique stores and cafes and lots of old buildings. This week I stopped, not to shop (although I was on the way to Midland) but to check out the buildings and history of the area.
<--Guildford Post Office

Now an outer suburb of Perth, Guildford was originally a market town on the upper reaches of the Swan River serving the developing agricultural regions. It was a favourite area of Capt. Stirling who founded the free-settlement of Perth and established his country retreat here.

The Guildford Hotel was built in 1886, during the Gold Rush. A number of hotels were built in this time, often on street corners on the way to the Goldfields. It was built in 'Federation Free Classical Style' with a heavily embellished and symmetrical facade, demonstrating the prosperity of the time. Now painted in deep red and green, the original colours of the facade were apparently more muted.
<--Guildford Hotel, pic from www.swanvalley.com.au

The landmark hotel was almost condemned in 1991 until new owners stepped in and restored the building. It was at this time it was discovered that the original parts were contructed with convict made bricks.

Sadly, last week the Hotel burned down. It was quite a shock. Unfortunately I hadn't gotten around to taking photos of it prior to this. The fire gutted the building and caused an estimated $3million damage. But how can you put a price on history?

Pic from ABC news online-->

Stepping out of my car half a block from the hotel, almost 2 weeks after it burned down, you could still smell the smoke in the air. All that remains is the facade, tall and straight and unblemished aside from some scaffolding, trying to deny the destruction of its innards. Pansies are still growing in the flower-boxes on the boarded up windows. But burned metal hangs down from what was once the roof. And the dull-grey sky can be seen through the upper story windows.

The owners have vowed to restore it to its former glory. The current/former/temporary premier (election was last weekend, votes are still being counted, neither Lib or Lab got enough votes to rule outright, so they are waiting for the Nationals to decide who they want to side with) said the Government would look at helping to fund the restoration. Let's hope he is out of power before they can decide on this!
Most of the original 120 year old materials are gone: the sparking Jarrah boards, the intricate ceiling roses and cornices which were part of its architecture. All gone. Can the Guildford Hotel and its history really be restored?

The remains:

Pindan

Some more pictures from my long-ago flight over the Kimberley:

Cape Leveque with its dirt landing strip

Beach and pindan cliffs somewhere between Cape Leveque and Broome

Silence

I’ve been a bit quiet since returning to Perth. Partly because I am busy, mostly because I am lazy, and more so because I don’t know what to write.

I’m taking suggestions…

My time has been divided between work, sleep, cleaning/unpacking and hanging out with my housemate. I have been back for just over a month now, and only finished unpacking about 10 days ago. It took a while because I moved rooms 2 weeks after arriving and also went to Melb for 5 days. I love my new room because it is huge and fits all of my stuff (of which there is a lot according to the opinion of a visitor on the weekend), has a wardrobe and is quiet and dark enough to sleep during the day.

We had a housewarming party on the weekend which was quite successful. I had my few work friends including Dee who has been stuck in Eucla (on the Nullabour) for too many months and her sweet rescued dog called Lady (who thinks she’s a boy!). We were blessed with good weather so the outdoor setting could be utilized.

I met some of my housemate’s friends including a really nice family whom I suggested we invite to dinner. However, one of them is a Home Ec teacher. So there goes that idea – neither of us can cook!

I've added some pretty pics to make this more interesting...