Perth, Western Australia. Trip 2013 Highlights, Part 1

I was going to write individual posts about the various highlights of my trip to Perth back in April but, as time goes on, it's becoming evident that I'm not going to get around to it. So here it is. The bumper post of trip highlights in pictures.

This first part is most of the sights we saw with various family members. Part two will focus on Enigma and I's day trip to Fremantle.

South Perth Foreshore

South Perth Foreshore.

Enigma and I spent our first morning wandering along the South Perth foreshore. The foreshore is well kept parkland with cycle and walk paths, playgrounds and more with great views of the central Perth skyline.

We were lucky enough to be walking on a fairly cloudy day but I'd recommend a hat and sunscreen because there are long stretches of path with no shade.

Kelly's Cafe and Restaurant

Kelly's Cafe.

Kelly's Cafe and Restaurant is actually in the middle of a garden centre known as All Palms Garden Centre located in Canning Vale.

The dining space is large but inviting and doubles as a gift shop where you can browse either whilst you wait for your order or after you've eaten.

Enigma and I had a very nice lunch here with my Mother, Sister, Brother and his Partner.

London Court

London Court. Photo: Enigma

London Court is actually just a themed shopping mall but it makes for a great many photo opportunities due to the amount of detail in the architecture. It's also not an uncommon site to see people standing at the entrances to the mall waiting for the clocks to strike so they can see the animated knights jousting (I think - it's been so long since I really stopped to look and see what characters spin around when the clocks strike).

Ken Done Retrospective Exhibition

Ken Done Retrospective. Photo: Enigma

This exhibition was on at the Linton & Kay Galleries on St. Georges Terrace in the city. Ken's art is always divisive among any group of people (who aren't Ken Done groupies) and my family was no exception.

"Checkn out the Ken Done exhibition.

This one has been done well

looks spot on like a tv." - Carl A.

Best comment on the exhibition was from my brother who posted the photo he took on the right to his Facebook page whilst at the exhibition. His comment is below the photo.

For my part I'm more of a fan of the work that really put Ken on the map. The really colourful paintings of Australian scenes such as the beach and Sydney Harbor. Beyond that I admire him for his career and how it progressed more than the art.

I must say I was really impressed by the staff at Linton & Kay Galleries. The most pro-active gallery staff I've ever encountered.

Usually you go into a gallery and the curator just sits at their desk and barely even says hello. At Linton & Kay the girls there actively approached everyone visiting the gallery, spent some time with them and also took the time to explain whatever art you happened to standing in front of.

If I sold through galleries they're the kind of staff I'd like to have representing my work.

Tomato Lake Cafe

Tomato Lake Cafe.

My Dad took myself and Enigma here for breakfast. Tomato Lake Cafe is located in Belmont by the lake of the same name.

We didn't really walk around much of the park even though I'm sure it would have been a pleasant walk around the lake. Our sole purpose was breakfast at the cafe.

I don't think I've ever seen service quite so good, not just on our table. If you watch the staff whilst you eat you can easily see they're all going the extra yard to make sure everyone has a great dining experience.

The food is best described as taste is more important than presentation. Which is not to suggest their presentation is poor by any means... you just won't find any pretentious food sculptures and arty plates of 'whatever that is' that would look more at home framed on your wall than as a meal on a table.

Yanchep National Park

Koala Sanctuary.

Yanchep National Park boasts a Koala sanctuary in which we only saw two koalas, both sleeping and neither in a very good spot for a photo opportunity. That's why my only picture is of the sanctuary's sign.

Fortunately the koalas are not the only reason to visit the park. We stopped in for a drink at Yanchep Lakeview tearooms (which also doubles as a Chocolate Shop.

We also had a nice meal at the Yanchep Inn and saw a whole family of kangaroos on the lawn out the front. Who were unfortunately startled and ran when some dick started up his motorbike that was nearly as loud as a jet engine (look closely you can see him and his girlfriend in the photo).

Kangaroos out front of the Yanchep Inn.

Dad's 70th Birthday

Dad's Cake. Photo: Enigma.

Finally the whole reason we went to Perth in April was to attend my Dad's 70th birthday. It was mostly an extended family affair along with a few my Dad's long time friends. It was a great afternoon with excellent food and a good time had by all.

The highlight though was definitely my Dad's cake which was a replica tool box and 100% edible. The level of detail was amazing.

Are Ion Thrusters the Future of Flying Cars? Spoiler - Probably Not But... Hover Boards... Maybe?

Undefined Technologies Ion Propulsion Drone prototype 3D concept image. You may have heard of Ion engines or, more likely, Ion thrusters. NASA uses them on their spacecraft to help maintain a craft's position or to propel them through space. Upon hearing that you might think they're big, powerful engines, but actually they are not. They work well in the vacuum of space but, once any kind of atmosphere and gravity is involved they'd be hard pressed to launch you off the ground if you strapped four of them to your lawn chair and yelled "up, up, and away!" I am no expert on Ion thrusters - they're basically magic that science has an explanation for. If you want to know the details, The Space Techie website has a layman's explanation . Build Your Own Ion Thruster Earth based Ion Thrusters work a bit different to their space based cousins by Ionizing the same air that we breathe to create thrust (an effect known as Ionic-wind ). While they sound highly soph

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Review: FP Footwear FINO Skate Shoes

FP Footwear FINO Skate Shoes I first saw FP's FINO skate shoes in a video by YouTube channel, Braille Skateboarding, titled, THE FIRST EVER NON NEWTONIAN FLUID SKATE SHOES!? As someone whose feet hurt and bruise relatively easily just from the basic tricks of skateboarding (Ollies, Pop Shuv-its etc.) the 90% absorption of impact energy selling point seemed like an ideal solution for minimizing my injuries. A day later I placed an order through FP's website . Ordinarily I wouldn't mention Customer Service but I can't let the lack of communication on my order slide. FP's website says to expect delivery within 7-14 days of your order. After close to two weeks, my order was still marked as being processed. I sent an email asking for any kind of update, to no response. A day or two later my order was marked as completed but still no signs of shoes in my mail? About two weeks later (just over a full month of placing my order) the shoes arrived. I'm sur

Robot Uprising Update: Robot Waiter, Fasta Pasta, South Terrace, Adelaide CBD, South Australia

On the second evening of my partner, Enigma, and I's weekend stay in Adelaide we decided to have dinner at Fasta Pasta . Strangely enough our hotel staff, at the Alba, had not mentioned Fasta Pasta as an option for an evening meal while their restaurant is closed for refurbishment, even though it is literally next door on the corner of South Terrace and Pultney Street. You may be aware that Fasta Pasta is an upmarket Italian restaurant franchise with its beginnings in Adelaide. Currently they have 19 restaurants Australia wide (with the majority in South Australia - we even have one in Gawler, our home town). I've never had bad food at a Fasta Pasta, and their food never looks like a franchise meal. You always feel you're at a restaurant that's a little bit more quality than your typical hotel/motel meal. Maybe it's because you don't see as much pasta based meals on an Aussie pub menu. Despite the name, it's not all pasta. I went with a basic plate of fish a

Nobody move, I've dropped my brain!

I'm probably one of the last Pirates of the Caribbean fans to see At World's End which is still playing at a few cinemas as it nears the end of its run. The title of this post, which is a quote from the movie, aptly describes the difficulties of trying to get your head around the plot. Although it does continue from the previous film in the series (all the characters are there) it doesn't seem critical to know the back story. The main plot is established right at the start. The East India Trading Company is out to wipe out pirates and anyone that so much as glances at a pirate. Our motley crew, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swan and Captain Barbossa join forces to bring together the Brethren of Nine pieces of eight (nine pirate lords who can unite all pirates) and stop the massacre of their kind. Slight problem. Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the nine and he died in the last film. Since Captain Barbossa died in the film before that, we know that coming back from the dead isn'

Is AI Art 'Art'? The Say NO to AI Art Movement, and Why Human Artists Will Adapt

AI Art No T-Shirt by TET Also available on other items . Right now there is a big debate over not just whether AI art is 'art' but whether AI's are actually ripping off the work of actual human artists, without their consent, to create their images - particularly images 'in the style of' specific artists. From my own observations this debate started to get more traction when artist's signatures began appearing in the output of AI Art image generators. Is It Art? Cool Froyd the Cat Sketch by TET. My style is very much influenced by classic Disney and WB character styles. To get some clarity on how real human artists work (of which I am one)... we, that is all of us... take influences from the art that has come before. i.e. whatever artists we like, have studied, seen etc. we are influenced by. It shows up in our work, intentionally or not. If you really study my own cartoony art style you'll see I'm heavily influenced by early Disney and Warner Bros cart

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Search This Blog