Oz2009 – Sat 26th December
Boxing Day 2009 and, strangely enough, no hangover…
Not wanting to waste the day, and expecting a 40 degree C heatwave, we decided to head down to Hillary’s. This would give us plenty of shops to look around, places to eat and the all-important beach. Being a public holiday, we double-checked the timetables to ensure that we knew what times we had to catch the bus/train and made our way to the well-known harbour venue. Speaking to the bus driver as we boarded our first bus, he stated that – rather than purchasing individual tickets – we’d be better off purchasing something called a Family Dayrider ticket. For the low price of $8.80, Lyn and I could travel anywhere and everywhere for the entire day without paying another cent – as long as a bus, train or ferry service was availale to take us. This was great as it saved us a fair bit of money and we only wish we’d known earlier (seeing as we’d paid three or four times that much for limited travel).
Getting off the bus at Hillary’s the heat was immediately apparent. It was as if someone were constantly holding a hot hair-dryer and pointing it towards you. As it was around lunchtime, Lyn and I headed to Sharky’s (great name!) for a bite to eat. Although not particularly healthy, we ordered garlic bread and a basket of chips. (Seriously, if ever you go to Sharky’s then try their garlic bread and chips as they are delicious…) One order of chips and garlic bread was more than enough for us so we left happy that our hunger had been satisfied for the next few hours. Allowing time for the meal to be digested, we took a steady walk around the various shops and stalls. There was no point in swimming on a full stomach. Among the many food restaurants and souvenir stores were real estate agents and boat sales agents. There were also many clothes, jewellery and art stores, many of them worth a few minutes browsing time.
Having walked around the harbour complex, we made our way onto the beach and under a tented area that had been erected to offer shade for the public. Grabbing the snorkelling gear from the bag and putting down our towels, we then made straight for the calm and cooling waters of the harbour. Despite being a public holiday, the beach wasn’t too busy and we were soon into the shallow harbour and swimming. Disappointingly, the water here was not very clear and visibility was quite limited. Mind you, we weren’t expecting too much as the harbour was more a family-friendly area where children and adults could safely swim and enjoy themselves in relatively shallow waters. Even so, it was cooling and relaxing and we were still able to enjoy a swim together.
With buses and trains operating on a limited schedule, we soon had to bring to an end our visit to Hillary’s Boat Harbour and beach. Fortunately, the temperature was still high and a breeze was blowing; which meant I was dry by the time the bus arrived to take us back towards Wanneroo. It would have been a damp and squelchy ride otherwise. 
January 16th, 2010 at 7:35
mmmmm Sharky’s garlic bread and chips lovely, funny enough I ate there when I visited last time some 9 years ago. Was a very hot day so it was good to have a little dip to cool off.