Perth was always going to be a stop on the way, because of the distance, but I knew that there was an American WW2 site in the old submarine base in Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River downstream from Perth.

When the Phillipines fell, the submarines based there made their way to Australia and operated out of Perth (among other places) for the duration of the war. One of the stories I love is that of the USS Pampanito whose crew rescued a whole bunch of Aussie POWs from a torpedoed Japanese ship. A few months later the sub sailed into Fremantle and some of the rescued men were waiting on the quay. Apparently that liberty was one to remember!

I'd arranged to meet the local BookCrossers. These were people I'd never seen before, but I knew I'd receive a great welcome.

Live from Perth evening 1 April:
A big thank you to Kalasue, who was so very generous with her time and petrol yesterday. She was the perfect guide, full of a background story to everything I saw.

And we saw quite a lot. The Art Gallery and cultural precinct - as an aside, I'm so very glad I got even a quick look at the collection, some really mouth-watering paintings there, and the buildings themselves were just fantastic! - the city, the foreshore, Kings Park, including a mindblowing trip along their elevated walkway through the treetops, the gathering in the restaurant, and then a trip along the shore of the Indian Ocean to Fremantle.

I don't have time to do it all justice, but as I sat later that evening in a Perth park admiring some multicultural dancing displays and eating some delicious Jamaican Jerk Chicken, my heart (and tummy) were full).

I released my submarine book at the slipway used by the Americans in WW2. An added bonus was that the slip was occupied by a submarine, albeit one slightly newer than the wartime vessels.

The YHA hostel was brand new and very comfortable. Recommended to all.

And the BookCrossers! Thank you all for coming out to meet me. Kalasue, Libertine101 , Murrmurr and and American lady whose screen-name I didn't quite catch. We had some wonderful tucker in the Botanic Gardens restaurant, a bit of bookswapping, and the pleasure of each others' company.

For me, it's not the books, nor even the wonderful locations. It's the BookCrossers!