F Is For Fremantle

Did The Earth Move For You?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes a tiny fragment of a huge view in front of you catches your eye and seems to cry out "Concentrate on me". That’s pretty much what happened here. We were in Fremantle, Western Australia, for a few hours last month for a family wedding.

The ceremony was over and I’d just parked the rental car as we walked across a park to slake our thirst – and there was a lot of thirst to slake - before the reception began.

It was a scorching afternoon, with the temperature around 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and there I was (remember, I am definitely a cold-climate bloke) in a suit and tie, trying to find some shade as we walked down this street. But I guess my photography radar was still working well, because I shot about a dozen frames as we hurried down the footpath.

This was the last frame I shot and I guess this view arrested my attention because of several factors. There was the ochre wall meeting the blue wall. There was the plethora of signs, all different colours and shapes. There were the three arrows, each pointing in different directions. There was the silvery light pole adorned with a single, slim piece of red tape. There were the strong shadows on the wall and across the window.

I shot this as I walked, without breaking stride – because lagging behind your clan members on a wedding day is not the smartest thing to do.


Later, during the reception at the historic Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery, I spotted this great sign (above) in the walkway leading through to the courtyard. It was only when I got back home to Melbourne that I was able to research the history of the building, which gets its name from the nineteenth-century general merchant store belonging to William Dalgety Moore.

History held absolutely no attraction for me when I was in school, yet now that I am an adult it holds me in a magnetic thrall. Whenever I see an object that I photograph, I am drawn to know its story.

This narrow passageway in the Moores Building would have felt the weight of many pairs of boots since the early gold rush days. Being a general store, the place would have been extremely busy as the locals stocked up alongside the seafarers who took on supplies for their long voyages away from the colony.

Now the passageway leads from the gallery and reception centre to a beautiful yard. It may be a floor with a flaw, but I’m sure it could tell us thousands of great tales. There would have been tales of commerce, of adventure, of noble endeavour, of hopes and aspirations, of dreams, of sober reality and (I’m sure) some hilarious moments far removed from sobriety.

The Moore, the merrier.

Extra, extra, read all about it: I've been interviewed here. Thank you to all those who have already followed this link and checked out the interview. There have been so many wonderful comments and votes that I've tried to reply to each one personally - but you're setting a cracking pace. My humble and heartfelt thanks to all of you for the wonderful tributes and thoughts you have shared on the interview.


For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Vertical Limit

Time To Make A Blind Guess

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Maybe I paid more attention to geometry during my school days than I realised at the time. I guess that’s why the simplest of sights, such as this, stop me in my tracks.

I shot this during a day in Fremantle, the West Australian port city known simply, in the endearingly abbreviated style beloved by all and sundry in this sunburnt country, as "Freo".

The horizontal blinds had seen better days. So had the vertical segment of the painted window sill. But if I composed a really tight frame, a mundane sight might produce competing colours and contrasting aspects if shot correctly.

That’s the thing with geometry. You can always find the right angle.

Visit MamaGeek and Cecily, creators of Photo Story Friday.

The Doors (4)

A Double Take - In Every Sense

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I couldn't resist posting this rare shot in my Thursday series on doors from around the world.

I owe this shot to Grant, whose surname I won’t mention for obvious reasons. He’s a great bloke, with a wonderful eye for anything that is out of the ordinary. And yes, he is related to me.

We flew to Western Australia recently and while we were at a wedding reception at the Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery in Fremantle, I was in the minority as I sipped iced water while Grant was, er, in the majority, sipping drinks that were a bit more potent.

Halfway through the reception, he insisted that I grab my camera and follow him to shoot this sign on a door beside the men’s and ladies’ toilets. So I took Mrs Authorblog's leave and followed Grant. He showed me this sign with a theatrical flourish that a ringmaster would have been proud of.

But neither he (on his way along the path to merry inebriation and some great dance moves) nor I (stone cold sober) could figure out exactly what it means.

Let’s not go there. Literally and metaphorically.

For earlier posts in this series, see The Doors Archive.

The Doors (3)

Looking For The Wonderful Alley, McGraw

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Wherever I travel, I seem to take photographs of unusual objects. But doors, for some reason, seem to be a constant theme for me. Is there a Freudian reason for this fascination? Maybe because we, the human race, use doors to control access to ourselves, our lives, our thoughts and indeed our very existence.

Doors, I guess, are like the human mind. We open them readily to those we recognise and love, while (generally) we close them to those we do not know or trust or those whose proximity brings more questions than answers.

Doors are the most ancient method of protecting our personal space. I've also found that doors are like snowflakes, for you seldom find two that are identical. Perhaps that explains why the opening sequence of Monsters Inc sticks in our collective consciousness, as the myriad doors traverse a never-ending roller-coaster production line.

Recently I posted Traffic Jamb, then a couple of weeks ago, I posted a shot of this burgundy doorway in Calcutta, India and last week I followed it up with this random shot of a weathered blue door in Fremantle, Western Australia. I received a lot of comments and emails suggesting that I start a regular series.

Yes, I like the idea. So here is the next instalment in the series. This was shot in September, in Whitehorse, capital city of the Yukon. I was there at the invitation of Yukon Tourism and this was one of about 200 shots I took in the last couple of hours on Canadian soil before I caught my flight back to Australia.

Those who have read my travel writing and my blog would know that the Yukon has occupied a special place in my consciousness since my first trip there in 1999. So I guess it's fitting that this was taken in Paradise Alley. This part of Canada has always been my idea of paradise.

Access All Areas

Cool Sight On A Hot Summer Evening

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot was taken in Fremantle, the beautiful port city in Western Australia, last week. It was a scorching hot summer evening with the sun still high in the sky and at least another four hours until dusk.

We had just parked the car in Henry Street and were about to walk across the park to slake our thirst when I spotted this doorway. There as no sign to hint at what it was, but I was just captivated by the weather-beaten effect and the pastel shades, as well as the balls that were clearly visible through the right-hand window.

I was also attracted to the sight because the concrete facade had a vertical crack and one of the exterior lights was skew-whiff. It was an architectural reminder of our very own human frailties.

Cold Comfort

All Aussies Are Great Tap Dancers

Little Creatures, boutique brewery in Fremantle, Western Australia

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Glass Vegas

That’s A Real Pint-Sized Subject

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

If you’re wondering why I haven’t been visiting and commenting on your blogs recently, there’s a simple reason. I haven’t been home. I’ve literally been on the other side of the country for a family wedding.

We boarded a Qantas Boeing 767 for the four-hour flight to sunny Perth, capital city of Western Australia. It’s not quite as far as the flight from Toronto to Vancouver, but I’ll just point out that Perth’s time zone is closer to Singapore than it is to my home city of Melbourne.

This shot was taken in Fremantle on the day of the wedding, literally between the ceremony and the reception. Family and friends alike decided to kill half an hour at a boutique brewery called Little Creatures. I was at the bar when a worker put a metal tray of glasses on the counter.

Immediately I put my drink down and picked up my camera instead. Sometimes the most ordinary sights can produce the most unusually rewarding images.

A couple of drinkers looked askance as I lined up this shot. I guess they just saw empty glasses. Instead, I saw swirls of light, gentle contours of silver-blue, soft colours and several tiny golden sparkles of reflected light.

It’s always a privilege for a non-legal member of the family to be called to the bar.

Verse And Worse

Random Wit, Errant Rhyme. Not A Literary Crime

My favourite place to eat spaghetti
Is in Fremantle, on the jetty
And if you just can’t spell the phrase
Never spill your bolognese