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.

Wall Mounted

Splash Of Colour Near A Perth Beach

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Many flowers remind me of my father. This year makes it a quarter-century since he died, but I suspect that he and his brothers must have grown up in a home with beautiful garden beds.

When my brother and I were children, our Dumayne Avenue home was bordered by a huge L-shaped garden that always had splashes of colour, with cannas, dahlias, sweetpeas and bougainvillea among the many varieties that bloomed in the Calcutta sun.

Every time I see dahlias and bougainvillea, I think of my Dad. I remember, too, how he used to be enchanted by his favourite variety of bougainvillea – the pink-and-white Mary Palmer.


During a long road trip from New Delhi to Dehra Dun in northern India in December 2007, we saw many bungalows with mature bougainvillea providing vivid colour against their walls.

While we were in Western Australia this month, I was (understandably) drawn to this beautiful variety in the back yard of a friend’s beachside Sorrento home.

The blooms were a perfect foil for the muted colours of the exterior walls and even though this wasn’t a Mary Palmer, it would have got my father’s seal of approval.


Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.

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