So many of my childhood memories involve the beach. Our first home in Australia was on Marine Parade in Cottesloe – okay, it was a tiny flat that my parents were renting at the back of the house on the corner of Marine Parade and Deane Street. My uncle, aunt and cousins lived across the road and my grandparents and two more aunties, who arrived in Australia a few months after us, rented in Eileen Street. After a year or so we moved to an old cottage in Lyons Street, North Cottesloe, a short stroll to the beach.
We spent many a day on Cottesloe Beach – swimming, building sandcastles and eating fish and chips or ice creams. Sometimes we’d go for a drive and explore City Beach, Floreat or Scarborough.
They were the good old days… and the focus of my mother’s fifth article, published in the Runcorn Weekly News on 1 December 1966.
On the beach – at 94 degrees
Spring sunshine of 94 degrees, white-sand beaches, spear fishing, boating and surfing are yet other attractive aspects of ‘life down under’ described in the fifth letter from Australia by former Halton Road housewife Mrs Christine Lucas, who emigrated with her husband and two children three months ago.
“The beaches of Western Australia are everything they are said to be in all the migrant literature,” she writes. “Here at Cottesloe, about 400 yards along Marine Parade is probably one of the best. The sand is very white with no pebbles or stones.”
Facilities
“All beaches have blocks with showers, changing cubicles and toilets and there is no charge for any of these facilities. Some of the beaches, such as Cottesloe and Scarborough, have showers on the actual beach. There are also kiosks selling cans of drink, ice creams, etc. Around the city area the only beach with any sort of amusements is Scarborough where there is a small fun-fair operating in the summer season.
“Although it is only spring – summer starts on December 1st – we have already had temperatures of 94.6 degrees (Fahrenheit, which is 34.8 degrees Celsius), so bathing is the main attraction on the beaches. There are plenty of burger bars at the resorts with surf burgers, hamburgers and beef burgers as popular snacks for the beach.
“Surf live-savers patrol the beaches, and the busier beaches have lookout towers where a watch is kept for swimmers in difficulties and also for sharks.
Sea life
“Already this season shark warnings have been sounded at City Beach where large shoals of salmon and schools of porpoises have been sighted. One alarm in fact proved to be a seal.
“The beaches are brightened with gay coloured umbrellas which serve the double purpose of shielding the sun and wind. In summer the wind is very hot and burns easily. Electric lights are strung along the beaches at the height of summer as it is dark at 8.30 and 5.30 in the winter. Summer nights are so hot that night bathing and beach parties are common. Folks also sleep on the beaches though authorities don’t approve of this.
Surfing and spear fishing
“Lads on surfboards are out from 5 am. The waves here are generally high and ideal for the sport. Surfing is exciting even without a board. You dive beneath the waves to get away from the beach then allow the biggest wave to carry you in again.
“Beach patrols advise of any danger spots and the radio gives up to the minute reports of beach, sea and parking conditions. Helicopters scan the coast to advise on any other hazards.
“Spear fishing appears very popular and we have seen men in frogmen’s suits walking across the reef outside here at the South Cottesloe beach, carrying spear guns and nets. On calmer days there are some good shallow ponds on the inside of the reef ideal for teaching young children to swim.
Boating
“The water plays a large part in the Australian way of life. There is a chain of stores called ‘Ship and Shore’ selling all the latest ideas in beach and swim wear. A large percentage of families have some sort of boat and a further 12,000 licenses have been issued for motorised pleasure craft.
“Boating is an increasingly popular form of entertainment relaxation as is water skiing. There are many yacht clubs in the metropolitan area and at weekends the Swan River is a mass of colour with all types of craft.
“There are also pleasure craft at Perth which go upstream on Sundays and down river on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Trips are also made to the Rottnest Island.
Fishing
“Fishing is also a great sport here and it is not uncommon to see men fishing from the beaches at night or in the morning. They cast their lines from the beaches beyond the breakers to catch many types of fish. Salmon is the most common but herring are common too. Catches are known to have included octopus, baby sharks, and tailors. Fish are plentiful in the area and that is why there has not been a shark fatality for about 45 years in the area, for sharks are so well fed!
Climate
“The climate is marvellous and ideal for outdoor sports, but Perth is also the windiest capital of Australia. The wind which comes from the sea around 3 pm is very welcome on hot days and is aptly called the Fremantle Doctor.”
Letter 6
In Mum’s next letter, she wrote about family and social life in Perth. Look out for “Life after the work is done” which will be published soon.
Perth Life in 1966 – Check out the other articles in this series:
Letter 1 – Flight Across the World
Letter 2 – Cost of Living
Letter 3 – Employment
Letter 4 – Housing