Join me at Bicton Baths:

I want to share one of my favourite places with you as we well-and-truly say goodbye to warm weather and embrace - reluctantly winter.

Bicton Baths is a small piece of Swan River frontage in Perth, Western Australia. It is a few minutes from my home, and a place I get to visit often.

My favourite times at Bicton is when I go with my husband and sometimes my sons to meet with our friends there in the late afternoon on the weekend, preferably a hot summer’s evening. We set up in our favourite place and face the river, ready to enjoy a gorgeous, lingering sunset.  

We are rarely disappointed.

While the children head over to jump off the jetty and swim in the river, or attend water polo training at the pool right on the foreshore, my friends and I relax with drink and cheeseboard. We spend time hearing about each other’s week, the highs and lows of the week that has been and our plans for the weeks and months yet to come.

The sounds around us merge with friendly chatter, music and children’s laughter, and often punctuated with a shrill whistle from a water polo game or a lively greeting from friends passing by or setting up to enjoy Bicton just as we do. These are the sounds of Bicton.

No matter how many times I sit and enjoy my family, friends and sunsets, the beauty of all three are never lost on me.

The oranges and reds of a summer sunset, the heat along with the sounds of Bicton and a celebratory champagne in my hand, are the simple pleasures of living in a lucky country and surrounded by natural beauty and people who love and care for me. We all smile and and silently acknowledge the charm and fulfilment of the moment.

I hope these simple pleasures stay with us for the rest of my days.

I mourn the darkness of night and the few short months of a mild Perth winter, as this signals the end of my Bicton enjoyment. Both are temporary and I know my favourite spot will welcome me back the following summer weekend or as the season changes and the days grow longer and warmer again.

If you ever make it to Perth, slip down to Bicton at sunset and keep a lookout for me. I will be easy to find. I am the one sitting with a small group of family and friends, a champagne in hand and a big smile on my face. See you there!

Where's your favourite place?

Caroline's own snapshot from a few weeks ago