Item 01: Walter Lawry Waterhouse diary, 15 January-27 March 1916 - Page 22

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[Page 22]

A number of various old field-pieces & Cannon of various kinds about Perth was quite noticeable.

There were perhaps 6 or 8 stations en route to Perth, & of course we stopped at all. We ran past 3 or 4 schools, from the playgrounds of which the children heartily cheered the train & waved to the troops. Passing the place where the W.A. troops encamp we got a good reception from the few men in camp at the time: our men responded well.

A specially pretty spot was the cemetery, "Karrakatta", which we were told is the aboriginal name for "Burial Ground": there were few if any foreign ornamental trees, but the native vegetation made a pretty setting for the well-kept burial place where several gardeners could be seen at work.

Soon the scattered settlements gave place to the suburbs of Perth, composed principally of small cottages, & after a 50 minute run we ran into Perth station; a fairly old building & not at all imposing. The city seemed to be all on one side of the station, that is it was on the outskirts of the business part of the city. In a very short time the station was a seething mass of kharki, & I followed the crowd up to the main part where I had one or two purchases to make.

The city seemed a quiet places, the streets seeming to be very narrow after the Melbourne ones, & having electric trams running in different directions: they were all single cars, a good feal like the style running along

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