Write up by Helen Debenham. Photos from Helen Debenham and Karen Pandya.
On Friday night (6th February) a group of PESA members, led by Stephen Molyneux, and ably assisted by Peter Haines and Leon Normore from the geological survey, wandered through the streets of Perth looking at building stones and other geological wonders.
If you are sad to have missed this, you can take a look at the guide below that talks you through a self guided similar tour.
Our intrepid walkers met up in the Melbourne Hotel on Hay street, where, as you can see in the image below, there is some lovely amygdaloidal basalt in the passageway down towards the toilets.
Moving on down the terrace, we inspected a number of “outcrops” and got up close and personal with the rocks. As you see below, Robert Seggie brought his trusty hand lens along, but hammers were not allowed on this trip!!
The evening involved visiting a few bars, but as you can see below, we were much more interested in the rocks the bar was made from, and refreshments took second place. (Image from the Terrace bar)
The bar in question raised serious debate amongst those present as to what the large black crystals were. No consensus was reached, but tourmaline and biotite seems to be the main contenders. If anyone knows to write in and let us know. (see close up below)
Amongst the exotic rocks though we were happy to see some more familiar local rocks, with high quality facing stone coming from quarries in Dongarra. Many of the city’s oldest buildings are built from the local Tamala limestone, and most use it as the foundation stones on the lower courses of the buildings.
The Kimberley Sandstone that faces the Ritz Carlton hotel was a firm favorite, with amazing iron staining, and belemnite fossils in places
By then it was pretty much full dark, and we retired to the Island at Elizabeth quay to compare notes, and inspect each others photos of rocks.
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