South Mole’s Soothing Sea Breezes

Smell the sea and feel the sky, let your soul and spirit fly – Van Morrison

South Mole was the place to be this beautiful Saturday morning. A gentle southwesterly breeze ruffled the shimmering water as you looked across the water to the red lighthouse at North Mole. I love that first breath of fresh sea air.

Here in Fremantle, we don’t doubt living near the sea improves our lives, but the positive effects, both directly and indirectly, go further than that and may have an impact on your mental and physical health.

Folk in the Victorians Age used to prescribe ‘sea air’ as a cure for major diseases like tuberculosis. The air around water is supercharged with healthy negative ions – which naturally increase your levels of serotonin, the key hormone to feelings of wellbeing and happiness.

No wonder so many people were on the South Mole walking, cycling, exercising their dogs, fishing, and sitting in their cars with the windows open!

On the water you could see every size of boat from small pleasure boats, sailing boats, a safety boat from RFBYC, a Marine Rescue Boat, Rottnest Island ferries and a pilot boat.

People also gathered on South Mole to watch Ophelia, a 172 metre long container ship, along with two tugs and a pilot boat, leaving the harbour. It’s a super vantage point to get very close to massive ships.

Overhead, silver gulls swooped and wheeled; a helicopter and a small plane joined them.

There is always so much to see while breathing in those negative ion!

* STORY and photographs by our Shipping Correspondent, Jean Hudson @jeansodyssey. Jean is also a regular feature writer and photographer here on the Shipping News. You may like to follow up her informative Places I Love stories, as well as other feature stories and Freo Today photographs, right here.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE –