Scarborough Sunset Markets

With the redevelopment of Scarborough Beach in the news, it was time to visit to see what all the fuss was about, so on a mild Thursday evening we set off to the Scarborough Sunset Markets. We were in luck, finding a parking spot just a short meander to the market. First a gawk over the fence of the swimming pool (50 and 25 metre lanes and a shallow leisure pool) and a pause to watch energetic lap swimmers powering up and down. Then, in twos and threes, a leisurely stroll round the stalls – craft, skin care, clothing, woodwork, jewellery at one end of the piazza; food, so many different cuisines on offer, at the other; buskers strummed and entertained; caught up with Meg (and Brian) who’d made their own way down; as the aroma of food mingled with sea air assailed us, it was time to decide what to eat. Seated on stone benches, looking out to sea, where windsurfers skimmed across the waves and kiteboarders flew about showing off their skills, we chatted and enjoyed our food till the Fremantle Doctor started to chill the air – time to head back to the bus, where we sat and watched the sun disappear over the horizon. Whilst the commercial precinct has been given a much-needed face lift, the concreted pedestrian area, the swimming pool, parking, and other facilities tend to crowd the sand into a narrow strip – the openness of the beachfront has been subsumed!