Western Australia (Mundaring Weir, 3 August 1914)
Three weeks after leaving Italy Ashby arrived at Port Fremantle (Perth) where we can piece together his activities from newspaper articles, photographs, and Balfour's diary entries. On 3 August, for example, Balfour describes how a:
motor trip to Mundaring Weir, started from the University at about 9 am. Crossed the Swan River by the long bridge. … Passed through Guildford + mounted the Darling Range through Mundaring to the Weir ... Crossed the dam. Fine scenery of gums, blackboy, cycads etc, … Ashby saw a wallaby. … Had an open-air billy lunch-tea. Started back at about 3.30 pm.
At Mundaring Weir, Ashby took this photograph of grass trees (Xanthorrhoea preissii) in a scrubby bushland setting. It may include that wallaby.
The same day, The West Australian newspaper described his lecture at the Western Australian Museum on 31 July 1914 where, using his latern slides of Rome, he showcased all the BSR had to offer.