Perth

PERTH 18^TH -20^TH APRIL

We had the great pleasure of staying at the home of Tracey, Andy, Ben, Zach and Emily's for three nights to do a bit of sightseeing around Perth. We met them at Coalmine Beach near Walpole and hit it off really well with them and they were kind enough to offer their floor for us to sleep on when we came to Perth. They live only 7km from the CBD in a lovely area. We had arrived with a damp camper because a few showers had gone through in the morning when we were packing up from Woodman Point,but within 15 minutes of arriving at Tracey and Andy’s  it poured raining again, so nice to be in a house!!!!




Our wonderful hosts.




This was the best one of Tracey & Andy
and that is Zach pulling the face.



This was our first time of being in a house (not a ‘man cave’) since we left home and yes it was lovelyJ.Andy and Tracey have done a wonderful job renovating their home. It was built in the 1930’s and they have kept it all original with the decorative ceilings, original doors and trims and polished Jarrah floor boards. Then it all changes into an architect designed living area with a high ceiling and interesting angles everywhere, it looks striking.




The back of their house with all the angles.



From their home we did a 30km bike ride into Kings Park and along the Swan River to have a look at the Bell Tower. Tracey had given us a map which shows the bike routes around Perth, they have many dedicated paths for cyclists, walkers and joggers; it is a great incentive and easier than driving. Kings Park is such a huge area with different features; large green open areas with playgrounds, botanical gardens, ponds, bush lands, look outs and memorials. The most famous would be the view it gives you over Perth City and the Swan River, a huge jungle of concrete, vehicles and water.



Perth from Kings Park lookout.






The beautiful war memorial is another stunning feature.

 The memorial has the flame in the centre burning constantly with red petunia's planted all around. The path leads down to another memorial (the below photo) which over looks The Swan River and Perth.



Underneath this memorial is the names of many men who lost there lives at war.



The botanical gardens are breathtaking with all the varieties of plants and different types of gardens. They now have their own tree top walk which they call the ‘Walkaway’, a great addition to the park.

                                         The "walkaway" tree top walk in the botanical gardens.

The Synergy Playground was a lovely picnic ground. It was very busy because we are still in W.A’s holidays, the boys didn’t like all the other kids around,it was too busy for them!

 The Synergy playground. It had lots of wooden animals for the kids to climb over, you can see the head of large crocodile. The lake had a playground in the middle of it with board walks to and from it.

                     
           

The DNA tower, yes we climbed it, the view from the top was
 a bit blocked from he trees.

We eventually found our way out of Kings Park, across one of the many HWY’s and onto the esplanade to ride along the Swan River to the Bell Tower.




The Bell Tower.


 We decided not to spend the $14 per adult to go up into the Bell Tower and just enjoyed it from the outside, it is still impressive enough.
Inside are 12 bells from England and they are called the St Martin-in-the -Fields set. These are bells that have been cast from 14th century bells and only a few sets were done, the last cast being from 1770 when the Prince of Wales ordered them to be done.They are only rung once a day and if you are lucky you can help ring them,I think you would have to book in advance to do this.
     We had a good rest and made our way back to Tracey and Andy's, again struggling to find the right route to take to get out of the city area.

Our last day at Tracey and Andy's was spent catching up and cleaning up a few things while Tracey very kindly took Tom and Charlie with her and her kids to a park for a play.  After lunch we all jumped on the bikes and rode to a lake nearby so Tracey could try out her Geo cashing App she had. Geo cashing is a worldwide phenomenon where people hide objects in small plastic containers then put the coordinates on the web site for other people to find. Some have hints on the web site like “don't get your feet wet”, which was the clue for the one we were looking for because it was hidden in trees right beside the lakes edge. When you find the item there is usually a pad and pen to write in your name and date. Some have little trinkets in them; peoples name cards; if you take something from the box you must replace it with something else.

That night Tracey cooked us a lovely curry and we had chocolate for sweets, a wonderful day.

We are very grateful to Tracey, Andy, Ben, Zach and Emily for their warm hospitality. It is these acts of kindness which add huge highlights to our trip around this big country.

New friends made. Thanks.

     

Fremantle

FREMANTLE MUSEUMS 16^th -17^th April

We left the peacefulness of Kenny’s block and headed down the busy HWY that leads to Perth. Our first stop was Mandurah, a city built by and on the water. It was quite an eye opener driving in over bridges that overlook all these houses built on canals. As you drive down the main roads and look down the streets you see water! It is all reclaimed land that has been made into canals that feed off the inlet. Closer to the Marina it is like looking at a modern Venice with these three story apartments built on the water. We sat by the inlet in the main street and had our lunch as we watched the more wealthy people go about their busy day.



Living by the water!



Some of the canals at Mandurah

Instead of staying in Fremantle, where there is very limited C.P’s we stayed 10km’s south at Woodman Point. Fremantle is an old town with lots of history and old buildings. We decided to spend our time looking at the 2 Museums they have. The new Museum is all about the heritage of Fremantle and the achievements Australia has done at sea.  On display is the Australia II yacht, which won the America’s Cup in 1986.



The Australia II yacht




These sailors will never get sea sick!



It also has the yacht sailed by Jon Sanler who holds several world records, one of which is for circum-navigating the globe 3 times without using an engine. On this voyage he broke another record and it was for being out at sea for over 300 days without any other assistance, how lonely! We found his story and achievements very interesting.



This is Jon Sanler's yacht. It is on this extreme angle to show
one particular event that happened to him when a huge wave came up
behind him. I suppose you cant have it all easy when you are breaking  world records!

But, the best thing we loved about this museum was the tour you could do through a full sized submarine. The tour took and hour and you went right through the whole sub which inside has been left untouched. The sub was called “HMAS OVENS”,  it was built in 1969 and is 90 meters long. This submarine is a small one compared to the ones built today, and the technology very old and dated, but it is was still amazing to see. We were blown away by how much “stuff” you can fit inside one of these. When the sub was operational it would carry a crew of 63 men/ women and the two chefs were the only crew members who were allowed to shower every day because of hygiene, (no that wouldn’t be enough to make me want a job on it!).  You really want to get on well with your fellow crew members in this very close environment. To do the tour and get into the museum was only $35, an absolute bargain.




The Ovens Sub, 90 meters long.




Standing on top before we enter.




Enter down the ladder.




One of the sleeping quarters, this has 18 beds in this room.




Looking down the corridor.




The kitchen. 2 chefs, 64 meals cooked 3 times a day. There pantry was a step
into the hallway then down a  ladder  to the bottom level, would be a very fit chef.



The Engines. Two V16 Diesels. That is Tom down the other end, so it gives you a
good idea how narrow the walk ways are.

The other museum is called the Shipwreck Gallery because it concentrated on the old sailing ships back in the 1600’s. We came to this museum 12 years ago and were blown away by the reconstructed part of the ship called the Batavia and we wanted to show the boys this. This was a shipwreck back in the 1600’s that sank some way off the coast line out from where Geraldton is today. Upon discovering the wreck they not only found spices for trade but they also found it was carrying a sand stone archway that was to go on the Fortress of Batavia which is now known as Jakarta.  I think it is the fact that what you are looking at was not only built in the 1600’s but what you see looks so big in front of you then you see the picture that shows you what part of the ship you are looking at and then you get true sense of how enormous these ships must have been and all built out of timber and by hand!!!



The   ruins of The Batavia. You can see some people at the back left and that will give you and idea on how large this is.
Then you just have to imagine that this is not even a quarter of the ships hull!




This is looking down from above showing how the ship was put together. In the back ground you can see  some of the
replica of the Sandstone archway it was carrying, the original is in the Geraldton Museum.




We had a good day of exploring and learning.

WE ARE FINALLY HEADING NORTH

BUREKUP near Bunbury 12^th April – 16^th April

We were all excited for this was our first day of actually ofically heading North!

The morning we packed up from Flinders Bay Tom wasn’t feeling that well and he had started being sick, Gastro had found us! We headed up to Bunbury not sure where to stay, Kenny from Flinders Bay had offered us a camp site on his 15 acre, bush property which was just north of Bunbury and with Tom being sick we thought it easier to be away from the public toilets, so we gave Kenny a call.

Kenny was all good with that and met us later in the day at his property. While we were waiting to meet him we had a look around Bunbury at a few of the popular sites.

One of those is the old grain silos that have been turned into apartments. Kenny was telling us that apparently there was a ban on any new buildings being built over a certain height. So this builder decided to turn these old silos that stood on prime real estate into apartments.



The old silo's restored, the view is from the lookout.



Near the foreshore there is a lookout that gives you a 360 degree view of the town, it is quite a large area following the coast line and going inland. From here you can also see into the back yards of the large mansions built around the marina, they have no backyard!



From the lookout the lighthouse looks qhite big, when you drive past it would
only be about 15 meters tall!!




The lookout, we gave Tom a "piggy back" ride up and down.



 Having done some food shopping and had a quick look in one of the many shopping plaza’s we felt we really didn’t need to go back into Bunbury so we were grateful for the offer to be out of town and in the peace and quiet of a bush block.

We met Kenny at his block and he let us set up where we wanted. There was a small cottage house, that Kenny had only just moved into about three weeks ago, a large shed which we called the “man cave” because this is where Kenny used to live, two dams and three enormous pigs in a pen .The man cave had a bathroom and kitchen down one side, then in the main area along with the car, boat, bbq and tools, was the lounge, T.V., cabinets full of memorabilia, table and posters of Kenny’s favourite bands and his football team, Carlton. The boys thought this heaven, our first couch and T.V since we left home!

As you can see we set up next to the man cave and thoroughly enjoyed our time here.



Our set up next to the shed.



Inside the "Man Cave"



The Big Pigs..............



Blacky, a female.



Big Boy is the black and white, Miss Piggy the other.



You can see how big they are compared to Charlie. Charlie is holding his
breath because there was a rather strong odour around!!
The boys learnt the meanings behind many of the sayings like "you're room is like a pig sty!"



From Kenny’s we did a day drive around to Wellington Dam which is in the Wellington N.P. a very nice place. The dam itself was a credit to those who started building it back in 1931, taking 2 years to build about an 18 meter wall. All the stone needed for the wall was mined from nearby which became the quarry and the hardest thing for them was getting a machine that could crush the rock small enough and didn’t break down. When the dam was completed it was soon noted the demand for water was higher than the supply so in 1940 another meter was added and again this still was not high enough.1960 the wall was extended by 15 meters and now stands at 34 meters tall and 366 meters across. It fills in winter and flows down the Collie River.



The first view of  the Wellington Dam wall.




Looking across the wall, you can see how low the water is now
and this fills in winter and flows over, that is alot of rain!




This is the Quarry where they got all
the stone to build the wall, they now use it for doing absailing on.



After the dam we went in search of Gnomesville! What a weird, yet funny place to see. It isn’t a town, you just come across a whole heap (1000's) of gnomes sitting along the side of the road and they are spilling into the bush everywhere. Many people have heard of it so they bring along a gnome, write their name on it and just place it where they like. Others are groups and families who have gone to a lot of effort and made a collection and or stories or even a house for their gnomes. It really has to be seen to be believed.

 Gnomesville goes on..... for ever and ever it seems.



One of the better ones.



We had a B.B.Q. one night with Troy and Kayle coming up and camping the night.

Kenny’s mum and dad, Sandra and Michael, came up too, such a welcoming family and lovely people. We had such a great time staying at Kenny’s and we thank you all for making us feel so welcomed. Thanks Kenny for allowing Pete to get his tools out and do a few odd jobs for you, he enjoyed it! 

The other thing that happened was I turned 40 but we didn’t make a big thing of it. I will always remember the great meal of B.B.Q. garlic prawns, marron ( small freshwater crayfish) and those awesome chips cooked by Kenny in his “outback” fryer, they were delicious. Kenny also makes a fantastic pork sausage, like a chorizo, yummy!!!! ( We have nearly eaten all that you gave us). Lisa, Kenny, Sandra and Michael surprised me with birthday cards and Tatts scratches, the next morning which overwhelmed me so thank you;unfortunately we didn’t hit the jack pot but it was fun trying.



My 40th in the "Man Cave"




Kenny and Lisa 



Flinders Bay

Flinders Bay 5^th – 11^th April



Looking back at Flinders Bay. Where you can see the white sand
the C.P. is behind that.



Flinders Bay is a small suburb of Augusta and the place we had booked into to stay for the busy time of W.A’s Easter holidays.  Flinders Bay itself is only a C.P. and a few houses on a lovely small bay.  Augusta is the last town on the Blackwood River and is also where the river meets the ocean. The C.P. is right on the beach and it is a lovely spot to swim, fish, and snorkel and relax.



Looking back towards the pier from the C.P.



This is called Granny's Pool, it is only a short walk from the C.P.
We had a swim, snorkel and fish in here. 



There is a lovely bike ride from Finders Bay back along the Blackwood River into Augusta; we did this a few times. It’s a very scenic ride watching all the bird life, people fishing or canoeing and checking out the houses of those fortunate enough to own a property right on the water’s edge. The only catch with this mainly flat ride is the small sharp hill right at the end to get into town!

We were very lucky to get great neighbours, Troy, Jodie, Kenny, Lisa, 3 teenage girls and Kayle who was Tom’s age. Troy and Jodie are from Donnybrook and Kenny and Lisa from Collie and Burekup. Both families were a wealth of local knowledge about their own and surrounding towns. They were keen fishermen and very giving with their time and information about how to fish and what to use and they showed Pete how to fillet his fish. Late one afternoon Pete, Tom, Kenny, Troy and Kayle all went fishing just off the beach near the C.P., they fished for 2 hours and although they didn’t catch a lot it did Tom good to see how long it can take to get a fish sometimes!!

We all got to pat a sting ray because they hang around near the fish cleaning table at the beach.  We stood in water knee deep and really still and the rays come around your feet and you can touch them, someone told us they were Eagle Rays.

One morning we woke up and saw the day was looking good so we decided that we would go over to Hamelin Bay and check it out one last time, now we understand why people rave about it. It was calm and inviting and we got to see the huge sting rays that stay around the old pier. We didn’t really swim with them because they just do laps up and down the shore line checking things out. We stayed the whole day and we were surprised at the lack of people that seemed to be around even though the C.P. was full there as well.

Hamelin Bay on a good day, the colour of the water is now blue!

The not so busy beach, we had a great day here relaxing.

Easter Bunny found Tom and Charlie and even did a small treasure hunt around the camper.
 Troy next door  invited Tom and Charlie to do a treasure hunt with them as well, that was very kind of him.  We went for a drive to a camp ground called Alexandra Bridge which would be an absolute beautiful spot if it wasn’t full of campers. It is bushy and right on the Blackwood River with a boat ramp and swimming all at your front door. We then went around to East Augusta which is a small area of houses, a fire station, tennis courts and a pier. To live here you would need to own a boat and this would be your main source of transport because it is right across the river from Augusta and the shops.



This is from East Augusta on the Blackwood River, looking across to the jetty at Augusta.




From the same spot as before just  looking up the Blackwood River



At East Augusta we found a small track which led us to a lovely spot nearer the mouth of the river. From here you get a good view of Turners Point in Augusta, which is where we rode our bikes. A very pretty and busy spot. ( Sara they even have a Turners C.P.!)



The mouth of the river is down to the left.




This is looking to the right and back at Turner's Point.



We had to stay at Flinders Bay a bit longer than planned because we were waiting for our parcel; air bags for the rear suspension. So we had two days of not doing too much; Pete washed the car and I got the washing up to date. The bags arrived on a Wednesday, thanks Jay.  Pete had them in that day and we left the next.



Pete fitting the airbags, I actually think
he really like having something to do!




They are in!



It was a very nice spot to be stuck for Easter and the weather was very good to us. The small peaceful town would be a fisherman’s retirement dream.