16^th Newsletter.

Esperance to Adelaide.

Saturday 21^st November. I am going to begin this letter by mentioning that today is the anniversary of the passing of our dear loyal and loving dog Barklie. One year ago we said goodbye to her and despite this being a sad time we remember her as a joy and delight in our lives.

Sunday 22^nd, we are on the road and heading north to Kalgoorlie some 400 klm away from Esperance. The sun is finally shining which we are extremely thankful for. It’s golden grassland all around us for as far as you can see, and the first sizable town we encounter is Norseman with its population of 1,000 people. The town is said to be a prosperous mining town with over 5 million ounces of gold having been extracted from ‘them there fields’, it’s known as the ‘Gate way to the West’ because of its location to the Nullarbor. The township itself looks anything but prosperous with very few of its original building still standing and those that are, have been left with out care. Coolgardie was our next stop and an opportunity to take some photos of at least one imposing 19^th century building. The main street is extremely wide and boasts a camel train can turn around in it. One has to ask why one would want to do that, but hey who would know, country life is sure different. We arrived in Kalgoorlie after 5.30pm to find the caravan park of choice closed because it was having the carpet cleaned in the office. Sounds all too hard really. The next caravan park we approached fortunately was not closed for cleaning so we found a spot at Discovery Caravan Park. The park has a notice at the front gate saying NO DOGS so we looked at Wendal and agreed he was not a dog so in we went.

Monday 23^rd. A drive through town revealed some beautiful historic buildings that have been painstakingly restored. They have tried to keep the original feel of the place by using the old shop fronts and not allowing plaza’s etc to change the original town’s theme. There are relics from gold mining everywhere you look, it’s a city with gold mining at its heart. A visit to The Super-Pit was a must so I will take the opportunity to quote from an inspiring brochure on the subject.

The Super-Pit is a manmade wonder that can be seen from space: a massive gouge carving into the red earth, where trucks the size of houses move hundreds of tons of rock in the hope of extracting a few ounces of gold at a time. To some it’s called the Fimiston Open Mine, to others it’s the richest square mile of gold bearing earth in the world.’ (Kalgoorlie. Western Australia. Heart of the Goldfields). What more can I say?

Tuesday 24^th We began our day with a skype call to Freeman (our younger son) too wish him Happy Birthday for the 25th, as we rightfully assumed we would not have Internet access as we crossed the Nullabor. We left Kalgoorlie with the notion we had everything on board we could possibility need should anything go wrong on this isolated pathway to the east. I really do have to confess that I was very nervous about this next leg of our journey. The weather was definitely in our favor, warm but not too hot with moderate winds and few flies. We had lunch before topping up the fuel tank at Norseman and then began our trip across the Nullarbor at approximately l2.30pm.

It’s a wonderful road, wide with great bitumen, so it was smooth sailing, so to speak, for the rest of the day. As the afternoon progressed we noticed a huge bush fire to the South and smoke was filling the sky rapidly. Ken figured we had to out run it otherwise we would probably be camped in its path. We continued on until about 6.30pm and by this stage it was well behind us so we stopped at No16 in the Camps 4 book by the name of Damblegobby Rest Area. Fortunately it was a large area because at the end of the evening there were nine different and assorted vans together in this area.

The sun going down was a sight to behold because the smoke filling the sky and the sun became a mighty red ball dipping into the horizon.

Wednesday 25^th. As we were sitting having our perked coffee and our usual leisurely breakfast we noticed that we were all on our lonesome as our fellow travelers had already hit the road so to speak and some had done so well before we were awake. You have to ask yourself, ‘what’s the rush’? Perhaps they have a life to go to, who would know, but anyway we smiled at each other with the knowledge that we were last again and that fits nicely into our comfort zone. Wendal immediately became at odds with the day as soon as we set off, and began to cry letting us know he was not a happy camper. I turned to look at him in his cage and noticed it was vibrating quite alarmingly, as I mentioned this to Ken he informed me that it was because of the road surface, so eventually we pulled over and put our exercise mat under his cage for more padding. This did not work, but our wee man settled down and went to sleep. The countryside changed a great deal from the day before, as it was much flatter with scrub rather than trees, but the wonderful straight road remained the same. As we crossed the border into S.A. we came very close to the coast and the Great Australian Bight.

How amazing to see such a fantastic expanse of water in the middle of such isolation. We stopped for the evening at Bunda Cliffs Lookout a magnificent spot 600meters off the highway overlooking the Great Southern Ocean. Warning signs everywhere not to step to close to the cliff edge as the drop is straight down to your death. I do not think there would be a second chance on that one! The sky in evening was breathtaking because there was not a tree or a hill to be seen.

Thursday 26^th. Again we watched the entourage of campers leaving this magic spot as we contemplated the day ahead. Realizing we were going to be at the quarantine checkpoint later in the day, we did what we could with the remainder of the fruit and vegetables we had on board. This means I have a big cook-up. I must say we do have very interesting meals after these quarantine checkpoints. The vibration in the car was now quite serious, however my driver did not seem perturbed and kept reminding me of the amount of traffic that travel this road, hence the road surface causing the problem. Well nice try Captain Salty, head in the sand again. By early afternoon it was blatantly clear that the problem stemmed from the rear tyre on the drivers side, I concluded this because Wendal’s cage was shuddering quite violently and so was every thing on the drivers side of the car. In fact the whole car felt as though it had a vibrator under it. No it was not fun for those of you who may think it was, it was awful. We got to the quarantine station at about 4.30pm and as I was showing the nice gentleman through the van so he could view my cooked fruit and vegetables, Ken checked said tyre as I had suggested and commented as we drove away that we would have to replace said tyre ASAP because it had a huge blister in it and was falling apart. So much for the road surface I said to myself, why do I always have to be right? We found a nice caravan park at Ceduna, parked the van and then rushed off looking for a place that sold tyres. I think perhaps we were very lucky, the tyre did not come apart while driving at 100 klm an hour across the Nullarbor, actually it was amazing.

Friday 27^th. The bad weather seemed to be following us as we awoke to gale force winds buffeting the van. Oh what fun! The new tyre had to be ordered and would not be here until Saturday, so we had no choice but wait. Finally we decided to rug up and take a walk. It was a walk I will not forget in a hurry, leaning into the wind as it screams past you is in some ways exhilarating but mostly in the end very tiring. When we got back to the van we both agreed we had plenty of exercise for the day and the temporary face life was not all that great.

Saturday 28^th and the wind had not abated. On went the new tyre without a problem so with the car back in action we decided on a drive around the town. Sight seeing does not take long in these weather conditions, so we found ourselves back at the van before long.

Sunday 29^th we woke to peace and quiet as the wind had stopped blowing its rage. We drove south on the Flinders Highway in search of new adventures finding a few sleepy towns along the way. Smoky Bay, Streaky Bay, Venus Bay are all small fishing villages with a smattering of holiday homes. We also discovered Port Kenny which we decided despite the name was not going on our list of favorite places or must see places for future reference. We eventually made camp at Locks Well Beach, just south of Elliston, a large area for van parking set back from the cliff edge, high above the beach. Magnificent view but again the weather was following us and soon it was raining again and we were confined to the van.

Monday 30^th it would be nice to out run this weather. We traveled on through beautiful wheat lands dotted with very old sandstone buildings, mostly farmhouses that are still occupied and very well restored; they fit into the countryside with such majesty along with the stone fences that help divide these paddocks into some order. Coffin Bay was a place that appealed to Ken, as I had read him the advertising from the brochure, which read ‘World’s Best Oysters’ he seemed more determined than ever to take a detour to this town. It is a very picturesque place with lots of oyster leases arranged in the shallow clear waters of the bay. Yes he managed to buy a dozen, which he claimed later that evening were delicious. I should make mention Coffin Bay is named after an early surveyor and not the familiar box we think of. On to Port Lincoln at the bottom of the Eyre Peninsular where we intended to spend the night, however the one caravan park in town has a strict rule of NO PETS and as we do not want to upset Wendal with its BAD VIBES we moved on. We did however manage to see the marina and I was able to purchase Christmas cards, paper etc. The city has a beautiful clean foreshore, encompassing pine trees, grassy lawns and sandy beach with grain storing and loading facilities dominating the southern end of the bay. It claims to be a thriving regional community home to 15,000 people, (one being an Australian Gold Medalist in Heavy Weight Lifting by the name of Dean Lukin), and a booming fishing and aquaculture industry. I do have to ask with a city of this size why do you have only one caravan park and why do you have to be so unfriendly to the Wendals in this world? We moved on and this time headed North to the lovely town of Tumby Bay which suited us admirably.

Tuesday 1^st December. I am feeling very tired today and wish we were staying put but there is not enough in this town to keep us here. We pulled into a campsite some 25 klm from Tumby Bay and 6klm off the highway on a dirt road called Cowley’s Beach and it was a piece of heaven, no one else around so we had a whole beautiful beach to ourselves; it was almost to good to be true. I guess this is why we grey nomads have self-contained vans so we can stay in places like this. A couple at Ceduna Caravan Park told us about this place and they were right.

The sun is shining, the sky is clear with a gentle breeze and we are both happy and well. What more could you want. Yes, well phone and Internet access would be good but I have learnt you can’t have everything.

Wednesday 2^nd we are reluctant to leave this beautiful place. We decided to take the back road to Port Neill through farm country that follows the coastline, it’s predominantly wheat and sheep farms. A great many of the farms have their own coastal coves and bays with white sand beaches and magnificent headlands, this vista really wouldn’t be too hard to wake up to each morning. Oh I just realized I would probably have to have married a farmer, well maybe not. We moved on to the city of Whyalla and decided to spend the night at Whyalla Foreshore Holiday Park. We ask for a beach side spot and when we got there it was low tide so basically we had sand flats but as the evening progressed the tide came in and it proved to be a very pleasant vista. Ken and I embarked on a challenging walk up to Hummock Hill, which has a magnificent vista of the gulf and then down to the marina, and a walk along the jetty. A drink looked good by the time we got home, I can tell you.

Thursday 3^rd. We woke to massive winds attacking our awning; so we both got up to put it down before it wound itself into a mess, then back to bed as it was ages before dawn. When we did finally get up we headed to Port Augusta, for me it is a town that reminds me of a country town in the U.S.A. dare I say Hicksville, nothing about this town told me I was in Australia. Oh I do beg your pardon there was a Woolworths so I had a shopping fix and posted a parcel to family. On to Port Augusta where I managed to buy a present for Freeman, it had to be small, light, and serviceable, I will leave you to wonder what it might be. After Port Augusta it was 140 klm drive to Port Pirie where we took up residence for the evening at Port Pirie Caravan Park.

Friday 4^th. At about 8.30am our ears were assaulted with the sound of a gentleman of some years, singing at the top of his voice. His operatic voice was well and truly past its ‘used by date’, resonated throughout the area with perhaps for him, a desired dramatic effect. For us it was diabolical. I went to investigate where this sound was originating, to find the gentleman swimming in the lake that borders the caravan park. He had perfected his over arm stroke so as to have his head out of the water at all times, therefore could sing as he swam. His world was obviously a very different place from where most of us live, but good on him just hope he doesn’t drown while hitting the high notes. I am thinking of practicing my over arm stroke when we take up residence at Coomaroo Cresent again, who knows the (over the hill) swimming soprano could become quite an attraction in the neighborhood. We decided to have lunch at Port Broughton a sleepy town with a lovely bay, however the wind started picking up so we moved on rather quickly. The next town was Brut, then Snowtown and then on to the Clare Valley through Blyth and finally arriving at Clare mid afternoon. Clare Caravan Park is a lovely park 1 klm out of town, unfortunately quite noisy because it’s right on the highway.

Saturday 5^th, I am very worried about Wendal, he is not well and needs to see a vet so hope it will not be to long before we find one, but being the weekend this is not easy. This was the day to attack the wineries in the area and we began with Sevenhill Cellars, which was started in 1848 by the Jesuit priests who had fled religious and political persecution in Silesia. They planted Clare valleys first grapes and began making sacramental wine but soon were also supplying the settlers. Sevenhill is still making wines in the same cellars, but now 41 wineries and 36 cellar doors around the region have joined them.

We moved on from there to historic Martindale Hall, just outside of the town of Mintaro. This is a magnificent house in old English style grandeur, built in 1879-80 for a young Englishman by the name of Edmund Bowman at a cost of 30,000 pounds. Anyone who has seen the movie ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ has seen the house as Peter Weir directed this movie there in 1975. We stopped for lunch at Reilly’s Wines and Restaurant, a small boutique winery and tasted some lovely Reisling, home made soup and bread, very nice lunch indeed. On to Taylors wines and we were disappointed not just with the building trying to pass as a fort with its awful façade, but the wines we tried were ordinary in comparison to others we had experienced. Annie’s Lane was our last winery for the day and we picked up a deal of 2 bottles for $20, which as anyone who has bought Annie’s Lane wines knows that was a great deal.

Sunday 6^th We decided to drive on to the Barossa Valley and not head to Adelaide as Wendal seemed to be holding his own at this stage, but he does need a vet. So many beautiful little towns with quaint stone buildings mostly very well restored. Lovely cottage gardens with lots of roses, very much an old English feel. Auburn was the first one we encountered then on to Rhynie, Tarlee then Kapunda and Truro. It took us about 2 hours to arrive at Nuriootpa, a town on the northern end of the Barossa Valley, with a rapidly growing population of around 5,500 residents. The town services more than 50 wineries in the nearby area, with the best-known cellars being Wolf Blass, Penfolds and Elderton. It also has a very nice Caravan Park called Barossa Valley Tourist Park, which made us feel very comfortable. After unhitching we decided to take a walk through town and ended up at Penfolds Wines, the building is very ordinary but they did offer some great Christmas specials. Back to the van and one look at Wendal and the decision to find a vet as soon as possible was paramount for the next day.

Monday 7^th. we have an appointment at 2.30 pm to have Wendal checked over however I would be very surprised if it was good news. With Wendal as comfortable as possible (that means asleep) we took a drive to Seppeltsfield Estate, birthplace of the Seppelt tradition created by Joseph Seppelt in 1851.This place is amazing, it even has its own town of Seppeltsfield, and the roads leading to the town are lined with date palms.

The Seppelt’s family has their own mausoleum situated on the highest hill in the region overlooking their estate. The family no longer owns the estate having sold out some years ago to three very wealthy businessmen; one can only imagine how many billions it would have cost them. On we went to Barossa Valley estate, which has a very modern building but to my way of thinking very acidic wines. Now folks I did get my Wine degree from a Weet Bix Box so it could be a bit dodgy. Maggie Beers Pheasant Farm was where we chose to have lunch and it is a strange but interesting concept of an eatery. Lunch is a picnic basket that is designed around the produce in the store, however despite the produce being delicious I was disappointed that nothing apart from the bread roll was fresh. The roll was described as being baked in wood fired ovens; let me tell you there was nothing wood fired about my very commercial white bread roll. We drove back to the van to pick up Wendal and then on to the vet. The upshot was he weighed 3 kgs and probably had chronic renal failure. The vet took blood samples and told us to phone for the results the next day. The reality of Wendal’s condition was becoming very real indeed, and the sadness of saying good buy to our dear wee man was unthinkable. This night was the worst night we can remember with Wendal vomiting the contents of his stomach for what seemed like an eternity.

Tuesday 8^th, I am quickly getting my mind around the idea the best thing for Wendal is to let him go, his suffering is becoming a dreadful thing to watch, so can only imagine what it is like for him to be experiencing this. It has happened so quickly and I am really still in shock, it’s so difficult to deal with the impending loss of this lovely wee man. We began the day quite late and after a bit of planning we decided on the Yalumba Wine Company, which claims to be Australia’s oldest family owned winery.

The buildings and grounds are beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed an hour or more chatting with the lady behind the bar, informing us about the wines, not to mention the other thousand obscure subjects we touched on. A nice distraction from the reality we are experiencing. We then moved on to Chateau Tanunda Estate where after tasting their celebrated Reisling decided not to bother with anything else. Richmond Grove Winery and Hallett Winery were the last for the day thank god, they presented nice wines but some I felt we had tried before. It was time for the vet so instead of phoning for the results of the blood tests we dropped by for the news, which as we suspected was all-bad. Wendal had severe renal failure and nothing could be done to help him. We made an appointment for Wendal to be euthanased at 10.30 am the next morning. He despite being so ill was hungry, so I fed him teaspoons of food over a three-hour period. At about 9.30 pm he started to complain, eventually Ken said to me ‘he wants you to go to bed’, so I did and he came straight away and cuddled up and slept for the whole night.

Wednesday 9^th, I have decided not to add anything to this day other than to say Wendal passed away with enormous dignity and grace at the age of 12 years and 8 months. I can only thank him for his patience, tolerance, persistence and presence, but most of all his love. For the last 10 months we have shared a space of 24 by 8 foot and together we have gotten to know the essence of each other, the three of us have been the three Musketeers on a journey together, now we are only two. To say we are going to miss him is a major understatement. We selected to have him cremated and will take his ashes home to Coomaroo Cresent and bury them with his great friend Barklie.

Thursday 10^th. We are aiming for Adelaide, the weather is foul but we are on a mission. Sadness overwhelms me at the most unexpected times. Our plans have been changed and we have decided to stay closer to the city so have booked into Levi Park only 5 klm from the city centre. I need to finish this chapter / letter without further detail or deliberation as I guess most of you will understand.

Friday 11^th It is time to close and to wish you all a merry Christmas. We are flying back to Brisbane on the 17^th and will return to Adelaide on the 3rd of January for a new chapter in our lives.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. I thank you for reading my story and being interested enough to stay with me.

Love Elizabeth

Wendal: DOB 5/4/1997 DOD 9/12/2009

15^th News Letter

Margaret River to Esperance

Thursday 5^th, We left our farm stay at Margaret River late morning knowing we were not traveling far as we had picked out a spot that hopefully would be suitable just 12km east of Karridale. Alexandra Bridge Camping area suited all our needs for a quiet afternoon and evening, being well off the road the camping area was quiet, surprisingly large and quite popular. Ken took the opportunity to take the dinghy off the Land Rover roof again and seized the moment to motor up the Blackwater River. He had a great afternoon exploring. For my part I sat and read one of my new books, then eventually deciding to go for a walk, which I thoroughly enjoyed, it’s great to be part of the bush with all its sounds, smells and ambience.

Friday 6^th. After another late beginning we heading east on the Brockman Highway, then turned south onto Stewart Road as our aim was to reach the town of Pemberton where we thought we would stay for the evening. We had arrived in the tall timber Karri and Jarrah forests and oh how beautiful they are. By mid afternoon we were disappointed to find only one Caravan Park and they were not Wendal friendly. What we did notice was how many quaint old wooden cottages there is in Pemberton, not surprising though with the amount of Karri and Jarrah trees surrounding the town. Pemberton was first settled in 1861 and soon after a timber mill was established that made sleepers for the Trans-Australian Railway Line. There are also quite a few wineries in the area, however I for one, am staying away from them; it would be hard to beat Margaret River. We moved on some 25klm south to the town of Northcliff, a much smaller town but one with a caravan park that suited all three of us, called Round To-It Eco Caravan Park.

Saturday 7^th Unfortunately I woke up in the night feeling extremely unwell, so in the morning we had to drive back into Pemberton to find a chemist and some drugs to help with my problem. By mid afternoon I was feeling somewhat better, so we ventured out to Windy Harbour. The actual town itself is really just a small village with a cluster of holiday homes on small blocks of land with not a shop to be seen. A drive to Pt D’Entrecasteaux in D’Entrecasteaux National Park was absolutely stunning with breathtaking 360deg views of both ocean and land.

Sunday 8^th Driving east through Karri and Jarrah forests I kept taking photo’s from the passenger seat hoping they will turn out so that we can share just some of the beauty and majesty of the place. After many kilometers down the Western Highway we arrived at Rest Point Holiday Park just west of Walpole. It’s is a beautiful place next to Nornalup Inlet, with large spacious sights. Well they are if you do what we do and that is spread ourselves over two spots. Very few people here so one can spread freely and get away with it. The inlet has an abundance of pelicans, ducks, seagulls and also it is apparently a great place to fish.

Monday 9^th. The need to go sailing could not be contained another day, so off came the boat and into the water it went. Many hours later Captain Salty came back with tales of his adventure, which included a description of a huge Sting Ray 2 meters in diameter. As I wasn’t along for the ride, I cannot confirm the sighting, however the Captain is not usually prone to exaggeration so my guess is, we can believe him. Recently we purchased a wee book called Common Trees of the South West Forests or What tree is that, now we have all seen the bird devotees with their binoculars discussing what bird it may be and quite frankly I have always had a bit of a giggle thinking ‘Who Cares’. Well Kenny and I have become a wee bit obsessed with the notion of “what tree is that”. Picture if you will, the pair of us with our CROCKS and our FLY NETS, book in hand discussing at length “could it be a Karri or a Yellow Tingle, or is it a Jarrah or a Red Tingle?” As you get older it’s nice to have a common interest even if it is tree spotting, don’t you think? We have come across one tree that has a most unusual name Snottygobble, no I am not making it up and that is not its botanical name.

Tuesday. 10^th Today our aim was to see the Giant Tingle Trees in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park. These are massive trees that in some cases are fire hollowed, however they stay alive because the sapwood is still intact. Hopefully I can include a photo of these magnificent creatures. Next stop was Circular Pool, which I believe has fast rapids in winter, but in summer is a lovely tranquil pool. We moved along the coast to Peaceful Bay and then Conspicuous Bay with breathtaking views and hills full of beautiful mauve wild flowers and lots of opportunities at photo shoots.

Wednesday 11^th A slower day that began with a walk to Sandy Beach, which is a secluded beach that we are able to access from our camp ground via a track along the lake. I have a confession; I have become obsessed with taking photos. Now I have a very good reason why this happened, it started with a suggestion from a very dear friend Moira, when she said ‘be sure and take a lot of photos of the wild flowers as I may not have the opportunity to see this region’.

Now Moira is not someone to let you off the hook, so I was on a mission and felt really committed to photograph every wild flower variety that we come across. The results are some really nice studies of wild flowers and some very repetitive photos of yet another version of those purple, orange, yellow flowers. On this particular walk I have to confess to taking 140 creative moments that just had to be shot. Moira you are expected to sit through every shot of every wild flower that I have taken, not to mention all the beautiful trees and artistic misé en scéne that the forest has allowed. I think that perhaps we may need more than just the one bottle of Red to complete the task.

Thursday 12^th It’s been raining but we are both feeling fine after having a long Skype call with our son Freeman, he is alive and well which is always a blessing from a parent’s point of view. The Walk through the Giant Tingle Trees was calling us, so off we went to the Walpole Wilderness Discovery Centre. The unique Red Tingle trees that are found here can reach a height of 70 meters while their heavily buttressed girth can attain a circumference of 20 meters at ground level. The tree top walk begins from the rim of the gully, climbing to 40 meters, then gradually descend to complete the 600 meter loop back to ground level. Sixty meter long steel trusses supported by steel pylons weave through the tops of the trees. Those of you who know me well, know I am terrified of heights so I was not at my most comfortable (hence not too many photo opportunities from me in the tree tops,) I basically just hung on and tried NOT to look down. Another special feature of the walk was it swayed, apparently to simulate the movement of the trees, seriously I could have done without that. Back down to the ground level the world became a different place and suddenly I was able to capture many magic tingle moments once again with the trusty camera.

Friday 13^th. No I am not superstitious thank goodness and we had a great day. Our aim was to make it to Denmark (the town, not the country) by evening however a stop over at Parry Beach was a must as we had heard it was a great spot to camp. Unfortunately for us the flies were in swarm proportions and the bees were just as bad. The campground although very pretty would not accommodate a van our size as the trees in the camp ground formed a canopy that was too low for the mighty Traveller. We pressed on to Denmark Rivermouth Caravan Park and were delighted to get a spot right on the water at Wilson Inlet. I can’t tell you how happy Kenny is when we get these great spots with water views; it’s a bit like Christmas really, very exciting.

Sunday 15^th It’s been a lovely couple of days in Denmark, the town is quaint and filled with interesting boutique shops and the people are warm and welcoming.

However the weather is very fickle, one minute it’s raining and the next sunshine but one thing that is constant is the wind. Yesterday we visited a few wineries and found them very small in comparison to Margaret River, also the wines are different, personally I don’t think as good. We also took a drive to the river mouth at Wilson Head and the view was wonderful almost making Kenny drool with excitement (this happens as you get older). Today the little dinghy skimmed across the water at a great rate of knots with a very happy Captain Salty at the helm on yet another adventure in the life and times of Kenny.

Monday 16th and we are on the road heading for the city of Albany. The country vista has changed and we are no longer in forests, its now flatter and less wooded. Unfortunately it’s still raining and as we approach Albany we become acutely aware of just how spread out this city is. Our first choice of caravan parks proved to be disappointing because of its distance from the city so we moved on to Emu Point where we found Emu Beach Holiday Park to be a great location for us. How to describe Albany is a difficult task. According to the visitors information it was settled in 1826, which is two years before Perth. It’s a city steeped in maritime history predominantly based on the whaling industry. The city is filled with beautiful examples of nineteenth century Albany architecture that stands proudly looking over Princess Royal Harbour. The coastline that surrounds Albany is positively indescribable; I seriously do not know how to chose words to relate its beauty. The land mass is high because of the battering from the Great Southern Ocean, thus the beauty of the rock formations are amazing. We were able to visit such spectacles as the Blowholes, Cave Point, The Gap and Natural Bridge, natural features carved from ancient granite by the force of nature.

The Gap features a 25 meter sheer drop to the ocean, quite something to stand beside. There are also some exquisite bays that are sheltered from the harshness of the southern ocean that are able to lie in peace to display their aqua clear water and beautiful white sands in such contrast to the outer coastline. This area is filled with perennial rivers and estuaries it appears to be a water paradise. This would be heaven if only it wasn’t so cold.

Thursday 19^th Again it’s raining and our drive to Bremer Bay some 170 klm away was a little hairy at times because of the velocity of the wind and the forceful rain. We found Bremer Bay Caravan Park very comfortable with its lush green lawns and large camping areas. The rain by this stage had changed its tune and we were experiencing light showers with the occasional burst of sun through the clouds. After settling Wendal in, Ken and I took a drive around the area and found a wonderful look out on Tooreburrup Hill with 360 deg views. Next a drive down to Short Beach for some photo opportunities, then back to the van and a walk to Bremer Bay headland which proved to have some magnificent views and again great opportunity for photo shoots if you were patient enough to wait for the sun to pop its rays out other wise the photos are washed out and you waste your time.

Friday 20^th We headed out again on the South Coast Highway hoping to reach Esperance some 400klm away. The change in vegetation was remarkable; we were back in dry Savanna country, with its scrubby vegetation and absence of the beautiful wildflowers that by now we were so used too. It was a long drive indeed and our dear wee man Wendal was not in his usual good humor. After a few ‘I want out of here’ noises we pulled over twice to see what his problem may have been. This entails putting him on his led and letting him lead us to where he wants to go (we were hoping to the bush where he could relieve himself) but no it was directly back to the van door where he looked longingly at the step trying to get in. This was a no go so on we went and eventually arrived at Pink Lake Tourist Park at Esperance. If we had not been so tired we would have continued on to find alternative accommodation but exhaustion is a remarkable thing. The spot we were allocated backed on to the amenities block and the caravan park washing line I could touch from the door of the caravan. There was no privacy what so ever and as a result the blinds were drawn and the resolve was to move as soon as possible.

Saturday 21^st After hitching up our tried and true Traveller we explored the town and its alternate caravan parks. Crokers Holiday Park was decided on and it suited our profile beautifully. The afternoon offered a window of sunshine so we explored the ocean vista via the Twilight Beach Road. Magnificent ocean views overlooking the Recherche Archipelago drew us to its beauty like a moth to light. Unfortunately the sun did not last long so not too many photo opportunities were available. We are rather sick of the weather other wise it would be lovely to stay and explore this area. However we are on a mission to reach Adelaide by mid December so it’s on to Norseman tomorrow and hopefully warmer weather.

I am hoping that all who reads this is well and doing what fulfills them most in life. I feel very pleased to have done this journey so far, the magic and diversity of this country is mind blowing. It is a place of such extremes on many different levels. I know that when I am settled back in suburbia the time for reflection will be enormous. Take care of yourselves and each other, your friend Elizabeth.

Newsletter 14.

Perth to Margaret River.

Monday 26^th October, as we left Perth the rain became a rather constant companion and the cold by then, we were getting used to. The suitcase had been opened and the winter coats and long pants have come out of mothballs. We headed south on the Kwinana Freeway, which is freeway No 2, this eventually took us into Rockingham a smallish coastal town some 26klm south of Fremantle. From there we continued down the coast stopping to look at the beautiful ocean vista, amazed at how busy and built up these towns were as it became very difficult to decipher where one town ended and another began. Mandurah arrived before we knew it and again where does this town begin and end. The gardens along this stretch of land began to fascinate us and we noted people’s obsession with Roses, in all shapes and color. The competition seems fierce! We found a caravan park at Falcon called Miami Holiday Park, an interesting place that I feel I should not comment on other than to say ‘it’s old and needs a huge make over or bulldozer’. We managed to acquire a ‘lakeside’ site, now that means if you stand on a seat you may see the lake through high reeds and paper barks, however there was a walk we took the next day that was very pretty. We snuggled in with a couple of videos and a great take away pizza and had an enjoyable evening. One of the movies we watched was the long awaited, My year without sex. We have been trying to catch this movie for some time however it’s now out on DVD. It’s a great movie written and directed by the talented Sara Watts, she also wrote and directed Look both ways, and in so many ways both movies are very similar. She certainly has a style all her own as a film director and is married to the actor William McGinnis. They have a unique quality that I feel is synonymous with Australian working class culture.

Tuesday 27^th, heading down the Bunbury Highway, you enter The Lakes district with Peel Inlet on the left while the Indian Ocean is on the right of a narrow strip of land, once again, a very pretty area with lots of new development. Peel Inlet flows into Harvey Estuary to the south as the country unfolds into quiet farmland. On the right Lake Clifton runs parallel to the highway and then Lake Preston runs through to the town of Myalup. These are large mostly shallow lakes that provide a sanctuary to a great deal of bird life, ducks a plenty. We drove into the town of Myalup and also Binningup to check out suitable spots to stop for the evening, however probably because it was raining and cold nothing really appealed so we continued down the highway to Australind, a town on Leschenault Inlet. We eventually settled on one of the only two parks in town Australind Tourist Park right on the highway and ‘oh’ how noisy it was.

Wednesday 28^th we woke to gale force winds buffeting the van and discovered our large back window had a leak. Trying to open our door proved to be a challenge as the wind was blowing against it forcing it shut, however we did manage to get out of there and headed very slowly into Bunbury and then down the Bussell Highway to Capel, Ludlow and on to Busselton. As we got away from the coast we were able to shelter a little from the wind and noted that the highway had a corridor of tall trees running beside it, which helped a huge amount with the swaying of the van. Busselton is a lovely town with many residence who love to garden. Gardens full of Roses and other assorted flowers giving us a welcome feeling despite the inclement weather. With caravan parks a plenty, once again Wendal was able to help us sort out the Cat friendly Parks which narrowed it down to just three. After driving by the suitable parks we settled on Sandybay Holiday Park at Broadwater, a suburb of Busselton. Busselton is best known for having supposedly the longest timber jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. Sandybay would have to be the nicest park we have stayed in since arriving in WA. It’s set behind small wooded sand dunes on the edge of a clear blue sheltered bay. About 80% of the park is given over to small Swiss style chalets for holiday people to enjoy. They even have their own fireplaces. Further 10% to permanent caravans, and the remainder to we transients. The grounds are beautiful with lots of trees, manicured lawns and very pretty gardens. The ladies who manage the place are also very nice and informative and extremely helpful.

Thursday 29^th. The sun is shining so it’s a good chance for some sight seeing. Driving west on Caves Road we arrived at Dunsborough, a very pretty but expensive town as we were later to find out when enquiring about real estate. On to Eagle Bay, a drive through heaven we discovered Meelup Beach Road, we will include photos at this point as words cannot describe how beautiful this place is, spectacular bush lands bordering exquisitely sculptured bays.

On to Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse and we were disappointment in so far as you cannot get close enough to really view the lighthouse without a payment of $15 per person, seems a bit expensive. We were however able to walk onto the headland which offers a 360 deg view. While we were out on the cape we visited our first winery Wise Estate a lovely building and beautiful setting but didn’t care much for the wine. I believe it’s a very popular spot for weddings. Back to Dunsborough for lunch and then on to some more wineries for the obligatory tasting. Virgin Block Winery took our fancy first, probably because of the winery’s crest, which is a picture of one of the owner’s daughters. Also a lovely building but the wine was not to my palate. Windance Winery situated across the road has its cellar door in a very ordinary old shed with no frills but the wine was wonderful and has won many awards. The girl who attended us is the daughter of the owners and very lovely, it would seem they put their energy into the wine and not the façade. Laurance Winery deserves a photo, it’s a very over the top showpiece. The inside of the building is magnificent all the major beams are from the old Woolamaloo wharf in Sydney. We are told the Laurance family built Sea World and Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. I may add that this was the only winery we came across that required payment for tasting their wines, $2 per tasting. Our very favorite winery for the day was Wills Domain run by a lovely young couple who were very hospitable. Darren the owner, works the vines from his wheelchair while his lovely wife Kristin runs the cellar door, they also have a young son who keeps them both on their toes. Their wines are beautiful and I would recommend all visitors to this area to go visit them.

Friday 30^th, It’s raining again so decided to catch up with this blog before I forget what we did do and or what has happened. The afternoon has fined up enough for Ken to take the sailing dingy off the roof of the car for an airing, hope he has fun.

Saturday 31^st, It’s raining again, I think it’s time to leavethis lovely spot before we start growing roots. We decided to take in a movie so headed into Busselton to see ‘Julie and Julia’, highly recommend this movie particularly to anyone who loves food; we both enjoyed it more than we had anticipated.

Sunday 1^st November. After hitching up the caravan we headed out of town south to Margaret River. Very pretty drive through wooded farmland then on to cleared pastures and then wineries. Ken had decided he wanted to stay out of town at Big Valley Farm some 10 klm east of the town of Margaret River. The farm is a working sheep farm, which offers camping with power, water and the usual facilities for $10 per person per night. It is extremely pretty place to be, with wooded rolling hills and sheep dotted all over the countryside. It’s very, very cold here in the late afternoons and at night, I need my gloves and hat when we are out side, I am not used to it.

Monday 2^nd, We took a drive to Cape Leeuwin, the most south westerly point on the Australian continent, very windy and cold but very beautiful. Those lovely wild flowers even manage to grow in these very harsh conditions in this case many differing shades of pink and white appeared everywhere. The lighthouse is on a flat low headland so it’s tall against the backdrop of the Southern Ocean. There are some very old buildings of which one has been renovated into a restaurant, which happen to be serving warm soup for lunch on a very cold day, hard to refuse. Heading back up the coast stopped at Baranup Gallery, it houses some of the most beautiful wooden furniture we have ever seen, lots of other things to look at as well such as paintings and jewelry. Hamelin Bay a small coastal town was our next stop, fortunately it was protected from the wind, very pretty place and wonderful coastline. Our winery for the day was Voyager Winery with its old English buildings and magnificent gardens. Hopefully we can insert photos of this place, as it is something to be seen, however again the wines didn’t do much for our palate.

Tuesday 3^rd, We began the day by walking around the town of Margaret River and looking at the shops. I managed to pick up a couple of books that I had been looking for so was pleased with my purchases. We discovered it was Melbourne Cup day, ‘is that what all the people are doing in the Pub/Tavern’, we chose the bakery for lunch, which proved a good decision. Margaret River Bakery has the most beautiful, delicious cakes, tarts and bread that I have eaten in a long time and I ate too much and suffered the too full feeling after. Time for more wineries so Howard Park & Madfish Winery was our first choice, next was Vasse Flex Winery then Cullen Winery on to Gralyn Estate where we couldn’t resist some white Port and then finally Evans & Tate Winery where I purchased a couple of bottles of wonderful Chardonnay, no more wine please.

Wednesday 4^th, Our first port of call was the Margaret River Cheese Factory very yummy cheeses. Polandri Estate was our first winery for the day, very nice wines and yes we did purchase some. On to the Chocolate Factory and we were disappointed with the quality and felt it was very commercial, lots of gift packaging with huge price tags, sorry you all missed out. On to the Hayshed Hill Winery, which appeared to be, a great place for lunch with wood fired pizzas etc, but didn’t care for the wines. Next stop a small winery called Wilespie and I honestly thought every wine I tried at this place was off, or shall I say, passed its prime or used buy date. The young lady working the cellar door told me they supplied Rockpool Restaurant, in Sydney, something wrong there. Next stop was a Ken interest, Bootleg Brewery Estate however he was disappointed that the tasting was quite expensive, so he decided on a six-pack of mixed beer to go. Kneedeep Winery was just down the road so by this stage the car just pulled in by it’s own accord. This winery has a lovely restaurant with a lovely price tag if you wish to partake, and it seemed very popular by the amount of seats that were occupied. We were by this stage over lunch and almost anything else but managed to have one more tasting each and departed. On we went to Laurance Wines, which we had visited on Thursday but had not taken any photos and I felt they were important, as it’s a showpiece. A few quick photos and heading back home we happened upon Sandalford Winery, and Ken’s call to stop for yet another drop and this time he enjoyed a Merlot and bought a bottle. Coffee sounded good to me so on to Yahava, where we were able to sample some delicious coffees. A nice gentleman behind the counter appreciated my love of coffee and introduced us to some yummy blends and essence. We left there with some fine examples of the coffee we had just tasted and a bottle of French Vanilla coffee essence, which along with our White Port sounds like a great way to end an evening.

I do have to stop this blog somewhere and I guess now is a good time. It’s already to long and my dearest Kenny is complaining that I am going into to much detail. What do you think dear reader? Actually he is just annoyed because it takes him awhile to edit it and there is so much else to do now that he is retired. I hope you are all having heaps of fun and look forward to sharing some of my photos with you. Love Elizabeth

Kalbarri to Perth

13^th News Letter.

Friday 9^th October. Driving out of the beautiful Shark Bay our eyes were drawn to the masses of color along the roadside, beautiful clumps of vivid red and yellow bushes to begin with and then to our delight many more colors began to appear.

We were in Wildflower Country and what a beautiful picture it was. The country itself between the Overlander Roadhouse and the turnoff to Kalbarri was very different to what we have experienced thus far, suddenly we were in wheat country with fences and cleared paddocks instead of wild scrub with feral animals. The flatness turned into rolling hills with wheat and sheep, reminding me of central N.S.W. area. It seemed as though we rounded a corner and then to our amazement the sides of the road where a painting straight out of an English garden.

The colors, textures and variety of plants were amazing and we both got the feeling that we must have consumed some hallucinogenic substance at lunch and were having a great psychedelic experience. Unfortunately we were not able to pull off the road and take photos of this particular place (probably because of the drugs) but later on we have been able to capture a few of the beauties with the camera.

On our arrival in Kalbarri we booked into Kalbarri Anchorage Caravan Park to find ourselves having to ask a particular family to move their table and chairs so we could occupy our spot, they were very obliging.

Saturday 10^th found us not happy with allocated position so asked to move to a more appropriate site with river views, fortunately it was not far away so the move was easy. It was time to check out this town so on went the walking shoes, hats and backpacks never wanting to miss an opportunity for a bit of shopping. The town of Kalbarri is picturesque along the shore of the Murchison River to where it enters the Indian Ocean. Standing at the Meanarra Hill lookout the view of the ocean and entrance to the river is spectacular, we sat for an hour or more watching a charter boat attempting to enter the river mouth eventually we gave up and walked back to our van. Our friends Louise and Lynn had arrived at the park so we arranged to go out to dinner with them to an Australian themed restaurant. Those of you who know me know that it wasn’t going to be my thing but even I was shocked when BYO meant your own glass as well as wine. The pista resistance was the roll of toilet paper on the tables to use as napkins, a theme I do not believe I will take up at my next dinner party.

Monday 12^th a visit to Kalbarri National Park could not be resisted. Despite the 26km of gravel corrugated road it was well worth the journey. We chose not to do the 8 km loop hike so opted for the 500m Nature’s Window walk instead, with stunning views of one of the beautiful Kalbarri Gorges. A photo at ‘Natures Window’ a magnificent rock formation with a huge whole (window) through the middle, was a must record. We also ventured to the Z Bend where we were able to view the gorge from a high platform. We also watched two male idiots test their stupidity by jumping from a ledge some 30meters up into unknown water depths below. We didn’t wait for the results, hopefully their self preservation took over and they chose to walk down the way they came other wise they could well have had to be winched out by helicopter. We also drove on to Hawks Head and Ross Graham Gorge, which were spectacular. What wasn’t spectacular were the bush FLIES in their billions, no trillions, in your face, up your nose, eyes, walking on the inside of your glasses, you could not breath without inhaling them, we swore we would buy insect face netting to go over our hats at the first opportunity.

Wednesday 14^th, time to move on and our destination was Geraldton, what a beautiful drive it is down the coast from Kalbarri through to Northampton. Hutt Lagoon or Pink Lake as its often called is north east of the town of Gregory and the coast road runs along its length. The Lagoon is a salt lake which, in the right weather conditions turns pink or some may call it purple, the color of the lake is due to the high concentration of salt tolerant algae. The salt mined from this lake is actually PINK. We drove on to Northampton where we unhitched the van in a parking bay and Ken drove on to The Hutt River Province leaving me to the enjoyment of exploring the town shops. The shops were fascinating, particularly a large haberdashery store that sold everything from fabric, buttons, thread etc, thought to clothing for every member of the family, kitchen ware and a huge variety of crockery, bake ware also pots and pans. They also sold hats in all forms and for every occasion from the garden to the races. Shoes, bras, panties, not to mention their extensive gift range, what a great place to just poke around. The store is one of the first buildings in the town and I suspect some of the items contained within may date back to its beginnings. In one corner of the store I came across a cat having a nap on a roll of fabric perhaps he was the security system not sure and the lady who appeared to run the place was out the back doing her ironing, a very friendly soul indeed. Just for the record, Hutt River Province is an independent sovereign state since 1970. Ken has always wanted to meet its self appointed head of state. He came back from his afternoon visit to the place with a disgusting T shirt and a head full of information about the place which I will not bore you with the details. Moving on from Northampton to Geraldton we drove through some of the most beautiful farm country imaginable, green rolling hills with sheep and winter wheat in alternate paddocks.

Thursday 15^th we were up early as we had the Land Rover booked in for a service. The caravan park of choice was Batavia Coast Caravan Park because it was Wendal friendly and also it was close to the place servicing our vehicle. After leaving the vehicle we headed into town or should I say the centre of the city where we spotted a movie theatre, oh joy. Deciding on a movie, we noted to be back by 12.30pm, so spent the rest of the morning wandering down the main street and along Geraldton’s beautiful water frontage with clear aqua water lapping clean sandy beaches. Lots of activities for families such as water features that children can inter act with. It struck us as a very clean tidy city that takes pride in its appearance. The movie we saw by the way was “Mao’s last dancer” which we both thoroughly enjoyed.

Friday 16^th back on the road heading south on the Brand Highway we found ourselves stepping back in time with many beautiful historical buildings dotted through out the country side, places such as Central Greenough Historical Settlement and Station Museum dating back to 1887. Once again we were amazed at the beautiful rich countryside that surrounds this area obviously on all sides of Geraldton. Some kilometers past Dongara, Indian Ocean Drive takes you all the way down the coast to Cervantes. We were hoping to find a free park somewhere along this stretch of coast as we had become very tired of caravan parks. Our Camps 4 book indicated there were at least four of them.

The first one we came upon was Cliff Head North, very beautiful, right on the ocean with spectacular views. We thought we had died and gone to heaven until we got out of the car and then realized we had arrived in fly hell. The flies were unbelievable, swarms of them descended on us from all angles and all we could do was run for cover back to the car, however they managed to join us in the car because they were all over our backs and heads. I couldn’t even breathe without inhaling them so had a tissue over my face until they had blown out of the windows of the moving car. We continued on checking out the other camping areas (without getting out of the car) to find that you could no longer camp anywhere along the coast. There are signs up every couple of kilometers stating how unwelcome camping was and a hefty fine would be issued if you disobeyed. At this point our desperate priority was to buy fly nets as we had not had success thus far. The first store we came across was a hardware store and yes we were in luck, two very stylish nets available. Now we are in charge of the flies! Oh who am I kidding. We eventually were directed to Sandy Cape Recreational Park just slightly north of Jurien Bay, a lovely spot right on the ocean with a good dirt road into the park. There is a friendly caretaker who is happy to take your $15 a night fee but it was nice to be away from neighbors either side for a while. We enjoyed a long walk along sand tracks, which eventually lead us back to a beach then another long walk back to camp, all up about an hour and half walk. Ken did his good deed for the month by helping two young guys who had become stuck in the sand with the incoming tide, the 4 WD they were driving was becoming more bogged by the minute so a bit of advice from an old bloke worked wonders, not to mention a lot of pushing. The sand fly’s proved to be a problem at Sandy Cape and in the end and we were getting very sick of being bitten. Always the queue to move on!

Sunday 18^th we decided to move on to Cervanties, a small pretty town at the end of the coast road. Meanwhile a drive through Jurien Bay had been highly recommended and we were both surprised in regards to the amount of new wealth that is being poured into this town. Mega mansions going up along the waterfront to the tune of 2 million dollars, seems strange in such a small town. We arrived in Cervanties early afternoon so after putting some washing on, headed to The Pinnacles some 16klm south of town. These are rock formations that come out of the desert in the form of pinnacles, very strange to look at and it would appear that the scientists are still only guess as to how they were formed. That evening we went to Cervantes Bowling club for a lobster seafood platter that I will not comment other than to say Ken enjoyed it.

Monday 19^th found us heading east to New Norcia, a town that was on Ken’s must see list. New Norcia is said to be Australia’s only monastic town founded in 1846 by Bishop Rosendo Salvado and Dom Joseph Serra. It’s situated only 120 klm from Perth so enjoys quite a lot of tourist attention. We had a very peaceful night camped in the field watching the sheep and other wildlife before dark and then enjoying the stars in a clear sky later.

Tuesday 20^th Once again we were taken by the beautiful countryside that is in this area of the country, lush is the only way to describe it. Beautiful green rolling hills dotted with wild flowers of every imaginable color, size and shape. Coming into Perth, wineries appear to dominate the countryside with the invitation of wine tasting at every turn, however this invitation is hard to take advantage of particularly pulling a large caravan, perhaps another day. We had booked into Karrinyup Waters Resort at Gwelup at the recommendation of friends who were staying there. It was a delight to be able to catch up with Ray and Sherrie whom we hadn’t seen since Carmila Beach in Queensland in May.

Wednesday 21^st. Time to look around the suburbs so a number of shopping centers were recommended, basically we chose the nearest one Karranup. I must say I have never seen so many large suburban shopping centers anywhere. Karranup has a Myer and a David Jones and every other chain store you can imagine. I can’t tell you how exciting shopping centers are to women who are traveling in caravans, I know it’s sad but true.

Thursday 22^nd. Freeman phoned us on Skype from Canada where he has gone for the ski season, wonderful to talk. I miss him very much. We took the car for a drive North of the city to Yanchep and Two Rocks, these are towns on the coast that used to be small and sleepy but now they have huge areas opened up by developers with some very expensive houses already established. It is great to see the different architecture that appears on this side of the country, really different to the east coast of Australia. Most housing developments in WA incorporate rear vehicular lane ways so the mandatory car garage is not a front of the house feature. On returning to Perth we decided it was early enough for a drive down the coast road to North Fremantle to see some of the sights, lots of old 1950 -70 houses being replaced by contemporary designs, very exciting and fresh.

Friday 23^rd, Time for a trip into the city so checked out the public transport system to find Perth has a fantastic rail system and also a great bus service, particularly the northern suburbs where we are staying. We got a lift to Stirling Station where we jumped on a very fast modern commuter train and got off in the city at one of its underground stations. A great day was had by both of us just wondering around this very clean, organized, attractive city, some great old buildings proudly standing beside their more contemporary counterparts, all with great dignity, stature and design. Perth city is situated on the banks of the Swan River, so there are a number of parks that are part of this city’s centre. A free bus service takes you for a ride around the city for as long as you wish to take in the views. We were entertained by a number of very talented buskers in the Mall area, a very frustrated Opera Singer Fiona Mariah, who has won many awards in Europe for her singing entertained us with her beautiful voice and character. We are now the proud owners of one of her C.D’s and really enjoy her unique talent. Another C.D. we bought was by Los Chasquis, a South American group, who play music from the Andes, lovely pan pipes and fantastic rhythm. These performers have allocated times so they don’t clash with one another (very organized) and all are professionals in their fields not your usual busker. The only complaint I have about Perth is its lack of advertised Public Toilets, they seem to be a secret and you really don’t need that when you have a full bladder. So please Perth tell us where they are! As we got off the train at Stirling we noticed an IKEA store so a quick trip to the kitchen department for a new fry pan was a must. No I wasn’t allowed to stroll through the mired of new items and ideas that this store offers, no the shopping scrooge put a stop to that.

Saturday 24^th It’s raining, cold and miserable and don’t feel like going anywhere. Off to the local Supa IGA store for last minute shopping is the best I can manage.

Sunday 25^th The sun is shining and we are off to Fremantle which is a port city located 30 minutes from Perth’s city centre. It is said to be the world’s best preserved example of a 19^th century port streetscape and boasting Western Australia’s largest collection of heritage listed buildings, it also has many stylish museums and galleries. There is a lot to see if only the legs will keep up, walking shoes are essential in this city. One of the many highlight of Fremantle for us was the Maritime Museum, I thought I would be board ridged so took my book but instead found it a wonderfully interesting place to spend two to three hours. They are even housing Australia 2 in full sail, complete with look a like mannequins of its crew when it won The America’s Cup.

We also strolled along the main wharf area and were able to view two square riggers about to leave with young crew onboard for a sailing adventure. It’s amazing how far sailing ships have come in design. As if Fremantle was not enough for these old folk we ended our day with a visit at twilight to Magnificent King’s Park. I will at this point quote from EXPERIENCE PERTH, “The jewel in the city’s crown, King’s Park is one of the largest inner city parks in the world”. This stunning location overlooking the city really is breathtaking, but it’s not just the magnificent views but also the gardens with their abundance of Western Australia’s wildflowers, which have been lovingly planted and nurtured into fantastic displays. The war memorial was also quite spectacular, situated high on the hill with the city and Swan River as its backdrop. The inscription “Let silent contemplation be your offering” seemed so very appropriate in such a place.

Monday 26^th Today we are leaving this beautiful city, to drive south in search of some lovely Margaret River wines and some more beautiful coastal experiences. Goodbye Perth, it’s been a great experience, thank you.

I hope all is well in the lives of those of you who are reading this. Take care all my good friends and look forward to hearing from you. Love Elizabeth.