Australia Day - In Perth

Australia Day is MASSIVE in Perth. It's their most important day of the year and they take it very seriously. We returned to check it out and report back to our bloggers! So what's it all about Alfie? Well it celebrates the day Australia was discovered 26th Jan 1770 (this should have been a cup of tea question!) and is slightly controversial. If your an Aboriginal, there's nothing much you want to celebrate about the arrival of the Europeans, in fact the indigenous people have their own name for the day, which I can't remember but reflects the sadness of their plight.

They have a bike race down at the banks of the mighty river Swan - if only I had brought my bike along.....

We went up to Kings Park to get an aerial view of the proceedings, including the air show (Sunderland has nothing to fear - our air show is still the best!)

Here we are having our 'picnic in the park' waiting for the fireworks - the place was packed!

I'm not keen on taking pictures of fireworks, but I tried so you all could get the idea. They had fireworks going off from barges on the river and fireworks off the top of the sky-scraper office blocks, all in time with a musical theme. It was very impressive.

This is the office blocks - the other pictures are from the barges on the river.

After Australia Day we move a few miles South to Fremantle for our last few days in Oz - then it's off to a whole different adventure, Indonesia! Bali is our first stop on the 31st January.

On the road - the last leg!

Are you getting fed up of seeing me drinking beer yet (you can tell I'm not)? As I've said before, it's an Englishmans duty to check how the Ozzies are getting along practicing our craft! This place was in Albany, Tanglewood Brewery - the last stop of our trip. (The beers were really good by the way - a lot better than some I've had at home even).

I've mentioned the coastline before - it's so beautiful - massive rock structures in the ocean. This place is called 'Natural Bridge' in Frenchman's bay, you can see the bridge in the next picture. It's difficult to get a sense of scale in these pictures but you can't beat seeing it with your own eyes - it is truly awesome.

These pictures are slightly out of time sequence (not that you would know that!) this place is called 'Elephant Rocks' - if you view them from a certain angle they look like a herd of elephants. The sunset that night was amazing - the colours were fantastic.

This was the last view from the bedroom before it went dark.

This picture (and the one above) is from a walk we did in the morning along the river at the Wilson Inlet in Denmark (which was actually before Albany but the pics are out of sync) then along a disused railway line - it was quite early in the morning and the light was really beautiful in the trees. There was also lots of birds and critters out - including this one in the next picture. There's nothing next to it to give it any scale, so I'll tell you it was approximately 5 feet long. It wasn't at all concerned by Elvis and I standing in front of it taking pictures - in fact, it looked so 'unbothered' I was beginning to think 'should we be concerned'. Anyway, we went our different ways without any drama as the Ozzies like to say!



We did have a different kind of drama the next day though! We were in Albany and had to have the van back in Perth the next day by 4pm at the latest - a distance of 600km. Well we got up early and set off the next day - stopped had breakfast, stopped again for coffee and cake and then realised that we were running out of time. So, like what often happens, the last part of the trip turned into a race. To cut a long story short, we made it by 10 minutes only, I was at the front of the office traumatised!

So the van went back and that was the end of our road trip around the Southern Curl - but we had a fantastic time and apart from reversing the van into a rock the size of a house (which I ridiculously claimed 'I couldn't see it') fortunately I was going so slow there was not even a scratch, there were no problems at all. I'm sure we will do this again someday. But for now, we had to prepare for Australia day in the best place to be on that day - Perth. Next blog of course!

Rosy Lee questions - I don't know why the Australians call us Poms - you were supposed to tell me that! The time I set fire to the forest and was making my escape (thanks for that reminder of my past Ginny) was 4:55pm - can you not see my watch? Looks like my impression of a gay Kangeroo hit the spot, and finally - yes you're right, the next few blogs will be 'catch-up' from Australia, because right now we're sitting in a cafe in Indonesia, Bali to be exact- having a great time but you'll all have to wait until we catch up before you see it! Thanks for all the comments - they had us laughing our heads off!

On the road - in the forests

Can you just smell the 'foist' in that forest? This place is called Mammoth Caves - so named after tree roots created openings to an underground cave and inside were found the fossilised remains of prehistoric animals - mainly Mammoth's of course! We did a walk around the massive trees and through the thick forest.

This is inside mammoth cave - you've got your Stalagmites but mainly your Stalactites (remember - tites come down!).

The Australian pelican. When I see this I wonder - 'How many mince pies could that down in one' - it would put my brother and I to shame. These were hanging around waiting for a fisherman to 'clean' the fish

Ben - eat your heart out and pay homage to the master of the Kangaroo look alike.

A lovely little morning scene in the forest right by our camp for the night


Not only do I have to cook the meal but I have to do the 'washing up' too. Well, I do the 'pre-wash' part, then Elvis insists on using a detergent of some sort!

This is the Gloucester Tree and that's me on the way down (having just been to the top). At 61 metres high, it is the highest working lookout tree in the world (a rather tenuous claim to fame I hear you say). As you can see the 'spiral staircase' isn't exactly fool proof - but being the fool I am, I couldn't resist. Great views from the top though, right over the top of the forest canopy. It is still used as a fire lookout post today.

This is Big Brook Dam where we stopped for a little sun and swim. This is a new one for us because the beach is artificial - brought in to create a beach in the forest!

After we left the dam we drove straight into a bush fire - thankfully it was a controlled fire, which they do to burn off all the dead stuff before it builds up too much and causes real damage. I'm not sure if they were totally in control of this one though as it got too near the road (just as we got there) and we had to wait until they deemed it safe enough to go through.

It looked so weired because although it was midday the sun changed colour completely to an orange brown. All the trees were glowing like it was a sunset scene.











Credit to Elvis for this picture (which I really like - the full size picture looks fantastic) the foreground trees are all lit up with the orange/brown light and behind the fire is raging.

This is me concentrating on the 'burning road' ahead - Elvis thought it was great fun and had the volume control on 11 singing full blast 'On the Road Again'. We were just having the most fantastic time doing this - in fact at about this point there was talk of extending the van hire - but we would have missed 'Australia Day' in Perth and even though we're Poms - we didn't want to miss that. Which brings us nicely to the free cup of tea competition: Why do Australians call the British 'Poms'? .... And for a bonus of a scone with jam and clotted cream - exactly what time was it when we were driving through the forest fire?

Back to the coast after this - so that's the next blog!

On the road - more beaches

If you're not fond of 'Charles Drakes' proceed with caution, there's a picture of a nasty looking critter in this blog. But lets get down to the proper business first - beer tasting, this is at Bush Shack Brewery, they even do a strawberry beer for the Shelia's.

Is anyone counting how many lighthouses I've took pictures of now. This maybe the last one though at Cape Naturaliste.

Another beautiful sunset - we were just walking back to the camper van from a cliff top walk.


And on the drive back - eagle eye Elvis spotted Charles Drake here by the side of the road - I risked life and limb getting this picture may I say. I don't know what kind it is - but it looks brown so could it be the deadly brown snake? Perhaps Ben or Justine may know. A little poem for you:

A cup of tea, for a positive ID.

What a lovely view from our kitchen window, just what you want to see when you're having your morning cuppa!

The coast line on the west is very dramatic - gigantic rocks, caves and cliffs with lovely little coves and beaches nested in between. This is Dunsborough.

This is us having a rare treat at Vasse Felix - the first winery in the Margaret River area. We had just been for some free wine tastings and the old hunger pains started. The restaurant was very classy so we thought it was time for a treat.

This was 'Surfers Point', the waves are really big here, this is because we are very close to the most south-westerly point of Australia where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean.

Surfers and windsurfers doing their thang!

Another beautiful sunset, this time taken from the patio!

This was just down from the van - we were climbing all over these rocks until it got too dark, the coastline is amazing here.

The beaches aren't bad either!

This was taken at Green Pools, just outside of Denmark, check out that water!


The next day we headed inland to see some of the fantastic forested areas of the south west - but that has to be the subject for another blog wouldn't you say?

Ps Chinese detective work from Rusty Sandersfield has revealed that the previous cup of tea challenge - i.e. to authenticate the sheep story has turned up a mystery. The story is NOT true to Sunderland after all, although Rust reckons there is a story that would match Sutherland in Scotland! A cup of tea in a bone china cup with all the trimmings for some excellent work by Mr Sandersfield.

Sheep shearing

These pictures were taken at a place called 'The Shearing Shed' in Yallingup. It's a working farm with 4000 merino wool sheep. Every day at 11am the owner puts on a 'bit of a show' for the young 'uns (and the old 'un's). First of all visitors can feed the sheep, quite cute eh! If you look carefully at the first picture, you might see Keith waiting to be fed - only kidding! The guy then brings in the sheep and the shearing begins.

This is the sheep getting sheared! It's quite amazing how it just sits on its butt as placid as can be while it gets a shave. It reminds me of how I had to sit for my school haircut down Pallion when we would visit 'The Pole' - no that's not the name of the shop, it's the nationality of the Barber! He couldn't speak English, so whatever you asked for didn't matter, you ended up with a short back and sides!

This part was amazing - the border collie (just visible behind the sheep) waits to hear just one command from the guy. So the farmer was in front of us talking about everything and the sheep were all in the distance grazing in the field. The border collie never took its eyes of the guy. All he said was 'Ok get them'. The dog took off - jumped clear over the fences and raced off into the field - within 3 minutes it had all the sheep gathered in front of us at the pen. When they get to the pen they need some more 'encouragement' to enter the pens, so the farmer unleashes his secret weapon 'Bruce'. Bruce instinctively stands on sheep (no training necessary) he's breed includes a part dingo and this is how dingo's bring down their prey by getting on top of them. So Bruce runs along the backs of the sheep forcing them into the pens and the border collie stays behind them in case any sheep decide to turn around. It was very impressive. The border collie was amazing, the farmer said the only training he has to do is to tell it NOT to get the sheep in - otherwise it would instinctively gather them in without a command. My friend Peter Marley had a border collie - alas all it could do was gather the remote control and eventually died from too much love.

We saw this 'claim to fame' on the door when we went in to buy our tickets. Free cup of tea to anyone who can 'authenticate' this story in the Guiness book of records (or by Goggle Paul!) They did confirm it was 'our' Sunderland i.e. in England!!

Ps Didge - I (Keith) remember been taken to the Saturday morning ABC picture club (you weren't that kid with all the coloured badges on were you?). I always loved it and thought it was very generous of my parents to take me - until I later found out that my Mam and Dad just wanted rid of us for a few hours peace!

On the road again

'On the road again' a great little song by Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash and very fitting to our next leg of the trip. Back in a camper van for 9 days heading south from Perth to what's known as 'the Southern Curl' - it turned out to be the best trip we've had so far in Australia!

I know the place names won't mean much - but for the record this is our first stop, Bunbury - this is exactly where we camped - right next to the beach. Let me paint the picture.... pull up to somewhere you like, walk into your back garden (the beach) have a little rest on the sand, go for a swim. Pop back to the van, cook a little tea with a couple of beers and a glass of wine looking out your dining room window onto beautiful scenery. Go for a little walk while the sun sets - go back to your house and get to bed. Wake up to the sound of the sea and the sight of the sun rising - have breakfast - decide where your next 'room with a view' will be and then set off. I swear it can't be beaten.

This is the same view as above from behind our 'dead canny' little camper van. Yes Ginny - very similar to our last one, even has Gordon the bucket!

This is the 'sunset walk' part of the day. A beer and a cider in our back garden!

This is perhaps the only photographic evidence that exists of Elvis doing some cooking - the smile was totally put on!

As an Englishman it is our duty to make sure the Oz breweries have got their act together. This is in the Ferguson Valley (more renowned for their wine making) in a micro brewery (Wild Bull brewery). I've already sampled the wheat beer, pale ale and the bitter and I am now working on the stout. Elvis was busy checking out the cider. Don't let anyone kid you that this backpacking malarkey is easy - there's still work to do.

People who know me well, will know that visiting a 'land of little folk' is not high on my 'must do' list. Anything to do with madgetry sends a shiver down my spine and a mystical smell of cabbage in my nostrils - but at least these ones aren't real!

This is Gnomesville, a kind of mecca for travellers around the world to come and 'plant a gnome'. Wait until you see the next picture though......

Look at this - any friends named Shirley out there? There we at least 60 identical gnomes put down by people named Shirley from around the world - there's even a website if you girls would like to check it out. Sorry Shirley's Sandersfield and Sorrell - we didn't have any time to get two for you, besides as my brother-in-law Bob once said to my Sister Ginny when she asked if he would buy her a little cuddly toy 'I'm not paying 10 dollars for that piece of sh*t'!

Back to the important things - This is Busselton and this particular picture is of the longest jetty in the Southern hemisphere (2km long - yes we walked it). We've noticed how, when the Australians describe such things they often say the biggest, best, longest etc...in the SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE - that's because that way it rules out America where everything is bigger, including womans ar*es!!

Further down the coast at Yallingup, watching the surfers riding the gigantic waves.

This is a lovely sunset, this time from the LOUNGE window!

After all this beach work it was time to head off for some culture - so we went to have a look at a working sheep farm - but that's for another blog.

Well done with the answers to the cup of tea question. The dutch explorer thought he saw massive rats on the island and what is Dutch for Rat - Rott (I think I could speak Dutch if it's that easy!). I think everyone used Google, which is fine - but I get the feeling Derek and Margaret were speaking from the experience of being previous visitors to Rottnest. I think on that basis we'll award Derek and Margaret (yes - one each) the free cup of tea.

Ermmm by the way - we (that's Elvis and I) set the free cup of tea questions around here - but I'll play your little game just this once. The only town on the west coast that means anything to me would be Geraldton - why, well becuase this is what my Ma was going to call me before she sobered up and decided upon Keith - Do I win a free cup of tea?