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Published: November 11th 2007
On Wednesday the 10th October me and Laura headed in to Narrogin for some lunch and for me to catch the 2pm bus from Narrogin to Albany. I had said all my goodbye's to everyone in Wicky the night before-oh so sad, and said cheerio to Laura when i headed on the bus, was quite sad saying bye to her as she had been by my side for so long during our travels i knew it was going to be weird without her, but i headed off on the few hours journey knowing i would be seeing her soon and with excitment about heading to Albany all by myself, some how i felt it would be like a achievement to do this alone. I arrived about 5.40 and headed straight to The Albany Backpackers which was just a short walk from the bus stop-yey as my bag was super heavy! The backpackers was really nice, i got a 8 bed dorm which ended empty apart from me so i had a huge big room to myself which was ace, and it looked awesome-the whole place was decorated by artist and had drawings and paintings everywhere! My room was painted in a
underwater mystical creatures theme-it was so cool!!!! That night i went out for some bits and bobs for dinner and for a walk about, i loved it instantly! The place was just so friendly, warm, beautiful and i knew i would like it! It reminded me of Gran Canaria for some reason, i think it was because when you looked up from the shore all you seen was a big massive hill with lots of houses etc-very much like what you see in there! Nways, i had some dinner, went on net for while and chilled out, it was a nice night, weird to be somewhere else other than Wicky but i was happy and so had a good night sleep ready for what turned in to be a hell of a walk the next day! So the following day i headed down to the Visitors Centre to see about going on a day trip to see The Blowholes etc but i was told that there was no day trips this time of year so i would need to do it myself, no probs i thought but no, there was no transport there so i would need to hire a
car which just proved too expensive to do on my own so that was out the window, so instead of doing that the lovely assistant got out a map of the town and told me about everything there was to do. She highlighted all the places i should visit whilst here, all could be done by foot, i would just need some walking shoes, so i got on my trainers and headed off! First i walked for a good while to a place called Mount Adelaide to see the Princess Royal Fortress Millitary Museum, it was cool, you could see all the barracks, the guns etc, next was Mount Clarence which was a tough walk, all uphill and i mean a hill!!!! But i headed up and after a bit of a huff and a puff i got there! YEY!!!! Here is where the Anzac Memorial was, it was lovely-so got some piccies of that then headed a little bit further up where you could stand and get a 360 degree view of Albany, now that was a view! It was stunning!!!! I got lots of piccies there, some lovely people took some for me and gave me a pat
on the back for walking up to it rather than getting a car, i then chilled for 20 minutes then headed all the way back down again, which was compared to the way up easy peasy Japaneesy!!!! 😊 I then walked along to Eyre Gardens which was very pretty, although by this time my feet werent as my too small for me trainers where now starting to really kill my feet so i had to take them off lol, off they came and i walked in my socks-ah bliss!!! No one really even took notice as a huge amount of Australians for some reason walk around bare foot-weird i know!!!! Nways, i got to the lovely gardens and decided to have my little picnic there, so i sat by the lake with all the ducks and swans and ate my sannies, it was picturesque-so beautiful! After my little rest and nibble i headed to Emu Point which once there has a fab view of the water etc then i went to Strawberry Hill Farm, it was a short distance away but of course, it wouldnt be a Claire's day out unless i got myself lost so as usual i did,
i ended up walking the wrong way and after about a hour and a half (only) i realised so i had to turn back, during this walk i met a lady out walking her dog who i spoke to for a while until she turned off to her house shouting at me to get some shoes on lol. Eventually i ended up finding Strawbarry Hill Farm, which was nice but i didnt go very far through it as feet were aching and still had a good way to walk before i got back to hostel, plus i had visited a Strawberry farm in SE Asia so wasnt really fussed about going to another. On the way back to town i passed Dog Rock (big rock apparently shaped like a dog-although i couldnt see it myself), after about another hour i was home-weyhey!!!! On went the flip flops and i headed out again as it was just such a beautiful day, so i went to book my bus to Walpole for the next day at The Visitors Centre then went a wander around the shops of Albany, they were really good and had everything to offer, clothes, cd's, books, holidays, newsagents,
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i loved these!cafes, pubs, and lots more! I headed to The Albany Plaza for some air con as now boiled in the heat and went for a stroll through there before heading back to hostel to chill out in their Garden at the back, it was lovely, i just chilled out reading my book and listening to my ipod-ah bliss!!!! Thats when i also realised i was sunburnt-i had a lovely red nose-so attractive!!!! That night i had some dinner, chatted to some lovely people in hostel, showered blah blah blah, i was totally done in from all the sun and walking so headed to bed earlyish for a good nights sleep! The following day i was up bright and early to catch my bus to Walpole, when at the bus stop i realised i was standing right next to the lady from the previous day who i had been chatting to as she walked her dog, so we got chatting again-she was saying goodbye to her friend who had been staying with her, we ended up being beside each other on bus so we both said bye to Judy and me and Tricia had a good old chin wag the whole
way from Albany to Walpole! She ws lovely, such a nice friendly woman, told me all about her travels, family, and even said if ever i was coming back this way to come and stay with her-what a gem! We went through Denmark and may other places on the way. We got to Walpole and i got off leaving Tricia to carry on further to her home in Bridgetown. Once at Walpole i went to the Visitors Centre to see how i get to 'Valley of The Giants' where the 'Tree Top Walk' is-my reason for going to Walpole. I was told to get a taxi to it, which would pick me back up when i wanted so i headed to the hostel which runs a taxi service-i found out it wasnt actually a taxi company since they only have one taxi!!!! I was lucky that it wasnt out as otherwise my trip would have been a waste since this one taxi service was the only one in the whole town!!!! I was greeted by a very cheeky woman who i ended up arguing with just because i asked if they done a discount for backpackers, lets just say she
was a cheeky biatch and i told her so, she however realised she had been and so apologised and so we got on our way to The Treetop Walk which was about a 15minute journey away. Kerry (the lady) kept on apologising the whole way there and turned out to be a absolute doll, we got on so well and had a right laugh and on the way back she even threw in a wee tour of Walpole by car for me!!! Nways, i got to 'Valley of The Giants' and paid my money to do the 40 foot walk above the ground through the tree's-it was awesome!!!! I was a little scared at first as the walkway shook whenever the wind blew, although very little it was still scary and i kept holding on to the railing for a while until i felt myself settle in to it. A woman who was walking behind me the whole way started chatting to me, she was lovely and took some pictures for me, her name was Margaret and we ended up chatting the whole way, then afterwards we done the 'Ancient Empire Walk' together-a walk this time alongside the huge tree's.
Margaret told me how she was on a Vintage Car Tour with her husband Bruce, i of course asked her all about her car etc as i love old cars, once i told her this she said i could come out and see hers if i wanted, of course i jumped at the chance-it was lovely! I got some piccies then said bye and good luck on the tour to Margaret and Bruce, such a lovely couple. I then headed back in to do the tree top walk once again as you could do it as many times as you liked, it was so cool, you felt as if you were up very high and being able to see the tops of the 40 feet trees i guess i was lol!!! After my second walk i headed to the seating area and had some lunch, my picnic sannies were out again! Once Kerry picked me back up again, took me for a tour of Walpole, showed me the beach etc i still had a while before my bus back to Albany so i done a forest walk which reminded me of my days trekking in Malaysia, went for a wander
in the whole 8 shops Walpole had to offer then chilled out at the picnic area, it was a great day! Kerry actually reminded me of my Aunt Anne ad she kept saying beautiful in the way my aunt does-beeaauuuttttiiifffulllll!!!! Whenever she said it i wanted to laugh! I got the bus back and once back in Albany i went for a wander as the sun was about to set and i wanted to watch it from down by the water-it was stunning!!! Back in the hostel i just went on net for while, chilled out, had dinner etc then headed to bed as once again i was totally done in, i think it was all the sun and walking that done it! The following day at 7.50 i got up and ready and headed out at 9 to see 'The Brig Amity' a boat which was in the war, (or something lol) it was great to go beneath and see the where they slept-in hammocks or extremely small wooden bunks which when you opened the door to them you would think it was cupboard for keeping tins of food in-they were that small-one had the name Batman inside it,
who knew he was a sailor lol!!! I then headed to 'The Old Gaol' (old jail), on route though i was stopped by the sight of a tiny baby kangaroo being played with in a park with a girl who's mum and dad take care of animals who arent ready to be placed in to the wild, it was so cute!!!! I got to play around with it and touch it, it was awesome, after about a half hour i got back on route and visited the old gaol, it was pretty cool to see the cells, kitchen, wardens rooms, etc. I also visited Minature World, loads of little minature scenes, classrooms, butchers, backers, homes, etc-was so cute!! After this i headed back to the hostel to chill for hour and have some lunch, 2 girls had checked in to my room-Michelle and Katherine from England, they were lovely and we chatted away. I then headed out to a lovely big park i had seen on the prevous day, perfect for some sunbathing!!! So thats what i did until late afternoon, it was magic, just listening to my ipod, reading and watching everyone else running about like looneys-magic! When walking
back to hostel i heard my name being called, it was Michelle, both of the girls plus a guy who by this time had also checked in to my room were out for a drink so i joined them in the pub, the guy was called Jamie and he was from Scotland so we chatted away and spent a nice couple of hours in pub, superb! That night i used the hostels iron to put on some patches i had bought on to my bag-looked well funky afterwards, then i sat in room with girls and Jamie chatting away, was good night! The following morning i had to be checked out by 10am as leaving to go back to Perth although bus not coming until 3 so i left bag in luggage room and having no more actual sightseeing that i wanted to do left i headed back to my nice wee park to so some more sun catching, again it was great and i was chilled out, about 1ish i headed back to hostel to get stuff, grab some lunch then head for the bus which i had to be at the stop for 2.30pm. Once on the bus
which was full, really busy, we headed to Perth at 3 o clock, my Albany trip was now over, it had been awesome, a brilliant few days packed with sightseeing, sun and lovely people, a place i would and hopefully will go back to once day!!!
We arrived in East Perth at 9pm, i got my bags and headed for the train to get in to the city centre, ended up talking to a girl about the same age as me so we went together then walked to Northbridge, a area in Perth where we were both staying. I headed to Britannia backpackers as i had stayed there before and like it and she headed to bamboo backpackers. Once checked in to the last available bed i dumped stuff and said hello to my fellow roomates-9 boys!!!! 9 boys of course meant the room was smelly and messy but i wasnt fussed so i went down and called my Aunt Margaret and home then headed to bed, wasnt a great sleep as room seemed to be a busy one with people coming in and out all night. In the morning i got up bright and early at 8.45 and
headed to 'Peterpans' a tour operator and net cafe, i was going to book a 10 day tour with Planet Perth from Perth to Broome, so i called in there and Fran the lovely assistant got it all organised for me. I booked my trip from Perth to Broome, and she done me a deal for a trip to Rottnest Island were i was going, i would get my ferry and bike rental half price and she also gave me a Wine Tour day out of The Swan Valley for free-AWESOME!!!! 😊 The rest of that day was spent just wandering around the shops, getting stuff for my trip to Broome as the next few days were packed so this would be my last day of chilling for about 2 weeks-wah!!!!
The following day i had planned to go to Freemantle, a port city just a train ride away from Perth so i got the train there and checked in to the YHA Backpackers as i would be staying for one night and leave the next morning to go to Rottnest Island from here as it would be a shorter ride from Freemantle than from Perth city. Once checked
in and had dumped small bag i headed out to see what was about. Freemantle turned out to be amazing, another place to add to my love list! I was a total tourist and went to all the tourist attractions. First was The Shipwreak Museum which showed you all the ships that they had found etc-really interesting for about 10 minutes then i got seriously bored so i then headed to The Motor Museum which totally made up for the Shipwreak Museum-it was unbelievably awesome!!!! I got to see all the old, and i mean old, bicycles, motorbikes, cars, racing cars, etc from the first models right up to the present days! It was great to see all the old Bentleys from years ago, porches etc, it was really interesting! My face lit up however when i seen my favourite car, the Eldorado in bright red sitting in the showroom, it was gorgeous! A total classic! After admiring it for ages, taking pictures etc once of the guys who worked there came over to ask if this was my fav car, i replied yes, he then took a look around and then said to me, 'you fancy sitting in it
and see how it feels?' i was so chuffed, i jumped at the chance especially since all over the museum there are signs telling you not to touch the cars never mind go in one! It felt awesome, it was so cool to sit in one, i felt like Elvis Presely as these were his fav cars and he owned loads of them! The guy who i got speaking to for ages took some pics of me in it for me, he had moved to freemantle a couple of years ago from Wales as both his son and daughter had came to live here so him and his wife moved over once they retired, he was a lovely man! I left with the biggest grin on my face! After that i headed to the Round House which i wont go in to detail about as it was super boring, i then went to The Maritime Museum followed by the Freemantle Prison, i would have loved to have went inside it but unfortunately the tours were over when i got there and you werent allowed to go in by yourself so i just took a walk around the surrounding which was
great! After this i headed to the beach as i had spotted it when at the round house, it was gorgeous!!!! I decided after a half hour to leave but come back when the sun was setting so i headed on the CAT bus, a free bus service which takes you all around Freemantle and you can just hop on and off it as you please, so i hopped on it and went the whole way around Freemantle to see everything as the town is not very big. It was great, i then headed back to the hostel to freshen up before heading to the beach to watch the sunset, i took with me a couple fo Vodka Crusiers to enjoy whilst watching it, it was brilliant. I watched the sunset with a drink, golden sand between my toes and the warmth of the sun surrounding me, it was bliss! After wards i headed to 'Cicerello's', a fish bar for some dinner, just as us Scots are famous for haggis, kilts and the bagpipes, Freemantle is known for its fish and chips, a must i had been told my many people so off i went to Cicerello's, one of the
best fish bars apparently. It was lovely, i ate mines by the water and had a lovely night. Once dinner was finished i walked back to my hostel, a bunch of us watched 'The Simpsons' in the communal tv lounge then i headed off to my room as done in and wanted a sleep. I had had a great day in Freemantle, another place to add to my list of Places i Love, it had been awesome!!!! 😊
The following morning i got up bright and early to take my 8.30 Oceanic ferry to Rottnest Island, the journey only took about 35 mins and it was a nice calm day so all was good, it was a lovely boat ride. Once there i headed to the bike rental store which was packed out as a couple od schools were there plus lots of holiday makers as it was a lovely sunny day. Once i got my bike that i named 'Lolita' and of course my compulsory safety helmet that just looked fabulous on me (not) i headed out to cycle the island! It was gorgeous! The whole island was picturesque and had some gorgeous biew points and
beaches! About half way i noticed something lying on the road, i thought it was a bit of broken tyre but oh no it wasnt-it was a SNAKE!!! My first of my trip, i was well excied although petrified at same time! It was lying in middle of road, long, thin, black, it slithered just a little accross the pathway then just as i got my camera out it bolted, as quick as lightening in to the grass! Damn it, but i was well chuffed to have seen in although my heart was pounding lol! I carried on and once back at the main part called 'The Settlement' i headed down to the beach for a well earned rest as totally nackered and had some lunch. The beach was lovely, white sand and the water was warm so i went in for a paddle, was brill! After this just as i was heading back to the settlement the rain started, then it pelted down! My day at Rotto was turning from great to miserable as there was no where undercover to go, at least i wasnt still cycling halfway around the island i thought! I went to the couple of
shops that was there, then the Visitors Centre, then on a 10min bus ride which dropped peeps off at their accomodation, not exactly exciting stuff but hey it kept me dry! After that i dropped off my bike, the rain then stopped thankfully and i went for a wander, and spotted a couple of Quokka's (they are what gave Rotto its name, the discoverer thought they were Rats and so called the island Rottnest Island but they are however marsupials called Quokka's) and a couple of peacocks. After taking some pics i then headed to the ferry as it was at 4.15 and it was now 4. The ferry ride was opposite from this mornings, i was scared! The waves were huge and made the boat sway from side to side, at one point i thought we were going to over turn! I am not the greatest sailor and so was very nervous to say the least, everyone else however seemed to be having a great time-NUTTERS!!!! Once safely docked at Freemantle (phew) i caught the next train back to Perth city where i headed back to hostel to have some dinner, chat to some peeps then retire to bed,
ah bliss!!!!!
The following day i was up, ready and waiting for my 'Big Sky tours' to pick me up for my day of Wine Tasting-yeeha!!! It was taking place at Swan Valley, Swan Valley meaning The valley of Taste. The mini bus pulled up and off i went, our tour guide for the day being a Aussie guy named Cleggy, which reminded me of the character from 'Last of The Summer Wine'. He was brilliant, had us laughing all day, a superb tour guide and a great laugh! There was 12 of us on the tour, me, Erin, Sam, Neill, Cavell, Rebecca, Gill, 2 German girls and 3 lady Kewi's who's names i cant remember for the life of me! Nways, we had a brill day, we went to four vineyards where we tasted between 10 to 20 wines and ports in each so we were a little merry to say the least by the end of the tour lol! We also stopped in at a Chocolate Factory which was superb, free choco weyhey!!!! 😊 Half way through the day we stopped to have lunch at Swan Lake which bwas beautiful, Cleggy cooked us up a
yummy bbq and we all chilled with a box of wine for a hour, it was great! After our 4 winerys, choco factory and bbq we headed to end the day at 'The Mustang Bar', my favourite bar from the last time me and Laura where in Perth, it was great, we all got free beer and had a great laugh! Erin was telling us about a tour she was leaving to go on the next day, a Perth to Broome tour, turned out it was the same one as me!!! Coinsidence od what, least we would know someone on it haha! The only thing was Cleggy was telling us he heard the tour guides werent that great on the Planet Perth tours so me and Erin got a little worried, but we thought hey, we will wait and see. We now know why Cleggy told us that-you will find out on my next blog!!! Nways, we all ended up staying there for few hours, got very merry then about 9ish i headed back to hostel as had to pack etc for trip starting next day, i would be getting picked up at 6am so wanted to get good sleep,
so i said cheerio to who was left and headed back, i packed stuff and headed to bed, ah bliss!!! With the sun i had got that day, the wine, port and beer it wasnt long until i had dozed off, just a shame i had to get up at 6AM the next morning lol!!! Well folks, thats whats happened since i left Wicky, will get next blog on hopefully in next few days so catch you all soon, take care xxxxx
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Laura
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Hey pet, Fab blog, ur looking lovely in the pics!! Miss u tonnes, see u soon!! xxxx