Advertisement
Published: April 1st 2006
Edit Blog Post
With Bruce joining us in Freo we decide to go very touristic, first up is a walkabout Perth, the glass metropolis that it is. I actually really like this city, its got a really trendy side to it without being too commercial or industrial, the center has is share of towers, terrifying mega mauls and out of town retail fortresses. But the overlooking the swan river estuary that the city is built around is a beautiful park full of majestic river gums, little pagodas and bandstands. As we walk through the park a wedding ceremony is taking place with the city and river as a backdrop, i overhear the priest saying 'For those of you who do, id like to take a moment and pray for the happy couple. Perth also seems to have a huge amount of gorgeous women, perhaps its the sun or the light hearted atmosphere but the flowers of feminine beauty are really flourishing here!
Back in Freo we check out the Maritime Museum, including a tour round a decommissioned sub, non nuclear thankfully, but used up to '98, and quite impressive if a little claustrophobic. The guide enplanes to us how the submariners emergency escape
procedure would work, i cant help but shiver at the thought of being trapped in this tight space with 60 other scared men while it starts flooding. The museum is really great, containing several ships and a load of interactive displays, this includes a look at sail technology used for competitive racing, i note the ripstop nylon used on my kites with as sly smile.
Another great thing to do from Freo is a visit to Rottnest Island, 20something K's of the coast and half an hour on a hydrofoil, this pristine island not only offers some of the best surf in WA but cars being banned it is a cyclists paradise. We hire bikes for a day and have a great time working on our saddle sores as we explore the endless collection of perfect beaches. If i have to be marooned on a desert island please let it be this one, I've never swam in clearer water! Its a great day out, we pass lots of surfers cycling in wet suits with a board in one hand, we almost hit a couple, so transfixed are their gazes on the breakers that they wobble all over the road.
Rotto's other attraction after the waves are its nature, particularly the Quaka, kind of a mix between a rat, a fox and a rabbit. They are pity strange and thanks or not, to the tourists they are very tame, the birds are also fantastic here, we see many kinds of flycatchers and a pair of Ospreys!
From Perth we head on again to our next port of call, a crayfishing town with a Spanish sounding name, Cervantes. This is a big kite destination for Jim and I, which is good as there is not much of any interest for several hundred K's. The one big feature of this part of the west coast is the Pinnicles Desert. This bushy sandy desert has thousands of rocky pinnacles protruding up to 4 meters from the yellow sand, a truly strange sight. Walking round the desert is fascinating even for those with less interest in good rocks than me, though the fly's are totally insane, really full on, buzzing up my nose and in my ears desperate to find something that isn't a rocky protrusion. Thank Mountain Designs for our fly nets, we all look like bee keepers but it would be
unbearable without them.
On the flat water in front of Thirsty Point Jim and I decide its time to really Push The Envelope with regards to our kiteing. With Chris on the camera we line up to do floaty jumps and Narley landings. The wind this time of year is parity gusty and really full on at 20 - 30kts, but the spot is really safe being in the middle of a well protected bay well away from hard objects, big waves or toothy monsters. My big success is really sorting out my landings and pulling some good Railes, i start working on my Grabs, with mixed success, check the pics!
North again and to Geraldtown, the largest city on the west coast between Perth and Broome, pop 30'000! With a tropical cyclone battering the coast north of us we decide camping in what the Weather Channel calls 'Destructive Winds' and squally rain is a bit shit, so we bite the bullet and hire a cabin for a week. Teeth broken and a little lead poisoning, but its really nice to be someplace for longer than three days.
On the drive to from Perth Betty starts making
a very strange noise, a holden dealer in on the edge of Perth says something about a valve and hydraulics and that he would be 'loath to drive it anywhere'. Being Barnetts we sniff at this and she makes it as far as G'ton a good 700k's before sounding very rough, so another good reason were here for a week, on hearing her run the mechanic here exclaimed 'Crikey mate, thats one sick ute'.
So while the cyclone blows itself out and Betty gets some expensive TLC were gonna enjoy the joys of G'ton, the great kite beaches, four pubs and one night club, not to mention about 50 tractor dealers!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.116s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 12; qc: 56; dbt: 0.0578s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb