Blogs from Joondalup, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania

Oh yes forgot to say when we came out of the winery after lunch we saw a bush fire starting quite some distance away, roughly about 18 - 20 miles away. Out here they have a large amount of fire volunteers Who don't get paid. When we have seen houses in amongst the trees, you wonder why people want to live like that. Stick me in a city with plenty of concrete !!.... read more

G'day across there, woken to a lot of wind here this morning, blew a huley last night, so not sure what the weather will be like today but no doubt it will be hot. Last night it was 32 degrees, didn't look up what it was in the day as we were walking in it and I thought I was in a desert !!! We went to Kings Park yesterday to get some views of the city and to walk around there. I took loads of photos but I am sad to say I think I've 'cooked' the card in my camera because last night and this morning I just cannot get the I - pad to read the card, so I fear I have lost my lovely photos and I was like a japanese tourist ... read more

Spent a pleasant month at Club Capricorn Yanchep while we waited for xmas and New Year to pass. Nice area with very good public transport. Bus stop outside the resort to Butler train station and then train into Perth central. With a senior card a day saver cost $4.70 for use till midnight on day of issue for bus, train and ferry. We got bus and train to Fremantle, had 2 different tours of the gaol, really interesting. Fremantle has free bus doing tourist areas, museum very good. Joondalup shopping centre on the train route, just been extended to largest centre in WA. We checked it out one morning before the xmas rush started, easy to get lost.there.!!!! Went to Rockingham on the train, very nice esplanade area then on to Mandurah, also very scenic. We ... read more

So the decision was made, after promising for 6 years, we would come and visit Perth and our good friends Lisa and Zippy. The first shock was the heat or lack of it. Well, not exactly as it was still in the mid 20's, but having come from 30+c and high humidity we were forced to go invest in a jumper or 2! Picked up from the airport and driven to Woodvale, north of Perth, it was an informative ride having met the new mini Zippy, Cameron. This 3 year old has a vocabulary of a 10 year old and knows everything about everything. We even had time to go through all the bones in our body prior to arriving home. Sleepy after a 5 hour delayed flight we had a warm welcome and a well ... read more

Today was no ordinary day. A tale of adventure, laughter and a day trip to Perth airport awaits... take a long deep breath, and enjoy what has got to be the longest and funniest day of my trip so far.... This morning I moved on from Lindsey's house and onto Joondalup, north of the city, to stay with Mel and Dave for a few days. The weather today isn't so bad - about 30 degrees - however it's not necessarily the ideal temperature to lug what has become about 35 kilos of luggage across town via foot over hilly terrain and 2 separate trains. I could have taken the easy option of grabbing a cab - admittedly high luxury on a backpacking trip - and I came mighty close to doing so as the sweat poured ... read more