Blogs from Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania

Monday 7th September After filling up with more diesel, should have bought shares in BP, we drive just out of town and stop at Rainbow Jungle. A breeding centre for parrots from all over the world. It didn't sound that interesting to me, but when we go in it is really well set out. There are parrots from all over the world in good size averies. Many are wonderful colours and all in very good condition. It's really nice to see such lovely looking birds close up. After an hour we set off for the day. We're driving along the coast and pull in at one of the many lay bys and look at the rugged cliffs and crashing waves. The scenery has changed now and is rolling hills and some crop fields. Alongside the road ... read more

With a day of indulgence ahead of us we started the day with a healthy trip to the gym, but the good work was quickly countered with a bacon and egg roll for breakfast - although we thought this would lay good foundations for the day of wine tasting ahead. We walked to the train station in Perth where we met our bus that would transport us around the wineries, and Phil the driver. The first winery stop was at Ambrook wines at 10.30am, but with our bacon rolls behind us we were all ready to jump straight into the wine tasting. We tried 6 of the wines at Ambrook, which is a very small winery which only sells its wines from the cellar door. It turns out we were too efficient with our ... read more

After 2 months travelling it is good to get home to recover from jetlag and to review what seems in retrospect a dream. Here is what I learned: It is good to have a bucket list and it is even better to pursue it. What is the point in vegetating in front of TV or in a job you do not enjoy? The sounds that stick in my memory are: The Painted Reed Frogs that call like windchimes in the night along the riverbanks in Maun Botswana in the Otavanga. The Hippos snorting at night in the hippo grass. What a sound to fall asleep to. The nocturnal shunting of trains that woke me in Siberia. The dogs that barked around the transportable accomodation in Maun when the moon was full and the Jackals and Hyenas ... read more

Hi all Wed 9th Nov. We left Geraldton for Dongara, after a very relaxing time. We enjoyed our daily walks and time spent reading and playing Backgammon. We had a nice afternoon at the Greenough Pioneer Cottage, about 20km south, where a lot of the local history is documented. The weather remained very pleasant, averaging 13 to 28deg each day. We spent two nights at Dongara (famous for its Rock Lobsters) on the way, in a lovely small caravan park where we met some mad poms. Two of them, from Bristol, were on a three month holiday travelling in a campervan. The others were originally from Preston but and now live in Perth. We had two great evenings with them, laughing and joking around, telling corny jokes. Believe it or not, we actually had rain on ... read more

Fish Tail Wines Swan Valley (Perth), Australia Aug 25, 2010... read more