Buzzing bees, free range Emus and a good drop of Port!

---

Day 230 - Karrinup, Perth

We had an early date today with the Elliotts. We’d collectively abandoned the idea of a trip away camping so that we could all go to the Christmas Travelling party tomorrow at the Reeves apartment. Instead we thought we’d just go off somewhere for the day, we’d sort out exactly where when we met up at Amber, Ross and Lucy’s place.

It would have been great if Amber, Ross and Lucy could have come with us too but they had prior engagements. Like the Elliotts they’re very popular and much in demand!

Bel suggested we headed in the direction of Toodyay (pronounced 2jay) near the Avon Valley National Park. It sounded good to us and we jumped in the cars ready for the off.

Tom Tom took us through winding countryside once we’d cleared the highways to the north of Perth and we were thoroughly enjoying the view from the car window. When we got to Toodyay, in keeping with what is tradition, we headed straight for the visitors centre in the hope that we’d find something to fill our day. Not only is it the visitors centre but it’s also ‘Ye olde Lolly Shop’, beautiful. The kids were like, well two kids in a sweet shop really and when the lady brought around a basket full of tasty freebies we tucked right in!

We picked up a few leaflets then sat in the local park for a fruity breakfast while we worked out where to go. It was a tough decision but we thought that the Bee Happy apiaries & candle company sounded like a nice place to start so with the Elliotts leading the way we followed on behind.

Nestled in beautiful countryside we arrived at Bee Happy where we were met by the extremely joyful Sandie who explained all about their Bee hives and how honey is produced. It’s very cleverly set out with some great information displays and various funny jokes dotted around. As you walk in the smell is divine, very sweet and totally delicious! You’re able to see the bees coming in and out of the glass fronted hives through a clear plastic tunnel and spend time looking for the Queens in each of the sections, it took us a while but we find two of them eventually. We enjoyed a very generous tasting session of the various honeys produced from bees on this farm and also from some further afield. All of them were delicious and of course we couldn’t resist bringing some away with us. Sandie also makes candles from bee’s wax, some using molds but some using something as simple as a coke cans! She’s such an enthusiastic lady and we were very grateful when she invited us to have our lunchtime picnic in their garden, it’s a beautiful setting and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Full of sweet stuff and totally refreshed we decided to head for the oldest free range Emu farm in the world next. We weren’t in the car for long before we found the turn off to the farm but were a bit puzzled when we couldn’t see any sign of Emu’s. The sign outside the farm shop explained it all, for $5 per adult we could be taken on a tour to see the Emu’s who were all relaxing in the shade a km away! The owner of the farm, Kip, came out to greet us and he was quickly followed by two gorgeous Labrador dogs who were soft as soap. Tissie rolled onto her back with her feet in the air ready for another tourist tummy tickle! Some farm dog she must be we all thought, but we were wrong!

Kip was very accommodating and soon had us all bundled in his 4WD, the adults in the comfy seats and the kids thrown in the back where the dogs usually go!! By a complete coincidence, Kip knows the Percy family at the Williambury station where the Elliott’s did their 10 day WWOOFing not so long ago. Small world! The Emu farm has been in existence for many years now and although there are a few wild Emu’s that try to get a taste of the ‘good life’ on the other side of the fence, Kip says its easy to recognise any that do make it through because they’re a bit more on edge than the relaxed, carefree free rangers on the farm. These Emus are being farmed for their oil and at this particular stage in the tour it hadn’t occurred to me that the procedure of relieving an Emu of its oil was the end of the Emu per say. Of course it is and although we joked about the end being in soft music, candle-lit surroundings, it is in fact at the hands of the staff in the abattoir.

Back to happy, back to happy. We wondered how they mustered the Emus into the trucks when it was time for them to go to the place with the soft music and candle light. Kip told us that this was by far the most difficult time of year for them as it’s not easy to muster Emus. However, beautiful, soppy Tissie has an important job to do. Emus have an inherited fear of dingoes and with both of the Labradors being that similar fawn colour it’s the dogs that are used to bait the birds into the pens and then the trucks. The birds race to stamp on the dingo looking dogs but are of course being lured into the pens. Clever huh!

We had a great time with Kip down on the farm and Bel might just have convinced him to take the Elliotts as WWOOFers to help with the mustering! There was still a bit of time left in the afternoon and on our way back towards Perth we would be passing by a winery, it would surely be rude not to stop and have a look?!

This was probably the biggest surprise of the day and with the tag line of ‘Can you keep a secret’ we should have guessed it wasn’t going to be boringly normal! The Avonbrook winery has been built up over the last few years by a couple whose main interest and business is the import of native American artefacts! The fact that Garry and Carol, the owners, told us they have never been to native America intrigued us even more but there was nothing more natural about them, or their surroundings and the taste of thier wine. It was all beautiful, there was no denying it. We had a really good look around at the amazing array of goods from dream catchers to paintings to figurines to headdresses. You name it native American wise and it was here! Garry very generously invited us to try some wine so Bel & I took up the challenge while the boys lounged on the comfy chairs and the kids tried on lots of different coloured bangles! It was the port that we enjoyed the most and we were very surprised but thoroughly chuffed when the Elliotts presented us with a bottle as a Christmas present, beautiful. Thank you guys, we’ll certainly enjoy that on Christmas Day and drink to your very good health.

The kids played in the Teepee on the way back to the car and then as a treat we all headed to the Perth version of the Margaret River Chocolate Factory. It’s always good to end the afternoon with a nice cup of something and some free chocolate! What a lovely day that was and as the kids sat colouring in we reminisced over our trip a wee while, it’s been such a lot of fun especially the parts with these guys.

Bel & Nige were keen to get the kids back for dinner and then hoped to come over to us for a swim in the pool and a dip in the spa. Sadly Amber wasn’t feeling too well when they got home but Ross said he’d manage to look after not only Amber but also baby Lucy plus Lachie and Zali while they came over for a bite to eat. Bless you Ross, what a great guy.

The pool & spa were all locked up by the time they arrived but dinner was nearly ready anyway so we wandered down to the lake within the caravan park and sat to eat our dinner in the large camp kitchen. Bel gave the sausage casserole the thumbs up and the table next to us said we were lucky to have it at all because it smelt so good they nearly swapped our dinner with theirs!

With a bit of a relax back in the caravan Darryl introduced Bel to Max & Paddy while I went threw some of Nigels photos, he said that I could have a couple to blow up when we get home so I ‘stole’ loads! Bless him for that because these photos are good enough to sell so we feel very privileged to have them.

A couple of beers and a bar of chocolate ended a great day and the Elliotts headed off home to the hopefully sleeping kids.

One more sleep to go in Perth and then we hit the road again.

Dar and Sar

---