West Coast of Oz

So I've had a couple of weeks in Australia so far - I haven't posted for a while because I guess there's been less to report. My overiding impressions so far have been the red earth, never-ending bush, amazing skies with clouds like paintings, flies - and of course heat. I've managed not to burn much - but its a never-ending battle of slapping on the factor 30. They have an ad campaign here for the locals - slip, slop, slap (t-shirt, sun-cream, hat). Its been pretty windy too which helps bring some relief from the heat but also means you can burn without noticing.

I'm using the Greyhound to get around Oz - on the west coast its been a slightly frustrating experience, as, like everything on the west coast, its much less developed than on the east. The limited timetable meant I was restricted with where I could go and for how long, however I mostly got around it.
Its quite a comfortable experience - although they insist on playing movies at top volume (which would be fine but for the fact that I get travel sick and can't watch movies whilst on the road); also there's been a few rather smelly travellers - and interestingly I've discovered that some of the men over here are still sporting the attractive rat's tail of the 80s.
People said that Australia was big and empty - and on the west coast it is incredible how you can go for a couple of hundred kms without seeing much but the odd fuel station - and then the next "major town" on the map is the size of a small English village.

In between the travelling I have been staying in places of course - Kalbarri didn't have much to offer - although of an evening there were Kangaroos hopping about across the road from the hostel. Then it was Monkey Mia, in Shark Bay - the home to dolphins (and illegal immigrants apparently - don't know if that made the UK papers) - they come to the beach for feeding every morning (the dolphins, not the immigrants). I also went on a road trip with a couple of fellow backpackers to see a national park, a look-out point (sharks), and Shell beach - formed entirely, as the name would suggest, from tiny shells.
One of my companions was an Italian called Francesco who had been working in Sydney on the post-production of Baz Lurhmann's latest epic venture "Australia". He told me it was cheesy. I just saw it yesterday. It is. But Hugh Jackman smolders just about enough to make it worth it. Plus of course the Australian scenery is spectacular to watch.

Then on the way back down to Perth, stopped at Cervantes, nearest spot for visiting the Pinnacles - remarkably rock formations - quite spooky a great spot to watch the sunset. My guide was a nice man but he had alot of jokes that clearly were repeated for every tour (including one about woolly jumpers - guess how that went).

The ocean has been amazingly clear - so as well as dolphins and sharks, I've spotted rays and whilst in Monkey Mia, a creature called the Dugong (seal-like but related to the elephant. Like the dassies in South Africa - who knew there were so many!)

A couple of big differences worth pointing out -soft drink cans are 50 ml bigger - dangerous for my diet coke addiction; and salt & vinegar crisps are pink. Which obviously is the colour of prawn cocktail. Thought that was worth mentioning.

Anyway I'm now back in Fremantle, just outside Perth - staying in possible the most cramped, least clean and most expensive of all the places I've been, but only one more night. And Fremantle is a nice place. Then a night in Perth City before heading down south to the Margaret River/Albany wine regions for 3 days, before coming back to fly to Melbourne and the next leg of the adventure. Christmas is obviously on its way, and its a bit strange to hear a Mormon Tabernacle choir rendition of "Joy to the world" when wandering round the supermarket when its sunny and hot outside, but I'm getting used to it. I have to admit to feeling a slight twinge when "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" was piped out, being a favourite Coro encore... but Christmas is going to be very different this year, and while I will miss some things about being at home for it, I'm looking forward to experiencing a Sydney Christmas and New Year - it'll only happen once!

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