Home to Brisbane

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Hi everyone.

We made it safely home last night. Perth airport is very civilized particularly as it has free Internet access (not that I'm obsessed or anything). Upon arriving home we did a quick check for flood damage and the only problem seemed to be a strong smell of mould. We discovered today that there had been water come into the office. The water was soaked up by two rugs which need to dry out. So, we were lucky.

We have had a wonderful week with our dear friends David and Barbara. Once again the food, wine and stories flowed. We love hearing their stories about goings on in Northern Ireland. It made me realise how lucky we are to live in Australia with the current financial problems facing the UK and Europe. D and B are now in Adelaide enjoying time with family. Hope the weather is a bit less extreme.

So to my wrap up of Perth and Margaret River...

The heat was fierce and unrelenting in both Perth and Margaret River so we didn't get around as much as would have liked. Apparently 40 degree plus temperatures are uncommon down the south-west of WA. Thanks goodness for air conditioning and a hard drive full of movies. Thanks Pete!!

We really liked Perth. The area is conspicuously affluent. You can really see the impact of the mining money. While there is a lot of new construction, they have really looked after their historic sandstone buildings. This is especially evident in Fremantle which is a lovely town.

The seafood over in WA is delightful. We had a wonderful meal at Clancy’s Fish Pub at Dunsborough. http://dunsborough.clancysfishpub.com.au/ You must go there and have the seafood platter and sit on the veranda overlooking the lake and facing bushland and beautiful gum trees.

The wineries are just beautiful. There are dozens of them to see and they are generous with their tastings and don’t push you to buy stuff. If wine is your thing, particularly whites, definitely go to Margaret River. It’s well worth the trip.

We drove up to Cooroy this morning in the pouring rain to pick up Cleo. She’d obviously had a good time with Jo and Bruce and wasn’t keen on coming home. She’s now happily ensconced on the couch waiting for her dinner… as usual. Thanks Jo and Bruce!

We came across a few funny signs on our travels and we hope the photos give you a chuckle.

Thanks for reading our blog and goodbye until our next adventure.

Pj and Sandy

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