The importance of being south-west

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My car tour of the south-west took place in a white Corolla hired from Bayswater Car Rental, a company whose adverts contain a naked woman and the words "No birds" - I can only assume that a bird is Australian slang for a car that doesn't run very well. Not sure where the naked woman comes in though. With it being a holiday weekend, arguably it wasn't the best time to be on the roads but I saw nothing resembling a London rush-hour.

The owner of one of the Italian restaurants that I'd eaten at several times in Perth had advised me to see Mandurah. The weather was glorious, so strolling along the inland marina, with its tree-lined walkways, shops, restaurants, and public barbecues, was pleasant indeed. I would guess that it's some sort of commuter town, as there seemed to be a tremendous amount of building going on round the outskirts.

I had no wish to drive hundreds of kilometres each day on this road trip, a lesson learned from South Australia, so Bunbury seemed like a likely spot at which to spend the night. It's known for its dolphins, though I didn't see any when I went down to the water's edge. I had problems with finding accommodation, as some sort of schoolkids' sports tournament in the town had resulted in most of the hostel beds being booked, but the YHA managed to find a bunk for me in a 3 bed room, with the other occupants supposedly being bus drivers for a couple of the sports teams.

This was the first YHA that I'd stayed in on this trip, and it set the tone for the others that I was to subsequently stay in. Scruffy, not modern, and ramshackle are 3 expressions that immediately sprang to mind. In fact, it was to become an obsession of mine to NOT stay in YHAs if I could help it - unfortunately the south-west of Western Australia turned out to be an area of the country where, very often, the YHA was the only option.

Despite having a glut of restaurants, there didn't appear to be any Japanese places in Bunbury so I plumped for the China City instead. The food wasn't particularly inspiring, not helped by a neighbouring table looking like a contender for the World's Dullest Night Out - 3 couples, all unsmiling and barely talking. Thus says the guy sitting in the corner on his own writing his journal.

Back at the hostel I met my 2 room-mates, who were both friendly 50-something gents who were volunteer drivers. They both seemed a little drunk and disappeared off to the hostel kitchen to consume some more beer. With an early start planned for the morning, I was asleep well before midnight and didn't even notice them returning.

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Photos

Bunbury roundabout
Detail

Comments

[Patrick Shi]

Just wonder if we can put an link to this article?
Hi, just wonder if we can put an link to this article on our website? I am thinking building a travel story or guide section on our website. Cheers, Patrick Shi DriveAway Holidays http://www.driveaway.com.au/