Blogs from Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania - page 7

Hot, hot, hot. The temperature did not drop much overnight and we were feeling it this morning. In the van and off to Scarborough on the coast. The masses were moving to the beach early as it was already a scorcher and we wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. We parked down near Brighton Beach and after a quick walk and a coffee it was time for a swim and not a minute too soon. There were plenty of people in the water; no surprise there as the water was magic. Very clear water and no seaweed. Rachel didn't last long though as she managed to get stung by a jellyfish. As the responsible swimmers we are (remember always swim between the flags) she was quick to find the life savers who applied some lotion ... read more

Packed up at the caravan park and headed to the Lane Poole Reserve and set up camp at the Baden Powell campsite. So this is where everyone had been. It was remarkably quiet at the at the caravan park and it seems most holiday makers had set up shop and decided on some camping in the middle of nature. The campsite was nice and there was ample shade with everyone camping among some very tall trees. Long drop toilets were available; however, they were rather festy and I tried my best to stay away. Even my partner in crime (who has camped a lot more than me) commented that they were very average. Anyway the day was very relaxing and after a short walk and some reading it really started to heat up. Fortunately there was ... read more

A relaxing start to the day enjoying breakfast in the mid-morning sun. We then decided it was time to start some hiking. There are about seven trails close by that take you through the surrounding forest areas and in the end we decided to start out relatively small and hit the 6 km trail. It was beginning to warm up as we commenced but this was not an issue as the tree line provided plenty of shade along the way. The trail was mostly flat which gave us a chance to take in the surroundings rather than going uphill and down dale. Two sweaty hours later we were back at the campsite feeling good and deciding which longer trail to tackle in the coming days. The sparkling wine was not cracked yesterday but has been now.....off ... read more

Rachel and I started floating the idea of travelling around Australia at the start of 2010. On 28 December 2011, after a lot of preparation and hard work the dream was realised and we rolled out of our driveway in Lobethal to see what lied ahead. The previous two months of final preparations and renovations on the house, not the mention the chaos that is the lead up to Christmas, had left us exhausted and on day one we decided to set up camp in Riverton (Clare Valley). To this point in time I cannot claim to be a well seasoned campaigner on the road and spending time in caravan parks has been few and far between; however, I know quality when I see it. In the end the Riverton Caravan Park was so good we ... read more

18 September - 8 November 2011 Alex spent the rest of Septmeber and October working and I did the usual thing with the boys - bike rides, playgrounds, beach etc. Alex was clocking up a lot of hours at work with the preparations for CHOGM under way with his work building the exhibition and display side of things. During this time at Coogee, we met more young people in the caravan park (mostly short term holiday makers) and became friendly with other longer term people. We celebrated Reef's 5th birthday, decorating the camper and annex with streamers, balloons, lolly bags and presents. It's hard to believe he is now school age and due to start school in a few months. How the time really has flown! He has really blossomed on this trip and come out ... read more