Au revoir Australia

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Rach... (she always has to have the last word!)

Is there time for just one final word from Perth?
After our 6 nights of heat and flies in Exmouth, we were more than happy to be returning to Carol, Paul and Molly. (How their warmth of their hospitality had backfired on them! - they must have thought they’d never see the back of us!)

With their place as our base once again, we spent our final few days in Australia seeing a bit more of Perth and its surroundings, including Freemantle, where we had fish and chips for lunch by the sea.

We also had the chance to meet lots of Paul’s family, including Gill, Gary, Anna, John and Estelle. Carol reckons that they function a bit like the lot back home i.e. rent-a-crowd. On Saturday Carol took Ian and me for a drive up the coast, and we happened upon a micro brewery where Ian discovered ‘the best stout he’d ever had in his life’. We were back there again for Sunday lunch along with rent-a-crowd, and spent the perfect final few hours in their company before boarding the plane to Japan.

We were, admittedly, not firing on all cylinders at this point, as the preceding Saturday night had been our last night on the town with the Carol and Paul, who had taken us to see the bright lights of Perth’s nightlife district. A burgeoning seafood platter for our dinner gave us energy enough to dance the night away to the live band at a pub called Novak’s. The pictures tell the true story of the evening, I think, and need no commentary.

So it was goodbye Carol and Paul, and goodbye Oz.

I’m finding it difficult to write a ‘bests and worsts’ lists for the country, because some things (like the stunning lack of political correctness which makes New Zealand look more liberally angst-ridden than Hackney Borough Council) fall into both categories. Instead I’ll just write about the things that seem very different to back home.

1. They have civic BBQs everywhere. In every park, children’s play ground and green verge where there’s enough room to erect a small, gas powered brick BBQ, the Australian government has provided one for its citizens. The freedom to “chuck another shrimp on the Barbie, Bruce” must be at the heart of the Australian bill of rights.

2. They are taking the English language down its own strange, but colourful, tangent. Sandwiches are “sangas”, cool boxes are “eskis”, and best of all, speedo style swimming trunks are called “budgie smugglers”!! (Paul gave us this gem of Aussie vocabulary, though it remains unclear whether the “budgie smuggler” is his own choice for seaside attire. Paul - feel free to leave a comment on the blog!)

3. The place is big. No, it really is big. When we flew to Exmouth, which is just a hop a skip and a jump from Perth in relative terms, hours passed with a view of barren, red earth, occasionally dissected by geometric road patterns but without any discernable settlements. I suppose the country has to be big enough to accommodate all the flies and deadly creatures.

Well, there it is. Farewell Australia!

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Photos

C&P daunted by the platter
Alas, no widgety grubs on the Australiana menu any more, so we had to settle for fish!

Paul using me as a leaning post
The next morning, we were both sure that we must have had dirty glasses at this particular venue as we were both a little under the weather.

A thorn between two roses
I think this picture was taken mid-boogie

Comments

[robin]

Smuggler
Albatros smuggler? surely you mean cock'or'two smuggler? fair dinkum to the oz clan for looking after you both so well and now it's kinishiwa to the little yella fella's see you both all too soon!

[paul]

Emu smuggler
sorry Ian i got it wrong the correct terminology is emu smuggler as you know in the west we are very americanised where bigger is better.

[Ian n Rach]

Which is bigger?
Emu or Albatross? Mind, I'd look a bit funny if I had either of them in a pair of speedos!