Perth

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After 3 1/2 months in Asia we welcomed some home comforts in Australia...It is nice to be able to sleep in the same place for more than a few nights at a time! and we have actually enjoyed not eating out every night!...But every now and again we do get the Asia blues! Australia is beautiful but it reminds us a lot of home...we LOVED the culture, cuisine and people in Asia...in Perth it doesn't seem too different from what we are used to in the UK! However, the weather is a lot nicer, we have a pool in the garden and it's lovely to catch up with family.

We spent a few days down South, in Eagle bay which was really nice. The weather was gorgeous and we were staying with friends right by the beach. On the first afternoon we went to Castle Rock beach to relive childhood memories (it's been 8 years since I was here last!) The beach was beautiful and just as I remembered it to be, except for the presence of a shark!!! The beach was closed and we soon noticed a large fin and tail splashing in the water about 120 metres from the shore...we hoped it was a dolphin but it started circling and when we got home we watched the news and saw that it had been a 3.5 metre great white shark that had been in the area for a few weeks now!!! We bravely (or stupidly) had a very quick dip once the shark had gone.

The next day we had a go at paddle boarding and double skiing (we were useless!)... we also saw stingrays & dolphins; visited Vasse Felix winery (which is so beautiful) and explored a few beaches. We also went to Juniper winery where the staff were lovely. We were swimming in Eagle bay when the shark helicopter kept hovering over something in the Ocean about 2km along the shore from us...it wasn't long before the shark alarm went off!!! We had such a fun time but I now have developed a phobia of sharks!!!

We spent a few afternoons in Kings Park which is really peaceful and beautiful. We went to the treetop walk and had a look at the amazing views of Perth. We spent one afternoon just having a picnic and relax under the trees.

We have also been to Fremantle a few times, which we have loved. The weekend markets are really interesting and every few weeks or so they have animals visiting from the Zoo...We had photos holding snakes and stroking koalas. We also really liked the street entertainers that are outside the markets...there was a magician one day who was hilarious! We have been to Little Creatures brewery for a drink which was really nice...the atmosphere was really chilled and the cider was so good! (But very expensive!)

We went on a day trip to penguin island which we loved! We chose to do the dolphin cruise, keeping our fingers crossed we may spot a dolphin or two on our extremely powerful and fast boat around the islands. We were so lucky, we saw loads of dolphins, they were jumping, diving and splashing just metres from the boat. The view was amazing and it was one of the best moments of my life. It was truly incredible to see so many beautiful animals up close.

Penguin island itself was quite busy with tourists but once we walked to the other side of the island there was a handful of people. We were also lucky to be graced with the presence of a little penguin peeking through the bushes. (The people working on the island predicted nearly all of the penguins would be out at sea during our visit.) We got to see some little penguins who had been rescued by a team of people. We watched them being fed and swimming around in their pool.

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