Blogs from Western Australia, Australia, Oceania - page 579

Arrived safely in Perth and picked up camper van - very small and had a few problems with the automatic gears - like I couldn't get it in gear and kept holding up the traffic at embarrassing moments. Got to the stage where we were going to take it back and say it was faulty until some kind man worked out that you had to have your foot on the brake to put it in gear - well no-one ever told me! Needless to say after this it went like a dream. At Bunbury we swam with dolphins - just - they weren't too interested in us, but did see one swim right under us which was rather special. It was a rather cold day - by Aussie and English standards! From Bunbury we went onto ... read more

As children, we visualized Australia as an exotic place on the opposite side of the world. Somehow it didn’t seem nearly as far away after a four hour plane flight from Bali! But 80 degree temperatures and decorated Christmas trees soon reminded us that we were quite a distance from the gale force winds hitting Seattle. The historic port of Fremantle, known to the locals as Freo, made an attractive and comfortable base for exploring the nearby city of Perth. Perth has been compared to Seattle in many travel guides, and we agreed they weren’t far off. With a compact downtown and several large waterfront parks, it’s a great place to explore on foot in good weather. Fremantle had plenty of its own attractions, including museums, a sprawling covered produce market and a harbor full of ... read more

G'day folks! First of all, we hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and that 2007 brings you everything you wish for! So, what have we been up to since our arrival Down Under on 12 November? In the past 7 weeks we have gone seriously walkabout! As we had both visited the East coast in years gone by, our focus during this trip was the delights of Western Australia. Our first week was spent discovering the wonderful city of Perth including some of its idylic suburbs such as Cottesloe Beach. Just 15 minutes by train from the city centre, this has to be one of the best places to live in the world. Picturesque, quiet, with good restaurants, chilled bars, a fantastic beach and a great golf course. What more could you ask for? ... read more

I had a quiet night. I couldn't afford to go out, so I just stayed at the hostel. I was mostly alone, since all but two people went out. and those two people aren't friends of mine. They were nice enough, but it just wasn't so fun. Thankfully at ten to twelve, Howard (aka H) came back and I got a new years kiss. I think I would have been rather upset if I hadn't gotten one. People finally started to come back around 1, so the night got pretty fun after that. We had a little dance party in the TV room (people not involved must have thought we were crazy). At about 3, Serage and Lee came back, telling everyone that Tammy had to go to the hospital. Someone had bottled her over the ... read more

Fed up with Pemberton, I headed down to Walpole for a bit of rest and relaxation over the new year. Walpole is 420km south of Perth and 120km west of Albany, roughly a two hour coach journey southeast from Pemberton. With a population of only 450, the township of Walpole is completely encircled by the 18,000 hectare Walpole-Nornalup National Park. Within the boundaries of this National Park are forests of Tingle and Karri trees, miles of coastline, beaches, rivers and estuaries plus a massive abundance of flora and fauna. Walpole is situated on the shallow Walpole Inlet. This has a depth of no more than one metre and is fed by the Walpole River. Good for chilling out with a bit of fishing. After my success in Pemberton and slap-up trout suppers, I decided to invest ... read more