Advertisement
Published: November 18th 2005
Edit Blog Post
Joey
A tame joey in a park near Woodvale Writing from sunny Perth where have been enjoying some warmer weather over the last few days. Finally we could put away our fleeces and longs, which were worn every day for a week! We arrived in Perth on 4th November and Brock McIntosh fetched us from the airport and took us back to his lovely home in Woodvale. Keith is a good friend with Brock and Sue’s son Frazer from school days. Brock, Sue and Fiona have just received their Australian citizenship after emigrating from South Africa three years ago. We are very grateful to have had a base in Perth and can’t thank the Macintosh family enough for their hospitality.
We were really surprised at how cold it was when we walked out of the airport. The first few days we spent exploring Perth itself, walking in Kings Park, with amazing views of the city and a really beautiful Botanic Gardens. Fremantle, the port where the Swan River meets the Indian Ocean, has lots of markets and cafes/restaurants. We had fish and chips at Ciccerellos on the harbour, famous for their tasty fish. We also took a drive around the posh areas of Perth near Peppermint Grove and
Keith picking up birds again
He has them eating out of his hands! ogled at the lovely houses built along the water with sailing boats and pelicans in the water.
We have seen the local kangaroos - “roos” - just down the road from Brock and Sue’s house and Keith also fed the wild parakeets down by the lake. There are so many parks, lakes and green belts. The coastal drive is beautiful and the beaches are really clean and the sea a lovely blue. The water is pretty cold, but Lisa managed a dip at the popular Cottesloe beach and Keith had a swim further down the coast in Peaceful Bay. We didn’t get around to surfing but wetsuits would be a must. We have been really impressed at the facilities provided for the public - long walkways/promenades all along the coast for running / walking or cycling; free gas BBQs in the parks and at the beaches. The people, especially the shop assistants are so friendly and helpful and any request or query is met with a “no worries mate!”
We hired a car and set off on a road trip south of Perth, stopping at several places along the way. All in all we covered 1800km in a
week. It really makes you realise how big Australia is - when we looked at where we had travelled to on the map it looked really close, but it is only a small portion of Western Australia.
Some of the highlights were the 1.8km long wooden jetty at Busselton - it was so windy that day we had earache by the time we made it back to shore. We stopped off at one of the numerous wineries along route and tasted honey made from wine. We couldn’t resist the homemade hazelnut and honey ice cream either - yumm! The Wicked Ale brewery near Yallingup was great fun, tasting chocolate flavoured beer, Mama’s Ginger Beer and Scream ‘n Creamin alcoholic cream soda! The beaches are stunning along this coast and we only wished it had been a bit warmer and less windier, as we were wrapped up in our warm gear and wind breakers most of the days. Near Walpole we did the tree top walk through the Tingle Tree forests - huge Eucalyptus trees. The furthest point of our trip was Albany - the oldest town in W.A. There we saw the blowholes and the gap and natural bridge
Pelican on the Swan River
Peppermint Grove is a wealthy suburb in Perth. - all created by rock formations. The sea is wild here and very dangerous with freak waves (King Waves) and lots of currents. Our last stop was Augusta, a little town set along a river and right near the beach. The backpacker hostel there was like a hotel and we stayed there two nights, visiting Margaret River and Peverly Beach during the day. Augusta was a favourite. It sits on the Blackwood River and on the Cape Leeuwin where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean.
We met another SA couple (Hayley Dutton and Ryan Norrie) in Dunsborough at the backpackers and we met up a few times along the route and really enjoyed their company. They too have been living in the UK and are travelling through Australia and NZ before heading back to SA for a month. They had been staying in Perth with, Ryan Harrison, a chap that Keith went to Maritzburg College with. Ryan N is a vet and studied with quite a few people that Keith knows from Pietermaritzburg. So it was really good chatting about varsity days. We will be in Sydney at the same time as them so will meet up again.
Busselton Jetty
The longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere (1.8 kms) Back in Perth for the last couple of days, we visited the Aquarium of Western Australia yesterday - it is really a great experience, and since we have been diving the marine life meant a whole lot more to us. We watched divers feeding the sharks and marvelled at the huge manta rays. Unfortunately we didn’t get to do any diving in Perth but will definitely make a plan to dive on the Great Barrier Reef during the next stage of our trip. We fly to Cairns tonight so will say goodbye to Perth.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.157s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 66; dbt: 0.086s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Bianca
non-member comment
Geography!
Looking forward to seeing you guys back in Durbs sincerely hope that you are taking plenty of Geography pics Keith like we did in Langebaan! The coastlines sound perfect for a Geo excursion. I will be packing this weekend, the removal van arrives on Thursday to collect my stuff and from this Sunday I am housesitting. Leave for Dbn on the 13th with Cora. Will be staying in Glenwood with my varsity roommate to start with Jackie. Take care and love to you both. Bianca