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Our Perth-days
G'day, time really does fly when you're having fun! Over the last few months we've been busy touring Perth and celebrating our birthdays.
Before we get on to what we got up to over both our birthday weekends we have to mention our trip to the football. Now this wasn't football as we know it, it was an Aussie rules game. Since the season started here it's all anyone goes on about. Perth has 2 big franchise teams, the Fremantle Dockers and the West Coast Eagles, these teams hate each other with a fierce rivalry and on a derby day the city is split in two. Aussie rules is played on an oval shaped pitch and has rules very similar to Gaelic football, the only real difference is that aussies use a rugby ball and they are alot rougher than their Irish counterparts, literally they beat the living hell out of each other.
The game we went to watch was between some lower league teams. The South Fremantle Bulldogs vs. Peel. We were supporting the Bulldogs, mainly because Mel's uncle brought us and it's his team and also, Peel is like 100km away. The bulldogs have been on an awful run so far this season having lost all 7 of their previous games. Was this the game to turn it all around???
After sneaking in with Brian and avoiding to pay the entry fee, we mosey on into a private party's function room to get some drinks. Another good thing about Aussie rules is that you can drink throughout the game, anywhere in the stadium!! We finally settle into our seats and watch a game we knew absolutely nothing about!!
Luckily Brian quickly brought us up to speed on what was going on and by the end of the first quarter we knew the rules and by chance, the Bulldogs were winning. After the first quarter Brian jumped out of his chair and started heading for the pitch. "You lot coming?" "What down onto the pitch in the middle of the game?" "Yes" came the response. Apparently in the lower leagues the fans can go down onto the pitch during the breaks and listen to the team talks!!!!!
We swan on down and huddle around the players, the coach comes along and gives a rousing 'Remember the Titans' style speech and the players all cheer, clap and whoop!!! Out pops a mini whiteboard covered with mini players and the coach then draws a load of arrows over it and talks tactics. None of which we understood but the players seemed to know what he was on about as after the break they went on to extend their lead. By half time the Bulldogs were a goal and a try in front and in danger of throwing the game.
The final two quarters were tense, the opposition came very close to going a few goals in front, but the bulldogs held them at bay but were tiring. When the ref announced the 3 minutes of extra time the game was all but level. The bulldogs had thrown away a big lead and were deflated.
BANG!!!! Out of nowhere a goal. From near enough the halfway line a player booted a 50 meter goal.
Bulldogs back in front. Can they win their first game of the season? They were seconds away. Peel were coming back at the Bulldogs though and were making a final push into their half. Hoofing the ball into the Bulldogs goal area it was squeaky bum time in the stands!!! "Come on ref, blow the f%cking whistle" come the nicest of the chants from the crowd........Off goes the whistle. Cheers and hugs spread round the stadium, first victory of the season for the Bulldogs. Looks like Mel and Dec are the Bulldogs good luck charms.
Right, on to our birthdays
Mel's birthday came first and kicked off our rollercoaster July. Falling midweek we booked to go away the following weekend. You may remember that we visited Margaret River last time with Mel's mother and decided that we should return. So we rented out a car, left work early and headed off back down south to Margaret River. Hugh Jackman called Margaret River the best place he's ever been to, citing the food, the wine, the people and the air as his reasons for thinking so. And if Hugh says it's the best place, well he isn't going to be wrong is he?
Making excellent time due to Declan's amazing driving skills we rocked up to our accommodation in a converted coach house. We had booked out the best room in the house, the Champagne Suite!!! The room had a lovely corner balcony, queen sized bed, complete with an electric blanket, for the chilly evenings. The room had a real expensive finish to it, like a country manor or some fancy regal resort.
The room though had one thing we haven't seen for a very long time. Since August last year we have been without a certain luxury in our lives. The fundamental criteria that had to be met when we booked this room was very simple. We would have slept on the floor so long as the room featured one thing above anything else. We could have been in the blistering cold, without an ohm of electricity, surrounded by vicious animals as long as we could have one indulgence.
A BATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahhhhh we were so happy the room had a bath, not only that but it was an oversized Jacuzzi bath!!!!! For 10 long months we have been subjected to the frugality of the shower. As great as showers are, they couldn't hold a candle to the amazingness of a nice long relaxing bath. f*** it, throw in some candles and you've got the makings of a great evening right there.
So we washed off the last 10 months of travelling and chugged down some champagne. We headed off into town that night for some pukka tukka, more wine and even a few pints of the black stuff.
The following morning Melanie obviously isn't feeling too good as she makes the foolish error of asking for a continental breakfast instead of a greasy fry up!!!! She obviously has forgotten the fundamental rule of the 'all day session', eat a big breakfast!!
As just mentioned we were heading out on the all day session, or as it's called in Margaret River, a wine tour. We opted for a wine and beer tour so Declan wasn't on his back after a few glasses of plonk. Having a scout around we discovered that 'Margies Big Day Out' was a first rate tour to be on so we had them swing by the hotel after breakfast to begin our day. We were pretty much the last people to be picked up which was a bonus as we didn't really want to be driving round all morning. The rest of the bus was a mixed bag of Aussies, some on holiday like us, others just Grade A alcoholics!! Our designated driver got everyone in the mood for a good day and we headed off on our big day out.
Our first stop was shockingly a winery!! The locally ran vineyard was ran by a lovely women who knew an awful lot about wine, and clearly enjoyed the fruits of her labour. She gave us healthy samples to glug back, along with a very detailed explanation of what to drink them with. Considering it was only 11 o'clock in the morning she really was knocking em back with us, Christ what a job this woman has. After having about 20 glasses of wine she rolled out the mulled stuff. Now being well travelled people the idea of mulled wine isn't that exotic to us, but by god the rest of the bus hadn't a clue what she was on about. It's warm wine with spices, you drink it when it's cold, how is that so baffling. We slugged it back, it was really nice, and considering some of the wine we had drank previously wasn't to our taste it really left a great taste on our palate. The resident alkies ordered a few cases of wine and we all hoped on the bus for our next stop. The pace of the first wineries drinking probably prompted the guide to change his plans as our second stop was a lovely little cheese factory. Melanie being a total and utter cheese fiend was in her element here and must have went around the samples a dozen times, Declan stuck to the cheddar and was perplexed by the varieties on offer.
Another quick trip in the bus and everyone is now getting merrier. A big famous winery is the next stop on the trip and Melanie sneaks off the group tour to have herself a little tasting of the rosé on offer while Declan pulls funny faces at the flavour of the glass of red 'breathing' in his glass. Lovely!!! We hit another winery before lunch and the bus is getting pretty packed out with all the boxes that a few of the couples keep buying; seriously they'd have enough to open a bar.
Lunch was served at a brewery and we got to sample a host of different beers and ciders. The brewery was set against a picturesque lake and even though it's the middle of winter we enjoyed our lunch in the beer garden. There are a host of things that baffle us about Aussies but top of the list is there hatred of cider! It seriously is a foreign concept to them. Now it was a lovely day in Oz once more and we could think of nothing better than being next to a lake with a lovely pint of cider full of ice. We got our wish!! The jug that came out with the sample of the locally brewed cider was looked upon by the Aussies and derided!!! Bonus we got to drink it all!!!!!!!!
After lunch we all headed off on our big day out and hit up about 4 more wineries, it may have been more, it may have been less, by 3ish we were too drunk to tell. Melanie along the way got herself some wine that we all know didn't stay sealed for very long. The evening was spent topping up our merriness while we dined at a lovely Italian restaurant along the town's main strip.
The following morning we waved goodbye to the bath and staggered out our hotel to get some tukka. Melanie obviously got her breakfast decision right this time and the fry up sobered us both to the point we thought we'd be fine to drive somewhere.
On our trip to Margaret River previously we skipped out going down into the caves, well not this time. Margaret river has many caves dotted around the area and conveniently for us, placed them all on the same road (which came first the caves or the road? Hmmm). Our cave of choice was Lake Cave.
Lake Cave is, to put it simply, a mirrored wonderland. Lake Cave is the most active cave in the south west and it is the only cave on the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge that has a permanent lake in it. It is the deepest of the caves in the region and the tour started off with a lovely steep descent down 350 odd stairs into the massive crater filled with 20 storey trees that were hundreds of years old. After the trip down the stairs the tour guide kindly reminded us that we'd have climb them all again at the end to get out!!! We gained entry into the actual cave through a spectacular doline - a large hole that just opened up in the earth's surface. Along the way the tour guide told us all about the women who stumbled upon the crater 120 years before. The poor woman got back on her horse and rode off to tell her family about the cave in the hope there might be gold or other resources within. On their way back to the cave they all got lost (probably drunk) and she didn't end up finding it again until many years later. Anyway, off into the cave we go. Inside it is pitch black, literally no light gets in through the entrance once we reached the bottom of the stair case. The tour guide gathered us all around and started the specially designed coloured feature lighting and took us further into the cave along the boardwalks. Lake Cave is home to the "suspended table" which weighs several tonnes and is one of the only formations of its kind in the world. The 'table' is a massive chunk of rock that floats about 2 foot off the ground and is held up by some spindly hollow pillars. Over time, the stream has washed away the bottom of the sheet, leaving a thin table suspended a short distance above the water. It looks spectacular reflecting in the dark, icy waters of the lake in the main cavern. The Cave, really was a stunning pristine chamber deep beneath the earth. The tranquil lake reflected delicate formations of Stalactites and stalagmites showing us a primeval lost world. After a talk and a lightshow that included a dragon breathing fire we all took ourselves back through the cave and up the bloody stairs at our own merry pace.
A few weeks later passed and it turned out to be Declan's birthday too!!!
Now Melanie being the super organised sneaky sneak hadn't told Declan a thing about his birthday and left it all as a surprise! The day started out the only way a birthday should...........................
With a massive breakfast in bed!!!!! If you were thinking something else you clearly have a dirty mind! The breakfast included everything, even Pork sausages, which are quite hard to come by in Perth as they all prefer the beef kind, the weirdoes!! After breaky Melanie took us off in the car an hour or so east of where we live. East of Perth essentially means into the outback. Our destination was a huge National Park complete with a big lake. We had a lovely old stroll around the lake and enjoyed all the little critters and the picturesque views the park had on offer. Our intention was to get a canoe out and paddle across the lake but we decided against this as it was quite cold out and Declan knew he'd end up doing most of the paddling. Back off in the car we headed deeper into the outback to another big ass park about another hour away. At this one Melanie fabricates a picnic lunch, complete with a few beers and a big strawberry mousse cake. After even more great food we head off into the park towards the waterfalls. This park had alot more trees and rocks than the last one and Declan essentially spent the day mounting boulders and climbing trees while Melanie explained to passing strangers that 'he doesn't get out much'.
Eventually it is time to leave the park and head to our digs for the evening to start drinking. As we were a few hours outside the city Melanie had booked for us to stay at a hotel. The Mundaring Weir hotel is nestled in the hills amid the beauty of the Australian bush. The hotel is a time capsule from the late 1800's that has stood the test of time and aged with grace. The hotels main building incorporates a restaurant, bar and mini cafe with all the 'old outback' rustic charm. Surprisingly the Hotel has a huge 2000 seater amphitheatre and hosts concerts every few months, they've even had some big name acts, James Morrison and Leo Sawyer no less!!!! Our cabin was one of about ten dotted throughout the hotel grounds and was a short walk from the dammed off Weir. The whole area was fenced off to make sure none of the local kangaroos and other Aussie critters found their way in. Our cabin was lovely and even had an unforeseen log fire that seriously excited the pair of us. Declan got so excited building and fuelling the fire that at one point he nearly lost his eyebrows!!! We spent the evening drinking locally made scrumpy that was a serious shade of cloudy!! We eventually retired to the world's hottest cabin, where Declan continued to throw logs of wood on the fire, "so it can burn till morning". We must have lost a stone in weight through sweating but it was worth it to stay toasty all night.
The following morning was an early one as we jumped in the car at the ungodly hour of 7 o'clock. Before we high tailed it out of the hotel however we had a small hiccup. Before we continue, we were leaving because Melanie had another surprise in store, not because we didn't want to pay the bill! So any way we pack up our stuff and head through the hotels grounds. We walk up about 100 stairs of the amphitheatre carrying all our bags, we head along the side of the hotel towards the car park. Wait a second. That big gate wasn't there last night.... well it might have been but it certainly wasn't locked. A locked gate around a fenced in hotel, with us needing to be somewhere within the next 20 minutes didn't sound too good. 'This fence will be unlocked at 8am' read the sign. To cut a long story short, over go the bags, over goes Declan. Melanie on the other hand decides to not follow any of the superb instructions Declan gave her and somehow got herself straddled halfway over the fence. Giggles ensue and Declan rescues his 'Damsel in Distress'. Packed up and ready to go on another big day out.
So Declan's big birthday surprise was a day out rock climbing in an old derelict quarry.Mel even made the surprise better by asking some of our pals along to climb with us, Gaz and Lisa. The u-shaped Statham's Quarry is a very popular location for rock climbing and abseiling. Stathams Quarry has a number of walls designed for those who wish to either start or extend their rock climbing abilities in the outdoors. Compared to indoor climbing, outdoor rock climbing requires you to decide your own route, thereby increasing the difficulty and complexity of the climb. After a quick safety talk we set about scaling the walls. The instructors had set up 3 walls of varying difficulty for the group to sink their teeth into. The easiest of the walls was about 80° and about 30 meters high, great hand holds and plenty of choice, the second wall about 85° and roughly the same height with a good amount of options for getting to the top and the third wall was a 40 meter 90° bad boy, a vertical slab, sparse finger tip grips and few options to the top. Being the gentleman he is, Declan let Melanie climb first and she scaled the first wall really well. Her transformation from 'big girl' to a bona fide adrenalin junky is well under way. She made it all the way to the top and came down happy as a pig in poop. Declan started his day climbing on the toughest wall (obviously) and had decided that his goal for the day was to beat all the times set by everyone, especially the lanky aussie teen that thought he was spider-man. Let's just say after his first climb, the kid knew his place and Declan had blown the cobwebs off his climbing boots. Reliving his youth and rolling back the years with ease.
As the day went on the instructors varied the walls and we all managed to climb plenty of times with a nice rest period in between. Climbing is tiring, as is belaying (keeping people safe on the walls) other people. By mid morning we were all pooped and thankful of the cake and tea the instructors gave us. After a few more climbs half the group decided to call it a day, which meant we'd get to climb more, YAY!!! But we'd also have to belay more, BOO!!! We carried on climbing right up until lunch, everyone was getting better and the climbs were getting faster. Mel was doing herself a great service and flying up the two walls so decided to have a pop on the third wall. Now in comparison to the other two walls the third one really was tough, it's not the angle or the height that make it hard but the lack of hand holds and grips, some just a few centimetres long and barely deep enough to grasp with your fingertips. The last 10 meters or so there's practically nothing there. Mel did exceptionally well and got alot higher than many of the other climbers. With hunger encroaching we all stopped for lunch while the instructors set up some new climbs and an abseil.
After lunch we picked up where we left off. The girls decided to do a few climbs while Declan and Gaz set off on the long walk to the top of the quarry so they could throw themselves off. The abseil that had been set up was on the highest part of the rock face, about 50 meters high. Clipped in and ready for action Declan flew down the face like a seasoned pro. By his third descent down the quarry Mel had finally worked out which button recorded, the first two attempts had apparently been 'practice runs'. By this third run however the speed of the plunge had increased and Declan completed the drop in 24 seconds, descending a little over 2 meters a second.....All in all, he's an action hero.
With the sun starting to set it was time to go home, a full 8 hours after we started!!! We stopped at the pub for a cheeky pint before we headed home to rest our aching bones. What a weekend!!! It took most of the following week before we were back to normal.............
And that's pretty much it for what we did on our birthdays.
In other news, Fremantle is full of crazy people. Melanie has started talking like an Aussie. The winter has really set in, with stormy nights and 20° days. Declan is a genuine fan of Neighbours and wonders why he stopped watching it when he was 10. And Perth bus drivers all think they are rally drivers.
Stay classy.
- comments
ciara mels gonna have an accent when she gets home??!