Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Emma's Travels
17/8/06 - Had a good nights sleep and got up at 10am. It felt strange to be finally here and I was so looking forward to seeing Avril. So got up, wandered into the kitchen and there she was, looking just the same, we had a hug, then she kindly made me a lovely cup of tea and I had some breakfast whilst we chatted.
Got dressed and met her friend Heather and the 3 of us went and had coffee and potato wedges at The Boat by the harbour, lovely. Then did a bit of shopping and I bought some t-shirts to replace the ones I had which were RANK! Later on sat in the garden by the lovely pool and read and snoozed a bit with the sunshine on my face, it was lovely.
We then went and picked Daisy and Wills up from school, it was great to see them, looking so big and grown up!
After dinner we looked through Av's school photos and we had such a laugh. Colin got back from work quite late then he joined in with the reminiscing, it was a fab, fab evening!
18/8/06 - Went to Hillary's Boat Harbour, which hasn't changed a great deal since I was last here 12 years ago and there was a major cut. None of the shops, cafes had any tills, etc. We ended up going to another friend's house, Caroline, who is from Ireland and her accent is so strong, I loved it! She made us tea and bacon sarnies and then her and Heather surprised Av with a birthday cake (b'day on 20th). Cake was luuurvely!
Read and snoozed in the garden for rest of afternoon, then after picking Daisy and Wills up popped to K-Mart to exchange my t-shirts, as they were too small!!
Arthur (Av's brother) came round about 8pm, it was lovely to see him and we chatted for a while. He has been here 18 years now, doesn't seem 5 minutes ago Av was telling me he was emigrating, now her and Colin have been out here for just over 2 years!!
Watched the end of the film 'Along Came Polly' with Jennifer Aniston, then an episode of Cracker, then went to bed.
It absolutely poured down all night!!!!
19/8/06 - We all went to the shops, in order to get Av's birthday presents/cards, so she was sent off food shopping on her own and we all met up a bit later.
We then all went to the library, this is something they do as a family every week, which I think is lovely. Colin and I ended up choosing similar Buddhist books, bizarre!
Then we went to The Boat and had coffee and wedges again, it was still raining but warm.
I booked a hire car from Monday onwards and got some maps out and started to plan my route north to Monkey Mia, great!
Pizza for dinner which was yummy!
20/8/06 - Av's Birthday, yippee!
She loved her pressies and after brekkie we all went to Fremantle. This has definitely changed, it is so much more built up on the harbour front. The crocodile farm I had been to 12 years ago had been knocked down and was now a restaurant and the shark hunters boat had gone too. There is a new Maritime Museum which looks like a mini version of the Sydney Opera House! Had a look around E-Shed markets and I bought the Stephen Fry book 'The Liar' from the second hand book stall.
We then went on a tram ride, Ron the driver and commentator was lovely, there was only us lot and 2 women at the front, we think Ron was chatting them up! Turns out I had seen more of Fremantle 12 years ago, than Av and Colin had ever seen! After the ride, we had a chinese meal at the E-Shed market, which was yummy.
The sunshine had come out for Av's B'Day, it was a lovely day.
Later on, around dusk, we went to a park called 'Neil Hawkins' and we fed some wild kangaroos. 2 of them were females with little joey's in their pouches, soooo cute!! They nibbled sunflower seeds right out of my hand! It was fab!!!
On the way back we called into Arthur's and I met Cheryl his wife and one of his son's Steven. It was Cheryl's birthday tomorrow (same as my Mumfie!) She was lovely, I had a large glass of wine and we watched Australian Idol for a bit.
Great, fab, fab day!!!!
21/8/06 - Mumfie's Birthday (and Cheryl's) Spoke to Mumfie on the phone, she was over the moon to hear me and so was I to speak to her, it was great!
Picked up hire car after going for coffee at Gloria Jean's at Ocean Keys with the girls (basically Av and her friends meet for coffee usually on a Monday after school drop). Tried to get hair cut, but hairdressers shut on a Monday! Then decided this was a good thing, as not sure what to do with it anyway! I went out in the car to get used to it and to find my way around on my own. Ended up mooching around the shops and having another coffee at Gloria Jean's, got a click card for Av (regular purchase card which they click, after so many clicks get a free drink!) Parked up at seafront and sat on beach for about an hour. Later on packed bag for my road trip up north to Monkey Mia!
22/8/06 - Didn't sleep a wink, just one of those night's where couldn't drop off and there was a storm howling outside!! With both my lack of sleep and stormy weather decided not to go to Monkey Mia today. I eventually nodded off and slept in until 11.30am. Bad weather all day, so didn't do much. Went to bed extra early, as going to try again tomorrow for Monkey Mia.
23/8/06 - Got up at 5.45am, set off on my long journey at 6.20am. It was going to take about 12 hours with some stop offs.
It was a great journey, lots of bushland and red soil. Stopped off twice for some shut eye, turned off and had a look at Port Denison and also stopped in Geraldton where I had some lunch in the town centre. Travelled through Greenough where they have bent trees, I thought there must have been a hurricane or something recently, but turns out with the strong winds these trees just bend over. It looked quite weird, all these bent trees in fields!
Sadly, saw alot of dead animals mostly kangaroos on the road side, they don't stand a chance when crossing especially with the huge road trains they have over here, basically large artic trucks with around 3 truck lengths!!
The last leg of the journey seemed to take forever, especially as the radio hadn't picked anything up since around 100km's out of Perth!!!!!!! Aaaagh!
My journey took me up the Brand Highway, then North West Coastal Highway (Route 1), then Shark Bay Road into Denham, then right turn onto Monkey Mia.
This last road, as I say, seemed to take forever, I was soooo tired! All of a sudden a giant eagle flew out and hovered just above the bonnet of the car, it was soooooo beautiful to watch, it then soared off to the right, it was massive!! By this time it was sunset and it was a magnificent sight seeing the sun disappear on the horizon of the ocean approaching Denham. This area is within the Francois Peron National Park.
Arrived at Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort, I was shattered and couldn't really think straight. I booked into hostel type accommodation (4 share) but actually ended up being in there on my own for the full duration of my stay, result!! Just had to nip next door for the toilets and showers.
24/8/06 - Got up around 9.30am and had a lovely breakfast on the beachfront watching the dolphins and pelicans, it was beautiful, so relaxing and peaceful, I felt I was in paradise. The ocean was very still and the water was crystal clear. I booked a 2.5 hour 'Origin of the Mermaid Myth' tour for the afternoon and a 4WD tour for the next afternoon.
The first tour was great. On a catamaran skippered by Mark Benson and Grant Kelly, we sailed out over lots of sea grass where we saw lots of dolphins, sea snakes, sting rays, sharks, jellyfish and luckily the beautiful Dugong's (this is what the Mermaid Myth is all about, as years ago they were mistaken as mermaids because of their shape and large tail fin). We were so lucky to see so many of them, especially the females with their young calves, which were so sweet, it is rare for them to be seen at this time of year. We had a great view as the waters were so crystal clear. Interesting fact is that Dugong's are the only mammals who are vegetarian, they eat the seagrass.
Grant pointed out a group of dolphins who were actually sleeping. They sleep whilst still moving across the surface, but very slowly. They woke up a bit later and put on a bit of a show. One of the dolphins dorsal fin was cut off, I found out her name is 'Bliss', as they have a catalogue on the boat which shows sketches of dorsal fins and what they have named the dolphin.
Got back to land at 3.45pm, had a Caesar Salad on the beachfront followed by a yummy Mars Bar Ice Cream Sundae!! I read my book for a bit and watched the sun go down over the ocean - got some beautiful photos.
25/8/06 - Got up early and was on the beach by 8am in order to see and hopefully feed the dolphins. Only thing was around 50 other people had the same idea - DRAT!! I managed to see the dolphins quite close, but too many people around for anything more intimate! They are fed 3 times a day, it is not what they live off, it is a supplement, as they are wild and the conservation team what them to stay that way and not become reliant. Because of this too, they tell you not to touch them, it is a human reaction to pat them on their heads, but they actually really hate this and they don't want to deter them from visiting. They probably won't get that close to you anyway, unless you are one of the lucky ones to be picked to help feed them. Unfortunately, this honour seems to be reserved for the cutie children, damn those pesky kids!!!
I wandered off for breakfast feeling a bit miffed, but it was great to see them playing as I was having breakfast. As I was finishing breakfast, I noticed the dolphins were making their way back to the shoreline and I saw one of them swim into the swimming area. Basically you are asked not to swim in a certain area, this is reserved just for the dolphins, but that doesn't mean they won't stray into 'our' area, yippee! I started to make my way to the sea, when all of a sudden I obviously wasn't the only one who had noticed, as this loud mouthed PRAT, ran towards the sea shouting for his friends at the same time, so basically scared the dolphin off, WHAT A PRAT!!! Anyway, I settled down on the sand for a bit of sunbathing and then later on went for a little swim. The clouds started to come over, so PRAT and friends all moved off the beach, hurrah!!!! I persevered and after a while I noticed the dolphins swimming close by, I was standing about knee high in the sea when all of a sudden 3 dolphins swam right past my legs and the closest one to me poked it's head out and cocked it to the side a bit, as if to say HELLO!. As you can imagine, this was just FANTASTIC!!!!! I later learnt that when they c*** their heads they are getting a closer look!!! I could now go home very very happy! I had always regretted not making the journey up here 12 years ago and now it had all been worth it!! SUPER!!!
At 1pm went on the 4WD tour with Russell, our driver/guide and a lady from Milton Keynes who was travelling around Australia with her grand-daughter Hope. This was a fab tour. We saw so much out in the National Park and on the beachfronts, great views, especially when we did a 45 degree climb up a set of sand dunes!! Saw some more eagles and one had a sea snake in it's grasp. Shell Beach was lovely, the whole beach is made up of small white shells, got a great piccie with my shadow on the beach! Also found a kangaroo vertabrae on the sea shore. Apparently, over time they have adapted to be able to drink sea water, as it's sometimes their only option of something to drink. Hence, why part of a skeleton would be found on a beach. Russell also took us to a freshwater borehole, where we saw wild emu's with their cute little chicks, which were only about a foot high. Had great views from Eagles Bluff Boardwalk. Learnt that Aboriginal feet can look like they are wearing thongs (flip flops) even when barefoot, as they have walked barefoot for so long the sides of their feet turn up and the bottoms become very flat and spread.
FAB FAB DAY, shame couldn't stay longer, beautiful place, highly recommend it. I'm sooooo pleased I came here!
26/8/06 - Left at 6.40am, boo hoo! Took one last look at the beachfront then started the long journey back. Had to slow down a few times on the road, as it was dawn and alot of kangaroos hopping around. Had to slow down for 3 in particular who seemed non plussed that a car was heading for them and just carried on having a party in the middle of the road! I think they are actually quite stupid and no wonder they get killed. I also slowed down to what turned out to be a fox having a meal on a dead kangaroo, nice! Saw a few goats and a beautiful eagle once again.
I stopped off not that much further down the road to go and see the Stromatolites and the old Telegraph Station. The Stromatolites were interesting, they are basically rock formations at the sea shore, kind of look like thick stubby stalagmites and they are the only ones left in the world, so very important to geology.
I walked back to the old Telegraph Station and had a cream tea at 8.45am! and it was lovely!
Journey home was just as good, just annoying about the radio!! Darn it!! Stopped off in Geraldton again for a late lunch and some cheeky seagulls kept trying to pinch my sandwich and crisps!
Russell had told me to raise my right hand very casually when driving to drivers coming in the opposite direction, so I gave it a go! Got quite good at it! Only thing is not everyone was playing in return. Some nice drivers did, including one of the road train truckers, result! This kept me quite amused and awake.
Got stuck behind a road train carrying sheep and I chuckled to myself, as the other night we had all been watching an old Father Ted episode called 'Chirpy Birpy Cheap Sheep'! This actually kept me chuckling for quite a while, as I kept repeating it to myself and I think it sounds so funny! I'm laughing now!!!
Got back to Av's around 6.30pm, watched a Friends DVD, then a film called ' Assault on Precinct 13' with Ethan Hawke, Gabriel Byrne and Lawrence Fishburne, was very good. I was sooooo tired and my shoulder/arm was really aching like mad! Did the stretches Mumfie had shown me and it worked!!! Mummy's always know best!!
27/8/06 - Avril and Colin's 12th Wedding Anniversary today!
Slept in until 11am, had a relaxing day, showered, read, dozed. We had a BBQ later on in the afternoon which was delicious, thanks to Chef Colin!
Heather and her husband popped in and all of a sudden 2 ducks flew onto the swimming pool! Fudge went balistic and ran round and round the edge of the pool, but obviously couldn't reach them, got some funny photos!
28/8/06 - Went into Perth city centre on the train. Had a good look around. Hadn't changed much in 12 years, a few more buildings but basically how I remembered it. Took the ferry over to the other side and took some good photos looking back at the city skyline.
Went for dinner tonight to the Crystal Palace for a chinese meal, which was absolutely delicious! Popped into Arthur's on the way home and when we got back I watched the Emmy's whilst everyone else went to bed.
29/8/06 - Took hire car back to Joondalup. Spent a while packing everything back into my back pack, which I swear has shrunk!!! It's my last day and I'm feeling a bit sad. I have really enjoyed myself, it has been great to catch up with Av and Colin, it's so nice to share history with people, even though it makes you feel old!! They have made me feel very welcome and Av has been a star with my washing!!! Said ta ra to the 'girls', Heather, Paula, Caroline, Eileen and Hayley. Eileen gave me her son's address in Noosa incase I visited there on the East Coast.
Had dinner then later on I gave them a little goody bag from me to say thanks. In Perth yesterday I had visited the 'Brit' shop and got some proper choccie digestives for Colin (dark choc!), some scottish shortbread and some Thornton's choccies. Apparently, Oz stuff just isn't as good, even Cadbury's which is made in Oz, it is better if it is made in England, bizarre! So I hope they will enjoy them!
30/8/06 - Avril drove me to the airport and Heather came along as navigator, as Av hadn't done the journey before and she was a little nervous. We had a drink in a little cafe after I had checked in. I was very impressed with check in. Basically I checked myself in on a computer point, I hadn't been issued a ticket and all I had to do was enter my name and flight number, then it issued me a boarding card, cool! Then I checked my baggage straight in, job done, all in the space of 5 minutes!!
We said our sad farewells and I waved until I couldn't see them in the car park anymore, then I went through security to departures. I even had to take my boots off!!
Flight was good to Alice Springs. Got there and I was just about to ring Toddy's to ask about a pickup, when I asked this lad if he was from Toddy's, as he was obviously picking people up. He wasn't he was from Annie's Place, but bless him, he said he would drop me off anyway, soooo kind!
Lady on reception was soooo friendly, she usually drove the buses, but was helping on reception today, she was feeling a bit like a fish out of water, I thought she was doing a grand job, full of smiles, so I told her so!
I ended up sharing a 6 berth room with only one other girl, but I didn't sleep very well, probably because I had to be up early for my trip to Ayers Rock country!!
Had spag bog for dinner and met a nice man from Melbourne and a lovely lady who was working as a nurse with the aborigines in 'Alice'. Wine very cheap at this hostel, 1 pound a glass, result!
- comments