Our final day in Perth. Off to Kings Park primarily to see the fantastic view of Perth, see the fabulous Botanical Gardens and the War Memorial. If you are ever in Perth this is a must do visit. The big event in Perth was the imminent visit of the Queen as part of CHOGM (no we were none the wiser about what this was but it is Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). Essentially the whole of Perth would come to a halt so as we were leaving the next day we were...

Sunday, the day of rest and boy do we need one. These pensioners really know how to set a cracking pace so Nicola and I were happy that today was to be a more relaxed affair. The morning was spent visiting another cemetery but this time primarily to see kangaroos! Pinnaroo Memorial Park is well known locally as a place within the city to see kangaroos in the wild. They seem to feed on the flowers left by relatives but no one minds and it is one way to recycle. T...

Today saw us move inland to see some of the more typical Australian countryside. The coastal region (and Perth in particular) seems to be 100% pure sand and we have been amazed how anything grows that does not rely on irrigation. Where the land has not been developed it is covered by bush consisting of native gum trees with various shrubs and grass trees. The specific mix of species will indicate the fertility of the underlying soil and both Ted and Phil were ver...

Tried the early start but ended up leaving the house about 9am. A lovely bright and sunny day and promised to be the hottest of the trip so far. Today's route would see us setting off north to Cervantes, visiting the Pinnacles on route. These are a natural phenenom of limestone pillars set randomly in the desert a little way back from the coast. There is no clear explanation about how this feature has been formed but there are thousands of these pillars ranging ...

Off to Gingin for the day to visit Angus and look round his farm. The first thing you notice is the flies buzzing round your face and believe me they don,t go away. The house is amazing impressed by the hand painted concrete floor throughout. Angus then turned into Masterchef as we watched him prepare quiche and salad from scratch, with various distractions, including tasting eight different olive oils, it took several hours! Mid afternoon in true Cowling s...