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“Well, we’ve got that cold front that’s still sticking around, but that should b***** off within a couple of days. About bloody time too”
The local Perth weather report was all the confirmation we needed that we had arrived ‘down under’
PERTH
It’s difficult to put in to words the joy we both felt as we stepped off the plane in Perth. As much as we tried not to let it happen, this was all we had been thinking about for the majority of the past 2-3 weeks, and it had finally arrived. We were a little anxious on arrival however, as we were to be met at the airport by members of LJ’s family, who all reside in Oz , whom we had never previously met. The anticipation of meeting them all & the prospect of a real bed for the night were fueling our excitement.
We stepped in to the arrivals lounge, desperate to make a good first impression, something made infinitely more difficult when you’ve had no sleep the previous night & the clothes you are wearing are one of the only 3 outfits that you actually have in your well traveled rucksack. As has been a feature of our trip though, everything worked out fine, we were met by the wonderful Tessa (LJ’s Mum’s cousin) & taken to the fabulously sleepy suburb of Inglewood to meet the rest of the family, Peter & the 2 charming kids Sarah (20) & Jonathon (17).
Within approximately 24 hours, all memories of the hardship & hunger of Southeast Asia were banished forever as we worked our way through a barbie fit for a king, mountains of ham sandwiches, a full chicken dinner, a monstrous steak sandwich with chips, a gigantic seafood platter & spaghetti bolognaise. All washed down with glorious, cold, crisp, fresh, easy drinking beer. Add to that the best night’s sleep in many a long week & it’s safe to say that our introduction to Perth was a successful one. One exception did occur however, as we ventured to the young & trendy district of Northbridge for a Saturday night blowout. Sarah was celebrating her 20th Birthday & kindly invited us two ‘oldies’ along for the ride. As Sarah & her pals waltzed in to the first bar in high spirits, we were met by a grizzly looking doorman who demanded we show our ID. “I’m Thirty!!” said Dan in astonishment. “I don’t care” replied the gorilla “No ID, no entry. Now b***** off!”We were met with exactly the same attitude at each of the next 3 bars we attempted to gain entry to. Travelling must be good for the skin, it’s taken years off us! We rescued the evening by catching up with Tessa & Peter at the local bowling club & watching a cracking live rock n roll band, so all’s well that ends well.
Perth is a great city. Big enough to be impressive, small enough to be manageable & always welcoming & friendly. Tessa & Peter took time out to give us the guided tour around, which was just perfect for us & great for Jonathon, who drove us around all day in order to work his way toward the 25 hours supervised driving required to obtain his P plates! We’ve never had a more eager taxi driver, thanks mate.
Our plan from Perth was to travel down south, stopping off to meet LJ’s Uncle & seeing as much of the southwest as we could in the time we had. This could only be achieved by getting our hands on our own set of wheels…….enter The Iceman, the hot-footed Hyundai Accent that was to be our chariot for the week.
MANDURAH
The year round holiday resort of Mandurah was our first stop on our drive south & the home of LJ’s Uncle John & his lovely wife Margaret. We were again offered a bed for the night & overwhelmed by the hospitality & kindness shown to us. John is LJ’s Grandpa’s brother & has lived in Australia since 1971 & we spent a really enjoyable day talking about the family on both sides of the world. The likeness of John to LJ’s Grandpa is often uncanny & it proved to us again that it is impossible to break the bonds of family with distance alone.We both really wanted to stay longer with John & Margaret, but time is always a factor for us & we had less than a week to try to work our way around the south west. We had to move on.
THE SOUTHWEST TRIP
With nothing but a couple of maps & picnic in hand (thanks to Margaret), we hit the road in readiness for our drive in to the sunset.
The southwest of Australia is a wonderful wine making region & home to numerous fishing & seaside towns. All of the roads are scenic & it made for perfect driving….. apart from the weather. A storm broke just as we left Mandurah & it really didn’t improve for about 4 days. It was cold, wet & windy, & felt just like home! It doesn’t help when all of the accommodation you choose to stay in has never even heard of central heating, never mind had it installed. LJ slept one night in 14 tops, trousers, socks, fleece & a scarf! A little excessive Dan thought.
We headed ever south for the first 3 days, along the Caves Road, taking in towns such as Bussleton, Dunsborough, Yallingup, Gracetown, Margaret River, Prevally & Augusta. It’s a wonderful feeling to roll in to a town, see what’s happening, eat a meat pie (as Dan did every day in an attempt to replace his lost Asian poundage) think about staying the night & move on the next day. Most towns along the way afford you stunning views out to sea, & with the weather as it was, some of the waves & swells were incredible. The Margaret River wine region was obviously a big pull for us & with 40-50 wineries & independent breweries to choose from along the way, we weren’t struggling for a tipple, although remembering where we’d parked the Iceman was often a problem the next day.
We moved west & entered ‘Tall Timber Country’ through towns like Nannup, Bridgetown, Manjimup & Pemberton. It gave us some of the best driving of the trip. Kangaroo’s bounced along in front of us (too quickly for us to get a photo), snakes carefully navigated the traffic (which is scarce to say the least), all under the shadows of these amazing, huge trees. Magical. It’s such a unique place, this country. Our final leg saw us take in Walpole, home of the Vally of the Giants tree top walk, a very high, scary, bouncy bridge around the forest which is best enjoyed in retrospect! We ended the trip driving through the elegant town of Denmark on our way to Albany, the last stop before the long drive back to Perth the next morning.
The few days we had on the road were fantastic & only served as a taster of what’s to come when we pick up our campervan in a couple of weeks in Cairns, bring it on!!
BACK TO PERTH
We were welcomed back by the Bolton family with open arms on our return, they really are fantastic and have made Perth feel like a home from home. We have loved spending time here, it kind of gives us a glimpse back in to real life if that makes sense? We could not however, stay for long this time, just long enough to sleep & fill our bellies. We had work to do….
FREMANTLE
About 30 minutes south of the City is the delightful port of Fremantle, a kind of holiday town, without the beach. We really just spent a couple of days relaxing, browsing for books, shopping & drinking. It’s probably correct to say that we spent the majority of our daylight hours in the fantastic independent brewery / bar ‘Little creatures’ lapping up the sun & sampling the very local brews & delicious food on offer. We couldn’t leave Fremantle without also sampling one of its specialties – Fish n Chips. Ciccerello’s, on the sea front, claims to be “the most famous Fish n Chip shop in Australia, possibly the world” something we’re sure Mr. Harry Ramsden would dispute. In all fairness, it lived up to the hype & the golden lightly battered fish & piping hot home made chips with salt & vinegar were stunning.
BACK TO PERTH
Only a day left before we jet off to Alice Springs & some big rock that’s apparently near there. Tonight, our last night in Perth, head BBQ chef Mr. Peter Bolton will be whipping up a storm in the back yard & is tempting us to stay longer with the promise of chili mussels & grilled fish. With promises like that sir, you could be putting us up for the next 3 months!
Will update again soon
Stay classy
Lots of love LJ & Dan xxx
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