Perth and Down the Track

Sunday 6^th Nov, Monday 7^th Nov, Tuesday 8^th Nov, Wednesday 9^th Nov, Thursday 10^th Nov and Friday 11^th Nov.

Sunday

Went up into the hills behind Perth today, basically east to the Melville Rose Nursery in a suburb or locality called Carmel.  It is quite rural with a number of wineries and a cidery to see.  The roses at the nursery were magnificent and I could tell there was a bit of a difference between them and a banksia.  They smelt a little different.  There was a coffee shop at the nursery that sold a number of things that were either based on roses or garnished with rose petals.

We took Caron with us today and I think that she enjoyed getting away and doing something for herself.  We went to the Core Cidery for lunch.  This was about 10 km away from the nursery but was entirely different geographically as this was surrounded by orchards.  This place was surrounded by apple and pear orchards and had been in the same family for generations.  It actually reminded me of the area around Stanthorpe, not necessarily because of the orchards but because of the names of the owners of the orchards.  They were mainly of Italian origin.

At lunch we tried some of the local ciders, extra dry, dry, medium and sweet.  We got a tasting tray and we each had a taste.  The extra dry was 7% alcohol by volume.  Nice tasting stuff but I think a bit dangerous because they have a bit of a kick.

It was nice to get out with Caron because we haven’t been able to do as much with her because she is such a hard worker.

Monday

A pottering day today.  An appointment at the doctor first thing to follow up on the x-ray and ultra-sound.  No DVT but a burst Bakers Cyst which is a by-product of the osteo-arthritis.  The cyst has actually burst and I will have pain until the fluid released is fully absorbed into the system.

After the doctor we returned the key to the house we borrowed.  We dropped them off at a suburb of Perth called Atwell.  It looks like a very new suburb and it was very interesting looking around a relatively new part of the city.  Big houses and no yard to speak of, some don’t even have enough room to have a path between the house and fence.  Everything to go through to the back yard must go through the house.

We went up to Kings Park for another visit, just to have a look around.  We forgot to take the cameras but we didn’t need to take any photos.  The last time we visited the park we took a lot.  I’ll put in some photos from our last visit.

Our trip home took us via Fremantle.  The GPS took us that way because we told it to.  Every time we have driven to or from Perth we have gone via the freeway.  I thought it would be nice to go a different way.  It was really good because we saw things that we hadn’t seen before and we came over the Swan River near the Port of Fremantle where we had been on our cruise down the Swan.  Stopped into Rockingham for lunch and then back to Warnbro.

Tuesday

Andrew, Deb and I went up to Fremantle.  We picked up Mat who works there and we to him to work.  Deb dropped Andrew and I off at the Marine Engineering Museum while she did other things.  Unfortunately it wasn’t open at the time so we took a walk to the Maritime Museum.  It was absolutely fascinating.  There were quite a few artefacts from the Dutch contact with the Western Australian Coast.  Sometimes I wonder why those in the west aren’t speaking Dutch or French.because of the amount of exploration done by both of these countries.

Andy and I went back to the Steam Museum and spent some time reminiscing about some of the machinery.  It is a pity that I couldn’t put some of them in my pocket and bring them home.  There were a couple of feed water pumps which were the same that were fitted to HMAS Anzac, the 1950 version that is, not the latest..

Had a nice lunch in Fremantle and picked up Mat when he had finished work.  Found some interesting trees and some tree guards.  They had been crocheted around.  It appears that there is a group of people around Perth and Fremantle and for all I know elsewhere who go around and wrapping things with wool.

Had a nice dinner with all the Warnbro Passmores and Caron’s brother in law Greg and his partner Dawn.  We hadn’t seen them since our last visit and it was really good to see them.  Up early in the morning, we have a train to catch.

Wednesday

Up early to get up to the train.  We had breakfast and were away by 7.15 am.  Andy came with us to point us in the right direction and arrived by about 8.30 am.  There was quite a bit of traffic on the freeway with some roadwork.  Dropped the car off at the drop off point and it took about 10 minutes to book it in and watch it being driven on to the train.

The car was on the train by 8.40 am and the train would be ready for boarding by 11.30 am.  We just had to sit around until the time arrived and there is just so much coffee or tea you can drink while waiting.  We said goodbye to Andrew at about 10 so he could catch a train back to Warnbro.

Indian Pacific at East Perth

We boarded the train at about 11.20 am and were shown to Gold Class Superior Cabin.  The cabin had a ¾ bed plus a normal bunk, table and a couple of armchairs, an urn with coffee and tea making facilities, a complimentary mini bar and a bowl of fruit.  There was a coffee plunger, ground coffee, coffee bags, and about 6 types of tea.

Mini Bar Area

Tea and Coffee

There were two meal sitting times and we chose the early one.  We were called to lunch at about 1.00 pm.  The trip was far from boring.  There were two big windows to watch and the scenery which changed all the time.  There was a TV with DVD player and DVD’s in the cabin which did not get turned on.

Starter Lunch Day 1

Lunch Day 1 Lamb and Rosemary Sausage

Warm Treacle Tart

 We got into Kalgoorlie at about 9.00 pm and decided to do one of the whistle stop tours.  The bus picked us up at about 9.45 and although it was night I don’t think we missed much from the experience.  The guide was excellent and we were able to see the super pit in operation.  The stories he told brought the old diggings to life.  Some were rather gruesome.

We also had to bring our clocks forward an hour.  This also meant an hours less sleep.

Cheese Platter Dinner Day 1

Whiskey Chocolate Pudding Day 1

Kangaroo Tenderloin Dinner Day 1

Pork Cutlet Dinner Day 1 

Entree Dinner Day 1 - Pumpkin and Lamb Pie

Thursday

Today was similar to yesterday with a constantly changing scenery.  Just inside the Western Australia, South Australian border there is a little town called Cook.  Cook used to be a centre for the repair of the rail line with a population of 40 until the privatisation of the rail network.  It now has a population of 4 or 5 depending on who is telling the story.  They now refuel the trains as they come through.

The Indian Pacific train that we travelled on is owned by the Great Southern Railway, the locomotive that pulled the train was owned and operated by Pacific National and the track that the train ran on was owned and maintained by the Australian Rail Track Corporation.  If you remember it all used to belong to the Australian Commonwealth Railway.

Refuelling at Cook

Cook was an hour stop while fuel was taken on.  I reckon that every second fly in Australia was waiting for us to alight from the train.  When we got back on-board they didn’t seem to follow us.  

Onwards to Adelaide.

Friday (Remembrance Day)

We were awoken early with our breakfast pack of muesli with juice for Deb, Just Right for me, juice, savoury muffins and sweet muffins, tea and coffee.

We arrived in Adelaide at about 7.30 am and were in the car driving away from the terminal by 7.50 am.  They were very well organised and because our car was higher than a sedan it was the fourth one off.  Four wheel drives and higher type vehicles travel on the top deck of the car wagons while sedans etc. travel on the lower deck.

We put the address into the GPS and off we went to the Brownhill Creek Tourist Park.  This is the caravan park that Raymond, Geoff Duckworth and I stayed in when we came to Adelaide in December 1970.  There have been quite a few changes in that time.  Even though we arrived early they were able to let us into our cabin.

We got a couple of loads of washing done and then headed off to Angaston.  Angaston is where Angas Park dried fruit are produced.  Interesting the products that are produced and sold by Angas Park.  We had lunch in the bakery at Angaston and then headed down the Onkaparinga Scenic Drive.  After visiting a couple of cheese and chocolate factories we ended up at Hahndorf and had afternoon tea at Otto’s Bakery. 

The local IGA Supermarket provided us with some bread, milk and other stuff for dinner.  We have had to drop our expectations quite a bit since leaving the Indian Pacific.

Saturday

A very quiet day today.  We went out to Longwood to see Greg, Jackie and family.  They are Deb’s cousins.  They have a really nice place that they have been working on over the past 10 years or so.  There is still some work to be done but the location and outlook are really fantastic.

Had a lovely lunch and headed off to Glenelg to have a bit of a look around.  We might go back there to have a better look and a ride on the trams tomorrow.  Had a cup of coffee at a place called Bracegirdles House of Fine Chocolate.  They have won a number of awards and one of them is for being an artistic barista.  Didn’t know what it was all about until I got my coffee.  I would have liked to see how it was done!

Countdown from Perth

Sunday 30^th Oct, Monday 31^st Oct, Tuesday 1^st Nov, Wednesday 2^nd Nov, Thursday 3^rd Nov, Friday 4^th Nov and Saturday 5^th Nov.

Sunday

Went up to Fremantle again today.  This is the first time we have been on a Sunday and there are a few stalls that aren’t there on a Friday.  The markets are a very interesting place and before you make purchases in the fruit and vegetable area you are encouraged to try the produce.  In most cases there are containers of pieces of the fruit there for you to take a piece to try.  Some of the fruit is a good price.  We got good size mangos from there for $2.50 each and they were $4.99 each from Woolies and you couldn’t try the Woolies mango.

Ruth came to Fremantle with us and then headed off to Perth.  She went to see some galleries in Fremantle and then went to the art gallery in Perth.  Jan, Bernie, Deb and I went to a pizza place for lunch.  Andy took us there when we were here in 2008.  The place was exactly the same and I think the prices were as well.  Nice pizza, quick service and good price.

Managed to park in the same car park where we did in 2008.  It was really close to the markets and the main business area in Fremantle.  After lunch we picked up some stuff from the Oxfam shop for Caron and headed south.  We did a small detour into Rockingham and since it was a very hot day we had to visit Baskin and Robins.  Generous serves of rum and raisin, citrus swirl, double chocolate and others that shall remain nameless.

Deb picked Ruth up from Mandurah station.  Ruth rang us as she was leaving Perth and then Warnbro.  We were than able to time our run to Mandurah station.  Deb got there as Ruth’s train arrived.  Good timing.

Monday

Today we went up to a little town called New Norcia.  This is a town that was started in 1847 by Spanish Benedictine Monks.  It was originally an Aboriginal Mission.  Getting there took a little longer than I thought because we tried to bypass the main part of Perth and used some of the roads other than freeways or highways that skirted the centre.  It was a nice run and we saw parts of the country that we hadn’t seen before.  Went past Pearce RAAF Base and didn’t realise it was so far from Perth.  I hope there is good public transport for the airmen employed there.

New Norcia Hotel
Was once hostel for the community.  Still run by the monks

St Gertrudes College

Olive Workshop where they process Olive Oil

Ruth did a 2 hour guided tour of the village which she thoroughly enjoyed it.  The tour covered most of the buildings and their functions over the years which were things like olive processing, bakery etc..  Unfortunately some of the buildings are falling into disrepair either because they are not being used or because of the construction.  They produced their own bricks and used a mud mortar which looks like it is breaking down in some of the more exposed external walls.

The Church for the Community

The Monestry

Some of the old colonial buildings like the old court house are still there and being used as private residences.

Tuesday

Cleaning day today.  Jan, Bernie and Ruth fly out this evening and as it is our last day in the house here in Falcon it needs to be put back into the same shape it was in when we arrived, not that it was put out of shape to any degree.  We used the barbecue and outdoor setting which had to be put back in the garage and all the linen had to be washed and put back on the beds.

Everyone got stuck in and got everything done.  We had all the cleaning done pretty early and had to wait for the washing.  Our biggest problem was transport because we had all our travelling gear which spilled over into the back seat and we had acquired 3 passengers plus their luggage.  We solved the problem by putting Jan, Bernie and Ruth along with some small suit cases on the train at Mandurah and sending them up to Rockingham where Suzanne picked them up and took them to Caron and Andrew’s place.

We loaded the rest of the gear and then went to Warnbro where we unloaded into the house.  I’m sure David believes he is related to Gypsies because we keep arriving, disappearing and turning up again.  We took Ruth, Bernie and Jan to the airport at about 10.00 pm as their plane left before midnight.  Jetstar had moved the time of departure around a few time so they were determined that they would be there on time.

We returned to Warnbro for the night.

Wednesday

Headed up the Indian Ocean Drive today towards the town of Cervantes and a geographical formation called the Pinnacles which are limestone formations that protrude from the floor of the desert.  The town of Cervantes is the closest town, about 15 km, to the Pinnacles and was first settled in 1962 as part of the Western Rock Lobster Fishery. 

On our way, we did something that we seem to do regularly and that is to turn off the main road.  We headed for the Moore River Roadhouse where we were going to have some morning tea.  What we found was the town of Guilderton which is absolutely beautiful.  It is on the mouth of the Moore River and has to be seen to be believed.  The caravan park is set so that it looks out to sea over the mouth of the river between headlands on either side.  We have already recommended that Jan and Bernie visit there on their future caravanning adventures.

View Overlooking Guilderton

View Looking Out to Sea from Caravan Park

Looking Upriver from Caravan Park

When we got to Cervantes we went to our accommodation where the owner was a font of information, where to eat, where to have a nice cuppa, the best way to get the most out of our visit to the Pinnacles.  He also informed us that there was no crime in Cervantes by informing us that there were 265 residents in Cervantes and 260 of them were in bed by 7.30 at night.  This was borne out by the fact that when we turned up at our unit which was a couple of streets away the door was wide open, the screen door was not locked and windows were open to get the breeze.

We had a drive around the town and headed out to the Pinnacles.  There was an interpretative centre there that closed at 4.30 pm and our host had advised us to see it.  He was not wrong.  There is a road that wends its way through the Pinnacles.  It is well defined and suitable for ordinary 2 wheel drive vehicles. 

Some Limestone Pinnacles

Lots of Limestone Pinnacles

Pinnacles Surrounded by Sand

Looking Back

We actually did three circuits.  The first we did to just have a look.  The second we did to get pictures of the Pinnacles and their environment and the third was to get to the viewing platform which was about of a third of the way around.  I don’t know how many pictures we took but there were a few.  Deb got some beautiful photographs of a kangaroo with a joey in its pouch, I got pictures of it bounding away.

Pinnacles at Sunset - Can you see the kangaroo?

Kangaroo and Joey

The sunset was absolutely spectacular.  At times it looked like the heavens were on fire.  I should get some filters for the camera to cut down on some of the glare.  An ultra-light aircraft flew over while we were there.  They would have had a magnificent view.  We stayed at the viewing platform for about 45 minutes and were rewarded with some spectacular views.

Once the sun had gone down we headed back into Cervantes and had dinner at the local Bowling/Country Club.  Meal was nice and reasonably priced. 

Thursday

Returned to Warnbro from Cervantes today.  Decided to head down the Brand Highway rather than go over the track that had led us to Cervantes.  There was a road to the Brand Highway not far north of Cervantes so we decided to take that.  Betty said recalculating a few times until we turned her off. 

Half way between the Indian Ocean Road and the Brand Highway we came across a wind farm at a place called Emu Downs.  There are 48 turbines generation 80 MW of power.  There didn’t seem to be any noise even though we were about 200 metres away.  Didn’t seem to disturb the cows either.

Emu Downs Wind Farm

Another detour, this time to the administrative hub of the Shire of Gingin.  One word, not like the two word town in Queensland.  The town was Gingin and it was really nice.  We had lunch overlooking the park where there was a waterwheel (not functioning) and a church built in the early 1800’s with a cemetery behind the church similar to what you see in old English churches.

Have had a sore knee and leg for a couple of weeks so I was convinced to go to a doctor.  Saw a really nice one who had done some training at Tamworth Base Hospital.  Very small world.  He diagnosed arthritis but wanted me to have an ultrasound to eliminate a deep venous thrombosis (DVT) so I will have that tomorrow before going on the lunch time cruise to Fremantle.

Arrived in Warnbro at about 6.00 pm after another adventurous day.

Friday

Had the ultrasound plus some x-rays this morning.  No evidence of DVT so that is good.  Have an appointment with the doctor first thing on Monday to review the results.

Went up to Perth by train.  Left from Rockingham because we were close to that station after the doctor’s appointment.  Got off at Esplanade station and walked down to the Barrack Street wharves where we boarded the Captain Stirling. 

We made our way down river past thousands of moored boats at the various Yacht Clubs and Marinas.  It seems that the only place that has a higher rate of ownership of powerboats than Perth is the Gold Coast.  There was one property, I won’t say house because it consisted of the main house with 8 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, a guest house and a caretakers cottage, worth $57 million.  When I look at the opulence I think that money would go a long way to provide low income housing.

Old Swan Brewery
Converted to Accommodation

There are something like 18 of these around Perth

Another Runabout

We ended up at the Port of Fremantle where we tied up to the landing where we got off the ferry from Rottnest.  Some passengers got off and some got on for the return journey.  Once we were underway they served lunch.  Lunch was a buffet style and there were salads, cold meats, ham and salami, prawns, curried lamb, rice and a pasta dish.  There were also some fresh bread rolls.  Really nice tucker.

Once they had packed everything up it was time to come alongside.  The people who served at the bar and the meal were also deck hands, very interesting combination.  The round trip took nearly 3 hours.  Thank you Lizzie and Liam for the Father’s Day present.

We walked up to the city of Perth, about 500 metres to have a look at the statues in St Martins Square that depict the stages of occupation of Western Australia.  We saw them in 2008 and had to have another look.

Got the train from Perth Underground station and headed home.

Saturday

Today has been a nice quiet day.  Deb and I went to Rockingham City Centre (Big shopping centre) for morning tea and then to Baldivus Country Fair.  This fair is a once a year thing to raise funds for the local primary school.  Caron’s Fair Trade Group had a stall there and Deb and I went along for the afternoon to help.

I thought there were plenty of people there, however because of the weather numbers were down.  To me there seemed to be thousands but I am a lousy estimator of crowds.  It teemed down a number of times during the afternoon.  We were lucky because out stall was inside the school hall and we didn’t get wet.

I was able to have a look over one of their Bush Fire Service tankers.  Not much different from the Rural Fire Service tankers.  Some features are better like power operated hoses, others not so good like a mixture of hose fittings.  You work with what you are given by government.

Caron’s  stall made about $350 for the day.  A good result.

What a Week it has Been

Friday 21^st, Saturday 22^nd, Sunday 23^rd, Monday 24^th, Tuesday 25^th, Wednesday 26^th, Thursday 27^th, Friday 28^th October and Saturday 29^th Oct

Friday

Liz, Liam and Becca arrived at stupid o’clock last night.  Because they were getting a hire car we decided that they were big enough to look after themselves and we would meet them in Fremantle today.  As we were leaving the parking station we got a call to say they were in Fremantle and were about to go into a car park.  They were going into the same one we had just left so we were able to wait for them to come out and we started our Fremantle Adventure together.

We went to Fremantle Markets and it was amazing to see that a lot of the stalls that were there when we visited in 2008 were still there in the same places.  The only things that have changed were the prices although they were reasonably competitive with other boutique stalls.  The things that you can buy there aren’t readily available at Woollies or K-Mart. 

We got a phone call while we were exploring the markets from a couple of mates of Caron and Andrew’s from Sydney so we made arrangements to meet them and have lunch.  We went to Cicerellos which is a harbour side fish and chip restaurant.  Bernie and I had the “Seniors Special”.  Fish and chips in a basket, coffee or tea and an ice cream.  All for $12.  Normal fish and chips were $12.95 although you got an extra piece of fish.

Liz, Liam, Becca and the rest of us went back to our home away from home at Falcon to load up everything for our weekend at Fairbridge Village.  (More about the village later)  We arrived there at about 4.00 pm and put our gear into our bedrooms and put sheets onto the single beds and then had cheese and bickies while we waited for the rest of the family and visitors to arrive.

Fairbridge House
If you look closely at the small window on the right you may see a  ghost

Narelle and Gary Pollard and Lloyd and Sandy Hitchens arrived from Sydney.  Sandy had left straight from work and onto the plane.  It was really nice, just like a mini family reunion.  Good food and good company. 

Saturday

Saturday was the actual day of the 100^th party.  (2 X 50 = 100).  Everyone filled in their morning either by looking around the village or travelling further afield.  Caron had asked Deb to get some tourist information about the surrounding areas from the Tourist Information Centre at Mandurah so there was a bit of information there for those visitors, especially those from interstate to be able to make some choices.

Everyone started arriving at about 4.00 pm and there were about 15 people who had come from interstate to help Caron and Andrew celebrate their 50^th birthdays.  The food was excellent with both Andrew and Suzanne contributing.  Suzanne excelled with three cakes that indicated 100.  The one was a carrot cake, the first zero was coffee and the second zero was chocolate.  Very nice!!

It was a very good night with everyone either playing cards or board games or talking well into the wee hours.

Bedroom in Fairbridge House

Chapel of the Holy Innocents Fairbridge Village

Sunday

Sunday was pack up day.  After an excellent breakfast that went on for a couple of hours we departed from Fairbridge for Falcon.  We actually left at about 11am.  As you can imagine there was a fair bit to clean up because the whole affair was self-catered, so what pots and pans that went down there had to come back even though they were empty. 

Liz and Liam went off to explore the countryside.  Liz had visited the West about 10 or 11 years ago, however it was Liam’s first visit so they wanted to make the best of their time here.  The rest of us remained at Falcon for a while and because we had all had a good breakfast didn’t feel like lunch.  Mid-afternoon we headed for Mandurah where we decided to visit Simmo’s (ice cream shop) and do some shopping.

Fairbridge Village

Fairbridge Village was created in 1912 by a fellow called Kingsley Fairbridge who wanted to bring underprivileged children from the slums of England to the colonies for a better life.  They had the best of intentions and the majority of those who were sent to Australia under this scheme valued the opportunities and experience.

The property was run as a farm school where the boys learnt farming skills and the girls learnt domestic science.  There were something like 21 buildings that were used for accommodation with between 8 and 10 occupants each with a house matron who oversaw the daily activities of the children.

Before we left we went to the Museum that is located on the site and spoke to one of the “Old Fairbridgians” who was on duty.  They have a roster to man the museum and the fellow we spoke to was there from 1955 to 1961.  He said that nothing went on like in the religious institutions in the West.  He reckoned that what he learnt at Fairbridge set him up for the rest of his life.

For more information you can look up Kingsley Fairbridge or go to www.fairbridge.asn.au

The villiage still carries on youth work to this day.  There were 8 Fairbridge Village/Schools throughout the world with the one in WA being tho only one remaining.  There was one at Molong in NSW.

Monday

Quiet day today.  Went up to the Warnbro Passmores for lunch.  Narelle and Gary were there as well as Xin Mei, Mathew and Suzanne.  Really nice day.  We all departed at about 2.30 pm, Narelle and Gary to head further south and Liz, Liam and Becca to head to the airport.  Their flight left at about 4.50 pm local time.  We headed to Falcon to recuperate from the weekend and get ready for an early start tomorrow.

Tuesday

Big day today.  Up early and off to Warnbro.  Jan and Bernie dropped Ruth, Deb and I off at Warnbro and we put all our gear into Andy’s car and off to Fremantle to board the ferry to Rottnest.  On arrival in Fremantle we saw the replica of His Majesties Barque Endeavour berthed just behind where the ferries to Rottnest Island leave from.  Of course we had to have a look over it.  Seniors card came in handy again. 

HMB Endeavour

Original Ballast from Endeavour

Endeavour Serviette

The ship was a bit of an eye opener.  The conditions that the sailors and the officers lived under were quite cramped.  I liked the serviettes that the sailors used.  The ropes that held their mess tables up had frayed sections of rope attached to them and the sailors wiped their hands on.  When they got too dirty or greasy they were replaced.  The only piece of the original Endeavour on the replica was a piece of ballast that was picked up on the Great Barrier Reef where they dumped it when they were holed.

While sitting on the ferry, waiting to leave Fremantle we were lucky enough to see a small pod of dolphins moving through the water right next to us. Wonderful.

Arrived on Rottnest at about 12 midday.  Found a nice place under the trees and had our lunch that Andy had packed.  Before leaving the mainland we organised a bus trip around the island.  It was well worth the money.  Took about 90 minutes and went all over.  The bus driver was a font of knowledge about Rottnest Island and its history.

Andy booked a unit on the island for us.  It was 2 bedrooms and slept 4 overlooking the bay at the main settlement.  Beautiful views of the bay and you could clearly see the CBD of Perth and Fremantle.  The views of the lights at night were really spectacular. 

Our Unit and Part of the View

Our Unit looking from the Beach

Night Lights of Perth

There is a little marsupial on the island called the Quokka.  The first Dutchman to see them thought they were rats and named the island Rottnest.  Rot is the Dutch word for rat so essentially the name of the island is rats nest.

Quokka and Joey

Each of the units on the island has reticulated gas and they all have a barbecue plumbed into the system  Andrew had taken some sausages and salad over and we had a BBQ tea overlooking the bay.  Spectacular.

Wednesday

Ruth and I met Jan and Bernie at the jetty when the first ferry arrived at 8 am.  We also visited the visitors centre and booked a tour to the Oliver Hill Battery.  This battery was constructed prior to the Second World War and consisted of 2, 9.2 inch guns and a number of 6 inch guns.  The 6 inch guns are no longer there but the 9.2 inch are still there.  One has been restored along with the tunnels and magazines.  We also got a ticket for Jan, Bernie, Deb and I on the bus that travels the island dropping off and picking up passengers.  After our tour the previous day Deb and I acted as guides for the others.

Deb feeding Quokka with Natural Food.  Must NOT feed the Quokkas with anything else

After the first stop we were the only passengers and the bus driver added to the commentary as well.  We saw a number of whales jumping out of the water a fair distance away but it was spectacular none the less.

Stingray Swimming close to the Beach

Rottnest Pellicans

The tour of the Oliver Hill Battery was really interesting.  We were supposed to go there on a small train that runs on the train line that was constructed for the building of the battery, however it was unserviceable so we had to use a bus instead, so we didn’t know what to call it a trus or a brain.

9.2 inch Gun at Oliver Hill Battery

Rottnest Hotel (Was Governors Summer Residence)

Ruth and Andrew did a heritage walk around the main settlement while Bernie, Jan, Deb and I did a walk around looking at the old buildings and what has been done with them.  The Rottnest Hotel is in what was the Governors summer residence, castellated towers and all.

Back to Mandurah and the Atrium Hotel where we were booked in for dinner.  The Atrium restaurant is run by TAFE Hospitality students on a Wednesday and we had a 3 course dinner for $21 per head.  Started with a choice of oyster natural and smoked salmon or Vietnamese spring roll with salad, next was a buffet with curried beef with saffron rice, honey soy chicken, pork belly, potatoes dauphine, snow peas with bacon and seafood mornay.  For desert there was a choice of chocolate bread and butter pudding, creamed rice with rhubarb and cardamom, black forest cake, lemon lime tart and small Chinese type spoons with cream with meringue bits topped with strawberries that had been marinated in balsamic vinegar.  What a way to finish a great day.

Thursday

Andrew stayed with us in Falcon last night so we could head off this morning to Busselton.  At Busselton they have one of the world’s longest jetties.  Just under 1.8 km.  At the end is an underwater observatory that has been built because the jetty piles act as an artificial reef and attract a large number of fish species.  The large windows allow the viewing of a large area and lots of fish.  Because of the water really clear photographs are nearly impossible, however we all managed to get one or two good shots. 

Fish Viewed from the Observatory

There is a small train that takes you out to the observatory and back.  I think it is one of the units that they had in Brisbane for the Expo back in 1988.  It tows about 6 carriages on the train line that was originally laid to take timber out to ships in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  We took the train out but walked back.  There wasn’t much leg room especially when Andrew and I sat opposite each other.  The walk back was quite pleasant but needed a bit of effort because of the wind we were walking into.  The nautically knowledgeable among us estimated that it was blowing in excess of 25 knots.

Not Much Legroom

For lunch we partook of the local fish and chips finishing off with an ice cream from Simmo’s. 

On our return from Busselton we called into the Old Cheddar Cheese Factory and topped up our supply of creamy cheddar plus some creamy cheddar and muscatel and creamy cheddar with plum and port.  We also visited a winery called Pepper Grove where Andrew got some bottled wine plus a couple of bottles that had been opened for tasting that he could use for cooking.  We were going to have a look at an ornamental metal place called “The Forgery” but unfortunately it was closed. 

Another good but tiring day.

Friday

Today is a public holiday for CHOGM.  Evidently it is replacing the Queen’s Birthday holiday which was when we first arrived in Western Australia.

Serpentine Falls

We had a later start today and we went to Serpentine Falls which is about 50 km from here and about 35 from Andrew and Caron.  It was really nice there and I have taken a number of shots of the water falling down rocks.  (Just for Raymond).  Andrew, Mathew and Xin Mei climbed the rock face to have a look at the water above.  They got to the top and read the sign that was there telling them not to climb the rocks.  The sign may have been better placed at the bottom of the climb.

Andrew Climbing Rock

Sign says "Don't Climb the Rock"

There was quite a crowd at the picnic area and the smells coming from some of the barbecues were fantastic, there were a number of families there that came from overseas.  Our picnic was nice with fresh bread rolls, BBQ chicken, leg ham and all the salad trimmings.  We are going to have to do some walking to get off the good living we have been doing.

Narelle had sent a game to Caron and Andrew for their 50^th which finally turned up on Tuesday or Wednesday.  It’s a knock down different pins until you get a specific score.  Some were good at it while some like Bernie was a bit of a burglar.  Everyone seemed to enjoy playing it. 

We went up to Serpentine Falls through Pinjarra.  Andrew came back with us and we went over the Serpentine Dam wall and back through Jarrahdale and Mundijong to Warnbro for afternoon tea.

Team Playing Finska

Saturday

Today we went up to Warnbro.  We picked up Andrew and then Suzanne and went to Naragebup Environmental Centre, The first time we have had all the seats occupied by adults.  

A tight squeeze but good for trips under 100 km. Naragebup is a volunteer run centre and has fallen on hard times and there was a fundraising day.  There were various groups and individuals and I was particularly interested in a drumming group.  We had lunch there and some really nice home-made cakes especially the boiled fruit cake.

Dinner tonight had an Italian theme.  Mushroom bruschetta (Mathew), mushroom soup (Suzanne), lasagne (Suzanne), tiramisu both coffee and chocolate (Deborah).  We also had some cream mixed with meringue and strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar.  The Italian part was the balsamic.

Haven’t decided what tomorrow will bring, maybe Fremantle.