Travelling Around Australia: January 2014

December 10^th 2013 until January 21st 2014

This is a brief blog on what we have been doing since we arrived in Perth on 10^th December 2013. We stayed at a caravan park near the airport so we could get ourselves organised for our surprise visit home at Christmas. We had planned to stay at this park for a week and then store the van while we went home, but luckily for us, a couple we met in NSW in 2011, rang us and offered their side driveway for our van and to look after it while we went home. A very generous offer and one we thankfully took up as it saved us a bit of money. Thanks very much to Val and Garry.

In this first week in Perth, we were busy shopping for Christmas and preparing to go home, so we didn’t do any sightseeing. We had a lot of anticipation for our journey home because it was a surprise and nobody except my daughter Emma knew we were coming. We planned it back in October and it was one of the hardest secrets to keep. It was such a great Christmas, after not seeing our family for over year, we had a fabulous time catching up with our families, friends, work colleagues and old neighbours. It was a hectic ten days to say the least but nonetheless most enjoyable.

We arrived back in Perth on 27^th December, exhausted but happy. Now it was time to explore this beautiful city. We drove to Rockingham which is the southernmost border of Perth and is a very popular tourist attraction. It was really busy when we were here with plenty of holiday makers. Back in the city, Kings Park and the Botanical Gardens are beautiful. There is an excellent view of Perth City and the Swan River from a lookout in the park. We enjoyed a lovely lunch here and a few hours exploring the park. We took a lovely drive up the coast to Scarborough Beach and Sorrento, passing some lovely beaches on the way. The beaches are beautiful with lots of white sand. Sorrento Quay Boardwalk and Hillarys Boat Harbour are really pretty, with a lot to do and see, we spent a wonderful few hours there.

Perth City is also very interesting to see with sights including, London Court, The Bell Tower and Barrack St Jetty. It was from here that we went on a cruise up the Swan Valley. It was a magnificent day with a beautiful lunch, great commentary, entertainment by the staff and plenty of wine. This was our thank you gift to Val and Garry for allowing us to stay on their property.

Champion Lakes is a rowing venue where we spent the day with a picnic lunch. It is a great spot with a beach and plenty of shade. We were able to put the Hobie to good use out here, using the rowing course for our exercise. The Crown Casino at Burswood was worth a visit to see its beautiful foyer and for a nice lunch.

Garry and Val took us for a lovely drive Northeast of Perth to Toodyay, a lovely little historical town that reminded me of Malden in Victoria. On the way we stopped at Leschenaultia Lake which is very pretty with lots of picnic areas and camping available but not for caravans. We also stopped to have a look at Noble Falls, although there wasn’t much water falling, it is a pretty spot. After a look around and a nice lunch at Toodyay we drove back through Northam in the Avon Valley then onto York, where we went for an interesting walk around this lovely historic township.

We left Perth on 17^th December and stayed at Fremantle for four days at Woodman Point. From here we caught the bus into the lovely port city of Fremantle and had a great day out exploring the area. We visited the very interesting Shipwreck Galleries, the old Fremantle prison, had a potter around the historic Fremantle markets, enjoyed fish and chips at Fishing Boat harbour, went for a ride in a Gondola on the Tourist Wheel and had a look at the Maritime Museum. Fremantle is a charming city and one we thoroughly enjoyed exploring.

Currently we are south of Mandurah at a free campsite called Herron Point. We have been here since January 21^st and will be staying a few more days before heading inland a little bit to Potters Gorge in the Wellington National Park on Wellington Dam. We will then be house-sitting for three weeks in a little town called Balingup, from 17^th February until 15^th March. During this time we will be able to do day trips around the southwest including, Margaret River and Bunbury areas. My next blog will be after we explore the whole of the Southwest of Western Australia.

Cheers til next time