Back to Perth and off again.

The exhaust was repaired quickly and efficiently and we set off south to visit Phillip and Jenny Perkins and the B & B in Toodjay called The Limes. The Phippards came up from Perth and we had a great night sitting around the fire and sampling some of WA's finest! Back to Perth and a bit of reorganisation and we set off with the van and headed south towards the Stirlings. Overnight in Cranbrook and then onto the Mt Trio bush camp and the gathering of KK vans which was the prime reason initially for this expedition. A wonderful time. The KK ladies cooked up a feast for our "formal" dinner together. What a meal!!!!

I love the Stirlings and we were wise enough to go on an orchid tour with the local guides.



We found lots and took heaps of photos.




The backdrop of the range is wonderful for photography especially when there are fields of brilliant yellow canola in the foreground. We tried numbat spotting - we heard some rustlings in the bushes but that was it!


Next stop Albany - this is one to add to your wish list if you have never been there. The scenery is amazing and the contrast between the clear bright blue seas and the sparkling white sand is a delight.

There are lots of little drives to do, lookouts to visit, boardwalks and beaches and a some great spots to eat. The Albany oysters are not too bad at all and we had some pretty good squid at The Squid Shack. We continued our KK gathering at the camping area as several vans had headed in this direction. The wretched van did an unexpected collapse as we were putting it up but the Engineer fixed it with great skill. It frightened me half to death. This all caused us to extend our stay for a day.

From Albany we headed east towards Esperance through fields and fields of flowers to visit Sammy the Seal who visits the old tanker jetty area and to see The Pink Lake. Sammy was in position but the Lake was not pink! Sammy was resting in the sun when we arrived and he only moved to have a scratch, an occasional stretch and to swat a fly.

Then a fisherman cleaned his catch and Sammy was in the water quick smart. He cleaned up the waste and then waited for a wave and surfed back to his spot on the sand. He waited till he was washed right up, dragged himself up the sand and then with a sigh and a wobble he slumped down again to await his next feed.


We had dinner at the Pier Hotel - a wise choice. It was very very busy, a good sign in a town like this. Food was tasty, well priced and they only charged $5 extra for the salad bar to go with my chilli prawn pizza! The van park here overlooks the sea and it is quite old. The sites are large and the trees are beautiful - much better than lots of tar, games rooms and jumping pillows. The main thing wrong with jumping pillows is that they have age/weight limits and they exclude me.

Tomorrow - eastwards and homewards. Oh it is a long long way - but I am ready for some cuddles from Bethany and Ethan and I am looking forward to seeing everyone else, especially the rest of the family, as well. And I want to chat in person with my friends! I have lots to do when I return.

Wandering through WA.

I am somewhat annoyed with Blogger as it will not let me edit. I misnamed the beautiful little twins - they are not Tex and Lex but rather Ted and Lex. Try as I may I cannot correct it. GRRRRRR!!!!!!





Yesterday morning we left Kalamunda and headed towards the coast before our drive north on the recently finished Indian Pacific Drive. It is an excellent road and a most pleasant experience. We had coffee at Leeman's Landing and learned a little more about WA history before we enjoyed a fisherman's basket at the Lancelin Pub. A great view from the restaurant and beer garden! Then northwards - stopping, taking photos, and enjoying the scenery. I had never been to the Pinnacles - made it at last!!!! There was plenty to see and photograph and the whole experience took us 9 hours. That must be the longest drive ever between Kalamunda and Geraldton.



We had not been to Geraldton since 1978 - it bears very little similarity to the town of so long ago. Last night we had dinner at an Italian restaurant Topolinis Cafe and the food was great. The impact of the boom was quite evident in prices however so today we went in search of groceries and fruit in order to feed ourselves!

A reasonably early start saw us heading for Mullewa in search of the elusive wreath flower. We had missed them in the past were we were not too confident. However we collected a map from the Information Centre and were amply rewarded for our efforts. We saw dozens and dozens. What amazing flowers!






This trip has been also good for lizards - 1 unidentifued spiky one yesterday , and a stumpy tail plus ????? today. Shame we left all our ID books at home.


Those white flowers are just a small sample of the carpet on the ground - pink, yellow, white and mauve.

When we returned from Mullewa we drove all around the port and later we drove to the top of the highest hill in town to see the Sydney 11 memorial. This is a good location as it was sunk during WW2 off the coast from here.

Tomorrow morning begins with a trip to the Exhaust Shop - we have a most peculiar rumble which needs to be fixed before we return to Perth and collect the van.

More twins

These 2 are Marley and Imogen - the children of Rebecca and Richard.
Beautiful smiles from beautiful children.

Perth - a great place to be.

A beautiful Kangaroo Paw - the state flower of WA.

Perth continues to be a great place to visit. We have enjoyed the companionship of Lyn and Ian and their family, played with the grandchildren and eaten and drunk well.


Double trouble in the form of 2 budding musicians - Melissa and Starcy's beautiful 13 month old twins, Tex and Lex.


Last night we had dinner with Tony B (the son of Jack and Antoinette who live next door to us at Wentworth Falls) at the Brisbane Hotel. The food was excellent - I can recommend it!

During the day we visited Kings Park and enjoyed a coffee overlooking the city. Perth at this time of year is very green - it isn't quite the same as summer approaches.


We are currently thinking about our activities during the next few days as we plan a possible trip north to visit some more of Western Australia's spectacular wildflowers.