Friday...18 October 2013

Is it Friday already? But I have not stopped hurting from my outing on Tuesday, it cannot be Friday!
Still no sign of the repair kit for the roof and the clock is ticking.
But guess what? It did not rain yesterday and so far it has not rained today (although the forecast is for showers). Life is improving, even the temperatures are climbing, very slowly, but they are inching upward. I even took the extra blanket off the bed. Still got the flannel sheets and doona but being able to take off one blanket is a huge leap forward into warmer times. Maybe the cold, wet, miserable weather is slowly moving away at last. Unless we have an unexpected cold snap it does not matter that I cannot buy a heater as the shops are only selling fans now. Bring on the sun.
Himself has gone to buy various oils and fluids to give the ute a service before we tackle the Nullabor again. A few last bits of shopping and a final round of farewells and we will be off, back into the wide blue yonder as we begin another loop of this great land.

Tuesday...15 October 2013

After nearly 40 years we have finally ticked a long overdue box.
Today we were up before dawn to catch the ferry for a day trip to Rottnest Island.
While we were waiting for our ferry we were able to have a look at the Leeuwin II. It is a Tall Ship with over 810 square metres of sail and an overall length of 55 metres. It is a working ship and all voyage participants are expected to be involved in most aspects of ship operations, from sailing, steering and navigating to cleaning the ship and climbing the mast. Must be exciting for the lucky ones who get to work on her.

Rotto as the locals call it is an island half an hours boat ride off the coast of Western Australia and is loved by all for an affordable family orientated island holiday. The entire island is an A Class Nature Reserve which means it is a National Park and owned by the state and managed by the state on behalf of the people of WA. The only means of transport on the island is by walking, hiring a push bike, or on the bus that does loops of the island every hour on the half hour.

We began our day by jumping on the bus and riding it right around the island to get an idea of the terrain and layout. Along the way the bus slowed four times to give way to snakes and was constantly slowing as well to allow bike riders to move to the side of the roadway and let us through. After lunch we took the trip up to the old WW2 gun emplacements and the tunnel system under them. On arrival we were met by a volunteer island guide who showed us around.

The men in our group certainly enjoyed the event and the chance to get up close to a huge cannon. It definitely was good although a few of us found the many stairs and steps a bit daunting. Going down was super easy, but the coming back up was hard work for more than one of us!
Of course we eventually encountered the famous Rottnest Quokas. These cute little marsupials wander happily among the tourists and most of them seem to have no fear of humans.

We finished the day with a slow stroll around the main township and looked at some of the oldest buildings and the history associated with them before boarding our ferry back to the mainland.

A very good day out.

Saturday...12 October 2013

It's raining. Why am I not surprised!
Yesterday there was sunshine but it was cold enough to have a jumper on most of the day, today it rains and they tell me there is more to come. Would like to leave but there is still things to do before we can move on with our travels. Fairly certain this town will be on the do not visit again any time soon list! It is cold, wet and noisy.

Thursday...10 October 2013

Heavens, time flies as you get older. I can remember how it took forever when waiting for exciting events as a much much younger person, but these days the event is over and old history before I even have time to catch my breath and say well that was fun!
Our friends arrived in our area and we had a lovely time with them one afternoon catching up on the news of their travels and then last night we went to a pub for dinner and chatted our way through the meal and ended up being the last customers in their dining area and did not realise it until the staff rather nicely asked if we were finished. Back to our place afterwards for coffee and a heap more chatting. Such a good night. Do hope we can manage to fit in another visit before they leave on the next leg of their journey at the end of the week.

Sunday...6 October 2013

Caravan Parks can be interesting places. They are usually quiet on the surface but a hive of activity underneath. There are always people coming an going. Two weekends in a row now we have had groups attending weddings accompanied by noisy late night activity as these well oiled guests return to their accommodation! Surprisingly the same people manage to make even more noise early in the morning as they depart again on their way home after what was surely the best wedding ever (if they can remember any of it).
Yesterday Himself cut the wood to make a computer desk to fit along the back of our caravan. It will be nice having a permanent area for our communications.
Later today we will be visiting with old friends who are travelling around Australia on their retirement trip and are now in our area. Really looking forward to seeing them and hearing of their travels.

Thursday...3 October 2013

Back on the tourist trail yesterday. We went to The Pinnacles.
We saw Burns Beach, Yanchep, Two Rocks, Ledge Point, Lancelin and Cervantes, all places we have never been before even though they are within a couple of hours drive of Perth.
Yanchep was home to a some beach shacks until it was chosen by Alan Bond as a base for the Americas Cup challenge.
But anyway, back to the Pinnacles  Another of our natural wonders and quite something to behold. Formed 25,000 to 30,000 years ago after the Indian Ocean coastal winds eroded the surrounding sand, leaving the limestone pillars exposed to the elements, it was interesting to see the colour variation of the yellow sand created by the weathering of the formations contrasting with the pure white of the sand dunes from the nearby Indian Ocean. And there are so many of them, that was a bit surprising. These unusually shaped rocks have been likened to tombstones, termite mounds and even fingers. Vehicles must stay within the designated paths but people may walk around the formations, which allows for a close up look at the composition of the rocks. The formations vary in size and shape, some as small as a mouse whilst many are as big as 3.5 metres high.
The information centre had some good displays too. So very glad we finally went to see them.
Could have done without the mini bus load of Asian tourists who were noisier than a mob of parrots! Why can't they show some reverence for the wondrous works of Mother Nature?

Tuesday...1 October 2013

Now you would think that after more than two weeks of continuous rain, the local water storage would be near or at least close to the top of the dam wall. But it is still a fair way off the top. Maybe that will change as water filters down through the catchment zone. I hear that another storage is full and over flowing down south a bit. I guess it is not as big as this one. Note to the bloke in charge; we do not need to try harder to fill the above dam. A few days sunshine would be appreciated by the populace so that they can soothe their somewhat depressed souls!
Spent the last couple of days visiting with a special friend. We like catching up with her, she has such a warm and relaxing home. She sure is good at cutting wood for the wonderfully warm heater! And happy hour is long and happy. Perfect.