I arrived in Perth a bit disorientated, having left Johannesburg the previous evening without finding out the flight time or time difference.  The flight turned out to be a lot shorter than I’d anticipated, then I got caught up in Immigration whilst they searched me, and cleaned my shoes in case they were carrying Foot and Mouth.  It was kind of embarrassing, as I couldn’t re-pack my bag once it had been opened!

Barney was waiting for me in the arrivals hall – it was fantastic to see him for the first time since arriving back from the Russian Tour in August of last year.

Rottnest Island lies just off the coast of Fremantle, and you get there by catamaran.  It got it’s name from the Quokka’s that inhabit the island, which had originally been mistaken for rats!  It wasn’t so warm, so we took a bus tour around the island, with stops at some of the beaches and the lighthouse.

At Perth Mint, I was weighed to find out my weight in Gold.  For some reason, I can’t find the figure – perhaps that’s a good thing!  We got to watch some gold being melted down and a gold bar being made, and of course, on your way out, you get directed through the gift shop.

I couldn’t resist the fridge magnets that I found in Fremantle Market, and came home with a Koala and a Kangaroo, each with a magnet on each paw!  There were lots of other things I could have been tempted with, but after the packing fiasco at the airport, decided against it. Across the road is Fremantle’s Cappuccino Strip where you can sit in the sun and watch the world go by.  

One day, I went to visit the Round House, a former prison overlooking the ocean, then went on to the Maritime Museum, where I met a guy who had an ice cream container full of parts of a ship’s engine, which he was trying to put back together like a jigsaw!

Barney’s family made me feel very welcome and even allowed me to light the fire – very cozy!  They have fruit trees growing that I’ve never heard of, and most of those I have heard of too.  On the farm, I’ve never seen so many carrots.  I can’t wait to see them all again.

You could spend days wandering around Perth – Kings Park and Botanical Gardens, the harbour area, where you could watch birdlife, and the jellyfish swimming below the pier, and watch candy being made in the shopping mall. 

At Perth Zoo, I met Kangaroos, saw my first ever Black Swans, but the Koala bear was sleeping in a tree and hiding his face!

We took an evening Candlelit Tour of Fremantle Prison.  There were plenty of opportunities to be frightened, like when someone jumped from a the top floor and landed in the nets above our heads, and when prisoners sprung out of their cells with tales of their living conditions.  The strangest thing was that, after months of travelling, our guide had a West Country accent (Bath). 

Another bizarre coincidence was that the customs guy at the airport was from the West Country too (Bristol).   

6 months after leaving Australia, I finally returned to a slightly warmer climate than was here before.  Having revisited Perth, Fremantle and the beaches, Barney and I went to the south of W.A. for a few days...

In my previous life, I would never have visited a Whaling Station, but everyone said 'you should go'.  This one was the last in Australia, and closed for economic reason, rather than environmental pressures.  The museum shows what happened to the whales once they arrived at the station, and the machinery used for extracting the oils and the process for using every part of the whale's body.

In the Valley of the Giants, a walkway has been constructed which reaches 40 meters in height.  It only takes one overgrown kid on the walkway to make the whole thing sway like a ship!  Many of the trees have been hollowed out by fire, but still grow new branches.

The hollow in the Giant Tingle Tree is big enough to park a car.  It's set in a peaceful forest.  It's somewhere I'd like to go back to and follow the walking trails one day.  We concluded with a tour of 4 of Denmark's Wineries - 20 tastes of wine later, and I was ready to sleep!

Kangaroos.. we actually got to see some wild ones in Denmark.  They wouldn't let us go too near, but they graze this field every morning and evening.  

They call this The Red Centre, and I was expecting to see red desert everywhere.  In fact, there's lush green vegetation all over the place.  The last couple of years have seen unusually high rainfall.  During the afternoon that I visited The Olgas and Ayers Rock, there was a freak rainstorm.  The pictures below were taken before and after the rain.

The rain set in shortly after the picture of the gorge (above) was taken.  There were rivers to cross on our walk out of the gorge that weren't there when we arrived.  The rocks were streaming with waterfalls.  Quite an incredible sight.  I had to take my t-shirt off and wring it out, and drain the water from my shoes!

We drove past the Sunset Lookout Spot (above right), a couple of hours before this picture, and couldn't even see the rock!

Although it was a little disappointing not to see a good sunset at Ayers Rock, we were really lucky to get to see the waterfalls on the rock.  The afternoon then turned into more of an rescue mission for stranded walkers.  The road was flooded in places, and impassable at one spot.  

I took a one day tour to Kings Canyon the day after the storm.  Water was flowing here too, which is unusual.  I took the lazy option - a short walk along the canyon bed. About every 60 years, more of the rocks crash to the ground.  The last time was about 60 years ago, so we were only allowed to walk a short way.

Sydney is bringing back lots of old memories - not the city itself, but all the friends I've been able to catch up with here.  

This was my second visit to Sydney, the first being in 1998 for Gremlin and Jo's wedding (a very jet-lagged 4 day visit).  My impression on that occasion was, 'nice city, but just a city and it rains a lot'.  This time, I think differently.

I took a leisurely Sunday walk with my hosts Chris(tine) and Paul, also Sylvia, who I met whilst travelling in Africa earlier this year.  We went to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park on the edge of Sydney.  Paul is a scientist, and was able to explain many of the strange markings on trees and plants.  In the park, you can walk to beaches and see ancient 'red-hand' markings left on the rocks by Aboriginal people and if you're really lucky, a kookaburra may pose for a photo!  

The following day, we had a reunion of half of our African tour group (Namibia-Botswana-Zimbabwe).  We had a lot of fun remembering the stories and characters on the tour.  Wonder whether Nelson ever got his tail?

It was strange to catch up with a Bristolian friend in Australia, and hear that strong Bristolian accent again.  Gremlin left Bristol to marry Jo.  Saturdays at Ashton Gate were never quite the same after he left.  Anyway, thanks for leaving, Grem.  I got some of my inspiration to travel from your voyages around the world.  

Catherine (from the Scandi/Russia tour) arrived back in Australia for Christmas, so I was able to spend a weekend with her family in Newcastle.  We spotted the cute koala in a reserve nearby, and also went wine tasting in the Hunter Valley.  Mickey the dog, is the centre of attention in their home, just as Barney and Sandy are in mine, which made me miss home a bit.

Then came Christmas - my first ever away from home.  I kept saying 'it can't be Christmas - it's warm!'  Chris and Paul treated me to a Christmas on Bronte Beach.  We realised that there must be a bush fire nearby, judging by the colour of the sky.  The evening news confirmed the extent of the fires, and our planned trip to the Blue Mountains had to be cancelled.

Canberra - Australia's Capital... what a strange city!  It's bizarre that you can walk for 20 minutes and not pass a single building.  Imagine that in London?  Buses are infrequent.  Street signs are infrequent (they say it would pollute the view), therefore, you walk for miles and get lost often!

Apart from that, I like the city.  Its warm and sunny, the people are happy and friendly, the Youth Hostel is great, no traffic jams or pollution and when you do finally reach the museum you're heading for, it's worth the walk.

Tidbinbilla, a nearby nature reserve had been strongly recommended, so Ruth (also from the African tour) and I went there for a day.  Most of the walking tracks were out of bounds due to the fire risk, however it was too hot to walk far anyway.  Living in the reserve are koalas, kangaroos and other natives, although it seems that most of them were keeping a low profile due to the heat!

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