Day 9 to 11 - Holiday, Holiday part 1

The time arrived for us to go walkabout in Australia for two nights in what we called our Holiday, Holiday and sometimes Holiday, Holiday, Holiday in honour of the Micky Flanagan piece, out out which we had recently watched on DVD.  In fact we used the terms a lot such as lunch lunch, swim swim, shower shower etc. much to the annoyance of Jodie and Jenny.

Open road

We headed North out of Perth on the main road, and as we got out into the outback we rarely saw vehicles behind or in front of us, with the occasional vehicle passing in the opposite direction.  All you had to do was turn the music up, set the cruise control to 110 kph, steer and watch out for oncoming Kangaroo's. 

Open road - to infinity and beyond

Destination Gabbadah

Our destination was a holiday (holiday) home at Sandalwood Rd, Gabbadah WA 6041, 122 km away, which was rented from a friend of a friend and provided an ideal base camp for the next few trips.

Base camp Trafford/Anscombe

Guilderton

With the cars unloaded we headed off to Guilderton the nearest coastal town, for a bit R&R, a swim and an Ice cream.

One of Simon's (many) Pano's - Moore river to the left, the Indian Ocean to the right.

Love this picture

Looking inland at Moore river

Another glorious empty beech

Moore river walk

We then took a short drive along the Moore river to a designated walk which provided yet another photo opportunity.

Another pano....

Kangaroo's

On the way back to base camp we got to see a Kangaroo and Joey who lived very close to base camp.

Kanga and roo

In one of the cupboards we discovered a store of games, which included a well used pack of UNO.  So several rounds of UNO ensued with some very dubious collaboration on the call of UNO.

It was a very clear evening and the stars shone brightly in the sky, so we decided to have a go at time lapse photography to capture them.  None of us had done it before and without internet access it was a case of trial and error, with mixed results.

The moon and some stars

So we started painting with light to try and figure it out, but got distracted and had more fun with a torch and iPhone lamp.

Paul and Porter

It is amazing what you can create when you go internet cold turkey!!

More images can be found here.

Follow the link to Part 2.

Day 8 - Train, Bus & Boat

Train

We took the train from Kwinana to Perth (Esplanade).  There are four stops, Cockburn Central, Murdoch, Bull Creek, and Canning Bridge.  The electric train itself runs down track in the centre of the Freeway.

Next stop Perth

Bus

We then decided to go on the City Sightseeing tour open top bus all around Perth.  A good photo opportunity.

The route

Lunch was at the Lucky Shag (named after a bird in case you were wondering!).

Boat

We booked a Jet Boat Experience, which was basically a high speed blast around Perth's Swan river doing 360's and emergency stops.  Strap in and enjoy the ride, the emergency exits are all around was the safety tip - you may get a bit wet.  Thankfully we were given waterproof coats.....

Damp!!!

Well the waterproofs were useless and we got absolutley soaked through to the skin on the boat but had lots of fun doing it! Jodie was convinced that a jellyfish had been thrown on board via the massive splash waves, we all found Jodie just as amusing as the boat ride itself!

Still it provided a beer opportunity to dry out.

We then headed back home where Simon & Paul built the BBQ, finished with sausages and corn on the cob.

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Day 7 & 8 - Project Barbie

BBQ Day one - the purchase

With the workmen almost finished on the outside area of Hotel Anscombe, it was time for the most important purchase of all........the Barbie.  Luckily corporate Australia has recognised this and provided the suitably named "Barbecues Galore" to cater for all things barbie.

A vast selection was narrowed down to a couple of options, but as any hardened shopper knows a shopping trip always requires a price/model comparison, so it was off next door to Bunnings, the Aussie equivalent to B&Q.

Meanwhile the girls relaxed and tested out the comfort provided by the Aussie seating solutions

Unfortunately the options provided at Bunnings were not suitable, but all was not in vain as a Frangipani plant was selected....  

Frangipani

So it was back to Barbecues Galore to do the deal, and a Discoverer 5 burner with accompanying Gas and tools was procured.

Next stop Coles (supermarket) to stock up with supplies for the inaugural Barbie.

A quick Barbie update on Skype was provided back to the UK as progress was being closely monitored.

BBQ Day two - the big build

So where to start?

Any idea Porter?

Instructions included, that's a good start!!

Floor section completed, with wheels!!

Base section done, just doors to add. 

Firebox in place.

Sides on, gas connected, good to go.. time for a beer and a barbie :)

Complete job

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Day 6 - Lazy day!

We had a really lazy, relaxing day today. We took a stroll down a secluded beach (challenger Beach) which was near Rockingham. The sea was beautiful and clear and the weather was perfect.

Porter enjoyed having the beach and the sea to run in and swim in and was fabulous at retrieving his ball from the ocean. (Simon, Jodie, Jenny & Paul were all rubbish at fetch though!) They played 'Porter in the middle' and he kept us all entertained with his unique way of entering the sea!

The Porter "dive"

We went back to Hotel Anscombe and did lots more relaxing. Jenny & Biz had an afternoon nap, Simon edited the video footage of the dolphins and Paul, Jodie & I had a go at a few crosswords. We may have completed one without the help of the answers or google! The pavers have nearly finished around the pool now so were looking forward to a few pool days and al fresco BBQ's (if we can fit them in!)

The evening was spent playing 'trumps' (thats the card version just in case anyone was wondering!), that bought back a few memories of when I was younger (much younger!) playing cards with Granny Annie.

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Day 5 - 2nd April 2014....... Jodie's 15th birthday

An early start and a very exciting day for 2 reasons, the first is that it is Jodie's 15th birthday, the other is that we were booked in to swim with the dolphins at Rockingham!

When we arrived we had time to grab a quick coffee, we took this opportunity to sing happy birthday to a very embarrassed birthday girl!

We made our way to the vessel, were fitted with wet suits, snorkel & goggles, signed a form stating that if sharks killed us they wouldn't get sued and then we were on our way! They explained that as these were wild dolphins they couldn't guarantee that we would see any, or if we did what mood they would be in. They told us it was dangerous (for the dolphins, not us) to touch them, however tempting it may be, as their skin has a special slimy layer designed to keep out ulcers and infections. So with the hope of seeing them we set off.

It wasn't too long at all before we caught sight of a pod, the guides said they were a female nursery group, so we were quickly escorted into the sea, holding onto the person in front with the left hand and looking right. This ensured we could get in and out quickly and quietly so we didn't scare the dolphins off. It was truly amazing, they swam in-between us, below, next to us, twisted and turned and we could hear the noises they were making too. At some points they came so close we could have literally touched them. We were in and out like yo-yo's and had at least 5 experiences like above. Even the crew were excited that the dolphins had been so sociable and put it down to the fact that they were females!

Once the dolphins began to lose interest in playing with us, the boat went faster and created waves so they could have a bit more fun in. This was spectacular and resulted in seeing them jumping out of the water........it was fabulous!

There are some extra photos taken by the boat company via this link Rockingham Wild Encounters images.

We then followed that by a hop over on the ferry to penguin island to see the 'little penguins'. These were really cute and the island is inhabited by them. The ones we saw had been rescued and because of that would never be able to fend for themselves in the wild. The oldest was 21 years old!

A swim in the pool at Hotel Anscombe (well Jodie, Jenny, Simon & Paul!), followed by a Skype to Mum & Dad, yet another round of 'happy birthday' and no less than 2 cakes, one in Oz and one in the UK saw us through until Dominos arrived! The day was concluded with a game of 'cheat' and 'monopoly' although I'm sure certain people were getting these games a little confused ;) 

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Day 4 - South Perth

So, the plan today was to head down to South Perth and go on the Swan Jet Adventure which is a speed boat that whizzes around, a bit like an alton towers ride.

We parked by the Bell Tower which apparently has bells all the way from England in it.

The Bell Tower

At last the Perth sun was finally well and truly out and the skies were blue :)

We headed over to the boat................can you spot us??

Can you see us? No, you won't! Unfortunately it was closed so after a light refreshment we headed over the other side by a sedate ferry instead while Paul & Biz fought their way through the traffic to meet us.

We had a slight emergency when we reached the other side and Paul & Biz hadn't arrived, Jodie nearly went into a full scale meltdown having not eaten in over an hour! Soon enough though our rescuers arrived and all was then well.

Biz packed a fab picnic and we lunched by the river and then had a walk with Porter. The girls thought about having a paddle but on seeing the amount of jellyfish they decided against it.

Can I have one dad?

A distant view of the WACA floodlights

Simon was well impressed to discover a drive through 'offy' on the way home, he didn't even have to leave the comfort of his air conditioned seat to purchase further 'refreshments!' He now has an idea for a new venture in the UK!  Tonights dinner was Biz’s Curry Con Carne......... yum yum yum :) Jenny earned herself $5 from Biz for eating a red kidney bean!

We needed to be prepared for Jodies’s birthday excursion tomorrow..... we are going swimming with dolphins and then off to penguin island, so after dinner we made sure everything was ready for our early start!

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