Devi

Just before we left for our holiday, we took our dog Devi to the vet and had a large cyst removed from under her stomach. About 4 weeks ago we noticed a lump forming again, now another has started. Russ took her to the vet earlier this morning and he thinks she has a very agressive cancer that has probably moved into her lymph glands and doesn't have long to live. She's looking well and happy, so he says she will be OK for a month or two and we will know when it's time to have her put to sleep. It's all very sad as I didn't realize how attached we have become to her since she was given to us 3 years ago.

Perth (Easter and Beyond)

Good Friday, we travelled to Nannup (about 300ks south of Perth and 60 east of Busselton) with Leah to stay with her parents John and Christine. Nannup was a logging town, but has become a touristy little place with restaurants, cafes, galleries, wineries and a pub. Christine and John have a really comfortable holiday house there and we were invited to spend Easter with them.

It's a lovely warm house with a fire built in to the patio, a combustion stove in the kitchen and a wood heater in the loung/dining room. We made good use of all the firs as we sat eating, drinking and talking over the few days. Christine and John fed us so well it was hard to leave, we took drives to Busselton to shop, walk and eat fish and chips on the beach, through the forest to various small towns and rivers, and had a wonderful walk along the river and through town. A really great time, and Easter Bunny managed to find us way out in Nannup!!!!

We spent a quiet day Tuesday getting the car serviced, washing and cooking dinner for the kids. Wednesday, we visited Rottnest Island. It was a beautiful day and a great crossing, so we thoroughly enjoyed it (sorry Glenda ;-) ) We took the two hour bus tour, a ride in a glass bottom boat to view a couple of ship wrecks and the most southerly coral and visited the museum. Only saw about 4 quokkas. Last night we had dinner with the kids again, then this morning we moved the van out of the park we've been in for 2 weeks and parked it on the kids front lawn for about 1 more week in Perth, then it's off up North for some warmer weather for us.

Rottnest Lighthouse

Tomorrow night we are having a party to celebrate Russ and my birthdays, our arrival in WA and Russ's retirement. I'm looking forward to it alot.

I forgot to add Blair, Leah and Todd have bought themselves a house. It's in another suburb about 10 minutes from here. We are enjoying staying with them, so have decided to shout them a 15amp power point in the carport of the new place and make it permanent! I also like the fact that my laptop operates via their unlimited wireless connection-another good reason to stay with them forever. We had Blair take us over there so they can't make the move while we're up North and not tell us where the house is.

50th Birthday

Dinner on my 5oth-unfortunately, my photo was better than the one the waitress took with me in it!!!!

Many thanks to all of you who wrote, phoned or e-mailed me for my 50th, it was great to hear from you all and made it a really special birthday for me.

Russ cooked me a great brunch, then we spent the day up north at Lancelin and Guilderton sight-seeing. Both are pretty coastal spots-I particularly liked Guilderton and would like to go back there with the boat when the weather is warmer.

Todd and Leah, Carly and Chris (also from Warrnambool) and Russ and I went out to a Thai restaurant for dinner. It was as good if not better than the last time we went there! On the 22nd of April, Blair, Leah and Todd are putting on a “welcome to Perth, 50 and 60th birthday party” for us so if any of you who read this can be there just let us know……..

Well, we hope you all have a safe and happy Easter break-we are off to Nannup with Leah and her parents for a few days

Perth

We arrived in Perth yesterday about 12ish. It was our plan to go through to the caravan park at Burns Beach, set up, then come back and spend the night at Blair and Leah's. In the end, we parked the van in their driveway and slept out there. They have Todd and another couple here, so we'd have had to put Todd out of his bed to stay the night. Having the van here worked really well.

This morning, Russ, Blair and Chris have gone to look at a house for sale, and the rest of us are just lazing about enjoying the 30c temps by the pool. We'll move on to the park this afternoon.
Tomorrow, Leah and I are off to the markets, Blair is off to golg and Russ and Todd plan to take the boat and do a bit of fishing in the Swan River.

Esperance to Wave Rock

A beach on Esperance Tourist Loop

The caravan park in Esperance was AWFUL! We were packed in like sardines amongst heaps of permanents which is not really much fun for travellers. It’s much nicer to be with others doing the same as you are. We were miserable, the dog was miserable and the poor old bull terrier living about a metre from our door in an old lounge chair seemed pretty miserable too. I was so pleased to move on.

We moved on to Hyden Caravan Park which is at the base of Hyden Rock and Wave Rock. The park was great. I’ve decided I love the sort of place where you pay your money and are then told to “go and choose your site”. They are generally smaller and emptier. We took a nice walk to the rock and then a drive out to Mulka’s Cave to look at some rock paintings. The sunset over the salmon gums was really beautiful. The park was really empty and the night was cold but still so we just sat out for a long time watching the stars. I met a woman from Churchill who was travelling with her husband and 3 teenagish girls in a very small campervan. They’d been on the road for 12 months (I couldn’t have done it!)

Wave Rock


This morning we walked to Hippo’s Yawn (the rock formation really did look like a hippo’s mouth) then packed up and moved on.

We’re now in a tiny town called Boddington 127ks from Perth. We are staying a few days to do our washing, clean the van and generally relax after a week of moving on every day-it really gets exhausting

Ceduna to Esperance

On Friday we left Ceduna and headed to Eucla. We had a great run-no wind, and less than 20 road trains passed us heading east, two overtook us heading west. We stopped for fuel at Penong and paid $1.35, then again at Nullabor roadhouse where we paid $1.73! We were travelling with no cash, and discovered the phone lines were out as a fencing contactor had cut the cable-lucky we have a large slush fund of gold coins or we might still be sitting at Nullabor roadhouse!

Eucla Caravan Park isn’t a bad overnighter-plenty of space, nice ocean views, and off the highway. We have to pay $1.00 for 5 minutes in the shower. After we unhooked the van, we drove down off the escarpment to the old telegraph station (where we were almost carried away by March flies) then on for a walk around the really spectacular sand dunes.




There isn’t any point setting up the antenna and TV tonight, so after our dinner of spaghetti Bolognaise, I think I’ll beat Russell at Scrabble then go to bed. We are in Central Time now, so 45 minutes behind of Adelaide and 45 minutes ahead of Perth (or it might be the other way round!) but whichever, I’m hungry and getting tired.

Saturday April 1st
This morning we were woken at 6.30am by Devi barking at the caravan door. I opened it to find 9 fat geese waiting there to be fed. The only goose I think is good is a dead one on my dinner plate-I hate the big noisy aggressive things.

Russell won the Scrabble last night, but only by the tiniest amount!

We drove from Eucla to Fraser Range Station Caravan Park (about 600ks) along really good roads (apart from 57ks of road works that slowed us quite a bit). Every road train that was having yesterday off was out there today though. We passed heaps and heaps of them. Most of the way we had a tail wind, so it was pretty easy to get along at 100kph (or more).


FRCP is beautiful. The renovations are only 2 years old and it is situated on the flat almost completely surrounded by the ranges. It has 24 sites, a small motel section and a small backpaker’s. Tonight there is one other van (which was in Streaky Bay when we were there) and 3 motel rooms occupied. The BBQ’s camp kitchen and toilets are all so new and shiny and spacious. This is the first park I’ve been to I’d give 5 stars. I wrote too soon-a 5th wheeler is just pulling in at 5pm Perth time! The couple in the other van (Pam and Peter (Pam is Andy Graham’s niece)) is away for 12 months with 3 children, 2 are receiving distance education while they travel.

Russ just informed me it’s only a 4 ½ star park because of the bindi eyes! (nasty little 3 sided burrs or prickles that stick to the bottom of your shoes, feet or paws!)

Sunday April 2nd
Last night we used the beautiful new barbies to cook our dinner, then went over to the out door dining room to have a few drinks with the owner of this place and a few other guests. We were in bed by 9.30 as our body clocks are a bit out of sorts, so were up bright and early this morning.

Today we headed to Esperance. We’d planned to travel further, but it was raining, we had a head wind and 300ks seemed about far enough to go. It’s nice to have the phone and computer working again. Tomorrow we’ll head to Wave Rock which is somewhere out there in the middle of Southern W.A.