Adelaide CBD
We borrowed the 1983 Holden Gemini (with a GM key) and head downtown to do a little exploring. On the way we stopped for a visit with Jean’s Mom, Jean, my great aunt. She liked hearing traditional Scottish songs sung by John, and gave us some beautiful smiles before we had to say goodbye. We […]
Kangaroos, Koalas and Emu, Oh My!
A drive up to the Mt. Lofty summit provided a panoramic view of Adelaide all the way to the sea. We tried unsuccessfully to find two geocaches on the nature trail below the lookout, and then head down to Cleland Wildlife Park. Here, we were able to hand feed kangaroos, wallaby, emu and waterfowl, and we got […]
Home Sweet Adelaide
In Adelaide we were warmly welcomed by my second cousin Jean and her husband John, my second cousin Veronica, and her mother Mary, my great aunt. Mary and Jean’s mother Jean were both sisters of my paternal grandmother, Ann. It was the first time we’d met, but family is family, and they made us feel […]
Fremantle, Rockingham and Swan Valley
More driving round and round as we toured Fremantle: fisherman’s wharf and jetty, the Fremantle Prison (built by convict labor between 1852 and 1860) and the Roundhouse, the oldest remaining building in Western Australia, built as a jail, and the first permanent building in the colony. There is a tunnel underneath the walls, built to […]
Brekky on the Beach
After a quick breakfast on the beach by the picturesque Geraldton Lighthouse, we head inland to the real Wildflower Country. In this section, the most common were pink, yellow, and white everlastings, along with banskia, purple scaevola and in a few areas the rare wreath flower, which grows in a circle, flowers around the outside […]
Wildflower Way
This morning we drove the 18 km loop through Leseur National Park, one of the most important reserves for flora conservation in Western Australia. There are many endemic and rare species here, and September is prime, spring wildflower viewing time. On the drive we saw many of the 900 species of flora in the park, […]
Pinnacles and Stromatolites
Our drive took us along the coast, past small towns, fishing villages and vast open spaces. We checked into the Cervantes Lodge in the crayfishing town of Cervantes. The town was named for some nearby offshore islands, which in turn had been named for a shipwreck. The streets of the town are all named from […]
Perth
We arrived safely in Perth yesterday at 2 am, though Donny’s bag was again MIA. It arrived a day late, delivered by the airport courier…but the bad luck of having the bag go missing 3 times in a row is really unbelievable! Perth is lovely city, and we’re just starting to explore. With the closest […]
Cango Ostrich
After a filling ostrich egg breakfast (one ostrich egg is equal to 24 chicken eggs, but 36-eggs-worth of cholesterol, while the meat is very healthy and low in fat), we head north to the Swartberg Pass, just as beautiful as had been described in the guide books. On the way we did a different ostrich […]
Outdshoorn
Waking early, the farm and surrounding hillside was peaceful and quiet. There was a slight chill in the air, which disappeared with the rising sun, but which also created a smoky mist in the valleys toward the coast. We made rooibos tea and had a steamy shower before getting an early start. Poking around the […]