FEBRUARY 2017 - LAST AIRBNB'S + A TWITCHER'S DELIGHT

ALBANY - AUSSIE HIGH LIVING

We met up with Niki in Albany last year for 3 days of good fun and beaching, so did the same again this year, some great swims plus a few museums and new and old cafes.

But at a different Airbnb - spotted this on the website months ago and couldn't resist the view.  The place was just as good as anticipated and we all had a great 3 days -despite some windy and rainy weather, specially ordered for Niki to complete her "cool" summer.  Everyone talking about how wet and cold it has been - you know, 25 degrees and a bit of cloud! (OK, so they did have floods in a few places, but we managed to avoid them - thank goodness - had enough of the "F" word)

This place was a first floor apartment with views across the bay and beyond to the ocean.  Brilliant for BBQ's and breakfasts.

HIGH LIVING OF ANOTHER KIND

Our last Airbnb was in the Porongorup hill range (can't really call them mountains, but they do) about an hour inland from Albany on the South coast.  Great balcony for chilling in the hot afternoons - and more wineries round the corner to try out.  No idea how they all do business, must be a dozen or more just in this area and all competing with the hundreds elsewhere in WA.

The farm grew their own olives (yum) and avocados (more yum)- and left us lots of local produce for us to enjoy for breakfasts.  Nearest shopping was in Albany, so we came well stocked up for 3 days.

Did some great walks just near the house (one of which we did last year on Castle Rock)

and also a biggie in the nearby Stirling Range - 3606 ft Bluff Knoll, the highest point in Western Australia.  We tried to do this 20 years ago with Niki and Paul, but got misted out, so it was a good achievment to get it done this time.  Started at 8.30, as it got to 33 degrees later on the way down.  A bit hot.  Met same idiots you get on the Lakeland fells in inappropriate gear - lots of twenty somethings starting out in 30 degree heat at midday with a 4 hour up and down climb in exposed areas - and barely a drop of water between them.  We drank nearly 3 litres, so they must have been really suffering.  Hope they are still alive.

Great views all round across the plains of farmland and cleared bush - fortunately, they are now preserving pockets of bush and the precious endemic species, but often it has been too late to save some from becoming extinct.

SPECIES ON THE BRINK

Talking of which, we went, with Niki, to a lovely spot called Two Peoples Bay where they have discovered two of what they thought were extinct species.  The Noisy Scrub Bird in 1961, and the Potaroo in the 1980's.  

"Noisy Scrub-birds have had a chequered history. Originally they occurred over a large part of far SW Western Australia, almost as far north as Perth but they gradually disappeared to the extent that they were thought to be extinct. Then in December 1961 an astute birdwatcher, Harley Webster, in dense coastal heath just east of Albany, sighted a single bird. From then on it has become one of the most famous rare birds in Australia. Soon after the discovery the Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve was established to help preserve the species, a declaration that made the news because it involved moving the site of a proposed new township!

Since that time, Noisy Scrub-birds have been the subject of much attention - they are one of the most sought-after rare birds in Australia and also the subject of several different research projects. Attempts to ensure their future by translocating birds away from the Two Peoples Bay reserve have met with mixed success - wildfire is the main problem."

You can imagine how excited we were to actually hear the NSB when we stopped to talk to a ranger - twitchers spend years trying to see or just hear them!  We will be dropping a few names next time we are in the bird hides in Leighton Moss!  Respect!

Apparently Prince Philip helped to save the whole area from being swept away for a new town in the 1960's - so he does have some use after all.

MISCELLANY + SHARK BITE

Always have a miscellaneous scrapbook of odd encounters along the way.  So here are some of this years.

DON'T THINK HE LIKES ME SHOPPING

BIRDS OUT FOR A WALK 

We came across the Harris Hawks on one of our Gran Canaria walks - the owners weren't flying them, but just taking them out for a walk.  Then we met a guy near Pemberton on a waterfall walk - also taking his birds for a walk.  Didn't mind these 2 on my shoulder - the hawks might have been a bit too close for comfort. 

OUTDOOR HAIRDRESSING

Passed this lady sitting in the street having her hair done outside the hairdressers. Baby in pram, neighbours passing by for a gossip - sunshine and coffee to enjoy. What's not to like.  Didn't have the gall to ask for a photo directly, so zoomed in a bit from a distance.

INDOOR STALACTITES

There are lots of limestone caves on the West coast between Dunsborough and Augusta, so we went to this one.  Really deep hole going down 700 steps from just a small opening but amazing cave system that you could just explore on your own - along walkways but a lot less herded than other cave systems we have been to.

SHARK BITE

NEW HOMES AND MOBILE SAND DUNES

Apologies for the glitch in blog posts - our house didn't have wifi, there was no mobile signal in town to create our own (which had worked great all trip so far) so we were reliant on great Community Centre with large IT centre - really helpful people - as are so many we have met down here.  A big lesson to all UK services in tourist areas - from petrol pump attendants giving a full weather forecast for the next week to the guy in the bottle shop recommending the best places to go to.

WALPOLE 

Onwards from Pemberton and the garden paradise Airbnb - this time a thoroughly modern typical Australian house - seen all over the South West coastal area, eating into the bush as more and more people buy holiday homes down this way.  The views from the balcony looked over the Walpole Inlet, where we did a great eco cruise last year.  Posh living for us and a step up from camping and YHA's.

SAND DUNES

Our eco tour this year down in the D'Entrecasteaux National Park, was a 4WD adventure through the bush and over the largest landlocked sand dune system in the Southern Hemisphere.  The dunes are moving all the time and just swallowing up the bush - great driving up and over the dunes and through the forest - although we have seen plenty of bush, bush and more bush along the way.

HISTORY

Also along the way we learn about the history of the area - mainly white man's incursions into the bush for logging and clearance for growing crops - the crops being somewhat difficult to grow eg tobacco, and resulting in towns developing for a few years, only to fall by the wayside as crops failed.   The families that were encouraged to come over from the UK with promises of cleared land and future prosperity, having to relocate to Perth and other areas when it all went pear shaped.  An incredibly tough life starting off in tents and having to build your own cabin from scratch.  Amazing women to cope with it all.

This Pioneer Museum chronicled their lives and some of the photos show the goods and trinkets they brought with them in the early 1920's from the UK - the one specific pot reminds me of a virtually similar patterned bathroom mug and holder at home, fresh from Ikea!

Great washing machine!

RAES'S RAYS, GARDEN PARADISE, FOODIE JUNKIES

RAYS FOR RAE 

Well, it's a good heading for this paragraph.  Rae is our tennis friend who is currently doing sterling work researching the history of our tennis club and who might be reading this blog in between all her other chores and medical visits.  These are for you.  

The rays in question being the wonderful rays that float around the shallows of Hamelin Bay down near Augusta and the southern tip of the Western Cape before it turns left (or is it right) eastwards for several thousand miles along the South Coast of Australia.

We came here last year and thought the rays were so special that we would visit again on our transfer trip from Dunsborough to Pemberton.  They were still there just floating around and totally unbothered by the people watching, photographing and paddling alongside them.  They may have thought it a bit much when the Chinese party tried to take photos with their selfie sticks under water!  Hopefully, they turned around and let their stinging tails do their thing.

LAKESIDE RETREAT AND A ROMANTIC TALE

We picked this Airbnb out of the list of places in Pemberton (where we wanted to visit again after last year) as the gardens sounded wonderful - the reviews didn't lie - it is amazing.  See all the photos below of various aspects of the 6 acre garden and bush surrounds - Sally and Charles have been creating this paradise for the last 11 years out of lawn and bush.  A lake, winding pathways sculptures, bridges, seats of all descriptions scattered around and birds galore.  

See these great photos of the Splendid and Red winged Fairy Wrens - they eat out of your hand and flit around the deck as we sit and admire the gardens - an exceptional place and no wonder they open it to the public in Open Garden fund raising.   

Also great 2 bed apartment attached to their house - apparently you can't build a separate house on the same plot, but can extend your current one - so they added this so that her 90 year old mother in Perth could come and live there - but she doesn't want to - Crazy Lady!

Sally and Charles have a love story to go with this romantic hideway - they were 15 and 16 year old sweethearts in South Africa, then both married other people in England and SA.  After 36 years, they were both now divorced and each made contact and traced the other over a few years.  Then met up in Perth 12 years ago, got married and bought this place and have made it a labour of love ever since.   Aaaaaah!  Sweet.  And lovely people - after the electric went off on our first night (wish we were here for more than just 2 nights) they brought round a bottle of bubbly.  

Niki - if you are reading this - bubbles in Albany or back at Perth!

FOOD OBSESSIONS

We know some of you think our eating habits are out of control, but bet there aren't too many who could resist all of these places that we have eaten at during the 2 weeks in Dunsborough.  Niki recommended a few but we discovered a few of our own.

This was a cafe that specialised in red poppies (or is that Poppie Reds in Hawkshead) - only kidding - it is called Cape Lavendar and all the goodies on the table are lavendar based - scone, jam, ice cream (with piece of lavendar stuck in the top) - but Graham drew a line at the tea - English Breakfast only for this guy.  They had the usual shop full of smellies, jams, relishes, t-shirts, etc.  - all with the "L" word entwined on the labels.

This was our favourite takeway - Indian food delivered to your door (almost).  The van parks 2 minutes away from the house right by the beach and dispenses a short, but magnificent, menu - you can ring to order beforehand or come down and choose whilst watching the waves.  (Nephew Ben and Witherslack/Mediterranean Boat friends Carole and Dave, got advance notice of the curry van - as some of our curry eating associates)  

There are other vans that were supposed to be there on other nights, but the Mexican, Burger and Fish vans all seemed to have stopped after the summer hols.  Shame really - great idea. 

           

MARGARET RIVER - OSPREYS AND WINERIES

MARGARET RIVER AND WINERIES

So many wineries in Margaret River region, it's very confusing - so we just buy from the bottle shops and pay the supermarket prices and take pot luck.  If you have a developed taste for wines, then a tour is the best way to go - you can taste to your hearts content without having to drive.

The photo on the left is a poster showing lots of cellar doors, as they are advertised on the roadside and then in you go and get tasting - and buying and spending an awful lot of money on nice wines.





This is the end of the actual Margaret River - in summer it comes to a halt separated

by a sand spit from the ocean.  In winter it rages through directly.  You are forbidden to dig trenches across the sand to make it drain away in the summer, as that causes problems further back for wildlife that depend on the remains of the river.

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

What with goannas eating birds and last years snake eating snake, now we got close in to an osprey eating a fish.  I know its been done a million times better, but we were so close and watched it eating for around 15 minutes - magical and just like the real documentaries.

Just before we got the real close ups, we saw the osprey on its nest and then watched as a kestrel dive bombed it over and over.  So many times that I managed to get several photos of it - should have used video, but not that expert yet.

Have got a great video of the osprey and fish, but can't get the camera to download the video over wifi, so may have to wait for that one.  Will try and include in blog at some stage.

Reminder to Witherslack Ospreys - much sunnier down here, high quality and quantity of fish and better views from the nest!

BIRD EATING REPTILES AND MORE CHOCOLATE

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Early morning walks from the house through the bush to a little bay and saw all these birds yesterday on the way or over breakfast on the balcony -

Today took Graham and we saw just one or two and some crows.  For the twitchers amongst you the birds are (in no particular order - so play the game and match the photo to the bird).

28 (on account of them sounding like they are say twenny-ate), osprey, honeyeaters, galah, australian duck, white-breaster robin, white-faced heron, magpie
Sorry - 28 is missing - had to re-do collage!

DOLPHINS AND REPTILES

Wildlife walk yesterday along Cape to Cape path (a 7 day jobbie but not at this time of year - too bloody hot)  - and yippee  - we saw pod of dolphins!!!  Watched for around 10 minutes until disappeared from view.  Brilliant.  But no photos - have learnt that pictures of dophins and whales rarely look like anything other than black blobs in water and you waste all the time trying to get photos rather than just watching and enjoying.

Then walked on and saw huge snake like head with bird in mouth - just the legs sticking out.  Watched transfixed as it attempted to break the legs to get them in mouth.   On way back, cautiously looked again (thinking it might be a python) and saw it still there with most of bird now consumed.  And could now see it had legs - so guess a goanna.  Phew!

CATHY AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

On way back we stopped at Chocolate Factory (regular annual stop off) for snack and supplies - licorice for me again and almond crunch for Graham.  

Note the size of shop with workroom at the far end - all soooo tempting, but we buy one bag each and make it last by having one piece each night.  Unless we have two!

Then more stops along the winery highways - every place vying for business with either posh restaurants, boutique one off wines or concerts.  A couple of new places for us  - Silk shop - OK with bit about silk worms and possibly nice cafe, but only opens when they feel like it - not a lot of use to customers!!  Then Muesli and nut place - lots of nice looking nuts - bit Harvey Nicks type displays and prices.  Then Vasse Virgin Oil and Soap Factory for 2 replacement bars of soap, used one all last year and a look around - more tastings of oils and chutneys.

GOODBYE TO NIKI 

For a few weeks anyway.  She took her (Tim's - he is in Amsterdam studying) car back to Perth after we had lovely lunch at Eagle Bay Brewery (one of several we have passed by or visited) - the main aim is to sell us beers by giving tasting sessions with lunch - the line up below wasn't for us this time as drink, driving and sun is not a good combination.

As you can see I am getting into collages!!!!

NOT THE WAINWRIGHTS, SHARKS AND TWINS

COASTAL WALKS

Walks every day - but not as we know it in the fells.  Sunscreen, hats, water, fly spray (sometimes) and flat coastal walking - past surfers, Chinese at the viewpoints, taking selfies and ignoring the views (that is the same as Windermere walking though), long distance hikers looking hot and bothered (as opposed to Wainwright walkers looking cold, wet and fed up with the bogs) and all whilst keeping a sharp lookout for the poisonous snakes that we saw last year (see 2016 blog here the snake post 5th Feb 2016 - almost a year ago to the day)

SHARK WATCHING

A helicopter passed several times - the shark watcher!!!  Not sure if that is reassuring or not reassuring - a bit like the armed security guards in Egypt/South Africa hotels we have been to - on the one hand good to feel protected and on the other hand, what is the big danger lurking that we have to worry about!

TWINS

Big coincidence that we both have similar rucksacks.

Not really.  Niki admired mine when we met up in Italy a couple of years ago - so we ordered one online from the shop in Skye where I got it (Rae - see here for Skye Batiks, if you are interested!!!) - and they posted it to Perth for when she arrived home.

Hats pretty similar too - but they were both bought over here from the local Cancer Research Shop - excellent sun protective gear from hats, to swim coverups to the best sun tan lotion.  Sun protection being a major industry in Oz - and unfortunately, so is skin cancer.  Everyone knows the following off by heart - including kids.

SLIP - SLOP - SLAP - SEEK - SLIDE   (Click to view)

But it's all so tempting - Bunker Bay beach - with great cafe per last years trip - and the time before and the time before that

Graham and Niki - I did follow later, honest.

FOOD, DRINK AND OZZIE HUMOUR

DUNSBOROUGH

Back in our favourite second home - Niki's holiday place in Dunsborough.  As predicted we hit the beaches pretty soon - too hot to walk far in the bush, but great for swimming - even I have gone in every day - a first for me, but keeping a wary eye out for big fish and stingers.

These are the the views from our bedroom and the balcony - bush full of birds which we can watch from our bed or during meals or general dossing time.

Graham seen here helping Niki to paint the back door - along with the cleaning of garage and visits to the tip - it goes somewhat towards our contribution for using her house, car, tour guide, cook, wine provider and all round good egg.

BACK IN FOODIE HEAVEN

New chocolate producer to try - a good competitor to the Chocolate Factory from previous years with even more gourmet choc bars to choose from - decisions, decisions.

We managed to make a decision on lunch though - waffles with fruit, chocolate, icecream and more chocolate.

I KNOW IT'S DISGUSTING!  DO I CARE?!

Lots of breweries springing up - mostly a bit posher than our local ones.                 

Huge tasting restaurants, up market food, lakes, fountains, sculptures, islands with gazebos for getting married on, extensive decks with views.

Hawkshead Brewery - eat your heart out.

Yallingup Bakery -  Fabulous wood fired bakery in the middle of the bush (at least it was - the holiday home suburbia is now on its doorstep) - we came here 7 years ago, just after it started and now they are baking all day rather than just a few hours.  Still the same German guy and his son.  But if you go at 4 pm you get this wonderful fruit bread with equally great soda bread in the background - both so warm and smelling amazing that neither made it back to base without a few chunks pulled off and scoffed.

The entrance below shows a tree stump that has been burnt - "wood fired"

CRAZY NOTICES

Aussies definitely have the in-yer-face sense of humour

At the bakery

 At the local beauty parlour

At the local coffee shop

And finally (!) an advert in the local paper for cremation services - very weird!

DEJA VU + SANDAL MELTDOWN

Start date 25th January 2017 - end date 1st March. 

Wasn't going to do a blog this year - seeing as the whole trip is a repeat of last years and for those who can't wait around for the end of the trip - here is a link to last years - expect it will be remarkably similar - beaches, coastal views, more beaches.  But it's a form of diary for ourselves and with memories definitely at the failing stage, any written reminders of where we have been and what we did and who with, are welcome.  And cousin Allan will have something to take his mind off hearts with holes in them.

We had a few lazy days in Perth recovering from jet lag (not tired from flight but its the waking up at 3am and not getting back to sleep that is a killer!) and tended to stay in the aircon and pool in the day but went to a good film (Monsieur Chocolat) at lovely outdoor cinema at the local university - part of the current Perth International Arts Festival.  Then another night went to great musical improvisation show - amazing what they can produce off the top of their heads.  

Very buzzy fringe arts festival at lots of different indoor and outdoor spaces in the city.  Am sure Edinburgh is similar but the weather makes it a lovely 

Thursday was Australia Day and they had a big firework display and other entertainment planned with up to 300000 expected to line the river and surrounds.  Then at 5 pm a light plane crashed into the river right in front of the main city and killed the 2 people on board - so it was all cancelled - a real tragedy all round, but could have been a whole lot worse as loads of boats and spectators in the area. 

We then travelled down to Dunsborough (leaving behind 42 degree heat on Thursday and rain on Sunday - much to the delight of the locals) , stopping off at a huge farm shop to stock up on supplies for a few days.  Wandered down to the local rocky bays that night and tested the warm water.   


Then today Niki and Graham demolished some old sofas and found the local tip, oiled the garage doors and looked at painting the shed doors - need to get some paint though as current stock is solidfied!  Never mind, paint shop is next door to our favourite ice cream parlour - oh dear. 

THIS IS WHAT 42 DEGREE HEAT DOES

Expensive (1 Euro emergency buy in France) sandals shrank by 3 sizes and became like rolling Japanese shoes!!   So comfy, so sad.