Where does it go?
Trip Start
Apr 19, 2011
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4
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Trip End
Jun 30, 2011
Port Denison/Dangara, Western Australia, Australia
Sunday, May 29, 2011
So out of Albany they tootled about 18 days ago, and stayed a couple of days in a low key little park at Peaceful Bay on the shores of Foul Bay (didn't look foul to them, quite attractive really). Took a trip out to the Valley of the Giants and the famous Treetop Walk. Albertine took Dicko for a drive through the famous car tree (which is actually now flat on the ground somewhere in the forest due to the adoring hordes of WA driving their cars through it, compacting the root system and killing it - love can be so cruel sometimes). This is marron country and of course that's what you do isn't it, when you're in places like that, get into the local specialty (at $60 kg live), kill it, cook it and eat it. Yum, but you don't get much tail in a marron!
Move on through very familiar looking country (ie Dandenongs, Gembrook etc) a greatly loved area by the WA'ns as most of their enormous state is anything but like this, and eventually into Pemberton. Due to a minor 2 way radio problem the 2 vehicles went in different directions although thankfully, similarly to Italy where all roads lead to Rome, so too in WA do all roads lead to Pemberton. Oh yes, the Forest Tramway from hell was there and enticed the four into it's captive carriages to listen to interminable blah from the driver who did not stop from the moment the vehicle rattled off down the track till it started on the return route when he informed the groaning passengers that he had to stop the narration as "management" had instructed him to so do. "I don't know why" he added. Lulled into a false sense of security the passengers relaxed only to be startled a few minutes later by his announcement that although he wasn't going to recommence his narration he had forgotten to tell them about the Snotty Gobble tree (true) and proceeded to do so (and a lot more) until he got to within audial distance of the station and "management" and "Well, I'd better shut up now or they'll hear me and then I'll be in strife".
Off again and into the famous Margaret River region. A buzzing little retail community, food, pubs. They caught Lightnin' Jack for a Sunday session of accoustic blues at the Settlers Inn, Lou and Dicko splurged on an Italian dinner, and speaking of Italians Webby and Dicko got badazzled by a cagey Italian winemaker who escorted them off the premises with several cases of 06 shiraz cleanskins under their arms ($60 a case and quite acceptable if it is allowed to breathe overnight). On the way out of town a couple of days later they had the good fortune to stop at a venison farm and stocked up on venison pies, venison chorizo, venison kranskies and emu ham. Livin' the dream!
Busselton or Busso in the local parlance. The longest wooden something or other pier in Oz or the world or somewhere. Anyway its 1.8km and the 4 sprightly young things chose to walk out and back instead of joining the dinky little tourist tram for $10 and risk another berserk driver. A couple of days whizzing around soaking in the made in heaven coastal views - warm water too - and off to Bunbury, the venue of one of Dicko's Ulysses AGM's of a few years ago. Very nostalgic. A quick drive through and into a bush camp near Preston Beach. Back to nature, campfires, starry skies etc.
Mandurah was the next stop. THE place to be if you live in Perth and have a million or so dollars to spend on a weekender. Its growing like topsy with suburbs spreading out north and south and multi story apartments in the centre. A lovely setting though, spread around a fabulous waterway. Of course our 4 friends are not the million dollar types so they snouted out the local bar, the Slug and Hare which Albertine, after a couple of gins thought was called the Hairy Slug. What goes on in that girl's head? And then there was the karaoke night! Dicko spent an afternoon in Murphy's pub watching the Pies eat up Adelaide too.
Perth and Fremantle. Its an interesting approach to the sweet cities from the south. One knows that one is in the mining state travelling north along Cockburn Rd. The travellers nearly made the mistake of booking ahead into the closest van park to the centre of Freo. That was lucky. A drive by and it was off to a far superior park located just under the Perth airport's outgoing flight path - much better. A couple of days mucking around on Perth's trains and buses and some sightseeing. Lou and Dicko caught up with Lou's old workmate from Sigma, Simone and her beau Adam for dinner (that was a late one).
Off up the coast to Cervantes. Every town along this part of the coast claims to be the rock lobster capital of the world and has million dollar fleets of cray boats floating just off their various town jetties. Cervantes backs their claim up by offering, at the Cervantes Country Club (a modest little bar and bowling green) a lobster platter for 2 for $55. You've got to do it, right?
A couple of nights at the Sandy Cape semi bush camp, Dicko and Lou got the Zodiac out and went for a couple of spins in the Indian Ocean. There was the lunatic woman with the 'disabled' cat on a lead - there's a story for another time. A nice break from town time and perfect weather, bright sunshine and dead calm sea.
And now here they are nestled into a van park, with the unheard of luxury of a private en suite in a donger, in the twin towns of Port Denison and Dongara.
Comments
Love getting the updates and seeing where you are at! Bringing back a couple of fine memories too. Loved WA! We will have to go back! Great photos! I kinda feel like I am there with ya!
Great updates. Hope you're now getting into warmer coast and some serious fishing. Watched the pies machine yesterday and cast a thought your way. Keep on truckin'.
you lucky lucky bastards.