The Teddies Visit Rottnest

The Teddies were super excited a few days ago to pack their bags and take us all to Rottnest Island. It was a real, as you can't take vehicles onto Rottnest, so Suzy Q the motorhome was left behind in the dockside carpark.


We caught the Eagle Express to and from the Island. The trip was about 25 minutes and ok on the way there but very rocky on the way back.

Teddies packed and ready to go

The main form of transport on the Island is bikes. The teddies got in plenty of practice, doing a bit of their own riding and being ridden around by others.

There were also bus and train trips to help us see more in the few days that we were there and give the teddies' little legs a break from riding all the time. The teddies got to hang out the window but were a little jealous when Lukas was allowed to drive!

The train took us to Oliver Hill where we did a tour of the Battery. Two 9.2-inch guns were installed in the 1930s as part of the defence of the port of Fremantle. It was really interesting seeing the artillery and walking through the old tunnels.

The history of Rottnest is really fascinating and quite troubling at the same time. As well as the military history, Rottnest island was a devastating place of incarceration for Aboriginal men from the 1830s. It is a history that sits somewhat uneasily with its portrayal as Perth's island playground.

The teddies tried their best to absorb all of this at the museum and various historical sites we visited on our bicycles.

Of course, there was wildlife aplenty: pelicans, stingrays, sea lions and of course the famous quokka.

We were all pretty excited to see our first quokka (they're actually everywhere) and happily snapped away.

But then it all turned bad.....Lukas reached down to one and was bitten.....hard, very hard. So the next time they saw one the teddies played dead.

The teddies loved watching the sea lions rolling about in the ocean with their fins in the air to keep themselves cool.

Seals below, they're definitely there!

And of course there was time for the teddies just to do a bit of relaxing....swimming in the pool...hanging out in the sun....looking at beautiful scenery....

Yes, it's a pretty good life for these lucky bears!

A few days in WA in pictures

  Here's a pictorial recap of our last few days.

And for the record, we adore Fremantle!

Night scene from Herron Point, north of Bunbury

The grass trees are amazing, these are at Wellington Dam NP

"Yay, I love travelling" says Max

Fremantle wheel and skate park

Little Creatures, the original.
Only 3,000 odd kilometres away from our last visit!

Yes there are other breweries too! The best named beers are here.
Like Itchy Green Pants. Weird but tastes great.

A special kinda day

Yep, it was one of those 'lifetime memory' days today as we cruised around Kombana Bay in Bunbury on a dolphin swim tour.

We saw many wild dolphins, including a very inquisitive baby that loved showing off its belly to us weird land mammals in its watery playground.

And we swam with them! We slipped in amongst a pod of about thirty as they dove in and around us. The sound of them underwater as they whistled and clicked was really special, Lukas described it as an 'orchestra'.

Lukas and Dylan were able to swim and Evie and Max were perfectly happy to play on the boat and look at the dolphins over the side.

Plus we got to wade in at the beach as the swam in front of our legs.

We've enjoyed reminiscing about our great day already, sipping a cold beverage whilst camping tonight at a National Park at Wellington Dam.

Bliss!

A pier, a playground and gnomes....yes gnomes

We've been exploring around Busselton and Bunbury over the last couple of days.

Walking along the southern hemisphere's longest pier (1.8km) at Busselton was a highlight, although for Max, catching a little train back again was even better.

Busselton pier - view from our helicopter ride - not really, a photo of the promo poster!

The observatory at the end of the pier is quite well done, and it's interesting to be able to descend
8 metres and see the world below.

Another highlight was WA's biggest playground at Donnybrook. It is quite huge and has some fun toys. The electronic ninja-style game got us all building up a sweat. This area is an apple and pear growing region and this is reflected in the playground.














And of course Gnomesville. It's unique and a somewhat strange. Dylan and I couldn't decide if it was cool or a bit like a junkyard. Apparently many years ago a couple of gnomes were left behind in this spot on the corner of the road and since then people have just added and added to the collection. There must be thousands of them.

 We're really enjoying WA so far.

Margaret River - Things to Do - Part 2

Well we've finished up in the Margaret River, we're heading to Busselton today.

But we've got plenty more to add to the list of great things to do!

So, to continue from last post......

21. Pretend you're visiting wineries to look at the great art often on display. And then you might just happen to come across a tasting while you're there!

Kangaroo sculpture at Vasse Felix

22. Find some spectacular coastal scenery. Sugarloaf Rock and Canal Rocks to name just a couple.

Sugarloaf rock

23. For purely research purposes, visit Simmo's icecreamery to test whether it is as good as the previously mentioned and double-visited Millers. It wasn't.
24. Find an open but empty double decker bus in the car park of a brewery and climb aboard because it looks too cool not to explore. Yell at the kids to get down from the top deck when the driver approaches (who luckily was very friendly).

25. Go to Margaret River Chocolate Company. Because it's chocolate.
26. Stop past the Silk Farm where you can see silk worms and get a really interesting talk on how silk is made.
27. Have a double-tasting experience at a Brewery: a beer tasting paddle and a ploughman's tasting platter!

28. Buy some ridiculously expensive condiments because they look fancy, taste nice and there's additional pressure to buy when six people have just sampled everything in the store!

29. Climb Cape Naturaliste lighthouse so that you can say you've been to both lighthouses in Margaret River.

30. Go to the oldest vineyard in the region - Vasse Felix, established 1967. The wines are great and the atmosphere too.

Margaret River - Things to Do - Part 1

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Margaret River over the last few days. There is just so much to see and do, and the beauty of it is that it's all in a relatively small area so no long drives - much appreciated by the kids!

Here's Part 1 of a list we've compiled of Things to Do in case anybody needs any further convincing they should definitely visit this part of Australia:

1. Visit Cape Leeuwin light house and climb to the top.
2. While at Cape Leeuwin, stand at the point where two great oceans meet and stare out at them wondrously for a few minutes.

3. Buy an icecream from Millers Icecreamery at their Farm Cafe
4. Buy another Millers icecream again the next day because it's so delicious, but this time go to their shop in Margaret River in case anyone thinks you're being greedy.
5. Go to Yahava KoffeeWorks and do a coffee tasting.
6. Go to Yahave KoffeeWorks and get the kiddie combo - a babycino and a cheese & vegemite toastie.
7. Find Amazen on the map and then try to find your way through the giant hedge maze. It is seriously hard.
8. Drive down Caves Road and try not to visit a cave. Lake, Jewel and Mammoth Caves are all spectacular.

9. Find a nice farm-based caravan park and check in for the night so the kids can feed the animals. And then re-book the next morning and the morning after that because there's just so much to do around Margaret River!

10. Rate the wineries according to their kid-friendliness-while-wine-tasting: average ones give colouring activity packs, excellent ones provide play areas, soccer goals and video games.
11. Try a tasting paddle at one of the (surprisingly) many breweries.

12. Drop in at the Margaret River Farmer's Market 15 minutes after it was meant to close - beat the crowds and pick up amazing produce for amazing prices.
13. Count how many cow statues are mounted on the main street of Cowarumpa. Bonus points if you spot the golden idol.
14. Walk from your accommodation to a winery for breakfast that includes bubbles. Tastes so indulgent.
15. Go to the Vasse Virgin olive oil shop and sample every single flavour of olive oil, pasta sauce, olives, tapenades, dressings and condiments they have on offer. The lovely lady just kept filling up the dipping bread for us.
16. Track down the amazing scented reeds that all of the shops and suppliers seem to have in their bathrooms and buy some so your motorhome smells divine. See entry 15 above for the stockist!
17. Demonstrate impeccable timing and arrive just before a tour bus to taste the products at Margaret River cheese factory.
18. Buy many products from above - cheese & yoghurt - yummo.
19. Wonder if you may have found the best accommodation in the world when a french baker turns up in his van ringing a bell to sell his fresh baked goods. Amazing but true.
20. Think you have died and gone to heaven when 5 minutes later a coffee van shows up too.
21. Find a strange looking jumping castle and have a jump.

We're still exploring so stay tuned for Part 2!!

We're at Margaret River

After a smoky few days, we've made it through to Margaret River.

There were a couple of road diversions from the fires, but that just meant we got to explore some places we probably otherwise wouldn't.

Denmark was a case-in-point: we stopped here late in the afternoon for an icecream and to get some local advice after seeing road closure signs. The icecream man knew everything, gave us great advice and convinced us that Denmark was a good place to stop.

And he was right, a lovely town with great things in and around it. We had lots of fun between Denmark and Manjimup:

climbing a 52m fire watchtower tree...Dylan got the highest at 33 steps

walking through the Valley of the Giants, made up of giant tingle trees.....

hanging out at Fonty's Pool, a natural spring lake.....

seeing new animal species....max couldn't decide if this was a sheep or cow

peeking at birds through a bird hide at Lake Muir

and learning about truffles....what fun!

And now we're at the Margaret River, get ready for lots of delicious updates!