The financial crisis news was everywhere and while it had me worried about my job prospects upon return, it led to a huge US dollar rally against Australia's. To our surprise we'd enjoy a 30% discount vs. arriving just a couple of weeks back. This was welcome news after being crushed in Europe. The only bummer was we already booked our pricey Great Barrier Reef dive trip a couple of months before the change.
PERTH:
Perth was a nice mellow reintroduction to the developed world. Kind of like a Midwest capital. We quickly resumed our Europe routine. Sipped cappuccinos with a magazine as we watched the world go by, perused an art gallery in the nearby town of Fremantle and generally soaked up the missed comforts of western living.
I thought America was bad about abusing the Christmas theme, it's still October!
ROAD TRIP:
I was definitely apprehensive about driving on the wrong, I mean other, side of the road but we decided to rent a car and a take a road trip around the southwest region. After a few minutes with the car I had managed to do the following things:
1. Sit in the passenger seat and wonder, where's the steering wheel?
2. Activate the windshield whippers instead of the turn signal
3. Hit the curb and ride the shoulder on the left hand side
Undeterred, we headed south towards Albany. After an hour we began to appreciate how spread out the people are on this massive island. There are only 21 million people here (nearly all along the coasts) which is shocking when compared to California's 36 million. Put another way this works out to roughly 6 people per square mile vs. over 200 in California. It was common to drive for thirty minutes without encountering another soul.
Our first kangaroo crossing sign! Many locals consider them to be a nuisance but I think they are completely surreal.
Albany is surrounded by state parks and beaches. The chilly water is a beautiful Caribbean blue.
Little Beach, Two People's Bay National Park
Giant rock archway, The Gap, Torndirrup National Park
Halloween isn't widely celebrated here but our hostel put on a costume party none the less. Trin painted on some scars. I put on my black base layers and snorkel mask in an attempt to look like a scuba diver. It took a couple of beers to get over the fact that I was running around in public in tights.
Next we headed inland towards the small town of Pemberton. We checked the nearby Lonely Planet highlight, Valley of the Giants, which is a 100+ foot high walkway through the trees, pretty cool.
I put my fear of heights to the test with a climb up Gloucester Tree which originally served as a fire lookout until the 70s. Two foot rebar steps wind up 200 feet to a platform overlooking the surrounding karri forest. My first thought was, ok, where is the liability waiver form? The first twenty steps were no problem. Half way up though, I admit my heart rate was really pumping but decided I couldn't turn back after two kids zoomed fearlessly past me.
The platform on top was swaying in the breeze so I snapped this photo and hurried back down.
We unwound with some with a Pemberton Shiraz along with a small mountain of cheese followed by a visit to the olive oil tasting room. We were determined to return to our pre Himalayan trek weight.
Trin, can I have a bite?
Next stop, the southwest's premier wine area, Margaret River. Here we enjoyed a group wine tour (Bushtucker) which also included stops at at brewery, cheese factory and chocolate factory. Wine, Beer, Cheese, Chocolate! Who could ask for anything more?
Giant bowls full of chocolate chips. We were advised not to take too many at one time to avoid a melting mess.
Chocolate in the making.
Four winery stops with five tastings each followed by a beer sampler ensured everyone had a great time.
Overall, the Southwest region reminded us of a Northern California Road trip. Most visitors to Australia tend to stick to the east coast but we thoroughly enjoyed our road trip and were happy with the decision to stop over here.
THE RILEYS:
While in Italy we met an Australian couple, Ian & Shelley, who invited us to stay over at their place in Swan Valley north of Perth. We enthusiastically took them up on the offer and made our way to their beautiful home and horse breeding ranch. They fed us delicious home cooked Australian dinners and let us(Trin) catch up on dirty laundry. Ian and their two sons, William and James, also took some time to introduce me to Cricket. It was humbling to be outmatched by an eight year old bowler!
While everyone was out at work & school, we checked out the nearby Caversham Wildlife Park for some up close encounters with Kangaroos and Koalas.
Here I am with a wombat, cute and cuddly, until you're close enough to smell it.
Our stay with the Riley family was great though definitely left us longing for the comforts of home. Hopefully some diving will get us back in the travel mood!
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