Category Archives: Australia

Toby’s Inlet

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The day after arriving in Perth we were whisked away to Dunsborough, our base to explore the Margaret River Region. The house of a friend of our friends was the perfect base for day trips.

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The front door was guarded by the most beautiful moss covered dog I have ever seen.

The garden hugged the banks of Toby’s Inlet,

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a small estuary that offered some magnificent morning reflections.

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The pontoon was a convenient perch for the gulls

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to observe the downstream drift of the pelicans

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who were sometimes accompanied by an entourage of ducks.

The home was a wonderful, peaceful place to return to each day after our explorations.

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spider surprise

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We all know that feeling of walking smack bang into the middle of an orb weavers web. These clever spiders spin their beautiful webs at night to catch unsuspecting flying insects, enjoy an early morning snack and retreat for the day leaving the web to catch unsuspecting humans. We had one residing in the veggie patch, just to the left of the door and we never failed to fall prey upon entering. The spider proved smarter than we are and moved to one of the beds where she wouldn’t be disturbed. Early one morning, she (or he) was resting in the middle of the web.

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As I watched, she woke up and moved toward a tasty morsel that had fallen foul during the night.

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She grabbed her breakfast

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and returned to the centre of the web to dine.

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She then curled up and went back to sleep.

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I am grateful to her for helping keep the insects from the succulent leaves of the veggies.

not long now

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I am pleased and proud to announce, the culmination of Michael’s creative endeavour is nigh, with the official launch of “The Tramp” only a week away. The product of two years of blood, sweat and yes, tears, has taken over the dining room table in readiness for packaging and posting.

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For the many who supported Michael through the crowdfunding campaign, your goodies will be on their way very soon. There is an extra bonus of a box of Wild Island Tastes “Shipwrecked” chocolate bark to enjoy while you read your book or listen to your CD. The pen has been busy thanking you all individually,

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we wish you could all be here for the launch. Michael will be supported by the talented guest musicians who appear on the CD and, along with the M.P. MC and readings from the novel, it will be a very special afternoon. The novel and CD will be available at selected retail outlets and online at amazon.com and tigerdreaming.com.au.

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If you can make it to Burnie Regional Art Gallery 1pm Sunday 12th February, we’d love to see you there.

Kings Park

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After four days and three nights aboard the Indian Pacific, we were greeted at East Perth railway station by our friends with whom we were to spend the next week. They wasted no time in showing us their beautiful city with a detour to Kings Park. The 1,000 acre park is larger than New York’s Central Park and is home to the Western Australian Botanic Garden. It seemed Spring had come early, with many of the plants in bloom.

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The State War Memorial is located within the park, the Cenotaph sits high on Mount Eliza.

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The views across the city of Perth,

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and the Swan River were breathtaking.

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The Narrows Bridge is made up of two road bridges with a railway bridge down the middle, linking the northern and southern suburbs.

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We caught a glimpse of the Australian Ringneck Parrot

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as we meandered past more brilliant colours.

I think we need a whole day to see Kings Park, we will just have to return.

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end of the line

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We awoke on the last day of our transcontinental rail journey to blue skies and a verdant landscape.

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The Nullarbor Plain was behind us and our destination, Perth, was merely hours away. While enjoying our breakfast in the Queen Adelaide restaurant car, the vista suddenly changed. We were passing what appeared to be massive salt lakes

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and the heavily clouded sky emitted an eerie glow.

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The lakes seemed to stretch for miles, yet, despite lengthy searching, I can find no reference to them.

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By lunch time, the scenery had changed again

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and before long we were passing through the wheat belt,

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the outer suburbs of Perth and finally, East Perth Railway Station.