Category: Travel

Road Trip – The Full Story – Pt 3 Saturday 29th August


Road Trip Pt 1, Road Trip Pt 2

And so, Saturday morning was upon us. We were up bright and early as we had planned to visit a rural fair at Mullewa. So having had a breakfast of coffee and toast, we headed to my grandsons house where we prepared the convoy. With the loading of buggy, kids, kid related paraphernalia, snacks, and adults completed, we set off on the hour long journey.

It wasn’t long before we had to stop. With two girls fighting and a baby that refuses to sleep, Mum needed to get in the back. So, Talullah and seat were transferred to our car and the journey continued. Oh, the joys of parent/grand-parenthood.

Pretty soon we arrived at the Mullewa Showground, disembarked and started in to watch the displays.

Entry was free, and making our way inside the show grounds, the first sight, and sound, that we were confronted with was a wood chopping competition.

Not so much chopping, as chain sawing. Needless to say, the Monty Python lumberjack song entered my brain and stayed for quite a while.

As you can see in the pictures it was a fine day and the girls were keen to get amongst the sights and sounds of the fair. Unfortunately, due to their young age, and small size the girls weren’t able to sample all the rides.

However, mum and dad were able to take them on the Tea-Cup ride and, with no queue, they had the ride all to themselves.

And then on to the pony rides. Here it was a different story. There was a queue, but the girls were very patient and it wasn’t too long before they were in the saddle and doing circuits of the arena.

While the girls were waiting for the pony ride I took the opportunity get some food. Which meant that, while I was in the queue for some Moroccan food, I missed getting close to the stunt bike show.

But, I did get some distant shots of the bikes grabbing some air. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

For the girls, Old Macdonalds Farm was the next destination. Here the girls were able to get up close and personal with rabbits, chickens, sheep and goats. And last, but not least, a huge turkey that was just crying out for cranberry sauce and stuffing.

Of course for the kiddies getting amongst the livestock was the priority. However, my focus was on the farm mechanicals. And I wasn’t disappointed. There may not have been many units on display but what was there was truly impressive. The thing with the caterpillar tracks would have had Jeremy Clarkson green with envy.

There was also a small automotive display. Although not on a par with the Goodwood Breakfast Clubs back in the UK, those vehicles on show were pretty unique, interesting and impressive.

What with the drive and the warm weather the girls were getting tired. To be honest, so were a few of us in the upper age bracket. So we ambled slowly back to the site entrance and our cars.

En-route the girls dropped in for a spot of face painting.

They certainly looked happy enough with the final results.

And so it was back to Geraldton for dinner and sleeps all round.

Road Trip – The Full Story – Pt 2 Friday 29th August


Following on from my previous post, Friday morning arrived and we headed back to the chaos that is my grandsons house where it was agreed that he and I would go out and do that touristy thing while the girls stayed to look after the smaller girls.

During a previous visit to WA Gerry and I took a trip up to Exmouth and on the return leg it was planned that we would make a stop, just south of Kalbarrie, to visit the Pink Lake, aka the Hutt Lagoon at Port Gregory. Back then our plans were thwarted by bush fires and we were diverted away from the area.

So the plan was for us to take a trip up to the lake and have a spot of lunch. It was also a great opportunity to spend some one on one time with Ryan. After a pleasant drive, we arrived at Hutt Lagoon with the water being a beautiful pink.

Guess Who? – Yours Truly

However, no sooner had I reached for my camera than a breeze blew up, ruffling the waters surface, and the pink colour disappeared. Ryan had warned me about this but we had hoped to avoid it happening. It was still very pretty, judge for yourselves.

Hutt Lagoon – Port Gregory
Hutt Lagoon – Port Gregory
Hutt Lagoon – Port Gregory

Thankfully the wind reduced and normal service was resumed.

Hutt Lagoon – Port Gregory
Hutt Lagoon – Port Gregory
Hutt Lagoon – Port Gregory

While climbing up to the view point there was plenty of flora and fauna to view including this perky little fella, a Western Bearded Dragon.

Western Bearded Dragon – Pogona minor

Once we had satisfied our curiosity at the lake, we headed off to the small town of Northampton for lunch. But lunch was delayed whilst we took a small detour

….. to visit the Lynton Convict Depot or alternatively known as the Port Gregory Convict Hiring Station. Convicts were brought here to provide workers for the Geraldine Lead Mine and for local settlers.

Lynton Convict Hiring Depot according to Wikipedia ……

The Lynton Convict Hiring Depot (1853–1857) was the first convict depot north of Fremantle, Western Australia. It was established on 22 May 1853 

Magistrates Quarters
Site Plan
The Depot Summary
The Lock Up
Depot – Interpretation Centre

The depot was operational between 1853 and 1856, and was designed to hold up to 80 convicts although it is believed that actual numbers varied between five and forty. However, most would have slept under canvas as the depot wasn’t completed unti 1855.

When the convicts eventually moved into the building their accomodation would have looked something like this. Sorry about the image quality.

Convict sleeping arrangements

I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be in close proximity to up to forty bodies with dubious hygene habits. Especially during WA’s summer heat.

An interesting site with an interesting history. Should you visit, wear tough footwear as the ground is somewhat uneven.

Linga Longa at Lynton

Having had our fill of WA history it was time to attend to our bellies, and so we continued our journey to Northampton. Rachel had done some research and suggested a coffee shop, on the main street, named The Shearing Shed.

Parking up, we ambled across across the street to a small but busy cafe with a huge menu. Ryan had a burger while I had a “Boss Cocky” which is basically a filled, two egg omelette served with fries and salad. Very tasty. These we consumed, sat outside at a picnic bench style table.

Rush Hour – Main street Northampton WA

According to Wikipedia ……

Northampton is one of the oldest towns in Western Australia, having been declared a townsite in 1864.

Opposite The Shearing Shed – Northampton WA

Replete, we clambered back into Ryan’s car and headed back to join the girls. It had been a really nice day out.

Back at Ryan’s it was time to join the fray and engage with the girls. Or should I say whirling dervishes. They really are a pair of pocket tornadoes, and both with the boundless energy of a Duracell Bunny, they soon had me exhausted.

And so, after the evening meal, and with the girls in bed, we headed back to our chalet for a little R & R.

Road Trip – The Full Story – Pt 1 Thursday 28th August


First and foremost, the trip was for us to visit family. My grandson Ryan, his wife Rachel, and their three daughters, live in Sunset Beach, just outside of Geraldton. And this was the first opportunity for Gerry and I to meet the girls. The eldest, Talullah, was born in 2022, the middle girl, Loxley, was born in 2023, and the youngest, Sunday, was born just over a month ago.

Mid morning, car packed and my daughter, Denise, took the first stint of driving, primarily to get us clear of Perth city and suburbs, but also because she knows the route like the back of her hand. Driving through the city, the traffic was quite heavy but thinned out noticeably as we headed north on the Tonkin Highway. Near Muchea, we jumped onto the Brand Highway and then with a few kilometers behind us, we made a pit stop at Cataby.

From Cataby, I took over the driving for the run-up to Eneabba. At times the road ahead, and behind us was, pretty much, empty of any traffic. Although, occasionally, we would encounter road trains thundering down the road towards us. And, of course, the ubiquitous “grey nomads” with their off-road vehicles and caravans.

One feature of our journey was the vast fields of Rape, or Canola as my daughter calls it. For clarification the term “canola” denotes a group of rapeseed cultivars that were bred to have very low levels of erucic acid which is mildly toxic.

Rapeseed Crops – Canola

The glorious yellow of the flowers spread across the land on either side of the road. Prior to this trip, I had only ever seen sights such as these in the UK.

Rapeseed Crops – Canola

At Eneabba, we stopped for a loo break and also to grab a bite for lunch. Lunch consisted of chili sausages for me, some sort of pie for Gerry, and a burger for Denise. All of us thought the fare was of mediocre standard, but it filled the void, and we had the promise of a roast dinner to look forward to.

From Eneabba its about another hour and forty five minutes drive to Geraldton and Sunset Beach. Denise resumed the driving and it seemed that in no time we had arrived in Sunset Beach.

We had booked a chalet, at the Sunset Beach Holiday Park, for the weekend. And, arriving at reception, we checked in, and were soon esconsed in our accomodation. From the outside it looks a bit like a shipping container but inside was very fresh and modern looking, with all amenities. More than we needed as we were only going to sleep, shower and brew coffee here.

2 Bed Chalet - Sunset Beach
2 Bed Chalet – Sunset Beach

And so, with car unpacked, we headed up to Ryans house where we were made to feel really welcome, greeted as we were by two very excited young girls and a small dog. The adult welcome was a little more restrained.

The next few hours were spent with the adults chinwagging, getting to know the two girls and the glamourous grandmothers taking it in turns to hold the baby. As promised, we were fed to the point of plumptiousness with a fabulous roast cooked by Ryan after which we bade our hosts a temporary farewell and headed back to our accomodation for a good nights sleep.

Hutt Lagoon


Aka The Pink Lake, near Port Gregory, WA. Hutt Lagoon is Australia’s Most Unique Lake

Hutt Lagoon, or the “Pink Lake,” is a marine salt lake in Western Australia, famous for its vibrant pink color caused by the Dunaliella salina algae and high salt content

When we arrived the lake was a beautiful pink colour. Then the wind got up and the colour disappeared. Thankfully, the wind dropped away.

Roadtrip


Today, Thursday 28th, we are heading up to Sunset Beach, WA, to visit our rellies, my grandson and his family. And we are looking forward to seeing our three great granddaughters, for the very first time.

We have just pulled in to the roadhouse at Cataby, making a pee stop, where these beautiful flowers are enjoying the sunshine.

It is almost as if they are cheering us along our way.

The WA weather is also behaving itself. The sky is blue and clouds white and fluffy. Not the dark and brooding ones that have filled the skies around Perth for the last few days.

Remembering


Yesterday,  9th August, would have been Steves birthday. It was the first since his passing earlier this year.

We thought we would honour his name by having a meal and raising a glass at one of his favourite destinations.

And so it was that we found ourselves heading up to Mindari to visit The Boat. Mindari is about 60km north of Perth, normally an easy drive of an hour or so.

The Boat @ Mindari, WA

However, yesterday was very wet, and the drive took a bit longer. The conditions on the highways were diabolical. The wipers were going at their max rate for most of the journey, and the road spray was severely reducing visibility.

Having safely arrived at The Boat, we grabbed a table and ordered our drinks and meals. Obviously, given the weather conditions, we opted to sit inside.

Chilli Mussels for Gerry, Garlic Prawns, and Rice for Denise and Battered Barramundi with Chips for me. Oh, and a sharing platter of cheesy garlic bread. All the food was, as usual, very well cooked and tasty.

We raised a glass to Steve and wished him a happy celestial birthday, The Boat, being  one of his favourite eateries, he would have approved.

While having our meal, I noticed that we had an observer, keeping tabs on us.

The drive home was much better, dry and sunny.

Blowing The Cobwebs Away


We have been in WA for nearly a month now. Having travelled out from the UK to support our daughter following the passing of Steve, her husband.

Up until now, our time has been filled with preparations for the funeral and general mundane household shopping trips and, most recently, collecting Steves ashes from the funeral home.

To be honest the weather hasn’t been the best but yesterday we managed to get out of the house for a couple of hours. This is the  first time that a trip out hasn’t had a purpose. By that, I mean it was, just to get some fresh air, for a change of scenery.

Interesting Sculpture – Rockingham, WA

We opted to drive down to Rockingham, forty odd kilometres south of Perth, to walk along the foreshore. After a forty-five minute drive, we found ourselves on the prom.

The sun was shining, and the sky was blue, and with a temperature of 20°C it really was very pleasant. We had already planned to have fish ‘n’ chips, and so it was we found ourselves sitting in the sunshine enjoying an al fresco lunch.

Gerry, Denise & Molly on Rockingham prom

Freshwater Cobbler in crispy batter with crispy but fluffy chips. The Cobbler was a first for me. The lady who served me in Nae’s Seafood & Grill informed me that it was a kind catfish. It was very tasty, but it’s not Cod or Haddock. However, it did hit the spot.

View From Rockingham Foreshore

Then, it was time to head back along the prom and back to the car. And, after a forty minute drive home, we were soon sitting in the lounge with a very welcome cuppa.

The brisk, but not unpleasant, sea-breeze definitely blew away the cobwebs we had accumulated.

Shame the weather forecast for the next few days shows a temperature drop and plenty of rain and thunderstorms.

Dog Walk


Not far from my daughters house, there are these pretty lakes.

On previous visits, they have been all but dried up, muddy pools only suitable for hippos.

However,  there have been days of wall to wall rainfall interspersed with beautiful sunny days. As a consequence, the lakes are perhaps a little over full.

I took these photos yesterday while out walking the dog.

Unexpected Picnic Guests: A Pheasant Encounter


May 2012

There we were, minding our own business, enjoying a sunny picnic in the grounds of Blenheim Palace. When this fellow came mooching along, hoping for a tasty morsel.

What, do you suppose, had caught his eye ? Was it the pork pie with its jelly and crispy crust? Or was it the egg mayonnaise and watercress sandwiches. Perhaps, when all’s said and done, it was strong cheddar cheese and tangy chutney.

Either way, he was out of luck with me around. I don’t share my food with party crashers.