Half-lap Day 99: Perth -> Karlgarin

The kids woke earlier than usual because they wanted to see their cousin before he went to school. School starts around 8am over here, so he leaves at 7.45. They had a bit of time to chat before he left, then they had breakfast and we watched a bit of the Olympics. We were hoping to leave around 9. There was a bit of rain as we were putting things back in the car and trailer, once again we were happy that we hadn’t had the tent out and weren’t doing a full pack up in wind and rain – plus it was pretty cold. Tony’s cousin’s wife brought out some clothes that she was sending to the op shop, Caitlin and I had a browse and were able to grab a few things – including a couple more warm tops which will be great for the trip home. While I was reorganising things in the car I found Caitlin’s handbag buried under a large pile of Millie’s animals – we thought she’d lost the bag at the Pinnacles, as we’d searched through the car several times for it and not found it. It was such a relief to know that it wasn’t lost.

We were ready by 9.30 and on the road well before 10 once we’d said our goodbyes. The car was still quite crowded as we still had all the extra blankets in the car instead of the tent, in case we’d needed them at our cousin’s. We drove through wind and rain to South Perth, where Tony dropped in to the De Bortoli office to get a bit more wine for our last couple of weeks. We had really enjoyed having a weekend off, not doing touristy things for a couple of days, and we were happy not to explore Perth as we’ve been here before and we’re not feeling attracted to cities on this trip – however it was nice to drive past the city and see the buildings and the Swan River and Kings Park. On the way out we saw the new sports stadium being built.

We headed out into the suburbs to call in on family friends of Tony’s – they are in Perth for a couple of weeks visiting their daughter, and wanted to catch up if it was possible. We popped in for morning tea and it was lovely to see them again (its probably been about 5 years) and to meet their daughter, who I got on really well with. A couple of her kids were home from school as they were unwell, so our kids stood in their bedroom doorway and talked to them, and all the kids got on well as well.

We left there around 12.30 (we’d hoped to be gone by 12) and got petrol then started the drive east. It really felt like we were going home now – still a long way to go, but we’re on the last leg. Perth felt like a nice break between our big long trip, and our trek home. The land was quite hilly here, reminded us a bit of the Adelaide Hills. The roads were windier than we’ve been used to, and the trees much much taller than those we’ve driven past lately. Once we were out of the hills we drove through farmland – very green and lush, some with crops and some with sheep. We saw dams on the farms and realised we hadn’t seen any dams for a long time, probably since before Port Augusta. The countryside here reminded me more of rural NSW. We’d been discussing where the wheatbelt was in WA and realise we were driving through the southern end of it, not somewhere either of us have been before, and great to see another part of Australia that I’ve heard so much about.

We stopped in Brookton for lunch around 2pm. It was really really cold outside the car, a wind was blowing and it was raining on and off, in between bits of sunshine. The kids played in a playground (and exercise area) near the sportsground while Tony made sandwiches, then we decided to eat in the car as we drove. We wandered around the town a bit to find public toilets, and ran through the rain to use them, before finally heading out. We had rain on and off throughout the afternoon, and the temperature indicator in the car said it was 10 degrees outside – our coldest day by far.

Our plan was to stop at a free camp just before Hyden. I was driving when we got there and Tony directed me along a few dirt roads to reach the camp area. The ground was wet but solid, so it shouldn’t be a problem to get out even if it rains more overnight. We reached the end of the road, where McCanns Rock was, but there were no signs about camping (and no one else there). We had a look around, there was a shed with chairs in it, a well built BBQ area with BBQs and tables, and another flat area that looked like a camping spot, but accessed by a rutted road that our car and trailer wouldn’t be able to traverse. We couldn’t see any toilets even though our app had said there were toilets here. We explored a bit further – Tony went along one track and LiAM and another – we found a large puddle that we decided not to cross. The 5 of us walked up the rock and found the dam, a dam like we’ve never seen before – a low wall built halfway up the rock, which must catch rain water as it runs down. There was one area that must be deeper because it was full right up to the top of the wall. The water is used as emergency farm water. The view from the top of the rock was incredible, looking across farmland as far as we could see in every direction – and it was freezing. It was well under 10 degrees up there and there was a howling, icy wind. The ground here was so cold that LiAM had insisted on wearing shoes.

Millie wasn’t sure about staying here, especially with no toilet. Just as we were discussing whether to go in to Hyden to find a caravan park, Caitlin found the toilets – and they were flush toilets, not drop! That helped everyone feel a bit better, and we decided to stay (in part because the sun was already down and we didn’t want to stuff around any longer). The sun had come out from behind clouds briefly before setting, and it made the place look much more inviting, which also helped.

The rain seemed to have stopped and we quickly set the tent up in the carpark area while the kids collected wood for a fire. Another car drove up the track where LiAM and I had found the puddle – a local couple and their puppy who had come out here to have dinner at the BBQ. Caitlin told them we’d considered sleeping in the shed and they said they’d done that a couple of times. Tony started cooking dinner and I helped the kids with the fire. We had egg and kabana sandwiches, and by the time they were ready I had a pretty good fire going – it had taken a while because it was hard to find dry wood. We sat around the fire and chatted and ate, then I went to set to the beds up, and noticed that all the clouds had gone, it was a clear, starry night. It was getting colder too, everyone was in gloves and beanies – it was lovely by the fire. Once the beds were up I got the hot water bottles out and we heate water on the fire for them, I figured tonight of all nights we’d need the extra warmth. We were all tired and cold and possibly a bit on edge – the other couple had left and it was weird being here alone – and everyone got a bit cranky as we tried to sort out the hot water. Eventually it was all organised and we jumped into bed – I found the easiest way to read and not be cold was to go completely under the covers with the book and booklamp – it actually became quite warm in there and the kids could still hear me – they all went to sleep with one of their smaller blankets over their head as well.

Half-lap Day 98: Perth

There was lots of wind and rain overnight and we were quite grateful to be inside and not in the tent. Once everyone was awake our hosts cooked breakfast for everyone, bacon, eggs, baked beans, tomato, toast, tea and coffee, it was very tasty and a nice leisurely meal.

We had the Olympics on and watched the swimming finals, seeing 2 Australian Gold Medals which was very very exciting. The kids played in the activity room and popped out to see some of the Olympics from time to time. Tony’s cousin showed us some old photos of the family and offered to share them with us later. It was a quite morning, chatting with our friends and drinking cups of tea.

After 11 (when the shops open on Sundays in Perth), Tony’s cousin took me up to the local Aldi – it only opened a couple of weeks ago and he hadn’t been yet so was fascinated by the prices and how it all works. I was excited to be back in an Aldi again and did a big stock up for our trip back home, I shouldn’t need to shop again for anything apart from bread, milk and meat for dinner.

Back home we had ham bread rolls and soup and leftovers for lunch, and they kids kept playing in the activity room. Caitlin practiced her gymnastics a bit and they made several more musical.ly videos. I talked to a friend on the phone then went for a walk with Tony’s cousin’s wife when she walked the dog. I came back and sorted out all our food – it took a little bit of organising to get it all in the trailer, and the wind and rain started up again so I got fairly wet. Most of our stuff stayed dry though, and I was able to bring the sleeping bags inside to dry. I finished sorting out our washing and we had a nice relaxing afternoon. Tony cooked some more sausage rolls which everyone loved, then he cooked his chicken and tarragon dish for dinner, it was delicious and another enjoyable meal with great company.

We watched more Olympics and Tony and his cousin went through the old family photos and transferred the relevant ones to our computer. They found a photo of Tony’s mum at her sister’s wedding, she would have been about Caitlin’s age and looked exactly like Caitlin does in photos, it was incredible.

We watched Olympics until everyone was very tired, Caitlin was really enjoying the gymnastics and it was hard to tear ourselves away. I read a couple of very exciting chapters of Inheritance then we all went to bed and listened to the even stronger wind and heavier rain outside.

Half-lap Day 97: Perth

We had a very warm night’s sleep in the house, and the kids were all comfortable in their cousin’s room. When we got up the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics was on, so we sat and started to watch some of that. I did a bit of work on the computer, and came back out to watch the athletes enter the stadium. By this stage all the kids were awake, and we discussed why some of the countries seemed to be coming out in the wrong order – they were using the Portuguese names so for example Germany came out with the ‘A’ countries.

We had breakfast, which went fairly smoothly considering there were 8 people in the house. The rest of the morning was spent watching and talking about the Opening Ceremony, playing outside with a basketball or badminton or the dog, and just hanging around enjoying having nothing much to do.  I had a lovely hot shower and then we all had hot chips and dimsims for lunch – their regular Saturday lunch and they were happy to include us. (It’s worked out quite nicely that we are here over a weekend, so we can all hang out together. It wasn’t planned, just the way our timing worked).

In the afternoon I tried to catch up a bit more on my blogging and my photos, a fairly big job. We haven’t really had a rest day over the past couple of weeks and it means I haven’t had much time to spend on anything other than getting us to places, making sure everyone is fed and happy, and enjoying the amazing things we’ve been seeing.

It rained for most of the early afternoon. The kids played Cluedo and Monopoly and other games, and the adults chatted and watched the football and drank cups of tea and coffee. I caught up on my washing. Tony’s cousin’s wife made cupcakes, and we had them for afternoon tea – very tasty. The rain had eased a bit so everyone except for me went down to the park with the dog. They took a football and had a play and enjoyed their afternoon. I enjoyed some time by myself. 

In the evening we watched Olympics and the kids played more games. We had curried sausages for dinner which were very tasty. The kids made some Music.ly videos after dinner, some of them were hilarious. It was raining again, quite heavily now, and we were very grateful to be inside a warm, dry house rather than somewhere in our tent.

The kids went to bed when their cousin did, and I read a few chapters of Inheritance to them. LiAM wasn’t very sleepy so got back up and watched the cycling road race with us for a while, then we all eventually headed to bed. I think all the tea and coffee I had drunk throughout the day, and possibly having a quiet day where I wasn’t rushing around, meant that I wasn’t sleepy either, so it was late before I went to bed, although I felt quite relaxed and rested. 

Half-lap Day 96: Cliff Head North -> Perth

I had been a bit worried about staying so close to the coast (especially at a place called Cliff Head) after some of the windy nights we’ve had recently, I thought we might get blown away. There was hardly a breeze all night though, so we were safe and comfortable and I was so glad we’d taken the risk. LiAM had a bit of trouble with his asthma in the night, ventolin fixed him up though and then he slept well.

I was up early and went outside to a very dewy (there was water on everything) and very cold morning. I sat overlooking the water and did some blogging and drank my tea, until my burning toes reminded me that I probably should have put shoes and socks on, instead of sitting in my thongs. The sun rising over the hills behind us and slowly lighting up the beach and ocean was pretty cool. The oil rig shone gold in the morning sunlight, and occasionally I saw splashes on the horizon from whales breaching.

The others gradually woke up and joined me out in the cold. It was a lovely place to sit and take our time over breakfast. Once the sun was up it became much warmer and even more pleasant. We started packing up and it seemed to  take ages – we put extra blankets and our sleeping bags in the car and the trailer, rather than on top of the bed where they usually go, because we’ll be staying with Tony’s cousin in Perth and not opening the tent out. Doing things in a different order slowed us down a bit, and we also wanted to wait until the dew dried out before we packed up the tent, which took a surprisingly long time to happen. By the time we were ready to go it was after 11am.

Oil rig

We drove further south through more farmland, seeing lots of old stone farmhouses and sheds and more beautiful scenery. We called in to Jurien Bay to look at the Harbour and see if we could see any seals or sea lions. We walked down to one of the beaches and stood on the shore for a little while, the waves were crashing in and it was interesting how different the sea looked here, compared to 100km or so up the coast, it was much rougher here. 

Our next stop was Nambung National Park, to see the Pinnacles. At the gate the lady said that we could unhitch the trailer and drive and/or walk around the Pinnacles, or we could leave the trailer on and park and just do the walking track. We decided not to unhitch, and just do the walk (it was only 1.2km). The van next to where we parked looked like our friends from Murchison Station. We had a quick snack then walked up to the toilets and the Information Display, and found our friends there. We chatted to them for a while and then headed off on the walk.

I’d seen lots of pictures of the Pinnacles, and there was lots of information and pictures of them in the display we’d just looked at, but seeing them for real took my breath away. We walked around a bend and there was a large sandy hill with tall, thin rocks spread all over it – we all stopped walking and just stared for a moment, it was an incredible sight. Some of the Pinnacles were like stalagmites, some were wider and shorter, some were just little mounds. The walking trail wound it’s way through between the formations, and there was so much to see in every direction. We came to a lookout in the middle of the walk, and stood there for a while looking at the Pinnacles in all directions. One really cool thing was that from the lookout, and any hills in the area, we could see the ocean in the distance to the west.  It was a great view – desert, with these amazing formations, then bush, then the blue of the ocean.

As the walk continued, the Pinnacles kept varying, slightly different colours, or a lot that were a similar shape to each other but different from those in other areas. The sun was getting lower in the sky and the shados of the rocks were lengthening which was pretty cool too.  I was so glad we’d had the time to stop and see them, so different to anything else we’ve seen on the trip.

Back at the car we had some sandwiches and then kept driving. The landscape kept changing, at one point we drove past areas which were filled with the trees that look like Grug (from the books). I’d never seen so many of these trees in one location. As we got close to Perth we were driving through bush again, and it felt like the type of bush we get at home, we could have been in Victoria.

We arrived at Tony’s cousin’s house, in the northern suburbs of Perth (near the beach) around 5.30. They have a 10 year old son and all 4 kids seemed to hit it off straight away. They’d arranged for us to use the main bathroom and a couple of bedrooms, so we really had our own space, it was very generous of them. The kids went out the back to meet the dog – called Buckley just like our dog! We had a delicious spaghetti and meatballs dinner – weird to be sitting at a table in a house to eat a meal. Great conversation and a very relaxed environment. After dinner we watched the Collingwood game on TV while the kids played in the playroom.

The kids were sleeping in their cousin’s room (he was in with his parents) and I went in and read a couple of chapters of Inheritance to them, then went to bed in the study. Very very weird to be sleeping in a real bed, in a house! Tony sat up and chatted with his cousin for a while, its been a while since they saw each other and it was great to catch up.