The Journey Continues …. Part 2
Day 20 Sunday December 28th
Mass at 9.30 am in Scarborough. On return went to shopping centre to get some beach towels. Later spent the afternoon on Cottesloe beach. Cottesloe is about 30 minute drive for us and is where Dee and Keith stayed when they first arrived in Perth. Found a grassy spot on which we laid our towels and spent the afternoon swimming, relaxing and reading. The beach is beautiful and thronged with people. Temperature in low 30’s but quite windy. Waves huge and sand blowing in our faces. We left at around 5pm, returned home for dinner and some card games before bed.
Day 21 Monday December 29th
Today the girls went on a spa day, with some shopping and nails also. Conor, Keith and myself went golfing. Keith drove to Rockingham and along the way we saw Penguin Island and Seal Island. We also stopped at the Catalpa monument in Rockingham. This monument commemorates the escape of the last six remaining Fenian prisoners from Freemantle prison. John Boyle O Reilly, who had previously escaped from the prison and made his way to Boston had organised a ship, The Catalpa, which waited off the coast of Rockingham. The six Fenian were detailed on hard labour breaking rocks outside the prison walls when they made their escape and reached Rockingham and sailed to America and freedom.
We then went to the golf course where we decided 9 holes was enough in the 30 degree+ heat. Signs on the fairways reminding us of the danger of snakes in the higher grass. Needless to say we didn’t go in there looking for our golf balls when we hit stray shots. Also lots of kangaroos on the course, including a family happily relaxing in a bunker. As regards the golf, Conor played excellently and easily won the game. Happy to come into the clubhouse out of the heat and to refresh with cold drinks. We pulled into a beach on the way home for a quick swim and got Betty’s Burgers and Chips before returning home.
Fionnuala’s birthday today. We have a day trip to Rottnest Island planned for today. An early start as we drive to Hillary’s pier for a boat trip to the island. The trip over was quite rough and Aine and myself, in particular, felt queasy after it. Rottnest would remind you of visiting the Aran Islands, with lots of visitors and many of them hiring bicycles to explore the island. We used the hop on, hop off bus service and stopped at a number of beautiful beaches and other scenic sites. We brought a packed lunch with us and had a lovely picnic. Rottnest is famous for the number of Quokkas it is home to. These are small friendly marsupials about the size of a cat. They wander about the island seemingly oblivious to the tourists who follow them around looking for photographs. At one beach we got a close up of a snake making his way up the rocks. We gave him a wide berth. Conor, Aine, Deirdre and Keith hired snorkelling gear and had great fun exploring under water. We have a lovely day here and were quite tired when returning to the boat for the journey home. The boat trip this time is thankfully much smoother and we finish off a lovely day with a nice meal out to celebrate Fionnuala’s birthday.
Day 23 Wednesday December 31st
A late start today as quite tired after a long day yesterday. Aine and myself went to shopping centre to get some food for New Years celebration. Very hot today with mercury rising to high 30’s. The girls suggested we go into Perth and visit an Escape Room. We got train in from Stirling to city centre. We saw the school where Deirdre teaches and the office block where Keith works. The Rio Tinto building, where Keith works, is one of the tallest buildings in the city. We went to the Escape Room where we were set a challenge. The scenario was that we were in a sinking ship with 60 minutes oxygen left. We were locked in a room and had to find clues to unlock the door leading on to a second and third room. It was all a bit above me but everyone played a part in solving the riddles and clues and we managed to escape with 7 seconds of oxygen remaining and saved the ship. Later we strolled through Elizabeth Quay where the New Year celebrations were beginning. The quay was already thronged with people at 8pm with many more making their way in. It was all very calm and well organised. We didn’t wait for the fireworks but made our way back home where we had dinner and played games until midnight. We walked out on the road at midnight to get a good view of the fireworks in the city centre. We rang Patrick, Catt and Ted to wish them a happy New Year and made other such phone calls to all family members before retiring to bed.
Day 24 Thursday January 1st
We are heading to Margaret River today. This is a seaside resort about 3 hours drive south of Perth. We will spend 5 nights here. We have to pack and be out of house by 10am. We drive over to Dee and Keith’s house and have lunch here. We have a very welcome dip in the pool as it is very hot again today. Aine drives us all the way to Margaret River. We find our new air b&b which is a very nice townhouse with nice seating areas outside, both at the side and at the front. We unpack and settle in before going out to explore the town. We have a nice meal in an Indian restaurant before returning and going to bed.
Day 25 Friday. January 2nd
I get up early this morning and go for a walk. There is a lovely forest trail beside us and I spend an hour strolling through it. Had to call Aine for address of the house as I had difficulty finding my way back.
Later went to the beach and spent some time there. When we returned Fionnuala and myself relaxed at the house while the others went up the town. Played tennis later this evening and had a nice meal at home before playing Articulate and Uno before bed.
Day 26 Saturday January 3rd
Went to farmer’s market this morning with Deirdre and Keith. Keith then went to take part in a 5km run in the Park. Some croissants from the bakery on the way back. After breakfast we were picked up by a tour bus and taken on a wine tour of the region. We visited four different wineries, Willespie, Swings and Roundabouts, Rosali and Afterhours. At each of these we were told about the different grapes and wines and got to sample some wines. We had a nice lunch at Swings and Roundabouts and also visited a chocolate factory. We finished the tour with a visit to a brewery. There were 10 other people on the bus with us and we got to know them all as the day went on.
Back home for a swim in pool at 5pm. Dinner out later in Settlers Tavern.
Day 27 Sunday January 4th
Up early this morning and spent time by pool reading before others got up. Keith and I walked up the street to visit an organic garden. Beautiful peaceful place. Came back and brought coffees and croissants to the rest of the crew. Then off to mass at 10am. Lovely church with an Indian priest who was in his bare feet.
After lunch we went to a beautiful beach, clean, lovely soft sand and large rocks. High temperatures and high UV index, so plenty of sun cream was applied. We stayed for a few hours before returning. Later went for a swim in pool and relaxed before dinner. Deirdre cooked a lovely vegan curry for all and it was very nice. After dinner we went for a walk in the park. Movie and bed.
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Day 28 Monday January 5th
Went for an early morning walk in a lovely forest park this morning. Got some croissants and coffees for the lads on way back. Deirdre and Keith are making their way back today. We drive with them as far as Yallinup. Here we had some fun trying to find our way through a maze. There were 4 towers and we had to reach each one. We divided into three groups, Fionnuala and myself, Aine and Conor, Deirdre and Keith. Fionnuala and myself eventually managed to reach all 4 towers but of course the others had beaten us to it. Later we went to a rocky beach and made our way down through and over the rocks to a beautiful rock pool. This was a natural spa. The pool, amid the rocks, was small but the water was warm. Waves washed in over you every few minutes. We stayed in the pool for some time before returning to the car, drying off and then went for lunch in Swings and Roundabouts. After lunch Dee and Keith made their way back to Perth and we returned for our last night in Margaret River. We had a stroll through the town, got some ice creams before retuning and going to bed.
Day 29 Tuesday January 6th
Day 30 Wednesday January 7th
Up early again this morning and get a 5 km walk before breakfast. It is very pleasant around 8am for a walk before temperature gets too high. The rest of the lads sleep late. They go to shopping centre later and I stay at home, relaxing and reading in the shade. Conor is leaving in two days so he gets some footie shirts etc to bring back. Over to Dee and Keith for dinner and a dip in their pool. Locked the keys in the house so had to get locksmith to open it for us. Had a nice walk around three lakes before coming back for tea, the obligatory game of Articulate and home to bed.
Went for early morning walk again this morning. Later Aine drove us into Perth and we spent a lovely afternoon in King’s Park. Deirdre came in to join us. This is a large and beautiful park in the centre of the city. There is a striking monument commemorating the dead of both World Wars, with the caption “Lest We Forget” and great viewpoints overlooking the harbour and the high rise buildings of the city centre. We walked on through the Botanic gardens with an array of plants native to all parts of Australia. We then sat on the grass and had our picnic. Afterwards we went on to Deirdre’s house for a swim in the pool.
In the evening we went to Scarborough beach for the weekly Sunset Markets. Here large crowds had gathered for a beach party. Lots of markets, street food of all types and musical entertainment on the beach. We stayed here until about 9pm and the returned home.
Our last day in Perth before flying on to Sydney tomorrow. Aine took the rented car back and dropped Conor and myself in the city centre. We wandered around the city, had lunch in Elizabeth Quay and climbed the Bell Tower. Met up with Deirdre and Aine before returning on the train. Went out for a last meal together in Kobe restaurant in Subiaco. Returned home and had one final game of Articulate before bed.
Day 33 Saturday January 10th
Up early to finish packing the bags for our flight today. Aine, Deirdre, Fionnuala and myself are flying to Sydney at 3.45pm. Conor is flying home at 10pm. Dee brought us over to her house after we checked out of air b&b. Aine had a last swim in pool before Keith dropped us to the airport and we had a four hour flight to Sydney.
As we leave Perth we thank Deirdre and Keith for three fabulous weeks of holidays. They had an action packed schedule planned for us and we leave with great memories. Perth is a lovely city, modern architecture, great infra structure, beautiful beaches, warm sunshine and really nice friendly people. There is a laid back vibe about the place, which is evident on the beaches, in the coffee shops and restaurants and even on the roads, where cars travel at a slower pace than at home and drivers are more relaxed and courteous to fellow road users. The wildlife is amazing, with a large variety of birds creating a cacophony of sound from early morning, kangaroos hopping across the road, many other marsupials such as wombats, koalas and quokkas, not to mention the spiders, snakes and lizards.
We had a comfortable flight, arriving in Sydney ahead of schedule. We got an Uber taxi to our air b&b about 15 minutes from airport. We arrived at our new accommodation at 10.30 pm ( Sydney is three hours ahead of Perth). Again the house is lovely and lots of food, treats and drinks were left complimentary for us. Just as well as we were peckish after the flight and it was too late to do any shopping.
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