Trip through SW Australia

Cate and John (and two year old, Josh) very kindly took me on a trip through SW Australia, so I could get a flavor for more than just Perth and the beach.  (There is more to Australia than the beach??)  We headed south from Perth, via lunch at Cate's family's cattle farm.  (We would call it a ranch, but here it's a farm.  See post about lack of a common language...)  It was hot, dry, and with LOTS of flies.  (I don't like the flies here.)  From there we headed further south to Permberton, a piddly little town in the middle of karri forrests (a sort of eucalyptus, which is also called gum trees, of which there are apparently 750 different species).  We stayed in a fishing lodge, which were lucky was still standing, as it was due to be burned to the ground a few months ago.  (The person who was staying in the lodge at the time complained, and they kindly didn't burn it down around him.)  We wandered out to the Gloucester tree, which was a 61 meter tall fire lookout.  Although the two year old was ready to go up, I was the nominated tree climber.  It was indeed quite beautiful from the top, but I have to admit I was a bit shaky a couple of times on the climb.  But I was WAY better than the poor dad who was being forced to climb the tree with his kids whom I passed on my way down.  He was huffing and puffing, not looking up and not looking down, and holding on for dear life.  Clearly not happy.

The experience of actually climbing the tree myself and being above all the others made the renowned Tree Top Walk a bit of a disappointment.  It was neat, but a wheelchair accessible ramp 40 meters up doesn't quite compare.  (Although there were people on those swaying and bouncing metal bridges who were clearly not happy to be there.)  Further down the road we walked through giant tingle trees.  Yes, through them.  Among them, and through ones that were insanely large and hollowed out by fire.

The next day was the wine, cheese, and chocolate tour.  Most of the vineyards seem to have a sideline going so that mom and dad can feel okay dragging their kids from winery to winery.   At the first vineyard (which also sold homemade cheese, fudge, and ice cream) there was a couple who had been in the day before, and in the interim he had proposed to her.  They told the woman behind the counter all about it, and, after she handed them their case of wine, she looked at me and asked "Isn't romance wonderful?"  Hell if I would know!  (Not that I am likely to be proposed to anytime soon, but I think I am much less a top-of-the-mountain-champagne-in-backpack kind of girl than I am the at-the-dryer-folding-laundry proposition.  (Yes, that is how my cousin was proposed to.)  Of course, I'm also perfectly happy just to buy myself a nice ring and not have to deal with the strings attached!)

From there we went to a little petting zoo.  I think the proprietors' intention was that we would pay the $12 entrance fee (each) and go outside to pet the animals.  I decided that staying in the gift shop and petting the stuffed animals for free was more in tune with my budget.  I actually totally fell in love (no engagement rings), and, had I been ridiculously wealthy, I would have paid $220 for a teddy bear which had alpaca fur.  Oh my goodness, I have never felt anything so soft.  So I pet and pet and pet that. (I'm not too much of a tactile person or anything.)

Next stop, winery/puzzle shop.  That place just pissed me off, for all of the puzzles were those cursed rope things that I can never do.  They did have some incredible smelling jasmine out front, though, so it wasn't a total loss.

We had lunch at yet another gorgeous white sands beach (on the Southern Ocean,

 which everyone else on the planet apparently calls just more of the Indian Ocean).  My favorite of these beaches was Conspicuous Beach.  Obviously I was drawn there by the name, but the place was actually quite stunning.

Last stop was a meadery.  No monks in sight (although the place was called Bartholomew, which has a monkly ring to it).  I was not wise in the ways of mead, so had to ask.  It seems to be any alcoholic beverage made from honey.  I tried two ports and a wine.  Not bad.  Not as good as the honey ice cream, though...

From there we drove for hours and hours to a place called Margaret River, which is the cutesy tourist town in the heart of wine country.  (Nothing like Portsmouth or any New England cutesy tourist town, alas.)   We had dinner watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean (the real one this time, for we were back on the west coach), and watching one idiotic surfer staying out until dark in shark infested waters.  ("Probably just some local fisherman out for a pleasure cruise at night ... through eel infested waters."  Name that movie.)

Then it was back to the beach house in Mandurah for a little laundry doing (which, in this 'dry heat' dried on the line in no time), then to Perth, then to Melbourne!