6/3/16 Bent , busted & broken !!

 Well , what a day we’ve had . Starting out this morning , we drove into Bunbury to go for a ride around the Leschenault Inlet . All good , we find a parking spot near Koombana Bay beach and unload the bikes , off we go , down past the caravan park , onto the bike track and we are all go . Signs on the track indicate a steep incline / decline - now , we are riding beside the water - only a metre or so above it , occasionally 2 maybe 3m - steep incline ????? There were some drainage dips that the track passed through - there was our steep incline / decline !!! All good , we go down the first one , then up again , then shortly after is another steeper one . I made it up and turned to see Lyn not quite make it and fall over , I quickly turned and helped her up , bruised ego , a bit of skin off one knee , but a very sore wrist . Gathering everything together , thoughts etc , we started walking to the ute - only about 500m away . We stopped at a seat and I walked back to get the ute .  When I returned , we got an ice pack onto the swelling , put her arm into a sling , then I loaded the bikes & gear , then got Lyn in the ute and we drove round to the emergency department, spending the next 3 & a bit hours getting assessed , X rayed , CT scanned and finally plastered . Lyn’s wrist has a break , fortunately it wasn’t displaced ( the bones hadn’t moved) and were still in place , meaning only a plaster part slab was required . Even better , there wasn’t a lot of pain and fingers & thumbs moved easily !!! 

 Eventually , we got away from the hospital , and went back to Koombana Bay to have some lunch - it was 2:45 pm - we were a tad hungry !! 

 Sight seeing today has been somewhat curtailed , but Koombana Bay has a few different sections to it . There’s the Yacht Club bay & moorings , the beach and dolphin discovery section , then there’s a small beach near the old jetty site , and also the entrance to Leschenault Inlet where all the boats go in & out from the Power Boat Club , then there’s the port section where they load wheat & other minerals etc .

 After watching the boats for a while , we headed back to the farm , day done !!    Completely !!!
 Here's a map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kMOytEAbUq-8&usp=sharinghttps://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kMOytEAbUq-8&usp=sharing

5/3/16 Up , up & a Donnybrook

 So here we are , spending another 2 nights here , as everywhere else is booked ! Lucky for us they aren’t booked out - there’s only 4 sites here - 5 at a pinch , Del & Bill let us stay a few more nights - they’ve given us some fresh limes , watermelon , now just have to work on the macadamias hahaha , they are lovely people .

  Today we did some ups before Donnybrook , Capel , then into Peppermint Grove before some more ups . By ups I mean - Dardanup , Boyanup ,Gwindinup , Mallokup and I’m sure there’s a couple I’ve missed as well !!

  The drive took us up into the hills and prime apple growing area of Donnybrook , orchards flank the road on both sides . It is a large town , with the largest children’s play ground we have seen in a park setting .

  On the drive back down to the coast ,we found Paynedale and thought " hope this isn't the same as Gnomesville "- we didn't stop !!  On the side of the road there were quite a lot of grass trees that appeared to be flowering - not with a flower spike reaching upwards - these looked to be flower heads ! so we stopped to have a look . Indeed they were flowers - all in different stages - some very fresh & new , beside an old and decaying one , then another in between . They must be different to the eastern states variety !!

  Driving through Capel , we reached the Bussell Hwy , crossed over and drove toward the coast . The Tuart Forest National Park appeared on our left , with some beautiful tall gum trees . Just before the NP are some fields with beef cattle - cleared selectively , leaving some magnificient trees .

 A little further down the road and we turned off to Peppermint Grove , and went to the beach , well what a beach it was !! There was an offshore breeze blowing and the water was flat with a tiny wave breaking every now and again . The sky was dotted with clouds and beautiful blue skies . The view was spectacular looking down toward Busselton and Cape Naturaliste . There were a few people on the beach fishing , others playing with their dogs , we walked down the beach for a kilometer or so , swelling numbers on the beach to at least 12 or 14 . The water was crystal clear and a nice temperature - we soaked it all in - we definitely enjoy being beside some water !!

 Back to the ute , we drove as far to the north as we could - till the road stopped - there are a lot of new houses , but a lot of the others seemed to be holiday houses as well as some of the new . 

 There is a lookout that we only saw as we drove back , so stopped and had lunch up on top. There are 120 steps to get to the top in 9 flights , gets the heart pumping and the muscles burning - all good !!

  After lunch we headed back to Bunbury to get some shopping , before heading back to the farm and another chat with Del & Bill - they dont mind a bit of a chat !! It was nice to be away from the highway - it is extremely busy !!!

 Hopefully Mr Google will be working tonight !! Todays map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.keBdGQvhIfoQ&usp=sharing

Mr Google worked so here's yesterdays as well !!

Yesterdays map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.k3WtELuBX-RM&usp=sharing

4/3/16 We found a river

 After a cool night - it got down to 11 degrees !! - we got up about 8am , having had a really good nights sleep !! Hooray !! Breakfast out of the way , we had to get ourselves back in travel mode .

 That accomplished , we headed off through the Ferguson Valley and up to Wellington Dam . The road taken , took us through Dardanup - a small town surrounded by a lot of dairy farms with very green fields - something that’s a bit out of the ordinary at the moment - WA has been in drought for about 3 years . They utilise water channels , similar to the way things are done in the Riverina in NSW , water floods in to the fields through access gates and metering wheels from the main channel beside the road , and can be directed to whichever field they want . 

 The road started climbing , and the fields started to go grey - dead grass grey - the only parts that were green , were beside the roads and in the bottom of the valleys . Stopping at the top of one rise gave us views back to Bunbury and the coast .

Gum trees have been and are still blossoming . The gum nuts are huge !!

 The road was winding and up & down , leading us through the Wellington Forest - mainly Jarrah . There is a Discovery Centre in the middle of the forest which we had a quick look at , but there was a school class on excursion there , so we decided to head off again , leaving that section of forest all to them .

 Not far up the road is Wellington Dam on the Collie River . The road in takes you down to the river at the base of the dam wall , across a bridge , beside the pumping station and up to a kiosk and viewing areas . The dam is V shaped and quite impressive . There is an outlet at the bottom spraying a large tube of water out - almost like someone has pulled the bath plug out !!

 At the top there is also the quarry where they jackhammered and dynamited the rock that they have used in the wall . The walls of the old quarry now form a solid amphitheatre and picnic area .

 The magpies over here are different from over east , with a section of solid white running from the top of the back of their head to half way down the body .

 Heading off , we drove beneath the dam wall again and turned off toward Honeymoon Pool. Not knowing what to expect , we were pleasantly surprised to find an area called The Rapids , and rapids there were swirling and bouncing down & over the rocks - we have finally found a river that is flowing , clean and you could swim in !!!!! Reflections in the water were also pretty good . It would be awesome on a hot day !!

 Back in the ute and about 1klm down the road is another area called Big Rock - and for good reason . This rock went from the river to the top of the ridge - about 500m . Very little vegetation , but always with grass trees - there are millions of them in WA !! There is also a shelf of rock about 300mm thick perched on a few other rocks - almost like a diving board . 

 On the road again , this time about 2klms down an area called Little Rock - it only goes about half way up the hill . There is one large pool , some small rapids and then another good size pool . The water is crystal clear , you can see stones & sticks on the bottom quite easily , and is up to 3m deep in places .

 Continuing on , we finally found Honeymoon Pool , which turns out to be a rather large camp ground for tents - they don’t have caravans in there ( apart from the camp hosts ) . It finally dawned on us after walking around the area and seeing nearly all the sites with multiple tents on them , that this is the Labour Day long weekend in WA - so everyone is out camping , fishing , boating and whatever else they do this weekend - a very busy weekend  - and we forgot about it - could be interesting where we will be for the next couple of nights!!! Hopefully we may be able to stay here another day or so ! 

 This campground is beside another section of the Collie River , has a large timber deck area with stairs either end for entry into the river - what a great spot - except for long weekends !!!!

 Next stop was the King Jarrah - a tree that is around 400 years old . We were expecting to find a very large tree , and it was , not as large as we’d imagined though . It stretched upwards about 45metres , was about 4metres thick at the base , and had many battle scars from fires and fallen branches - still impressive , and gives you a whole new view on how old the forest actually is !!

 The forest floor is covered in leaf litter and grass trees , a lot of what we have driven through today has had a fire go through it in December , and has a lot of regrowth now happening .

 The next spot we stopped was different to say the least . We came out of the forest area and into a place called Gnomesville , yes you have read it correctly - Gnomesville !! And what would expect to fine here , yep , gnomes occupying the side of the road beside a roundabout . We saw some as we approached , but were taken by complete surprise at the amount of them - there are thousands of them , and they come from everywhere and anywhere - people from all over the world have placed gnomes here - who knows why - they have just done it !! Here is one photo of one small section .

 The area covers approximately 2 acres !!!! You could spend a lot of time there if you are interested in gnomes , unfortunately for us , we could take or leave them - we left !!

  Bunbury was the next stop so we could get some late lunch - which we ate beside the Lions lookout tower . We ventured up the spiral staircase up to the very windy top platform , for great views of the coast to the north past the port , views over Bunbury and the estuary , the lighthouse and a very large Indian Ocean stretching off into the horizon .

  The traffic in town was quite hectic - everyone was getting away for the weekend , so that contributed to the extra traffic , and it was Friday afternoon as well !! After filling with fuel , we headed back .

 We found a few links back to NSW today - we went through Picton , Henty & Wellington - not bad seeing as we didn't leave WA !!!

  Trying to get some accommodation for the weekend was a tad difficult - everywhere appears to be booked out - on the coast or inland - there’s sport or music festivals or food festivals - to be continued ???

 Todays map link :- Sorry not working tonight !!! - bloody google !

3/3/16 We're Back !!

  Hi folks , we’re back on the road again - it’s been a busy several weeks , landscaping Emma & Mike’s place while they were away . The last straw was yesterday , delivering and erecting a garden shed - not a lot of work you would think - it’s only 3m x 2.26m x 2m high - not very big - shouldn’t take long !! Emma & Lyn assisted me , we started at 9:15 , stopped for some lunch at 2:30 , then collapsed at about 5:30 - all done - so much for the instructions and having things predrilled - we re-engineered the roof a little , and redrilled a lot , not to mention the 220 screws & nuts & bolts . But it does open & close and it wont blow away - happy days !!! We stayed & had dinner with Em & Mike , then said our farewells .

  After that day we thought we’d have a big nights sleep , wrong - it turned out to be one of our worst - awake , asleep , awake , asleep , hot , cool , warm - then it was 7am , so we got up .

 Yesterday we didn’t get anything done that we wanted - packing the bikes , putting things back where they normally live , etc , etc , getting ready to go this morning . All good , we were away by 9:30 , heading south on Kwinana Freeway . Taking the all too familiar turnoff to Mandurah , we continued through and down the coast , passing by where the fires had been at Lake Clifford and Preston Beach , the same fires that burnt out the town of Waroona in January . 

 Stopping for a rest at Australind , just north of Bunbury , we had a look at the Leschenault Estuary . We sat at a covered picnic table , before returning to the ute as the wind was rather cool - not sure how long we are going to last in the cooler weather - we are not enjoying it when the temperature drops to the low 20’s !!

  We had some lunch , then wandered down to the shopping centre , before heading out to find our site for a couple of nights - we found a farm stay that fitted the bill . Setting up , we chatted to Bill and Del - the owners  - for a while , they have lived here for over 30 years , have some sheep , macadamia trees and lime trees - we even got some limes given to us , fresh from the tree !

 Pondered the idea of going into Bunbury for a look , but thought again and went and sat in the shade outside instead , then relaxed with a beer & a really good batch of salsa . 

 We will look around tomorrow and report back again , probably with a few more photos .

Here’s a map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.k3BWkTS1nLSQ&usp=sharing

20/2/16 Serpentine River Mandurah

 After a solid week and a half's work !! - Yes work - retaining walls , paving , gates , pad & concrete pavers for a garden shed , move bricks , recycle cardboard , pick up & deliver sleepers , cement & cement slabs , pick up & deliver gates and then we still have to get the garden shed when it arrives !!!
 We decided it was time to have a paddle . The Serpentine River and the Murray River flow into Mandurah , we picked the Serpentine today . Feeling a little dusty this morning after dinner with Dave & Deb last night , it took a little while to get organised , but we finally got there at 10 am .
 Pepper ( Emma's dog ) was quite excited - she hadn't been in the kayak for a few years , but still remembered .
 We got the kayak into the water , Pepper taking pride of place up front , and up the river we paddled .

  There are are few homes that have water at their back gate , and so , many have small jetties . The river is lined with many river oaks & tea trees - there were quite a few dying off .

  It was getting hot , so we found a small beach and pulled up there so Pepper could get out for a run and also get into some shade . She swam & sniffed and raced up & down the beach , having a great time .

 Heading back down the river , we stopped for a selfie on the way - something we don't do a lot of , but here we are .

 There were lots of birds , cormorants , sea eagles , ducks & egrets . They enjoyed the use of the dead trees at the waters edge to dry out , and eye off a meal , as it swam past . There were lots of smaller fish - up to 250mm long , swimming around in the shallows .

   Pepper was enjoying the ride , you could hear the people on the side of the river commenting on "the little white dog " - quite the attention getter !!!

  Several other people were out fishing in kayaks and small boats , the boat ramp is a popular spot for launching boats into the estuary . The river leads into a very large broadwater , before reducing back again near the promenade in Mandurah then flowing out to sea . Mandurah is a very popular place for boaties , whether it be fishing or just pleasure cruising .

 Not a long paddle , but enjoyable none the less , about 6 klms .

  We loaded back up and drove 15mins back to Emma's place for some lunch , as it was 1:30pm . That done , we cleaned up and relaxed for the afternoon . 

 Here's a map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kZyOvS_gK3H0&usp=sharing

11/2/16 House sit

  Hi folks , just a quick note , we are house sitting during the hottest week in Perth on record . Day after day of temperatures over 40 - that's bloody hot !!!
 After a few drives to the airport & an industrial area - dropped the kids off at the airport & picked up some gates - which we have since installed , we caught up with Bob & Sharon ( from Rockhampton , who we met at Kununurra and several other places ) at Karrrinyup Waters Caravan Park . We chatted under the shade of a tree for several hours - it was nice to catch up with them .
 Today has seen us running around getting landscaping gear , loading & unloading - a bit too much like work - but no pay !! This can't go on !!
  Currently collapsed on the lounge , with some muscles letting us know we haven't used them for a while !!!
 Tomorrow may well be a day off , we'll see what happens .

7/2/16 Back to Perth

 Hi folks , we're back in the big smoke - well Perth anyway !! We have house & dog sitting to do , goods to pick up & deliver , a busy 3 weeks ahead . The blog will be happening , but maybe not as regularly .
  Todays trip from Boddington down to Emma's was interesting , we found some dense forests , beautiful tall gum trees , up hills , down hills , bauxite mines , and some good looking towns - Dwellingup and Pinjarra to name a couple - worth a visit another day .
 The interesting / annoying part of the trip was the ability of the trailer brake controller to switch itself on & off at will , change from Manual mode to automatic , without any input from anything else !!! - clever little piece of electronics !!! The manufacturer will be getting a phone call tomorrow !!
 We got the 5th wheeler to its storage area for the next 3 weeks , loaded the ute and headed to Emma's, the temperature was nudging 37 degrees - the start of an extremely hot week - Perth is in for temps in the mid to low 40's for most of this week !!!! I think swimming may be the best option .
 That's it for a day or two while we stay out of the heat - if that's at all possible !