Despite not being impressed with the upper Swan Mel, it is to me one of the best features of the City area at least, beautiful broad reaches and it does for me tend to give Perth a much more open amd clean image as far as cities on rivers go.

Hobart on the Derwent is in the same boat but the narrower muddier reaches of the Brisbane and Yarra rivers are someway behind though they also have their own interesting areas but not giving that same river perspective.

Melnq8, thanks for the post since I'm going to be spending 5-7 days in Perth in mid April while my husband does some business. I'll be on my own most of the days and was hoping for advice on what to do/and not do. Any other suggestions in Perth proper as well as surrounds are greatly appreciated. Also good restaurants for evenings would be helpful.
Marsha

Hi Marsha -

No shortage of things to do here. I can give you several suggestions, but it would help me to know where you're staying and if you'll have a car, or will be using public transport.

Hi again Marsha,

Figured I'd list some things you can do on foot or via public transport. If you have a car, we can broaden the list later.

Walk along the Swan River -

There's a paved footpath that makes a loop around and over the Swan River. You can walk a portion or walk the entire loop. The entire loop takes about 90 minutes, longer if you stop for coffee or to sightsee along the way.

There are often exhibitions set up along the riverfront. The most recent is the Wheel of Perth (ferris wheel).

http://www.experienceperth.com/en/City+of+Perth/Swan+River/default.htm

Kings Park (walk or take a bus) - You can spend many hours in Kings Park. It's elevated above the city and offers some spectacular views of Perth and the Swan River. Good during the day or at night (city lights). There are several guided walks of the park, and loads of trails that you can explore on your own. You might want to pack a picnic and enjoy it while watching the ducks in the lake or try out one of the cafes. There's also a Botanic Garden, several mouments, and a few shops selling Aboriginal art and locally made crafts. Beautiful place.

http://www.perthperth.com/kingspark.htm

Explore Hay Street Mall -

This is a pedestrian mall right in the middle of the CBD. You'll find all kinds of shops, restaurants, cafes, bars and coffee shops here. There's also a theater, several hotels and interesting array of people.

http://www.lookatwa.com.au/Shopping/index.html

There's a shop called Roc, in Piccadilly Arcade where you can watch them stretch and pound hot toffee which they turn into hard candy.

http://www.roccandy.com.au/

Perth Zoo -

You can either walk or take public transport to the Barrack Street Jetty, then catch a ferry to Mends Street (directly across the river in South Perth). When you arrive at the Mends Street Jetty, you walk straight up Mends Street and follow the signs to the zoo, which is about a 10 minute walk.

From Barrack Street Jetty you can also take a ferry to Fremantle and Rottnest Island. River cruises and wine cruises to the Swan Valley also leave from here.

http://www.lookatwa.com.au/Transport/ferries.html

Perth Mint -

The mint offers hourly guided talks, tours and gold pouring demonstrations. It's located at 310 Hay Street and can be reached on foot or by the red CAT bus (free).

tours.http://www.perthmint.com.au/

Restaurants -

Our favorite CBD restaurant is Nine Marys (Indian), located at 16 Milligan Street.

http://www.ninemarys.com.au/

We also like Royal India, located at 1134 Hay Street in West Perth.

http://www.royalindia.com.au/

There are loads of restaurants, cafes and pubs in the CBD. You'll be spoiled for choice.

I hope this gives you a few ideas. I'll post more as time allows.

I would love a home exchange in Australia again some day. Perth, Tasmanaia, Adelaide, Melbourne, Cairns, Darwin, Alice Springs are all on the list for a second trip. I did Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney last year. Lots to see and not a whole lot of time. I had 6 weeks in 2008 and 2 home exchangs on the Sunshine Coast and in Brisbane.

It's a BIG country.

2) A wander down south

With the help of my friends Google and Google maps, I put together a quick and dirty itinerary for the Mandurah area. Early one Sunday morning in March, we hopped in the car and were off, pointed south.

We took the Mitchell/Kwinana Freeway, exited at Mundijong Road, then picked up Lloyd and Doghill roads, ending at MacNuts WA in Baldivis, some 50 km south of Perth.

MacNuts is the only commercial grower, processor and supplier of macadamia nuts in Western Australia. I associate macadamia nuts with tropical climates like Hawaii, so I was intrigued to visit a plantation in an area as dry as Western Australia. Apparently, the secret is lots and lots of water.

It was an interesting stop and the barbecue flavored nuts were pretty tasty.

We then located the South Western Highway, and set our sights on the rural shire of Jarrahdale, Western Australia’s first timber town and home to Serpentine National Park.

http://www.breakloose.com.au/html/adventure_articles/regional/wa/peel/serpentine_jarrahdale.php

This is my kind of place. A beautiful little town surrounded by Jarrah forests. We were anxious to explore some of the tracks in Jarrahdale, but wisely decided to leave those for another, cooler day (it reached 38c that day).

Our destination was Millbrook Winery, which is located on a gorgeous piece of land known as Chestnut Farm. The winery and restaurant overlook a lake; it’s truly an idyllic setting.

http://www.millbrookwinery.com.au/main.html

We hadn’t planned on eating there, but after tasting their fantastic wines and drooling over their lunch menu, we found ourselves wishing we’d reserved a table. The restaurant was fully booked, but as luck would have it, they’d just received a cancellation, so we grabbed a table for noon!

And a fantastic lunch it was too. Bill had the grilled Atlantic salmon with minted potatoes, wilted spinach and hollandaise ($36) and I had the butternut gnocchi with sage butter and goats curd ($28). Both were excellent, but portions were very small and we could have used a bit more. For dessert we shared a tiny chocolate mocha panna cotta with orange compote and biscotti ($14), also fantastic. Lunch for two with a glass of wine each came to $92.

We left Millbrook content and happy to have discovered their restaurant and their 2008 Sauvignon Blanc.

After poking around Jarrahdale for a bit, we worked our way towards Pinjarra, which is one of the oldest towns in Western Australia and is situated on the banks of the Murray River. It was getting quite hot and Pinjarra didn’t speak to us the way Jarrahdale had, so we settled for a wine tasting at Raven Wines, scanned the menu of their French Bistro for future reference and continued on.

Our final stop this day was Mandurah, where it took us a few attempts to locate the eastern foreshore, home of the Sunday Mandjar Markets. After much driving around we finally found our way, lucked into a primo parking spot and wandered about for awhile. It was a blistering hot day, but the foreshore was packed with families playing in the sand, lounging on the grass and generally lazing about. We watched the boats troll up and down the bay for awhile, listened to a one man band, and checked out the booths peddling all manner of wares, before calling it a day and heading back to Perth.

Up next, Cottesloe Beach

3) Time for the beach

I’m not generally a beach person, but I just couldn’t help but head to the beach at the first glimmer of autumn.

I’d heard many references to Cottesloe, but had never ventured there, so I hopped into the car and headed south via the Sunset Coast Tourist Drive, which runs alongside a stretch of pretty coastline and beach side suburbs. There are some fabulous looking homes through here and I was immediately jealous.

I missed my turn and ended up in Fremantle, but no worries, a quick U turn later I was headed back in the right direction, where I veered off towards the town of Cottesloe.

I instantly understood the attraction of this pretty sea side town. I found a parking spot and walked down to the beach, where I stumbled upon Sculpture by the Sea, an art exhibit set up on the beach and along the grassy foreshore.

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/351995/index.html

There were lots of people out enjoying the cool day, including various school groups there to study the sculpture and people like myself, just wandering around at will. It was a great introduction to Cottesloe, a place I hope to see more of in the future.

Next up: ???

Great, thanks so much for the specifics. Didn't think I'd get a car but looking at all of your ideas it sounds like maybe for some outings it would be worthwhile. If we stayed in CBD would husband need a car to get to Belmont or could he leave it with me?

Marsha - I suspect your husband can reach Belmont by bus, but I'm not sure. Here's the link to Transperth, who operate all buses and trains in Perth.

http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/

If he does need the car, you can easily get around the city on public transport, and maybe leave the longer excursions for the weekend when he can join you. There are tours to some places, such as the Swan valley and Kings Park if you don't want to go it alone.

Keep in mind that parking is expensive in the city and your hotel will probably charge you $20-25 per day to park your car.

If you plan to use public transport a lot, suggest you look into a Transperth Smartcard - it's a card you load with a certain amount of $, so you don't have to pay for each individual bus or train ride. Very convenient, but some planning will be required so you don't put more $ on the card than you will use.

Unfortunately, we'll be gone in mid-April, otherwise I'd be happy to show you some of the sights.

Hi Mel,
Next time you feel like a drive to Cottesloe try the John Street Cafe, its one of my favourites. It is of course in John St. which runs straight down to the beach carpark. The cafe is in an old building painted blue so you can't miss it with tables and umbrella's set onto a paved area at the front. It is a lovely street with old pine trees and some stunning homes so it is worth a drive or walk around to see some beautiful old houses that have been renovated in the area.
Maybe we could meet up there some time?
Maudie

Oh you also might like to take a drive down to the Rockingham/Shoalwater Bay area. Very pretty and you can walk out to Penguin Island if the sand bar is exposed or take the small ferry. There are also dolphins at Rockingham. Makes for a nice Sunday outing.

Maudie -

I'd love to meet up sometime!

You can walk to Penguin Island? Wow, I'll have to check that out.

We were planning to visit Serpentine National Park on Friday to check out some of those walks, but after hearing it's supposed to get up to 36c, I'll think we'll shoot for Sunday instead. Maybe we can fit in Rockingham too. Thanks.

Great, I shall send you an email which I have been meaning to do for some time.

You must only walk IF the sand bar is exposed, usually in the morning before the tide comes in but you must be very careful and only do it if you can swim. I think they discourage it these days but we used to do it as kids in the good old days.
www.penguinisland.com.au/

Yes, I think Sunday would be a much better day to walk though I think it is going to be windy so not a good day for Rockingham but you never know. There is a good map shop in Freo that has some good books with walks in it. More on that when we meet up!

Hi Mel
If you get the chance, head north to Kalbarrie.
it's a 6 hour trip on the Brand hwy out of perth.
Definately a w/end stint, the scenery isn't as good as heading south but once you see Kalbarrie, you will fall in love with the place.
It's a quiet little fishing town except when it's holiday season.
It has lots of nice units to rent or caravan parks, which are very nice as well.
Many lovely little resteraunts and a couple of pubs in town as well.
They have gift shops clothing stores a decent supermarket also.
And a very laid back atmosphere that makes one just relax.
The beaches are beautiful and the fishing great, and they have some wonderful scenic drives along the coast.
Then there are the gorges just out of town that are a must see.
Hope you get there?
Jiggy.

On a nice cool Sunday in late March we decided to head back to Jarrahdale to explore some of those aforementioned walks. Once again we headed south on the Kwinana Freeway and worked our way towards Serpentine National Park, via Mundijong Road and the South Western Highway.

We first stopped at Serpentine Dam, which is located on Kingsbury Drive in Jarrahdale. There’s a café overlooking the dam, barbecue and picnic facilities in a nicely treed area, and a huge car park, which we found completely devoid of cars. We were baffled as to the need for so much parking, as there’s really not much there.

We continued on Kingsbury Road in search of the entrance to Serpentine National Park, but our Google map failed us miserably, and we ended up, well, nowhere.

We remembered seeing a trailhead near the entrance to Millbrook Winery during our previous visit, so we set off in that direction. We eventually located the trailhead to Kitty’s Gorge, which is directly across the street from the Jarrahdale cemetery.

And who, pray tell, was Kitty? Apparently, she was a cow who wandered away from her home and was found months later down by the gorge. Sounds like a good trivia question for the next local pub quiz…

We were armed with several walking maps that I’d found online at www.mymandurah.com, so we began our hike. We soon discovered that Kitty’s Gorge isn’t a single trail, but rather a network of intersecting trails that meander through the gorge, one of which ends at Serpentine Falls. It was a bit confusing, but a passing cyclist was kind enough to point us in the right direction and we soon found ourselves walking toward Serpentine Falls, via a vast serene picnic area surrounded by Jarrah trees. We continued walking along the dry Gooralong Brook and past the gauging station. The trail soon became narrow and overgrown and at one point I was badly tripped up by a vine that tried to lasso me. We decided to turn back and try another route, as we really weren’t interested in walking the 11km return trail to Serpentine Falls anyway.

We backtracked to the gauging station and embarked on the ridge top walk. We found this section a bit difficult. It was a steep and rocky single file track that was absolutely swarmed with big black ants. Seriously, we’d never seen so many ants. We had to stop frequently to brush them from our clothing, and one even managed to crawl up my pants leg and bite me on my thigh. We trudged on, not liking this trail much, even less so when I lost my footing and fell.

We finally made it back to the seemingly ant-free serenity of the picnic area, where we plopped our tired selves down for a rest and some lunch. Our 6.25 mile trek had taken three hours and left us a bit zapped.

We drove to Millbrook Winery thinking we’d pop in for a cold glass of their fabulous 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, but the parking lot was completely packed with the Sunday lunch crowd, so we had a change of heart.

Still curious as to what Serpentine Falls was all about, we got back on the South Western Highway and headed a wee bit further south, finally finding the turnoff. We paid the $10 admission, parked the car and walked to the falls overlook. There were a lot of people milling about and the falls seemed to be a big draw. So, imagine our surprise when the walkway ended at a pond fed by a trickle of water running over a few large rocks. We looked at each other and shook our heads and walked back to the car park. Our visit to the ‘falls’ lasted all of three minutes.

We found it interesting that so many people had paid an admission fee to picnic at these ‘falls’, and yet there was a much prettier, more inviting and completely free picnic area at the mouth of Kitty’s Gorge about 10 minutes away.

Next up???

Thanks jiggy - Kalbarri is on my short list.

I always enjoy reading your adventures Melnq8. It sounds like you are having a great time exploring the area. Do you know how long you will be living there?

Toucan2 - thanks for that...the plan is to stay for about four years.

Have you seen this one yet Mel? Haven't forgotten you - will email shortly, have a lot on at the moment and I know you are going away this month.

http://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/

Hi Maudie -

Just now got a chance to look at your link - we're currently in the Changi Airport awaiting our flight to Zurich.

I've walked several short sections of the Bibbulmun track, but the walk and overnight option is certainly something I'd be interested in. Doubt I could do all 965 km though! The volunteer opportunites also piqued my interest. Will have to take a closer look when I get back to Perth.

Hi Mel,
Didn't realise you were going quite so soon. Do have a wonderful time on your holiday, lucky you going to Switzerland. Hopefully we can catch up when you get back and you can tell me all about it.

Take care, safe travels.

5) Exploring Yanchep National Park

On a cool cloudy Sunday in mid June we donned our hiking boots, climbed into our chariot and pointed ourselves north. We took the Mitchell Freeway, picked up Joondalup Drive, turned left on Wanneroo Road and kept going straight. Easy.

We quickly left the city behind, finding ourselves surrounded by trees, strawberry farms, vegetable stands, a vineyard and a mango farm.

A short 45 minutes later we pulled into Yanchep National Park, paid the $10 entry fee and headed to the Visitor’s Center, where we picked up a walking map. The first thing I noticed when we entered the park were all the grey kangaroos grazing on the lawn. Apparently, kangaroos spend their time out in the open during the winter months, but hide in the bush during the summer.

A free History Walk was due to start 10 minutes after we arrived, so we signed up and were soon learning about the history of Yanchep thanks to a volunteer, who incidentally, is Swiss. It was just us, the guide and a couple from South Australia.

http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/park-finder/property/national-parks/yanchep-national-park.html

Our guide explained the origins of the park and led us down to Loch McNess (no, I’m not making that up). We walked the grounds, visiting the Yanchep Inn, Yanchep Lodge and the wildflower garden, which was being methodically eaten by three errant 'roos who’d gotten past the gates. Our guide helped identify some of the birds in the vicinity, and put a name to a massive tree in front of the Yanchep Inn (blue gum). She also answered all our questions about the plants in the area and told us what type of snakes one might encounter (including the dreaded tiger snake). It was a nice interpretative walk, despite the sporadic rain.

Back at the Visitor’s Center, we said goodbye to our guide and sought out the koala enclosure. I was expecting to find koalas in a zoo like setting, but instead they were in a large park that almost led one to believe they’re native to WA. In other words, they looked as if they belonged there. We spotted seven koalas, most of them high up in the trees doing what they do best. We were lucky enough to see two active koalas who'd come down from the trees to munch on some eucalyptus leaves.

The park has nine hiking trails, but due to recent fires, three were closed. We decided to walk the Crystal Cave trail, which led us past the entrance to the cave and on to Cabaret Cave, where we stopped for a picnic lunch. Crystal Cave trail is one way, so we backtracked via the Dwerta Mia walk, which leads through a pretty gorge before it rejoins the trail. This was a nice walk, easy and level with lots of kangaroos and birds.

We also took the 2km Wetlands Walk trail which circles Loch McNess. Sections of this walk were pretty, but we much preferred the Crystal Cave trail. All told, we walked five miles, about 2:15 of easy, level walking.

I really enjoyed the park like setting of Yanchep. It’s peaceful and serene, and we hope to go back to walk a few more trails and perhaps take a tour of one of the caves.

On the way home, we noticed a huge store called Drover’s, located at Wanneroo Road and Joondalup Drive, which was actually open on Sunday! I just had to investigate. Wow. This place was amazing. It was basically four separate stores under one roof; a meat shop, a seafood market, a bakery and the biggest produce shop I’d ever seen. Once again I was awed by the incredible produce in this country. I’ve never seen lettuce, leeks and carrots the likes of what they grow here. Everything is so BIG.

http://www.droversfishmarket.com.au/

Next up: ???

Sounds like a very nice Sunday Melnq8. I've yet to see a koala, so am a bit jealous of that.

Hi Toucan2 -

We've been fortunate enough to see lots of koalas, and I never seem to tire of the cute furry lumps.

6) John Forrest National Park beckons

A Friday morning in mid-July, dead of winter in WA, and we’re scanning the skies, wondering if those threatening clouds and blustery winds mean business. In Colorado, we’d be worried about snow, but here, no worries, it looks like a promising day for a hike, so we’re off.

We leave Perth via the Mitchell, Graham Farmer and Great Eastern Freeways, soon wondering what the heck we were thinking, as we get caught up in a messy traffic jam, our little Toyota surrounded by intimidating commercial trucks and semis. Once again, Google has let us down and lead us right into the fray. We really need to get a GPS. This city confuses me to no end, although Bill seems to have no troubles. Hmmmm…

We finally break free of the chaos, and are in the Perth Hills in no time. Once again I’m reminded of how much I like this area, and how much we have yet to see.

We turn left on Park Road and approach Western Australia’s oldest national park, John Forrest, from one of the three entrances off the highway.

http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/hotproperty/property/national-parks/john-forrest-national-park.html

We pay our $10 admission, park the car and examine the information board next to the Rangers Station to see what hikes are on offer. It seems there are three short walking trails (1-4 km) and two longer options. We’re momentarily tempted by the 15 km, moderately difficult Eagle View Walk Trail, until we remember the sign a the entrance to the park that advises everyone must be out of the park by 3:45 pm; we’re not sure we have enough time. We decide to play it safe and settle on the 10.2 km Heritage Trail instead.

We cross the brook and locate the trail sign, which leads both left and right, we decide to go left first.

We’re soon walking along the former steam locomotive railway line, a wide level path, surrounded by wandoo, jarrah and marri. Although it’s marked moderate we find it ridiculously easy, but we’re so taken with the trail that we don’t care. Before long we’ve reached the National Park Falls, which unlike the Serpentine Falls we visited a few months back, actually do look like falls. The winter rain probably hasn’t hurt. We poke around on the rocks, exploring a bit before we head back to the trail and continue our walk. It’s pretty through here, the birds are singing and I’m feeling content and at peace.

We eventually reach the Swan View Tunnel, built in 1895, the only railway tunnel in Western Australia. We start to walk through it, but it’s long, wet and incredibly dark; I get creeped out imagining snakes and crawlies. Bill gives in to my pleas for mercy and we backtrack and walk around the tunnel instead.

Soon we begin to see bits and pieces of the city and realize that we (and the residents of Perth Hills) are on the path of the approach into Perth Airport. We reach the end of the one way trail and head back, stopping for a picnic on the return.

Back at the ‘beginning’ of the trail, we continue walking the second section, and are surprised how different this side is from the other. It’s more wooded, less exposed and oddly enough, it has an entirely different feel. Before we know it, the Hovea Falls appear on our left. We’re both surprised, as the falls seem so out of place. The rocks are covered in green moss and the falls are moving with gusto thanks to the winter rain.

We follow the path to its end, and then turn back. The parking lot and picnic areas have filled in our absence; and the smell of grilling sausage is in the air.

Before we reach the car, we’ve promised ourselves we’ll return to tackle the Eagle View Walk Trail.

Back on the Great Eastern Highway, we turn left, and seek out the Mahogany Inn, a place I’d scoped out just for this purpose. Some ten minutes later, we’re sitting in front of a fire, awaiting scones and flat whites. I’d been warned that the two ‘devons’ that came with my Devonshire tea ($8.50) were huge, so we opted to share. Good thing too, as we’d have been stuffed. The ‘devons’ were delish, the jam fruity and the cream plentiful. The flat whites weren’t as hot as we’d have liked, but otherwise good.

http://www.mahoganyinn.com.au/

It was a good day.

Next up: ???

Another great installment!

7) Getting reacquainted with the king of parks

An overcast Thursday in late July and I’ve the sudden urge to visit an old friend. I don my hiking togs, toss some snacks into my backpack and head out on foot, pointed towards the nearest train station. In my spontaneity I’ve not consulted the train schedule, so it’s no surprise when my train departs just as I’m working my way down the escalator towards the tracks. It’s not long before a replacement arrives, and I’m soon on my way, arriving at the Esplanade station some eight minutes after boarding the train. As I work my way up from the station to Mounts Bay Road, I notice a young woman in front of me wearing bright pink sneakers, a refreshing change from the sea of black that confronts me every time I go into the CBD. I can’t help but smile.

I take an assortment of passages and walkways and I’m soon turning left onto St Georges Terrace, surrounded by the black clad hustle and bustle of downtown Perth. I walk a few blocks, turn left onto Milligan Street and I’m soon crossing the Mitchell Freeway via the pedestrian bridge. I’m deposited at the foot of Mount Street, the steepest road I’ve found in Perth to date, and I begin my uphill trek. I once thought it would be nice to live on Mount Street, but the proximity to the highway and my intolerance for street noise would make it impossible. Just as well, as I think independent wealth is a prerequisite for living up here. The views are fantastic, with many balconies dangling over the Swan River and nearby Kings Park, but it comes at a price; the deafening roar of the converging freeways below.

I soon find myself at Cliff Street, where I turn left, walk to the end and look out over the edge. This is the home of Jacob’s Ladder, 242 steps that lead to Mounts Bay Road 43 meters below. It’s a popular spot for the local masochists who run up and down the steps repeatedly in the name of exercise. My knees still haven’t forgiven me for the time I walked it, so Mount Street is my poison of choice, the lesser of two evils.

After gawking for awhile, I head back to Mount Street, and a couple of left turns later, I’m walking past a massive tree and into Kings Park. The drone of the highway has fallen away and all I hear now is birdsong. Or rather what passes for birdsong; Australian birds seem to have their own ideas about what constitutes music.

Oh how I love this park! It’s an oasis of calm in an otherwise urban setting and thoroughly enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. I wander a bit, then walk to the Visitor’s Center where I pick up a walking map. Or so I thought.

I pay my respects at the war memorial, and then set off on the Law Walk, a 2.5 km loop I’m told will lead me to the bushland tracks. The Law Walk runs along the perimeter of the park, overlooking the Swan River and the old Swan Brewery. It’s just me and several joggers on the path and it’s not long before I see evidence of last summer’s bushfires. Amazingly, the land has already begun to recover, and I see lots of green poking through the burned areas. As the trail begins to circle back, I consult my map, only to discover it’s not the detailed bushland map I thought it was. I continue on anyway, turning when I reach the first marked path, the Zamia. I enjoy the solitude, just me, the bush and the birds. Before long I stumble upon a parking lot and the Zamia café, which I’m later told is the best café in the park with ‘five star food at three star prices’. It’s busy with the lunch crowd. I pass the café and wander into the Synergy Parkland, a beautifully landscaped park with picnic areas, benches, playground equipment and an island play area in the middle of the lake. It’s too beautiful to just pass through, so I park myself on a bench, munch on a snack and soak up the scenery, feeling very lucky to live in Perth.

I retrace my steps, but I’m soon sidetracked by the Baird path, which I walk both ways, once again alone with the birds. Then I’m sidetracked with the Serventy path, which I blindly follow, not having a clue where I might end up. The path ends at the Saw Avenue picnic area, yet another beautiful lush green park with some amazing trees. I see a sign pointing to Subiaco and briefly wonder if I’m lost. I decide to walk along the street for a bit (Lovekin Drive) figuring it must eventually lead back to the city side of the park. It’s not long before I’m sidetracked with the Goanna path, which turns out to be a good choice as it leads to an area I actually recognize, Roe Gardens. I wander some more, stopping by the massive boab tree that was transported to Perth from the Kimberly, and I’m soon on the Lotterywest Federation Walkway, taking in the incredible city and Swan River view that I can’t seem to get enough of.

I walk back to the Visitor’s Center and ask if there’s a detailed bushland track map; sure enough, I’d been given the wrong one. I have a nice chat with a friendly volunteer who suggests I come back on a Friday to take one of the guided bushwalks. She mentions snakes more than once, but I try to ignore that bit.

The gloomy skies have returned to their usual WA bright blue and the park has filled with locals and visitors alike. I retrace my steps to Mount Street which is now busy with those insane masochists, some jogging up, some jogging down and one fool jogging down backwards.

I walk back to the Esplanade, catch a train and walk home from my neighborhood station. I put up my feet and indulge in a few warm homemade chocolate chip cookies with my tea. I’ve clocked over 10 miles, I’ve earned it.

Next up: ???

Some photos from the above excursions.

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/index.html

8) Exploring the bushland of Bold Park…

My internet research had piqued my interest in yet another park, so on a beautiful sunny day in late July, I toss my backpack into the car and head out in search of Bold Park, located somewhere between City Beach and Floreat. Being directionally challenged even with a map, it’s not long before I’m thoroughly turned around. My insecurity with driving on the left always seems to make my lack of direction that much more frustrating. But I persevere and miraculously stumble upon a parking area that shows promise. I don’t see any signs pointing towards a trail, but there are a few buildings, so I mentally toss a coin and choose the one that houses Birds Australia WA. The woman inside is kind enough to point me in the direction of the Western Australian Ecology Center, which I’d passed on my way into the parking lot (it seems I’m also oblivious). I enquire about walks, and I’m given a map and a brochure on the birds of Bold Park. I’m in need of a loo, and this is when I discover Bold Park doesn’t have any public facilities, but the woman in the Ecology Center takes pity on me and lets me use the staff restroom.

Armed with a map I can actually read, I’m soon walking along the Reabold Hill Scenic Walk, going UP. It’s a nice paved path, and it’s not long before I begin to see glimpses of the CBD in the distance and find myself at the base of Reabold Hill, which I proceed to climb via the raised boardwalk. It’s not much of a hill, just 85 meters above sea level, but once at the top I’m treated to 360 degree views of the CBD, the Swan River, Rottnest Island and of course the Indian Ocean. I entertain myself for awhile trying to locate the landmarks outlined on the information boards, and then retrace my steps and locate the Zamia Trail, which is the longest walk trail in the park at 5.1 km (loop). The sun is shining, the skies are bright blue, the birds are chirping and at 16° C, it’s a beautiful day for a walk.

Like Kings Park, Bold Park is an A Class Reserve, which means it’s one of the most protected areas of public land in Western Australia. It has over 15 kilometers of walking and bridle trails and ten different lookouts. And like Kings Park, it’s yet another oasis in the city. Had it not been for the distant sound of traffic and a sports stadium, I’d have completely forgotten I was still in Perth.

I spend the next few hours walking, making detours on the Hovea, Thornbill and View trails, backtracking each time to return to the Zamia trail, as I want to walk the entire loop. There are benches scattered throughout the park and I stop here and there trying to identify birds with the help of the brochure I’d been given, but my attempts are futile. So I just watch and munch on mandarins instead. It’s peaceful, it’s serene, and I enjoy the solitude. I walk for almost 2.5 hours, 6.2 miles. I’d have loved to explore more of this beautiful park, but alas, that second cup of tea I had for breakfast catches up with me and I decide I’d better see if I can find my way back home.

Next up: ???

9) Back to the hills…

The last Friday of July dawns beautiful and sunny, so we load up the car and work our way east to the Perth Hills. The more we explore this area, the more we find, so my list is growing longer instead of shorter.

I’m slowly coming out of my directional fog, and the drive to the hills is beginning to feel familiar. In less than an hour, we’re pulling into the Perth Hills National Park Center and seeking help from Marie who’s minding the shop. We enquire about the Paten’s Brook track, an eight km loop in Beelu National Park (formerly Mundaring National Park) that I’d found online. We collect a map, and we’re told that the path has a few steep bits, is poorly marked in spots and should take us about 3½-4 hours to complete. Marie suggests that we pop back into the center on our return to report how long it took us, so the pressure’s on.

We’ve gotten ourselves an annual WA parks pass since our last national park visit, so no more paying as we go, although it seems Beelu National Park doesn’t charge a fee.

http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/park-finder/property/national-parks/mundaring-national-park.html

The Paten’s Brook trailhead begins just north of the car park and intersects the Bibbulmun Track, the 965 km track that begins in Kalamunda and ends in Albany. So we’re off, walking through peaceful jarrah and marri forest. It’s pretty through here, and in no time we find ourselves at Paten’s campground. We continue walking and begin to pay closer attention, as this is where we’re told the trail markings begin to play hide and seek, although we’d underestimated how much so. We’re soon walking along a disused road, looking high and low for the elusive trail markers, finding many potential paths, but not a single hint as to where the trail goes.

We continue walking and begin to get frustrated and hot, the road is exposed and boring; we’re not finding so much as a glimmer of those promised views of Mundaring Weir and Lake CY O’Connor and our map is a useless jumble of indentified squiggles. We realize we’re lost, but good sense tells us to stay on the road and not be tempted by the many unmarked side trails. We eventually see an area that looks likes it’s been clear felled, it’s ugly and barren; we walk on, wondering where we’re going to end up. At long last, we see the backside of a sign, which tells us the cleared area we passed was an airfield; we consult our map, which doesn’t show an airfield. Where the heck are we?

After three miles of road, we happen upon a trail marker on the left and a gate straight ahead. Sure enough, we’d walked back to the National Parks Center via the road and found the end of the Paten’s Brook loop simultaneously. We’ve still not see what we came for and we’re curious as to how we missed the trail, so we decide to take the marked path and walk the trail in the other direction.

This is much better, we’re back in the trees and we can see Mundaring Weir and the lake in the distance. We find a perfectly situated rock; we plop down for a rest and a picnic overlooking the weir.

Back on the trail we wind though sweet smelling pine forest. It’s not long before we come to a T intersection, and yep, not a marker to be found. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, we choose a path, then backtrack when we don’t see a marker further up. We repeat this process several times over the next two hours, finding more T and Y intersections with no markers, backtracking, wondering why this path is so miserably marked. We eventually find the road again, turn right and locate the marker pointing back to the campground. We find the trail marker we’d missed the first time around, the one that had sent us on our wild goose chase up the road; it was set back too far from the road to be seen from the direction we had come and completely concealed by foliage.

Upon our second return to the National Parks Center, we report back to Marie. It has taken us ten miles and 4.5 hours to walk the 8 km loop (twice). She tells us that they plan to re-mark the track next week. Figures.

It wasn’t what we’d planned when we set out, but it was a pretty hike and we enjoyed it all the same.

We’d earned a treat, so we call in at the Lavender Patch in Mundaring for flat whites and lavender scones ($12.50 total). A sign warns us that Tiger snakes have been seen in all areas of the property. Oh boy. The coffee is good, the peacocks are gorgeous, the grounds are nicely located, but not particularly well maintained. And the scones, well, let’s just say the Mahogany Inn still reigns supreme.

http://www.thelavenderpatch.com.au/

Next up??

As always, enjoyable reports. I was a bit behind, I've caught up on them now!

Things that made me laugh: "One fool jogging down backwards" and "mandarin eating sheep." But really, who/what doesn't like a good mandarin?

Looking forward to your next adventure.

Thanks Toucan2, glad to hear at least one person is reading! I have no idea how that icon got in there, but it seems appropriate.

10) An urban wetland…

A day in early August, rain appears imminent, but my yearning for fresh air is stronger than my need to be dry, so I’m off. I load my pockets with a few necessities, grab my rain jacket and camera and hit the road. I drive to Leederville via the Mitchell Freeway, turn west and enter the town of Cambridge, home to Lake Monger Reserve. I’ve driven by this lake dozens of times, but today I’m going to explore it in depth.

http://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au/facilities/reserves/lake_monger.html

I park in the small lot off Vincent Street and begin walking the 3.5 km paved path that circles the lake. I know from my frequent drive bys that this reserve is teeming with birds, and before I know it I’m creeping up on all manner of feathered creatures, willing them to be still while I take photos.

I’ve read that Lake Monger is home to 33 species of water birds. I’m not a birder, so my untrained eyes just see a bunch of interesting birds and ducks. Of course I recognize the black swans, and there are some beautifully vibrant parrots, but other than that I’m at a loss until I get home and do some research. As it turns out, I saw Purple Swamp Hens, dozens of screeching Little Corellas (white cockatoos) and what I believe to be a Western Long Necked Tortoise hatchling, which crossed the path right in front of me. There were loads of others of course, but for now, they’re nameless.

I reach a fork in the road and decide to go left, which leads through the conservation area of the reserve that hugs the lake. The bikers, rollerbladers and joggers are forced to go right, so there are fewer people on this path. It’s far from quiet, as the Mitchell Freeway is mere meters away, but it IS an urban park. I work my way around the lake slowly, stopping frequently to take snaps. The conservation path ends and rejoins the main path and I’m soon in a large park, fringed by some impressive looking houses.

Over an hour later, I’m back in the car park, but instead of getting into my car, I decide to walk around the lake once more, a bit faster this time, making this a nice 4.5 mile walk.

If any birders are reading this, I’d really appreciate your help in labeling the birds in these photographs (toward the bottom of the page).

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/index.html

Next up: The Chittering Valley

Melnq8, if you give a call out to Saltauris (I know I just spelled that incorrectly) I'll bet he can help you with the birds. The one before the long-necked whatcha-hoolie we just call a common moorhen here, don't now about Australia. The one with the curved black bill at the end is some sort of ibis I would guess, but I don't have the Australian bird book at hand.

Thanks Toucan. I probably should invest in a good birding book.

11) A wet walk and some nice wine discoveries…

We’ve discovered that there are three separate wine trails in the Perth Hills, so on a gloomy day in August we decide to visit the one in the Chittering Valley. In addition to a list of wineries, I’ve cobbled together a rough plan for walking a portion of the Kyotmunga Walk Trail, a 7.1 km (one way) trail that leads to Avon Valley National Park.

Gathering information on walk trails in WA has proven to be a challenge, as details aren’t readily available online, even through the respective shire and National Park websites.

Rain is expected, but we throw caution to the wind, toss our backpacks and rain gear in the car and point northeast, via the Mitchell, Reid and Great Northern highways. Having taken an entirely different route, we’re somewhat surprised when we end up smack in the middle of the Swan Valley surrounded by naked vines.

We exit the Swan and pass Walyunga National Park, which is on my ever growing list of places to explore. Before long we’re in the midst of green rolling hills, horse farms, riding schools and stables. The colors and topography are so different from what we’ve become accustomed to that it momentarily feels as if we’ve left the state. It’s gorgeous through here, having obviously benefited from the winter rain. We reach Bullsbrook, turn right onto Chittering Road and we’re on the Chittering Valley wine trail.

http://www.chitteringvalleywinetrail.com.au/

We detour to Chittering Valley Road, and we’re suddenly surrounded by citrus orchards; dark green trees with bright oranges set off nicely against the lush green backdrop of the hillside. There are several honesty stands set up along the road, selling oranges for $2 a bag, so we stop to buy one. Apparently they also grow sweet lemons here, which you can eat as you would an orange. We’re intrigued, but there aren’t any for sale.

I’d read that the Kyotmunga Walk Trail begins somewhere across from Kyotmunga Estate. We locate the sign, turn on Yozzi Road, park and set out through what appears to be a private orange orchard. We see two white posts that we assume are trail markers and begin walking through the middle of the orchard, half expecting someone to come out with a shotgun and shoo us off. After several false starts and a bit of cross country tramping, we manage to find the trail above the orchard. We see what we think is an emu tucked amongst the trees, but it vanishes before we can get a good look.

The green suddenly disappears and we’re in the trees, ambling along a wide, badly eroded red dirt path. It’s a bit steep, but offers some nice views of the surrounding hills and the orchard below.

We walk for awhile, eventually turning back to retrace our steps, but not before the sky opens up and gives us a good dousing. We attempt to follow the white markers through the orchard again, but we end up in a wet sloppy marsh, dodging large puddles and abandoned pumpkins or squash or gourds – green striped balls attached to tiny dried up vines. Rain aside, it’s a nice enough walk, but it really could use better signage.

Our raincoats protect us from the squall, but our feet are soaked after walking through the marsh. We return to Chittering Road, where we seek out Stringybark, and make our first winery visit of the day. We sample the goods, particularly liking their 2008 Verdelo. Their restaurant is so inviting that we decide to stay on for lunch. There’s only one waitress attending to several tables, so we have a bit of a wait, but it gives us a chance to dry off. Bill tries the scallops and bacon parcels with rice and béarnaise sauce; the scallops are huge ($26). I go for the potato and leek soup ($8.50). Both are good, but the plain white rice and white bread are uninspired.

http://www.stringybarkwinery.com.au/about.html

Our next stop is Western Range Winery, but we can’t raise anyone at the cellar door, so we move on to Briery Estate, where we’re warmly welcomed by three friendly dogs, one of which hops right into our car ready for a ride. We sample several wines on the porch while we chat with co-owner Christine. She answers our endless questions and tells us that temperatures as high as 53°C have been reported in the valley (!).

I ask Christine about Bindoon Bakery, and she tells us that people drive in from all over for the bakery’s meat pies. Bill hasn’t yet recovered from a dodgy meat pie he ate years ago; I’m not a fan of meat in general, but in my never ending quest to find good bread and sweets I feel compelled to pop in a take a peek. The girl behind the counter assures me that the tempting chocolate cake in the display case is indeed as good as it looks, so I buy a piece to take home (it’s later warmed up and shared with Bill, who proclaims it worthy).

The weather takes a turn for the worse and we’re soon driving in wind driven torrential rain. We dodge downed branches on the road for the remainder of the day. We work our way toward the next winery, Riseborough Estate. What a wonderful find this is. Absolutely fantastic wines – we love every red we try, and purchase six bottles. The winery also has a gallery, but we’re so consumed with the wines that we completely forget to go upstairs to check it out.

http://www.totaltravel.com.au/link.asp?fid=1065367

Our next and final stop is Jylland Vineyard, where we have a nice chat with the owner’s daughter and see our biggest Australian spider to date. We’re told it’s a harmless Huntsman. It’s creepy and doesn’t look particularly harmless to me.

It’s been a good day, but it’s getting late and we’re wined out, so we head home.

Next up??

Melnq8:
Love reading about your adventures and I've been taking plenty of notes for the past 6 or so months. The time has finally arrived. We leave to the land downunder next week and will arrive in Perth on the 27th of August. Will be in Perth and south (MR, Denmark, Pemberton, etc) until Sept 8 when we depart to Adelaide and KI. I thought you guys were experiencing a drought down there but lately I've been reading about a lot of rain. Any forcast predictions (temperature/rain) during the time we're there (WA/SA), anyone?
Thanks

Well, thank you lovingretirement. We've had a wet winter here in Perth (my first, so I have nothing to compare it to) and it should be nice and green for your visit with plenty of wildflowers. A week ago I was convinced summer was on the way, it was so sunny and warm, but winter returned just in time for the weekend. I use the term 'winter' loosely, as it's like no winter I've ever experienced - it's mandarin season afterall - (I'm from Colorado mind you).

I wouldn't worry about the weather for your visit - we tend to get squalls - the wind will whip itself into a fury and dump some rain, then 10 minutes later it's a distant memory and that blue WA sky is clear as can be.

A few months from now WA will be as dry as a bone and we'll be craving a good squall or two.

Enjoy your visit!

12) A park in the 'burbs…

The dozens of snails on my back patio bodes ill for walking, but I decide to go anyway. I’ve discovered that Perth’s grey winter mornings can’t be trusted; chances are it will be a beautiful day. I walk the mile to my neighborhood train station and board a train bound for Joondalup, taking my raincoat just in case.

I’ve purchased “Family Walks in the Perth Outdoors” a walking guide by CALM (Department of Conservation and Land Management), and I’ve decided to start with the Lake Joondalup Nature Trail on page 77.

I detrain at the Joondalup station and it’s immediately obvious that I’m going to need a few more directions than have been provided; “you can also travel by train to Joondalup and walk through Central Park to Neil Hawkins Park” is woefully inadequate, as I’m on a platform with a shopping mall at one end and a train track at the other. I waylay a TransPerth employee; she’s kind enough to direct me through the mall, up the escalator and out the other side, which deposits me on Boas Ave, where I turn right. I soon discover that I’m walking along Central Walk; apparently there’s been a misprint in my book.

I walk through town and notice the wide streets; a nice change from the claustrophobic narrow roads that wind through most of Perth’s shopping districts. I walk until the road ends and find myself in Neil Hawkins Park/Yellagonga Regional Park. Why it has two names is a mystery.

I locate the track by the edge of Lake Joondalup, and begin the nature trail. I meander along the path surrounded by banksias, wattles and paper barks. I only know this because my book tells me so. To me, they’re trees. It’s a nice path, wide, shaded, full of birds and early wildflowers in bloom. As expected, it’s not long before the sun is out and those clouds and snails are a distant memory.

I’m soon entering the parkland area of Picnic Cove. From here I cross the road and walk up Quarry Ramble in search of the lookout, which I’ve read offers some nice views over the lake; it does. I then retrace my steps and continue on the path to Ocean Reef road, which a sign indicates is another 1.9 km. This portion isn’t in my book, but I follow it for awhile, thinking it’d be perfect for rollerblading.

This is a one way path, so I retrace my steps to where I began. Neil Hawkins Park is full of birds now, so I creep up on a few and take some photos. Suddenly the entire flock takes to the air, screeching, circling and swooping like mad. I prepare to be shat upon, but I escape unscathed.

I return to the mall and decide chai and cake is in order, so I pop into the Merchant Tea and Coffee Company and sample the best mud cake I’ve had to date. It’s so rich I only manage a few bites; the rest goes home to be fought over later. In five short minutes and four bites I’ve managed to undo eight miles of walking. Oh well, a life without cake can’t possibly be worth living.

13) Lake Gwelup Reserve…

On a cool August morning I motor up Karrinyup Road, with Lake Gwelup in my sights. I turn right onto North Beach Road and begin to look for a place to park, as I know the lake is on my left. No luck, so I turn left onto Wanstead Street and look some more. Alas, I seem to have found a park with no parking area. I turn around and do as the other visitors have done, park on the grass along the perimeter of the park. I don’t know if this is an Australian thing or merely a Perth oddity, but parking on the grass seems to be widely accepted. (A few days back I saw someone jump a curb, drive across a park and pull up next to a lake.) It feels wrong to me, but the city planners seem to have forgotten parking bays and sidewalks in this fair city. There are loads of walking paths, but very few sidewalks and most of the streets are too narrow to accommodate parking on the street.

Gwelup Lake is another of those places I’ve passed many times; today I’ve come to explore it on foot. I’ve downloaded a nice map from the Internet to prevent me getting lost:

http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/walking_LakeGwelup.pdf

The first sign I encounter is one I’m becoming entirely too familiar with, a warning that snakes have been seen in the area. Imagine that. I begin my walk near the Rotary Gazebo, and work my way around the lake via the paved path, diverting to the lake viewing shelter and walking the entire loop in about 30 minutes. Except for the ever boisterous parrots overhead, the walk is peaceful, the traffic on Karrinyup distant background noise. I notice that sections of the path are perfect for rollerblading; if I ever muster the courage to reacquaint myself with my rollerblades, I’ll have to give it a go.

I decide to walk around again, but this time I take a narrow dirt path that winds through the bush. I enjoy the walk until I hear rustling…I begin to wonder if the Aussies who’ve assured me that snakes hibernate in the winter are just yanking my chain…the rustling continues, coming from every direction and I expect a snake to crawl out at any minute. I’m relieved when I rejoin the main path and I decide to stay out of the bush for the rest of the walk.

On my second trip around the lake I veer to the right, finding a different network of paths that lead away from the lake. I take one, then another, then another, amazed at how many paths there are. I eventually find myself back near the lake, so I continue the loop I started, returning to my car some 90 minutes and five miles later. I vow to return.

Next up??

Being home not feeling well, with nothing better to do with my time I grabbed my husband's bird books. I'm not the best of birders so if the picture doesn't look exactly like the one I'm looking at I am in trouble, but here are a few of your birds. The bird before the purple swamphen is indeed a Moorhen, a Dusky Moorhen. After that you have an unattractive white bird with a big red blob and I don't know what that is. The duck you have is an Australian Shelduck. go a few more pics after ones you have identified there is a black and white bird and I think it is an Australian Magpie. The black and white ibis at the end is an Australian White Ibis.

Caught up on the installments again! It's great you are getting out so often and exploring the area. So easy to get caught up in the everyday and not do that.

Thank you Toucan, I'll label those photos. You've been a great help! I'm trying to do as much as I can while the weather is nice and cool, as once it gets hot, I'm down for the count.

I hope you feel better.

Always a pleasure to find a Melnq8 thread to read on a slow day at the office. Great to see that you're well acquainted with your new stomping grounds.

And now, when we get to Perth, we will have excellent suggestions on where to hike and caffeinate.

Thanks so much, and can't wait for more!

Thank you kim711!

14) Indian Ocean views…

A flawless day in late August, I get on the Mitchell Freeway pointed north towards Joondalup. I take the Hodges exit, turn left, and then turn right on Marmion Ave. I’m shocked and amazed as I pull into the Iluka Foreshore parking area, having found it on the first try. Surely there’s been a mistake?

My destination is the Iluka Foreshore walk/cycle trail, another entry in my CALM book (page 69). Indian Ocean views from a cliff top have been promised. The ocean is certainly there, but I see nothing that resembles a cliff. I set out from what I believe to be the Beaumaris Beach picnic area; I’ll have to trust my book on this as I see no such sign. I find the wide paved path which leads in both directions, I go right.

The book certainly hadn’t lied about the views, they’re uninterrupted and endless. The path seems to be a popular one, bikers, walkers, joggers, young and old, wearing all manner of footwear, or wearing none at all. Ouch.

I work my way north, detouring to the beaches at every opportunity, taking photo after photo. The path is rimmed with ‘typical dune vegetation’. There are few birds, although I do see some species I’ve not seen on my bush and lakeside walks.

It’s a gorgeous sunny day and I’m kept cool by the ocean breeze. Before long I’ve found myself at Burns Beach, which seems busy for a winter’s day. I keep walking, and I’m soon entering a newish looking park, surrounded by very large homes under construction. A sign tells me this is ‘premium oceanfront living’. I’ll say.

I follow the path until it ends, then retrace my steps. I toy with the idea of having a coffee at the Burns Beach Café, but it’s busy, so I keep going. Three miles later, I’m back where I started.

I continue on, walking the section of the path that goes south. There are fewer people on this side and I’m soon by myself. I pass a sign for Cruisers beach, walk down to the sand and admire the limestone formations, it’s pretty down here. I continue on the path until I come to a boat mooring and a building marked Whitfords Sea Rescue Group. The path continues, but this seems a good place to turn around, so I head back towards my car. I’ve logged over six miles.

I later find out I've walked a portion of the Sunset Coast trail which extends from Burns Beach all the way to Cottesloe Beach.

http://www.sunsetcoast.com.au/docs/brochure.pdf

My return home proves more difficult. I take a series of wrong turns which leads to an impromptu tour of Joondalup. I’m literally lost in suburbia. I see much more of this neighborhood than I’d planned, but I eventually find the highway and work my way home.

Photos for this section start here:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo103.html

Next up: ???

15) A great find in Walyunga National Park…

On an absolutely beautiful Saturday in late September we set out to explore Walyunga National Park. We take the Tonkin Highway to the Reid Highway to the Great Northern Highway and head north. Highways in Perth aren’t what we Yanks consider highways; they’re often only one lane in each direction. We pass through the Swan Valley, noticing that the vines are turning green; spring has sprung in Perth.

We reach the park in 50 minutes. There’s an $11 entry fee, but we have our annual parks pass, so we drive right in. We’re here to walk the Kingfisher Trail, an 8.5 km loop mentioned in my CALM walking guide. It’s a gorgeous day for a hike, the skies are what Bill and I call “WA blue”, not a cloud to be had. It’s sunny, cool and breezy, about 19c, perfect weather for walking.

We discover that there are five walk trails in the park (CALM said there were only three), and all begin at the Walyunga Pool picnic area. It’s early and the only other people we see are preparing to kayak in the Swan River, which runs through the park. We set out on the Kangaroo trail, which will eventually merge with the Kingfisher trail. It’s pretty through here, with wandoo and marri trees and gobs of orange and yellow wildflowers. The trail is easy at first, but gets considerably more difficult as we progress, and before long I have to pull out my hiking stick. CALM has rated both the Kangaroo and Kingfisher as Class 4 walks, meaning this isn’t an easy stroll.

The Kangaroo trail eventually merges with the Echidna trail and there’s an information panel detailing walk options. We’re both impressed with how well marked these are, which isn’t always the case in WA National Parks.

As we climb we’re treated to some nice views over the Swan Valley and some vast fields covered in wildflowers. About four miles in, we reach the junction for the Kingfisher trail, which we decide to forgo and continue on the longest and most difficult trail in the park, the 10.6 km Echidna trail.

We eventually reach Woodsome Hill, the highest point in Walyunga National Park, where we plant our weary selves down on a log for a break and a snack. It’s serene and peaceful. We have the place completely to ourselves. Well, unless you count the mob of about 10 kangaroos who go bouncing by as if we’re not there.

We begin our descent, or so we think. Before long we head up again, just to make another knee crunching descent shortly after. It’s steep with lots of loose gravel, prime territory for slipping and breaking one’s neck. We see the Swan River below us as we begin our final descent, being deposited at Syd’s Rapids along the river. It’s gorgeous here, the birds are chirping, the rapids are flowing, the more we look the more flowers we see, some of them incredibly tiny.

We join the level Aboriginal Heritage Trail, which eventually leads back to the picnic area, now filled with people out enjoying the beautiful spring day.

The information panel indicates the walk time for the Echidna trail is five hours. We’ve completed it in less than four (and we’re not spring chickens). Total walk distance from the car park is 7.66 miles, 12.3 km.

We’re hungry, so we decide to find a café in the Swan Valley before returning home. We want something casual, as we’ve just spent four hours hiking and we’re not looking or smelling our best.

A sign advertising wood fired pizza catches our eye, so we call in at Oakover Winery. For whatever reason pizza isn’t on the menu, but we decide to give it a try anyway. The cellar door and restaurant are busy, and it appears to be a popular stop on the tourist bus route.

Bill has the grilled Italian sausage, Danish feta, caramelized onion tartlet, toasted olives and homemade bread ($15). I have the caramelized onion and Danish feta tart, cherry tomato, feta, wild roquet salad ($13). We pass on the wine. We share a piece of decadent Velvet Crumble cake with our flat whites; we figure we’ve earned a treat ($14 total). The food is pretty good, but nothing to get excited about.

http://www.oakoverwines.com.au

A very good day all around.

Photos for this section start here:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo121.html

Next up: ???

Just catching up - great descriptions, Mel.


Now I'll have to add Perth to my list.

I had the offer of free hotel for a week while a friend attends a conference, but just couldn't manage the time off. Now - if only they'd move the conference forward, to end October, I'd be there!

Caught up again. One of my future wishes is to come to Western Australia during wildflower season. I understand it can be spectacular. Here I am getting ready to clean out the flower beds for the winter!

Just doing my part to support Perth tourism! The wildflowers are pretty amazing, all the more so because some of them are teensy weensy. If you don't look closely, you can miss a lot.

16) A different view of the Perth Hills…

The first day of November; the usual Perth wind is blowing full force, but the sky is a vibrant blue. We’re chasing winter; our cool weather days are numbered, so we take full advantage. The citizens of Western Australia have vetoed Daylight Savings Time; it’s full light just short of 5:30 am.

We hit the road early, taking the Tonkin Highway south towards the international airport, turning left on Kelvin, right on White and left on Hardinge Road. Traffic is virtually non existent, and we pull into Bickley Reservoir a mere 30 minutes after leaving home.

Our destination is the Kattamordo Heritage Trail, located near the Bickley Outdoor Recreation Camp, a short walk up from a picnic area and car park. I’m surprised to find the loo at the picnic area full of millipedes; I thought we left those behind in SA.

The Kattamordo Heritage Trail is a 27 km track that can be walked from either end; Mundaring Weir Road or Bickley Reservoir, or accessed from several points in between. The information I’ve found online describes the trail as one which ‘traverses forests, orchard and farmland along the top of the Darling Range to Carmel, where it descends via Bickley Bailey to Bickley Reservoir’. We’ve no intention of walking the whole thing; heck no, we’re just out for a few hours.

http://tourism.heritage.wa.gov.au/ht_pdf/Kattamordo.pdf

We find the track easy; wide and almost road-like until just past the New Victoria Dam, where it turns into a real trail. The new dam and the remnants of the old dam are interesting and oddly pretty, the bright blue of the water set against the red dirt and looming concrete. We thoroughly explore both, an added bonus to our walk. We stop for awhile at a picnic area in the shadow of the New Victoria Dam, explore the lookouts and enjoy the peace and quiet. There are a few wildflowers left through here, not many, but plenty of birds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Dam_(Perth)

The sun seems entirely too high in the sky for so early in the day; we turn around and work our way back to the car park. It’s warmed up and the flies have found us, making our return less pleasant than our walk in. We’ve logged just under 6.5 miles in about 2.5 hours.

My research has revealed that this area is also home to the Bickley and Carmel Valley wine trail, one of three Perth Hills wine trails, so we backtrack a few miles on the Tonkin Highway and locate Welshpool Road, calling in at Fairbrossen Winery for a tasting and some lunch on their patio.

http://www.fairbrossenestate.com.au/wines.html

I order the Greek salad ($14) and Bill opts for what he thinks is a light sandwich that turns out to be anything but…eggs, rashers and béarnaise sauce on a massive Turkish roll ($10.95). We accompany our lunch with their 2009 Rosé; a wine we don’t generally like, but we’re quite taken with theirs…refreshing and crisp and a brilliant light ruby red…it’s almost too pretty to drink. We go whole hog, sharing a slice of dense chocolate cake over flat whites for dessert ($12.50), effectively undoing the good we’ve done on our walk. Oh well.

More wineries beckon, but we’re feeling oddly sluggish, so we decide to save them for another day.

Next up??

I thought of you Maudie, as we've just returned from Cottesloe, where we had breakfast at John Street Cafe and poked around the beach for a quick look at this year's Sculpture by the Sea. We've been to the cafe twice now and we like it, but John Street was chockablock with cars and so congested that I felt positively claustrophobic. I felt bad for the homeowners...folks were using their yards as parking areas and people were milling about everywhere, as the beach parking lots were full.

Long wait to be seated for breakfast (very busy) and entirely too many people on the beach for my tastes, but the exhibit is here until Tuesday, so I might go back and take a closer look tomorrow.

I've been remiss in adding to this thread...we tend to hibernate during the summer months and a second knee surgery has somewhat curbed my hiking enthusiasm (and ability). As soon as the snakes go into hibernation, the exploration will resume.

17) Tackling the Eagle View Trail...

It took us a year, but we finally got around to a return visit to John Forrest National Park to hike the Eagle View Trail, which so enticed us last winter (see #6 above).

On a beautiful Sunday in July, we set out on the longest and most challenging trail within John Forrest, the 15 kilometer circuit that leads through the less visited northern edge of the park. We registered at the ranger’s station, hoping they’d come look for us if we didn’t return in a timely fashion (!).

We crossed the bridge over Jane’s Brook and accessed the trail from the right (east). I later read that the trail was designed to be walked from the left, but going in from the right turned out to be a good decision. We had the track to ourselves until late in the hike when we encountered several groups walking in from the opposite direction.

We really enjoyed the first 2/3 of this track...plenty of trees and birds, interesting granite formations, some nice views...but it became progressively more difficult and the last three kilometers seemed to go on forever. Being the klutz that I am, I managed to stumble and land face first into a prickly bush, resulting in several bruises and scrapes…you can’t take me anywhere…

Some four hours of steady walking later, we were back at the ranger’s station, seriously worn out. By now the parking lot was full and there were people everywhere (first weekend of school holidays).

We’d planned to re-visit the Mahogany Inn just up the road from John Forrest, but alas, it's closed indefinitely for renovations.

Our next attempt was the Margaret River Chocolate Factory on West Swan Road (yes, they do serve more than chocolate, but I’m certainly not opposed to having cake for lunch), but the minute we saw the place we knew we were in trouble…the parking lot was packed, fellow chocolate lovers were everywhere, some having parked on the surrounding lawns (a WA practice that completely baffles me) as well as up and down the nearest side street. We lucked into a parking spot as someone was leaving, but one look at the queue at the counter and we split….no thanks. I so dislike school holidays…

We retreated to the suburbs, finally ending up at Siderno Café, a lovely little Italian café in Osborne Park, where I had a massive serving of Bruschetta ($9) and the spouse opted for an equally generous serving of grilled hot sausage with baked olives, bocconcini and bread ($19). My plan was to save room for cake and coffee, but the staff was so busy serving a large group that they never got around to bringing it to us; we got tired of waiting and left. The gods must be trying to tell me something…

http://www.sidernocaffe.com.au/

18) Yet another place I can’t pronounce - Gidgegannup…

A sunny winter’s day in late July, we’re out the door early and on our way to the Perth Hills via the Reid Highway. My research has revealed two walk trails out this way, on the opposite side of John Forrest National Park, both promising waterfalls.

We turn onto Toodyay Road and work our way east towards Gidgegannup. We eventually turn left on Reen Road, travel another 8.5 kilometers and easily locate the first of the trails, some 50 kilometers north-east of Perth.

We park and set out on the FR Berry Walk Trail which leads through the largest nature reserve in the City of Swan. We’re soon walking amongst Wandoo, Jarrah and Marri forest alongside the Wooroloo Brook. We don’t generally take the promise of waterfalls in WA seriously, as they’re often just trickles of water on rock and/or completely dry. Today however, there is indeed a respectable waterfall flowing over the granite rocks, thanks to the recent winter rain.

It’s a nice easy loop of about 2.5 kilometers. We have it completely to ourselves; we embrace the serenity amongst the chatter of birds.

We backtrack to Toodyay Road and continue east, eventually turning at the Noble Falls picnic area, across the road from the Noble Hills Tavern, where we embark on our second track, aptly named the Noble Falls Walk Trail. The path leads across granite rock, over the Wooroloo Brook and meanders through pasture before leading down an embankment and then up to a paved road. This is an odd, convoluted trail, and we’d have been in trouble without the map I’d printed and brought along. Part of the trail is through bush, the rest on paved road, not exactly what I’d had in mind. It’s a moderate walk of about 3.5 kilometers. The trail disappoints, but the picnic area alongside the brook is very nice and there are more WA waterfalls…

http://www.swanvalley.com.au/en/Must+See+and+Do/Walking+Cycling+and+Driving+Trails/Walking+Trails.htm

We turn west on Toodyay Road and head towards the Swan Valley, where we’ve scoped out a promising venue for lunch. We turn onto West Swan, which takes us right past the Margaret River Chocolate Factory; resistance is futile, I absolutely must stop.

School holidays are underway, but the small crowd is tolerable, so we pop inside to see what kind of cake is on offer, deciding to live by my motto, 'life is short, eat dessert first’. We agree to share a gorgeous slice of chocolate mud cake, accompanied with fresh cream and some nice flat whites ($15).

Back on West Swan, it’s off to Elmar’s in the Valley, the largest glass micro-brewery in the Southern Hemisphere and, we quickly discover, the home to some pretty good German food. I choose the Kartoffelsuppe, creamy potato soup with bacon bits and cocktail wieners ($9.90 and better than it sounds) and a glass of sparkling wine ($7.50). Bill opts for the Grillbratwurst, grilled pork sausage with German sauerkraut and potato mash ($17.50) washed down with a smoky wheat beer ($6.50). The food is so good that we pick up some grillbratwurst from their small goods store to grill up later at home.

This was a good stop, and it’s been added to our ever growing list of good places to eat in/around Perth.

http://www.elmars.com.au/Valley/index.html

19) A taste of the Bibbulmun…

August, Friday the 13th, we’ve had two solid days of rain, but today the clouds look harmless enough, so we set out towards the Darling Range of the Perth Hills, an area we can’t seem to get enough of.

We travel south on the Tonkin Highway, noticing a low fog near the airport, briefly wondering if flights have been affected. We locate the Albany Highway and continue south, the speed limit dropping to 60 km as we pass through town after town. We skirt around the city of Armadale and we’re soon motoring along the southern edge of the Perth Hills.

It’s pretty through here, sprawling ranches, rolling hills dotted with sheep, and the occasional alpaca farm. We’re soon entering Gleneagle Forest, surrounded by Jarrah trees. Nine kilometers past the turnoff to Jarrahdale we look for the car park that my online research has promised. It’s not easy to find, no markings whatsoever, but we manage to locate the unsealed road which meanders back into the trees and ends at a makeshift parking area. Were it not for my notes, we’ve never have found it. This area is derelict and overgrown, the road flooded in a few spots. We find the information board for the Bibbulmun track tucked back here, completely hidden from the road. It’s taken us 1:20 to reach this spot from our home.

We walk across the Albany Highway, turn left (north) and immediately begin to climb Sullivan Rock, a large granite outcrop. After traversing the rock, we join the Bibbulmun Track, following the ‘waugal’ trail markers (Aboriginal mythical dreamtime serpent). We’ve walked several sections of the Bibbulmun over the past few years and every time I see one of those yellow serpent markers, I’m reminded that I’m walking in Australia, snake country. I wonder if that’s the whole idea, to keep walkers alert for snakes?

We walk through a burn area, surrounded by orange leafed trees and blackened shrubs. The noise of the highway eventually fades as we work our way to the summit of Mt Vincent, assorted wildflowers in early bloom along the trail.

We’re soon huffing and puffing as we ascend Mt Vincent, where we’re rewarded with expansive views of the surrounding forests as well as Mt Cuthburt and Mt Cooke, the highest point on the Darling Scarp at 582 meters. We soak up the scenery for a bit and then retrace our steps, opting to walk a portion of the Bibbulmun track in the direction of Mt Cooke, before the skies open and chase us back to our car. We’ve logged six miles and discovered another hike for yet another day, the climb to Mt Cooke. We’ve not see another soul.

We backtrack on the Albany Highway, taking the turnoff to Jarrahdale, thinking we’ll pop into our favorite winery for a tasting of their new vintage. But we spot another walk trail sign, so we turn on Acacia Road and we’re soon walking the Wetlands Experience, which the information board indicates is a 40 minute circuit. It’s an easy level trail though lush meadows, shaded forest and bushes laden with fragrant yellow flowers. There are ponds, a boardwalk and an assortment of bird hides. This is a lovely peaceful walk, just under a mile long.

Back in the car we continue towards Jarrahdale, passing orchards, Jarrah forests and an interesting house with steel siding. Before long we’re pulling into Millbrook Winery, idyllically situated overlooking a lake and vineyards. I love this place! We partake of a wine tasting and decide to stay on for lunch, no booking needed today as it’s very quiet. We’re seated just as the only other guests are leaving; we’ve got the entire restaurant to ourselves.

I opt for the roasted beetroot, served with steamed leaves and Cypriot haloumi in a mint dressing ($20). It’s made with fresh beetroot from the winery’s onsite garden. I’m apprehensive, as I associate beetroot with the bizarre red stuff that comes from a can, but I’m pleasantly surprised as I tuck in.

Bill opts for the char grilled veal rib eye, cooked in a Pedro Ximenes reduction and served with a fabulous cauliflower cheese concoction that I can’t seem to keep my fork out of ($42). We accompany our meal with some fresh baked bread and olive oil ($7) and our favorite Millbrook wine, their Sauvignon Blanc ($10 per glass). We thoroughly enjoy our splash out lunch overlooking the vines. Our waitress is very helpful and attentive, bringing us a few extra wine samples.

As we leave the property we notice a mob of kangaroos grazing amongst the vines. This has truly been an ‘I Love Perth Day’.

Photos here: (scroll to bottom of page for most recent photos)

http://www.worldisround.com/form/result.html?id=4

20) The reality of York...

On an overcast Saturday in mid September, we set off towards York, hoping for fields of spring wildflowers. We take the Great Eastern Highway towards the Perth Hills, zipping past Mundaring, a sign informing us that we’re following the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail.

Some 96 km later, we approach the town of York and start looking for wildflowers in earnest. I vividly recall seeing fields of purple and yellow blooms in this very spot during our first trek to York in the spring of 2008. But no, we see nothing but green pastures; it seems we’re too early.

We enter the small historic town; we’re immediately sidetracked by the Mill Markets, which are open only on weekends. We park the car and poke around for a bit, perusing the baked goods, the handicrafts, an art exhibition and my personal favorite, the solid timber furniture. We ooh, we ah, we move on.

http://theyorkmill.com.au/markets/

We wander the streets of York, looking for Jules, a cafe I’d learned about from a poster on TA.

It seems Jules is in the kebab business. It looks promising, so we opt for a couple of plates, lamb for the carnivore, falafel for me. The food is good and filling, but a wee bit on the expensive side at $18 each. We dine alfresco (no other option) at a tiny table right outside the shop, battling the wind as we eat, watching York fill with weekenders. We linger over flat whites, listening to a fellow playing a harp and selling CDs, all the time puzzling…what on earth is the attraction of this odd little town?

After lunch we wander some more, trying to unfold the mysteries of York. There are some mildly interesting rough and tumble historic buildings, but that’s about it.

Still puzzled, we reclaim our car and work our way towards Gwambygine Park, which I’d been led to believe was lovely and the perfect place to spot wildflowers.

Oh man, what a disappointment. The park is awful…truly awful…or as my spouse so eloquently put it “butt ugly”. This is by far the bleakest spot we’ve yet to encounter in WA. Perhaps we’ve been had?

It's deserted, sun baked and looks as if it’s been devastated by a plague of locusts. Forget the wildflowers, there’s not even a blade of anything remotely green; just dry, grey tinderbox that feels completely devoid of life; depressing beyond words.

Before giving up on the York entirely, we seek out the Avon River, crossing the swing bridge to gaze at the river…..and the abandoned furniture and grocery store trolleys within it.

We give up. We go home. As we travel west, we comment on the improvement in the landscape. After Gwambygine Park, even the most mundane pasture looks pretty darn good.

(Sorry no photos to prove my point, I managed to damage my memory card...perhaps in disgust?)

Hi, Melnq8,

I have just printed off this report, along with the comments from everyone else, for my Aussie file. Perth is probably our next option and there is nothing like "local" knowledge to help wth planning.

Thank you for your ongoing report - it is definitely a very enjoyable and informative work in progress.

Many thanks dotty. I didn't think anyone was following this anymore. I'm working on the latest installment right now - a trip to Rockingham and Penguin Island.

21) A return to the Bickley and Carmel Valleys...

A warm day in late October, we’re craving some good food and wine, so we set out to revisit the Bickley and Carmel Valleys. We’ve no specific plan, which is just as well, as a problem with the car sets us back several hours.

We head east to the Darling Ranges of the Perth Hills, and get down to the business of wine tasting and a leisurely lunch at Fairbrossen Estate, one of our favorite Friday lunch venues. It’s laid back, it’s relaxed and it doesn’t have a pretentious bone in its collective body. Lovely wines (we still love their Rose!), a covered eating area overlooking the vines and simple, down home good cookin’.

The menu is limited, but even this picky eater never fails to find something to please. On this occasion I opt for the vineyard platter, normally meant for two, but they’ve happily agreed to pare it down for one. My meat loving spouse goes for their beef and potato mash pie. Both meals are lovely and just what we were after.

Photos: Five photos, starting here:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo152.html

While in the area we decide to pop in to Myattsfield, where we share a wine and cheese tasting on their patio overlooking the vineyard. How I have room for more cheese is a mystery, but I manage. Oddly, we’re not struck by any of the wines we sample and we actually leave empty-handed (this doesn’t happen very often!).

Our final stop is Hainault, where we chat up Lynn, who actually remembers us from our visit last year. We still love their wine and leave with an assortment of whites to help get us through the much dreaded Perth summer.

Hey MeInq8!

I'm still planning for that Perth holiday. Wahahaha!

No worries Mel, I for one, am still following this thread when it pops up. I don't tend to be online as much lately, but when I am I usually hit the Australia boards to see what is happening, and where else you have been!

22) Visiting the penguins…

Not wanting a blessedly cool November morning to go to waste, we saddle up the Toyota, hop on the Mitchell/Kwinana Freeway and point south, the beach community of Rockingham in our sights. We’re armed with a fistful of Google maps, hopeful that we can find the destinations I’ve selected for the day’s outing.

Some 45 minutes later, we take the Safety Bay Road exit and meander through neighborhoods and along the seemingly endless shoreline, admiring the large residential lots and wide avenues of Rockingham; a refreshing change from the claustrophobic streets of Perth.

We reach our destination, Rockingham Wild Encounters, mere minutes before the 10 am sailing to Penguin Island. We couldn’t have timed it better if we’d tried. We hurriedly purchase tickets for the ferry and penguin feeding ($17.50 each), and we’re soon aboard.

Minutes later we’re disembarking on Penguin Island, part of Shoalwater Marine Park, home to Western Australia’s largest colony of Little Penguins (~700).

http://www.penguinisland.com.au/

That the island is a bird sanctuary is immediately obvious; we’ve never seen so many birds…gulls, oystercatchers, pelicans, and countless other species we have no hope of identifying. They squawk, they caw, they screech; oddly, the gulls seem almost angry as they flit about and scold us. We flinch, we duck…Alfred Hitchcock suddenly comes to mind…

We’re soon in the Discovery Center, watching the antics of the world’s smallest penguins. I take a few photos and my camera promptly dies. I reach for my spare batteries, only to find I’ve forgotten to recharge them. It figures.

We anxiously await the 10:30 am feeding of ten penguins, all hand raised and/or rescued, therefore, ill-equipped to return to the wild.

What a hoot. These little guys are barely a foot tall, ungainly and awkward, until they get into the pool, where they shoot torpedo-like through the water.

We watch as one particularly hungry penguin is hand fed, putting away 16 minnows before he loses interest and waddles off. Another seems disinterested in food, sufficiently plumped up, ready to molt.

After the feeding, we wander the boardwalks of the island, taking in the ocean views, dodging errant birds, listening for the chatter of penguins in their hides and watching where we step. We return to the Discovery Center to watch the workers clean the pool while we await our return ferry.

We’re back on the mainland two hours later, wondering how we escaped Penguin Island without being shat upon.

Food beckons. We reclaim our car, head back towards Rockingham, and begin our search for BettyBlue Bistro, a café on the waterfront I’d run across during my online research.

http://www.bettybluebistro.com/

Nice place this…excellent location, great food. As we gaze out towards Garden Island, it dawns on us that this is the site of a shark attack, which occurred just days before.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/mp/8228774/shark-attacks-woman-off-garden-island/

But enough about that, let’s get on to the food. I opt for the cous cous salad with chicken breast, roasted zucchini, eggplant and capsicum ($21). My spouse chooses the blackboard special, a pasta dish with chicken breast, vegetables and a decadent cream and cheese sauce ($24). Both are delicious. I’d have loved to try their dessert, but there was just no room, the servings were particularly generous. We did manage to squeeze in a flat white. Two thumbs up for BettyBlue Bistro ($52 total).

We next seek out Peel Estate winery, which I’ve read is one of the oldest wineries in the Peel Region. It lies between Rockingham and Mandurah in either Karnup or Baldivis, depending on which map you believe. Regardless, it’s out in the country, yet I’m a bit surprised as we pass a rhubarb farm. Is there anything they don’t grow in WA?

We sample Peel Estate’s offerings and have a nice long chat with friendly winemaker Mark. Internet shopping, golf and sharks are on his mind. We fall for some of their whites, and leave with a few bottles in tow.

Our final stop is an encore visit to Mac Nuts WA in Baldivis. I don’t know why, but I still have trouble accepting that macadamia nuts grow in WA. We don’t linger; we buy some of their smoked nuts and call it a day.

Back on the Kwinana headed north, we spend well over an hour in the mother of all traffic jams, the result of a five car pile-up, but we eventually find our way home.

Some photos (155-159): http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo155.html

Love this thread.. thanks melnq!

Thank you sassy_cat.

I've gotten behind on my entries, but I have managed to put together a more interesing presentation of photos:

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00df-6cec-a9f6?lb

Hey Melnq8, that was fun! Was it difficult to put together?

Hi Toucan2 -

No, it wasn't difficult, but it was time consuming. I need to clean up my computer photo files, they're a mess.

I've put together two more in the last day, and I'm working on one for Switzerland now, so it's potentially addictive!

Cool photos! I love the weird looking plants and the adorable koala backed by the blue blue sky.
Thanks Melnq

I'm a little reluctant to add that we're considering a move to Perth but it seems too good to be true at the moment. I'd like your take on the pros and cons IF we get a firm offer but don't burst my bubble just yet!

BTW, I've just ruled out a move to CA, USA and we're also considering London which would be the easy option for us (Brits currently living in Massachusetts).

I'd be happy to help sassy-cat, fingers crossed that the offer comes through.

Melnq, Thanks that would be great!
My biggest challenge would be finding a good school for my DD. She's almost 14 and would start high school here in the fall but we would probably move in late July or August.

Melnq8, do you have an email address I can reach you at?
My husband will be in Perth for an interview soon!

Hi sassy_cat - I can be reached at billmelk at hotmail dot com.

23) Pancakes and jellyfish...

A stinking hot muggy Friday in late February…with illusions (or in this case delusions) of escaping the heat, we hop in the car and head north on West Coast Drive, planning to have a leisurely breakfast and then hide out in the aquarium for a few hours. As we meander along the coast we pass a steady stream of beachgoers, coming, going and generally wandering about. So this is where Perth goes on a Friday morning...

We locate our destination, Voyage Kitchen in Sorrento, which has been recommended. We luck into a parking spot and work our way to the café, shocked to find it completely packed at 8:30 am. Does everyone in Perth have Friday off? We enter the stifling hot establishment, grab the last table, and proceed to swelter and swat flies as we peruse the menu. It’s oppressively hot, we feel like we’re sitting in an oven; there’s a distinct sheen of sweat on the face of every customer and employee.

We order what turns out to be some very good flat whites, mine extra hot (have I gone completely mad?). Bill selects the Eggs Benedict, in this case, free range poached eggs, Karri smoked free range ham and hollandaise on an organic muffin, which they must have run out of because it sure looks like a bagel to me - $16.50.

I choose the grilled peach pancakes dressed with orange water and vanilla mascarpone, complemented with a toasted macadamia praline and maple syrup - $16.00.

We’re presented with two massive plates of food and I immediately realize I’m in trouble; my stomach has a small pancake capacity. The food is deemed excellent; Bill manages to finish his and then tries to help me with mine, but despite our valiant efforts, we can’t stuff anymore in. We’re impressed by the service too, the best we’ve had in WA for quite awhile.

http://www.voyagekitchen.com.au/

We reclaim our car and continue north, popping into Sorrento Quay at Hillary’s Boat Harbor to poke around a bit, as the aquarium doesn’t open until 10 am.

http://www.hillarysboatharbour.com.au/

We eventually join the queue waiting for AQWA to open; quite a crowd has gathered and I have to wonder why it doesn't open earlier.

Our waitress at Voyage mentioned that she didn’t think much of the aquarium, suggesting our day would be better spent at the beach, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect.

We pay our admission ($28 each) and enter Australia’s largest aquarium, trying to stay ahead of the ankle biters and school groups nipping at our heels. Ten minutes later, the peace is shattered by squeals of delight; apparently the munchkins are having a ball.

We make two rounds through the underwater tunnel, surrounded by large toothed, beady-eyed sharks, gliding stingrays and all manner of marine life. These jaded old farts are suitably impressed, glad we didn't listen to the waitress.

We spend the next few hours making our way around the 12,000 kilometers of Australian coastline represented in the aquarium, mesmerized by the Leafy Seadragons, the Blue Ringed Octopus and some downright horrifying jellyfish.

http://www.aqwa.com.au/main.asp

We exit to the scorching sun, sweat drenched despite the ‘air conditioned‘ (ha!) aquarium. We decide a cold beer and glass of grape are in order, so we head down the road to Spinnakers, a spot overlooking the water that I’ve scouted out for this very purpose. We advise that we’re just there for a drink, and we’re promptly dismissed...alcohol is only served with meals here…okay. On to plan B.

Our next stop is nearby Mia Cucina, which looks decidedly closed. On to Plan C. We return to Hillary’s Boat Harbor, park, and work our way towards The Breakwater, but it’s so unbearably hot that the five minute walk is daunting…instead, we duck into the first café we see and head for the ‘air conditioned’ interior (double ha!). We sit, order and proceed to melt in the sweltering café, watching beads of sweat form on our beverage glasses, and on each other. Will this summer ever end?

Some photos (160-168):

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo160.html

That's a mighty big pile of pancakes there Mel.

Particularly love the photo of the neon jellies.

It sure was Toucan2. I barely made a dent in them.

We went to Voyage for an encore breakfast yesterday...I had a muffin this time...most of which came home with me and was reheated for lunch. They don't do small there.

Hi Mel
Nice to be reminded of our trip up the coast to Hillary’s Boat Harbour and AQWA, although in much cooler conditions in August!
We really enjoyed AQWA, even if we scared ourselves stupid after seeing the numerous creatures which could kill us in the ocean we would soon be swimming/snorkelling in! I think the guide enjoyed laying it on particularly thick to a couple of Pomms straight off the plane!! We did three rounds through the underwater tunnel and we two old farts were also suitably impressed!

Ah, what I wouldn't give for August right about now!

Actually, the past few days have been pretty nice - it's only supposed to get up to 31c today, so perhaps autumn is finally on its way (I can only hope...).

24) Old friends re-unite…

It’s early March, we’ve just seen off some old friends, who ended their week long stay in WA with a few nights at Melnq8’s B&B. These folks live on the same remote company camp on Sumatra that we once inhabited; a place where a delivery of sour cream to the commissary sends ripples of glee throughout the community; a place where a good drop is as scarce as hen’s teeth.

Hence, we were determined to introduce our gastronomically deprived friends to some of the culinary delights of WA. Luckily for them we like to eat, luckily for us, their visit coincided with the coolest weather we’d seen in Perth for four months – too bad it didn’t last.

Despite my less-than-enthusiastic initial impressions of the Swan Valley (see #1 above), the place has really grown on me. Repeated trips to the valley over the past few years have uncovered a few waistline expanding gems, so it seemed only fitting that we take our visitors to the valley.

Our first stop was Mondo Nougat, where we watched the staff make sheet after sheet of snowy white confection. I’ve developed a fondness for their macadamia and honey nougat; likewise, our friends took advantage of the opportunity to pick up some treats to take home.

Next was Jarrahridge Winery, where not long ago we discovered Kalamata olives…now we’re hooked. Apparently, many of the Kalamata olives sold in WA are actually grown in South Australia. These particular olives are marinated in garlic, rosemary and olive oil, and they are divine! The green marinated olives imported from Sicily aren’t too shabby either; they’re marinated in garlic, chili, parmesan cheese and oregano. Jarrahridge also sells some unusual cheeses; zesty creamy cheddars with ingredients like basil and cashew, black olive and tomato. And yes, they make wine….including some surprisingly good red zinfandel, which has me questioning my long held belief that “friends don’t let friends drink zinfandel”.

Laden with several kilos of olives, we were ready for some serious eating. So it was off to Lamont’s, an unassuming winery that makes some lovely wine and serves up some truly wonderful food.

Lamont’s became our favorite Friday lunch venue about 30 minutes after we discovered it for the first time. They offer an ever changing tapas style menu, and everything we’ve tried here has been unfailingly good. The atmosphere is laid back and casual, particularly the alfresco area. It’s the perfect place to share good food and wine while catching up with old friends.

We noshed on an assortment of goodies including pork rillette with chutney, grilled chorizo with lemon, white bean and smoky paprika dip, brownies with walnuts and cream...every bite was excellent and not a morsel was left behind.

Content and sated, we popped in to Feral Brewing Company, for a wee bit of beer sampling, before ending the day at Talijancich, home to some seriously good fortified wines (much to the chagrin of our designated driver, who happens to love this place).

As we so often do, we ran out of steam, so we called it a day. So much good food and wine, so little time...

Some photos (169-171):

http://www.worldisround.com/edit/354397/photo169.html

Hi, Mel. Tried to look at the last set of photos but the site wants a log in. Does the fact that it has /edit/ in the url have anything to do with it?
Have been enjoying your commentary and photos so far. Thanks for sharing both with us all.

forgot to ask what sort / type of camera do you use, please?
Dot

25) Autumn finally arrives!

As promised by the weather guessers, we wake to a blessedly cool day – we’ve been waiting months for this, the first day of the 2011 nq8 hiking season. We load our backpacks and leave home at 7:30 am, thrilled at the fresh cool air – it’s a 10° (50F), and we’re in heaven!

We hop into the car, locate the Tonkin Highway and head south. We turn east onto Gosnells Road, make a right onto Pitt Rd, another right onto Hayward, a left onto Quarry, and another left onto Rushton, arriving at the Valley Head car park of Ellis Brook Valley Reserve some 45 minutes later. Having just learned about this reserve a few days prior, it’s our first visit; I’ve read there’s a waterfall, but I’ve lived in WA long enough to know that there won’t be any water…not this time of year anyway...especially after 60+ days without rain.

Ellis Brook is part of Banyowla Regional Park, and purportedly contains some 550 species of plants and 116 species of birds. It’s no doubt beautiful in the spring, when the wildflowers are in bloom and the brook actually has water…today however, it’s dry and dusty.

Information found online indicates that there are four trails here and we walk them all. The most difficult, and also the most interesting, is the two kilometer Sixty Foot Falls Trail. It’s a wee bit steep, but short, so it’s not all that challenging in the scheme of things. The views of the Perth CBD from the top are rewarding; the constant drone of the planes overhead coming in to land at the Perth Airport, not-so-much. The trail skirts the old Barrington Quarry, an interesting feature. The Eagle View Trail is even shorter, but traverses a ridge of heathland, an eyeful of bright yellow and muted green.

We walk for two hours, just over four miles. The flies don’t take long to find us and I’m forced to don my oh-so-fashionable fly net. It’s a beautiful cool day, and that’s really all that matters.

Sufficiently exercised, we leave the park and follow the signs to family run Jadran Winery, which I’ve read makes some nice fortified wines. The reports are accurate; we have a nice chat and leave with a bottle each of their white port and their Old Country Port. It seems the wine discoveries in WA are never ending.

We reward our hiking efforts with a leisurely tapas lunch at Lamont’s in the Swan Valley. We sit under the trees on the patio and munch on slow cooked pork and sage croquettes, chili spiced chicken breast strips on avocado, shaved ham on white bean paprika dip, and of course, we share a brownie with walnuts and cream. Ahhhh, this is the life.

Some photos (172-179):

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo172.html

Thanks Dotty.

Oops...I posted incorrectly - here's the public link:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo169.html

I have a Canon PowerShot A720 IS, a simple point and shoot. I plan to upgrade to a real camera pretty soon, as I do love to take photos.

Have to head out for lunch right now as your post made me ravenous for olives.

Glad to hear it's getting cooler!

Hi Mel,
Ellis Brook will be much prettier in spring when the wildflowers are out. Lots of Enamel orchids on the walk up from the main BBQ area. They come in different colours - purples to pinks.

http://www.waratahsoftware.com.au/pages/flora/wp_purpleenamelo_pa220330.html

Hi Maudie -

Maybe we'll give it another try come spring. Any suggestions for other walk tracks we should check out?

Hi again,
Haven't read all of this post but we did come across this a few months ago but no way are we walking over summer! Part from this heat - I don't like snakes.
http://www.keptrack.com.au/

We did this a couple of weekends ago:
http://www.toptrails.com.au/index.php/trails/trail/meelup-reserve-trail/ - but of course its down south.

South of the river: Have you walked from say Deepwater Point or the Raffles along the river past Heathcote and Applecross? Some lovely little cafes at Applecross Village on Ardross Street. We also enjoy walking from Point Walter heading in the Fremantle direction.

Churchman's Brook Dam is a nice area to wander around but wait until its cooler.

I will put my thinking cap on and see what else I can come up with.

Thanks Maudie.

26) The monks beckon...

Uncooperative weather forces us to postpone a visit to New Norcia twice in as many weeks, so waking to a beautiful Saturday morning and a willing spouse brings a huge smile to my face.

We leave the city under a cloudless August sky and work our way to the Great Northern Highway via Gnangara Road, a diversion necessitated by the temporary closure of the Reid Highway. We’re surrounded by bush and kangaroos, a bit of a surprise as we’re still relatively close to town.

We turn left onto West Swan Road, passing the naked winter vines of the Swan Valley wine region. Another left turn, and we’re on the Great Northern Highway, vibrant green pastures on either side of us as we work our way through the sprawling Perth Hills towards the town of Bindoon.

The Great Northern Highway is the longest intrastate highway in Australia; it’s predominantly a single carriageway (one lane in each direction) and provides access to Western Australia’s mining areas, the mineral rich regions of the Pilbara and the Kimberley. As such, the Great Northern is used extensively to transport mining equipment. Road trains can be as long as 36 meters (118 ft), loads can be up to five meters wide (16.4 ft) on weekdays and up to eight meters wide (26.2 ft) on weekends. This makes for some challenging conditions for the average passenger vehicle; there’s a lot of big and tall movement on this road.

Truckers monopolize the highway; we trail a procession of pilot vehicles and trucks with dongas (transportable buildings) perched precariously on their beds; we take it slow and easy, giving the unstable-looking monsters a very wide berth.

We wind our way through the rolling hills, passing trees laden with mandarins and fields of blooming canola. We can almost imagine that we’re in NZ; it’s green and woodsy, sheep and cows dot the countryside, but the trees are all wrong.

One hour and forty-five minutes after leaving Perth, we’re pulling into New Norcia, Australia’s only monastic town. It’s a wow moment; we think we know what to expect, but we’re startled by the sudden appearance of towering Spanish buildings incongruously rising from the red dirt of the Australia bush. An odd sight indeed.

We locate the museum, sign up for a two hour town tour ($15 each) and seek out the New Norcia Hotel for a coffee (or in Bill’s case, a glass of Abbey Ale and a wee bit of their Muscat, both delicious).

Our 11 am tour leaves from the museum. We’re warned that we’ll be crossing the Great Northern Highway, and that the wide loads on the passing trucks infringe upon the pedestrian pathway; we all cautiously cling to the left and reflexively duck our heads.

The next two hours are spent walking the grounds of New Norcia, admiring the architecture and frescoed interiors of its buildings; the Abbey Church, the Monastery and its chapel, the Old Convent Colleges, the Education Center, etc. We learn about the Indigenous, European and Missionary history of the monastery and enjoy stories of its colorful past. We discover that the town is surrounded by a 19,760 acre working farm, and that 27 of the town’s buildings are listed on the National Trust. New Norcia currently houses eight monks, retains 70 employees and supports itself through its farm, bakery, tourism and numerous school and town events. It’s an enlightening tour and a fascinating place…unfortunately, it’s far from tranquil; all that heavy truck traffic barrels right through town.

We’re invited to join the Benedictine monks for mass in the Holy Trinity Abbey Church, during one of their six daily prayers. Our stomachs are growling, so after the tour we head directly to the hotel instead, where we enjoy a lovely alfresco lunch on this beautiful cool day. We both choose the New Norcia Mediterranean Plate, marinated olives, feta cheese, pepper dews, sundried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red capsicum and cacciatore sausage served with Turkish bread baked on the premises ($20 each). It’s a delicious feast, made all the better with a glass of their Abbey Ale, a high alcohol Trappist beer brewed specifically for New Norcia by Malt Shovel Brewery in New South Wales. Even the non-beer drinker can appreciate this one. We top things off with a slice of their famous nut cake, a rich sweet concoction made with fruit and nuts…it may be famous, but it’s not something I’ll need to try again, thanks.

We return the way we came, once again surrounded by massive trucks and their intimidating cargo as we work our way south. Road trains monopolize the scarce passing lanes, so we poke along, preferring to arrive alive.

On the drive up I noticed that the Bindoon Bakery had relocated, so we stop to investigate on our return. Sure enough, a chat with the proprietor reveals that the bakery moved into a new, much larger building 13 months ago. I pore over the massive selection of tempting goods, settling for a slice of chocolate whiskey cake and a coffee éclair. Both are taken home to share later.

New Norica photos here:

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-027f-5e18-99a2?lb

Hi Mel,
From your slideshow Norica appears to be a calm peaceful place. It's jarring to pair the images of the town with a soundtrack of constant heavy traffic until you see the size of those trucks, wow.. a white knuckle drive

Nice report, did you get to see any of the monks?

Thanks sassy_cat. We only saw one monk, who popped into a chapel briefly. The public is invited to attend mass, but we took a pass on that one.

Hi Mel,
Time to get out there and see the wild flowers, plenty of rain means its a good year.

http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/Things_to_See_and_Do/Suggested_Itineraries/Pages/Gidgegannup_Wildflower_Drive.aspx

Long link for a nice weekend drive.

Or this for a longer drive:
http://members.westnet.com.au/westernflora.tinker/WFCP.htm
Very interesting place, accommodation was pretty basic when we were there a few years ago however the owners have a wealth of knowledge. The driving tour we did was brilliant. Great for an overnight stop.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~wildflowers/manydays.htm
Another site full of info.

Wireless Hill in Applecross, just near Garden City Shopping Centre if starting to burst into life. Kangaroo Paws are coming out and some native orchids on their way in another 2 to 3 weeks.

We really must catch up! My email is ChloePuss at yahoo.com.au

Another enjoyable report Mel!

Thanks Maudie and Toucan. I'll take a look at those links.

27) A day out in Kalamunda

A beautiful morning in mid August; we take a convoluted alternative route to the Perth Hills in a misguided attempt to avoid the Friday morning traffic on the Tonkin and Roe highways. We miss a turn, the plan backfires; we end up exactly where we didn’t want to be. Oh well.

Many turns later, we find what we’re looking for, the Zig Zag Trail on Gooseberry Hill, a former railway switch point, now a narrow three kilometer one way road promising nice views over Perth. The road can be walked or driven, we drive; there are no footpaths and we’ve no interest in being run down. The views from the Zig Zag are nice enough, but certainly not worth going out of one’s way for. It isn’t very high, isn’t very steep and is only mildly interesting. The surrounding homes have some wonderful views and some relatively steep driveways, but the Zig Zag itself is underwhelming. Fortunately, it’s not our primary reason for coming to the Shire of Kalamunda.

We consult our Google map printouts and head to Forrestfield, where we seek out the Palm Terrace Walk, one of several I found on the Kalamunda website. Our directions lead us to the parking area of Lesmurdie Falls in Mundy Regional Park, where we find an information board for three walks, none of them called Palm Terrace. Huh.

We walk all three trails. One leads to the foot of the Lesmurdie Falls (which is an actual thundering waterfall thanks to our wet winter), one leads to a platform that protrudes from the canyon wall and leads above and beyond the falls, and the third (Valley Loop Trail) continues from there, leading across the brook and through bush, eventually depositing us back at the Palm Terrace car park. We don’t know if this is the walk we were looking for, but we enjoy it just the same. I wouldn’t call it particularly peaceful though. The acoustics are strange up here - we hear the roar of airplane engines, distant but surprisingly loud vehicle traffic and even a few trains (90 minutes, 1.9 miles, a bit steep and slippery in spots).

We next seek out the Carmel Walk in Pickering Brook. What Forrestfield and Pickering Brook have to do with Kalamunda I have no clue. Three years in Western Australia and I’m still baffled by the endless intertwined city, town, shire and suburbs. One minute I’m in Balcatta, the next I’m in Innaloo, and the next I’m in Mt Hawthorn... I have no idea where the boundaries are or why so many names are necessary. It’s all very confusing to someone who comes from a metropolitan area with one name.

This time my web notes save us. This trail is one of those you’d not know was there unless you knew it was there… it begins where two country roads meet (Anembo and Morton); no signs, no car park, just a large gravel rock and a tiny red arrow.

We pull off on the side of the road and embark on the Carmel Walk, which we find as advertised, ‘a pleasant loop walk in the Korung National Park’ (WA national parks are often complete wilderness areas, some don’t have roads or any markings). We enjoy this peaceful ramble through the bush. We skirt an orchard with mostly leafless trees, although some are covered in pretty pink blossoms (cherries?), and follow the detailed walk instructions that thankfully I remembered to tuck into my pocket (“ignore a track to the left, at the T junction, take the left branch”, etc). It’s an enjoyable walk, 90 minutes 3.36 miles.

Ready for sustenance, we backtrack to Kalamunda (the town) and begin our search for a lunch venue I’ve scoped out. Despite our pile of Google printouts, we have to stop and ask for directions, but we eventually manage to locate Embers, a lovely Italian restaurant on the outskirts of town.

We share an entree of crusty bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, it’s a large portion; four huge chunks of bread and a big bowl of oil/balsamic, quite filling ($4.50).

Bill orders the Puttanesca, with chorizo, anchovies, olives, capers, spring onions, fresh chili and fettuccini in a napolitana sauce. He proclaims it excellent and somehow manages to consume the entire heaping portion ($22).

I’m unable to finish my Tortellini Carbonara; it’s excellent, but seriously rich; bacon, parmesan cheese and chicken tortellini in a white wine and cream sauce. Most of it goes home with me and is shared for dinner ($22).

The food is lovely, the portions generous, but we’re most impressed by the attentive, friendly service...the best we’ve had in our three years in WA.

Photos here: 180-187

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo180.html

Wow, you have already been there 3 years? Time does fly. Love the pic of the stuffed Koala on the warning sign.

Hi Toucan -

Perhaps he's the trail marker?

LOL if so he is doing a fine job.

28) A walk amongst the dead…

A gorgeous morning in late August, I grab my camera and drive north on the Mitchell Freeway towards Joondalup. The southbound lanes are bumper-to-bumper chaos, the radio announcer advises there’s been a rollover and three alternate routes are also affected…it’s a good time to be going north.

I take the Whitfords Road exit and almost immediately spot the sign for Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park. I wouldn’t normally seek out a cemetery for recreation, but I’ve read that Pinnaroo isn’t your average cemetery, it’s even listed as an ‘attraction’ on several WA tourist sites; I’m intrigued.

http://www.mcb.wa.gov.au/OurCemeteries/Pinnaroo.aspx

A quick left turn and I’m parked and walking the grounds, giving wide berth to a cluster of black clad mourners awaiting a service. Pinnaroo Valley feels very much like a park with its manicured lawns, koi pond, water features and fountains. It’s fringed by bush; the Banksias and wattles are in early bloom; gum trees sway against the vivid blue sky.

There are no headstones, but that this is a cemetery is immediately obvious. Plaques are embedded in almost every brick circling the fountains and traverse every pathway. Most of the markers are topped with colorful, yet depressingly gaudy artificial flowers of all description. Pinnaroo claims to be the most environmentally responsible cemetery in Australia and it may be, but ‘environmentally responsible’ + artificial flowers strikes me as a bit of an oxymoron (however, the existing tribute and flower policy is currently under review).

I wander the courtyards, most named after Australian flora. I read the inscriptions, study the photos of those lost and quietly contemplate life. This is the perfect place for peaceful reflection and solitude. I happen upon 15-20 grey kangaroos, quietly munching away on a sprawling lawn. They eye me warily and head into the bush when a maintenance crew disrupts the peace with a chainsaw and wood chipper. I retreat to the café for an alfresco coffee, tilt my face towards the warming sun and enjoy what’s left of winter. I overhear snippets of conversation as mourners mill about sharing hugs and condolences.

I return to where I saw the kangaroos, hoping for a few photos. They’re there, quietly lounging in the bush. As I creep forward, camera in hand, two kangaroos rear up on their hind legs and begin boxing. It’s a great photo opportunity, but I bemoan my inadequate zoom lens as I look on.

Photos here: 188-197

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo188.html

Mel, If I hadn't read your description of the feisty kangaroos I'd have thought they were exchanging rings after their wedding vows; they look so sweet!

I'm not sure what they were doing sassy_cat, but it looked friendly enough...mating ritual perhaps? Maybe an Aussie can fill us in.

Wow Mel, as I understand it you were treated to a fairly rare sight(Australians can correct me if I am wrong). My friend Fiona's Dad said he only saw them boxing once, and he farmed near Newcastle his entire life. Maybe he was pulling my leg, but he didn't seem to be.

29) Wildflowers in the Wheatbelt…

Late September and I’ve got a hankering to drive up north into the Wheatbelt to look for wildflowers. Never mind that I can’t walk a block in my neighborhood without tripping over several wildflower species…never mind that Kings Park is just a train ride away and that the park holds a wildflower festival each September; I want to go north, just because it’s there.

I’ve seen Wongan Hills tossed around on another forum; I do my homework and discover that there are several walking tracks, a couple of overlooks, and that this very week is supposedly the perfect time for orchid spotting. It isn’t close, some ~70 kilometers east of New Norcia, heck, it’s not even on my Perth and vicinity map…naturally, I’m intrigued.

http://www.wongan.wa.gov.au/shire-tourism.asp

I’ve promised Bill that if we play our cards right, we can stop in New Norcia for a late lunch and an Abbey Ale. He’s game.

We’re on the road well before 7 am, taking the Reid Highway to the Great Northern Highway, working our way through the Swan Valley, the grape vines beginning to green up and wildflowers (or weeds, I’m never sure which) virtually everywhere.

We’re in the country in no time, both looking forward to a breakfast stop in Bindoon, dodging the usual heavy truck traffic (and I mean HEAVY, as in road trains and mining equipment being hauled to the mines up north). I notice a distressing abundance of road side crosses, a poignant reminder of the challenges of driving along this road.

We wander through bright green rolling hills and pasture, skirt orange and mandarin groves and arrive at the Bindoon Bakehaus & Cafe just after 8 am. It’s a gorgeous spring morning, clear and cool. I know Bill’s hoping for a plate of Eggs Bennie, but only pies and pastries are on offer, albeit a huge variety of them. I go for a warm ricotta spinach roll; Bill orders the eggs, bacon and tomato pie, but upon breaking into it, he discovers he’s been given the spicy vegetable pie instead. This happens to him a lot, I don’t understand why he so seldom gets what he orders here in WA. I urge him to take it back, he just grumbles and eats it anyway, saying that it’s actually pretty good ($17 total including two large flat whites).

We continue our drive north, surrounded by vibrant yellow canola fields. We turn right on Calingiri West Road and ease our way east, entering the Shire of Victoria Plains. The road reminds us of South Dakota – straight - we crest one hill just to see two more identical hills ahead. We’re surrounded by staggering amounts of yellow.

It gets drier as we approach Calingiri, the trees briefly become very odd, gnarled and spooky looking, reminiscent of a recent visit to Goblin Swamp in the SW of WA. We think we’ve lost the heavy equipment, but alas, there are road trains back here too.

The landscape begins to feel ‘outbacky; dry, dusty and covered in red dirt. We see a sign for a wildflower walk, so we turn right on Bindi Bind- Toodyay Road. We drive several kilometers; there are no other signs regarding the walk, so we turn around and head in the opposite direction towards Wongan Hills.

It very much feels like a wheatbelt out here…flat, agricultural, flat, few trees, flat…it looks exactly like you’d expect a wheatbelt to look. We stop at an out-of place looking lake, Lake Ninan, which we learn is six times saltier than the sea and provides no food, therefore no birds. We continue on the lonely road, arriving in Wongan Hills, home of “Trailers, Trails and Tractors” more than 3.5 hours after leaving Perth. The Shire of Wongan Hills-Ballidu has about 1,140 residents, give or take.

Our first stop is the Visitor’s Center, where we’re given a map and hints on where to go. We head east to the Mount O’Brian Lookout, stopping to photograph wildflowers along the way. We’re swarmed by flies as we walk to the summit, the second highest place in Wongan Hills at a whopping 424 meters above sea level. Magnificent views have been promised. Yes, there are views, but ‘magnificent’ is a bit of a stretch. We move on to Mount Matilda, the highest point in the vicinity at 434 meters. Two trails originate from here, a five kilometer wildflower walk and an 8 kilometer scenic walk. The flies are annoying; we’re suddenly in no mood for a long walk.

We meander, making stops at Roger’s Reserve and Elphin Reserve, hunting for wildflowers, but not finding much more than fields of yellow blooms that we suspect are weeds. We walk the 2.6 kilometer Christmas Rock trail, where we do find some interesting wildflowers….and plenty of flies. My camera battery unexpectedly dies; all those macro shots have taken their toll.

We leave town in the opposite direction that we came, via Waddington-Wongan Hills Road, through more flat agricultural land and a smattering of trees; there’s not much else out here; it’s pretty desolate and lonely.

We eventually rejoin the Great Northern Highway and turn south. Ten miles north of New Norcia it becomes pretty again; more trees, more hills, more green. We pull into New Norica 15 minutes before the hotel restaurant closes for the day, and settle in for a nice lunch and a glass of Abbey Ale on the patio (two Mediterranean plates and two glasses of ale, $47 total).

Then it’s back to the Great Northern for the remaining 130 kilometer drive back to Perth. We make a quick stop in Bindoon to re-visit the bakery (yes, twice in the same day!), to pick up some chocolate cake for later. Yum.

Photos here:

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-0303-80f0-4636?lb

30) Rottnest Island...

A cool, very windy day in early November, I’ve booked the ferry from Barrack Street Jetty to Rottnest Island on Rottnest Express (Tuesdays are the cheapest days - $58 return, plus $28 for bike rental on the island). I walk from my home to the nearest train station, catch the train to The Esplanade, then walk from there to the jetty. I board the Rottnest Express ferry, which leaves the jetty at 8:45 am.

The ride down the Swan River is calm and uneventful and includes an interesting commentary. We stop at Northport Rous Head (north Fremantle) to pick up additional passengers.

As we leave the dock at Northport, the crew distributes barf bags. Uh-oh.

The ride from Northport to Rottnest is neither calm nor uneventful. It’s a thirty minute bone-jarring thrill ride thanks to the wind and rough sea conditions. We take flight several times, the boat slamming back to the sea on descent. A light fixture pops out of its housing and dangles from a wire. A display of snacks at the bar crashes to the floor. The boat rocks wildly from side to side. Water splashes fiercely against the windows. I feel like I’m in a scene from the Deadliest Catch. The crew races up and down the aisles, which is a bit alarming. Kids squeal, adults look uncomfortable and white-knuckled. I eyeball the life vest under my seat as we teeter from side to side. It’s not fun. Thank God I’d remember to take a sea sickness tablet…it could have been really ugly.

We arrive promptly at Rottnest at 10:45 am. I’m relieved to be back on terra firma.

Those of us who booked rental bikes with our ferry tickets queue up to collect our equipment. It’s a long process, eating up our limited time on the island. The rental equipment is disappointing; the helmets battered, the bikes rusty, greasy and in poor condition. I struggle with my monstrous bike for the next four hours, struggling to get my leg over the bar each time I mount and dismount. Not a pretty sight.

I have high hopes of circling the entire island, 11 km long (6.8 miles) and 4.5 km (2.7 miles) at it’s widest point. I’m told this will take 3 -1/2 hours and a clockwise route has been suggested. I weave around the island, exploring, stopping frequently to take photos, which means climbing on and off that big old bike entirely too many times. Ninety minutes in I realize I’m doomed. The bike is awful, the gears don’t work, nothing I do seems to work…each hill I encounter feels like Mt Everest. I toy with returning the bike to the dock for an exchange, but I suspect the ferry workers have vanished.

I turn around and head back to the settlement. I grab a sandwich at Subway, a bottle of juice at the island shop, and settle in at a picnic table. It begins to rain.

I suddenly notice several quokkas under the tables eating leaves and food crumbs. THIS is what I came to see. Quokkas are small marsupials; they resemble small kangaroos, but their heads and faces look more like rats. Rottnest was originally called Rattenest, (meaning Rat’s Nest) by the Dutch explorers who discovered it. Today the locals just call it Rotto.

I spend the next hour or so photographing quokkas. They’re particularly thick around the settlement. Under tables and trees, in gardens, and completely unafraid of people (but please, please don’t feed them!).

I explore aimlessly, going no where in particular, stopping often for photos. I return my bike to the ferry at 3:30, it’s loaded onboard. At 4 pm the ferry leaves the dock headed back to Fremantle. I brace for another rough ride as we’ve been warned it will be ‘rolly’. I stare at a fixed television screen trying to trick my brain into thinking I’m not really onboard this rocking and rolling boat.

The ferry stops at both Northport and Fremantle, passengers disembark. It’s near empty by the time we slowly easy our way down the Swan River. We arrive at Barrack Street Jetty at 5:45 pm. I retrace my steps, walking to The Esplanade, taking a train to my suburb and then walking home, arriving just before 7 pm, almost 12 hours since I left. It’s been a long day.

Photos (199-215):

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo211.html

Hi Mel,
Just looking at your wildflower photo's, yes the yellow daisy flowers are weeds, sorry! The pretty little purple ones are Fringed Lilies.

Oh dear, Melnq8, doesn't sound like you had the greatest trip to Rottnest. You've probably joined the ranks of the many who have done a day trip and wonder what the big deal is all about.

It's at its best in lovely weather of course, and in the early mornings and evenings after the day trippers have left. You can't beat the azure blue of the sea around the bays and the pleasure of leaving Thompson's Bay and finding your won little beach. It's all about lifestyle, my heart always sinks when I hear visitors are heading for Rottnest probably with some image of an island paradise in mind.

It's always been too expensive for what you get and services the "take-it-or-leave it" attitude of those with a monopoly and a captive market.

I remember a wild trip on the old Temeraire when the sides were just canvas awnings. We at last arrived in Thompson's Bay, the crew wound up the awnings and fresh air and relief wafted over us all. Then a passenger leaned over and handed me a bulging paper bag, asking me to throw it over the side. That's when I nearly lost my breakfast.

I suspected they might be Maudie, thanks for sorting that out.

eigasuki -

I had a feeling Rottnest was going to be less than awe inspiring, which is one reason I'd put it off for so long and why I went alone (spouse wasn't the least bit interested, in fact, he thanked me for 'not making him go').

But, I didn't think I should leave WA without having visited it at least once to form my own opinion, because, well, it's right THERE.

I can't help but think the tourists are being thoroughly had though. I mean really, Rottnest a must see? WA has so much better on offer.

Live and learn.

Well it was an...experience? At least you can say you've seen it.

Looking forward to your next adventure!

Mel, I have only been to Rottnest once myself for a weeks holiday many years ago when the kids were young, great safe place for them to bike and swim but yeah, I really don't get what the fuss is about either.

Definitely an experience Toucan..you never know until you go...

Hi Mel, Your experience of Rottnest doesn't sound as attractive as the guide book version lol.
I'd have been very frustrated with that subpar bike too but the quokkas do look cute.

I'm just checking this thread as my husband is in Perth right now. He's at the Hyatt but the conference is at the Pan Pacific. He spent today wandering around downtown area and walking along the river. He found it very quiet; will it be very different during the week do you think?

He won't have much free time this week apart from evenings (Monday to Wednesday) and he leaves on Thursday...So any recommendations for a relatively fancy expense account dinner on Wednesday? There will probably be a group of 5 or 6 and steak/fish/vegetarian options necessary to please them all.
Thanks

It'll be much different during the week sassy_cat, especially between about 9-6. The city comes alive during those hours.

I've got the perfect expense account dinner venue - we had one here ourselves a few weeks back - the food is lovely, the wine list staggering, the service excellent (very un-WA like!)
Their speciality is steak and seafood. They have a limited menu, and I was worried as I eat neither, so I called, and they offered to read the menu to me. Turns out they had a vegetarian option which suited me perfectly (not vegan though)
They seem very accommodating, so if the menu doesn't suit, I suggest calling ahead and seeing what they can do.

Balthazar
6 The Esplanade
9421 1206

http://yourrestaurants.com.au/guide/balthazar/

They don't have their own website (which is pretty common here in WA), but they're right in the city, an easy walk from most areas in the CBD. He'll need to book - this place is tiny and fills up.

Well DH confirms that the city has come to life and all those closed coffee bars that he walked past yesterday are open today!
Thank you for the restaurant recommendation I've passed on the details. It sounds perfect and as the 'vegetarian' will eat some fish dishes I'm sure there will be something for everyone.

If he goes to Balthazar, let me know what he thinks.

As it turns out DH has several dinner invitations he can't refuse and the venues have already been chosen but he has booked a table at Balthazar for lunch tomorrow.

I'll let you know how it goes!

DH highly recommends the date pudding and the filet at Balthazar. A colleague enjoyed duck and a zucchini/ courgette stir-fry (as described by my husband who doesn't tend to go into much detail when describing food!). Bill was $110 AUS for 2.

Dinner was meant to be at Little Caesars (an award winning pizza place?) but was cancelled as the sessions over ran. My husband was content as he was still full from lunch!

Thanks again for the recco.

Oh good, glad they enjoyed it. Problem with lunch, you can't take advantage of that awesome wine list!

Little Caesars? Really?

Yes, I agree about the wine list but my husband doesn't drink!

He took the train to Cottesloe beach early Wednesday morning had an enjoyable mooch around for a couple of hours and tomorrow morning with what is left of his free time he's hoping to see some kangaroos.

Oh and he ended up eating at Little Caesars last night. He was unimpressed but polite

Huh. I'll have to ask around, see what that's all about.

I hope he enjoyed his short trip.

Yes, he's enjoyed himself but it was a busy week and he had limited free time. No future visits planned but it's likely he'll be back sometime next year.

31) Exploring Roleystone…

The much-dreaded Western Australia summer is within spitting distance; our hiking days are numbered. A beautiful spring morning in mid-November finds us fighting rush hour traffic on the Tonkin, Albany and Brookton Highways, headed to the Perth Hills, where we arrive an hour after leaving home. Our destination is Roleystone, a small community set amongst orchards and bushland, and unfortunately, the site of Perth’s most devastating fire in history, which occurred in February of this year.

From Brookton Highway we turn onto Croyden and ease our way through woodsy surroundings to our first stop of the day, Genesis in the Hills, a vegetarian restaurant I’ve been told about. We’re the only customers; we enjoy breakfast on their outdoor covered patio. Bill opts for the Shakshuka, two free range eggs baked in a frying pan on a bed of tomatoes, onions, halumi cheese and herbs, served with sourdough bread ($17.50). The carnivore is not impressed. I choose the ricotta pancakes served with ricotta cream and seasonal fruits ($14.50). They’re good, as are the piping hot flat whites.

We next seek out nearby Araluen Botanic Park, pay our $4 per person admission and spend the next two hours exploring the manicured lawns, flower-filled gardens and heritage buildings. It’s beautiful here. We walk most of the pathways, watch the ducks and just generally soak up the peaceful ambiance of the park. We’re too late for the tulips, but there are still flowers everywhere, including some lovely roses.

http://www.araluenbotanicpark.com.au/aboutf.html

We backtrack on Brookton Highway, make a left on Soldier and admire the big homes and steep driveways as we work our way to our final destination, Churchman Brook Dam. Here we walk up to and across the dam wall for some nice views of the reservoir. I was under the impression there were walk trails here, but we only find one short track that leads from the dam wall down along the parameter, which we follow through the bush and then back down to the picnic area. It’s just as well, the flies have grown tiresome…the hills are alive with snakes and flies.

http://www.watercorporation.com.au/D/dams_churchman.cfm

Photos here, 217-232: http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo217.html

32) A visitor from Up Over…

Relocation is looming, our days in Perth are numbered.

A good friend from the US (TJ) sees her last chance to visit us while we’re in Australia, and books a ‘detour to Perth’ while on a business trip to India. She’s energetic, but time poor, so I take the liberty of putting together a three day itinerary based upon what I feel are some of Perth's highlights, including some places that we've come to love during our time here. For practical reasons, they're sorted by area. We very much look forward to showing off our adopted city.

Friday - Swan Valley

We arrive at Caversham Wildlife Park as soon as they open at 9 am, pay our $23 per person admission and spend the next three hours exploring the park. Most Yanks want to see Australian wildlife, so I reckon this is the place to go. We roam the grounds, wander amongst the tame kangaroos, watch a sheep shearing demonstration, pet the wombat, pose with the koalas, etc. TJ is pleased as punch.

We then work our way deeper into the Swan Valley, first stopping at Talijancich for a taste of their fabulous fortified wines and to check out their new tasting room. Unfortunately, I’m the designated driver, so I can only drool as Bill and TJ oooh and ahhh over Talijancich’s incredible Liqueur Verdelho, Shiraz, White Liqueur and Shiraz Solaro. A fortified novice, TJ is gobsmacked with this elixir of the gods. It seems we’ve got another convert.

http://www.taliwine.com.au/home.php

We finally tear ourselves away and drive to our favorite Friday lunch venue, Lamont’s. Bill and I fell in love with Lamont’s the first time we stumbled in. They have a tapas style menu, and the food is consistently good. The wine isn't too shabby either (and Scotty is a kick in the pants).

After Bill and TJ sample the wine, we settle in for an alfresco feast. Today we share the pork rillette, with cornichon caper salsa & crostini ($14.50), a goats cheese & caramelized onion crepe with lemon oil ($14.50), smoked chicken breast, raisins, & green beans in a Chermoula yogurt sauce ($15.50), King prawns, avocado & rocket in a fresh mango and chili salsa ($16.50) and shaved Bresola, crispy leek & orange in a soy sesame dressing ($15.50). Every bite is a flavor explosion; it’s excellent.

Not wanting to overlook that other popular Aussie beverage, we soon find ourselves at Feral Brewing, where I look on as Bill and TJ share a beer sampler of their hand crafted award winning beer ($16.50).

http://www.feralbrewing.com.au/

We next seek out Battistessa Studio, on the recommendation of a fellow travel forum member. It doesn’t appear to be open, but as we wander about looking for the door, the artist himself appears and leads us into the dark, dusty recesses of his workshop, filled to the brim with all manner of rescued materials that he plans to turn into art. His ironwork is nothing short of amazing, as is the quirky artist. We spend the next hour or so in deep conversation with Antonio, discussing everything from art to travel to that most dangerous of all topics, American politics. At the risk of sounding like an old hippy, I can only describe Antonio as a complete and utter trip.

Days are short in the Swan Valley, and we find ourselves having to choose between Sandalford and the Margaret River Chocolate Company. TJ goes for the sugar, and we’re soon gathered around a fat slice of chocolate cake which we tuck into with three forks.

It’s been a very full and filling day.

Saturday - Fremantle & CBD

We’re out the door at half past eight and driving to the nearest train station, where we park and catch a train to the Esplanade. From there we walk the 10 minutes to Barrack Street Jetty and board the 9:45 am Capt Cook Cruise to Fremantle ($25 each). This 75 minute cruise is an ideal introduction to Perth; anyone visiting us is likely to find themselves on it.

http://www.captaincookcruises.com.au/

We claim the only three seats on the outdoor deck and are treated to a fantastic view of the Perth city skyline as we pull away from the jetty. As we float down the Swan River the captain fills us in on what we’re looking at…huge amounts of money.

Although I’ve taken this cruise many times, the mansions on Millionaire’s Row and the wealth in this city still boggles my mind. I’m also consistently amazed at the challenges that face home builders through here. How they manage to squeeze in yet more humongous houses onto tiny sloping, exorbitantly priced lots that seem to fall directly into the river is a mystery; the building costs must be astronomical. I briefly wonder what it feels like to be a tourist attraction. “Off to your right is the home of mining mogul Melnq8, which last sold for 56 million dollars in 2010. Just last year she added a boathouse to store her six million dollar yacht, Nouveau-Riche.”

Yeah, that’ll happen.

We arrive in the port city of Fremantle just past 11 am and wander into the nearby E-shed markets; a mish-mash of stalls peddling food, clothing and all manner of junk, most of it imported. TJ has never heard of a didgeridoo, so I feel compelled to take her to Didgeridoo Breath on Market Street, where she not only learns what they are, but tries her hand at playing one. She also finds some Aussie made boomerangs to take home.

http://www.didgeridoobreath.com/

We wander the streets and admire the unique architecture. I suddenly have a new appreciation for Freo.

http://www.fremantlewesternaustralia.com.au/fremantlearchitecture.htm

We happen upon an Australian Timber store, which we thoroughly investigate before working our way to Little Creatures Brewery, a Freo institution. This is apparently THE place to be on a Saturday afternoon; it’s absolutely packed. We settle in for some beer, nibbles and good conversation.

https://www.littlecreatures.com.au/

Stomachs happy, we walk to the Fremantle station and catch a train back to the city, disembarking at the end of the line, Perth City. From there it’s a 10 minute stroll to Bill’s office, where we take in the views of the Swan River from the 13th floor. I don’t know how anyone gets any work done up here.

Our energy is waning, but we forge on to Kings Park, making the arduous trek up the aptly named Mount Street. Business in the park is brisk; people are milling about everywhere, including several wedding parties taking photos in the late afternoon light. We admire the fantastic views and check the progress of the giant boab tree which was trucked in 3,200 kilometers from the Kimberley in 2008, arriving in Perth about the time we did. I’m happy to report that the boab is doing remarkably well, it’s a survivor that one.

http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/horticulture/botanic-garden/the-giant-boab

We make it to the Lotterywest Federation Walkway mere minutes before it closes for the day, where we walk amongst the treetops surrounded by more glorious views.

http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/kings-park/walks/lotterywest-federation-walkway

Officially out of steam, we retreat down Mount Street, walk to the Esplanade station and take a train back to where we started. Whew. This being a tourist is hard work!

Sunday – Kangaroos, flat whites and beaches

I tell TJ about my favorite photography haunt and ask if she’d like to see a more accurate portrayal of ‘roo life. Bless her energetic self, she’s game, so she and I are out the door just after six am, working our way north on the Mitchell Freeway. We take the Whitfords exit and are soon entering Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park. We wander the cemetery’s pathways, cameras poised, searching for kangaroos. Within minutes we’ve spotted a few; they stop grazing and look up at us curiously. We see dozens more as we wander the park; most of them merely eyeball us then continue feeding. We observe these interesting creatures for about an hour, watching them joust, groom, scratch and go about the business of being a kangaroo. Perhaps I’m just weird, but I really enjoy kangaroo watching. Likewise, TJ seems genuinely captivated.

We return home to collect Bill and head to North Beach, where we have a leisurely breakfast at Soda Café, across the street from the beach. TJ orders a coffee, and is confused when asked what kind. We suggest a flat white, and later give her the rundown on coffee options in Australia. No filter coffee in these here parts…thank goodness.

Sated and caffeinated, we drive north just past Hillary’s Boat Harbor to show off the gorgeous Perth coastline. We then turn back south and work our way down the coast via the West Coast Highway. It’s a hot Perth day and it seems everyone is at the beach. We detour at Scarborough Beach, but there’s not a parking spot to be found, so we continue on to City Beach, stopping for a look see and bit of a poke around before moving on.

We continue our drive south. Our plan is to combine some time at Cottesloe Beach with the 2012 Sculptures by the Sea exhibit, but we’ve seriously underestimated how busy Perth beaches can be on a holiday weekend. We find a parking spot a few blocks away and work our way toward the jam packed beach. It seems all of Perth had the same idea.

We locate a tiny sliver of shade, and hide from the blazing sun. The sculptures are difficult to see with the heaving mass of humanity, but TJ seems to enjoy her dip in the Indian Ocean and she gets to experience what hot Sundays in Perth are all about.

We pop into the small sculpture exhibit before heading out, but it’s so freaking hot inside that we can’t breathe. Then it’s back home to nurse our sunburns, walk around the neighborhood, (me making a feeble attempt to identify birds and flora), shower and chill. We barbecue for dinner, and introduce TJ to our favorite Aussie ice cream, Connoisseur Vanilla.

It's been exhausting, but we've managed to give TJ a good taste of Perth, and hopefully whet her appetite for a return visit.

Sunday – Kangaroos, flat whites and beaches

I tell TJ about my favorite photography haunt and ask if she’d like to see a more accurate portrayal of ‘roo life. Bless her energetic self, she’s game, so she and I are out the door just after six am, working our way north on the Mitchell Freeway. We take the Whitfords exit and are soon entering Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park. We wander the cemetery’s pathways, cameras poised, searching for kangaroos. Within minutes we’ve spotted a few; they stop grazing and look up at us curiously. We see dozens more as we wander the park; most of them merely eyeball us then continue feeding. We observe these interesting creatures for about an hour, watching them joust, groom, scratch and go about the business of being a kangaroo. Perhaps I’m just weird, but I really enjoy kangaroo watching. Likewise, TJ seems genuinely captivated.

We return home to collect Bill and head to North Beach, where we have a leisurely breakfast at Soda Café, across the street from the beach. TJ orders a coffee, and is confused when asked what kind. We suggest a flat white, and later give her the rundown on coffee options in Australia. No filter coffee in these here parts…thank goodness.

Sated and caffeinated, we drive north just past Hillary’s Boat Harbor to show off the gorgeous Perth coastline. We then turn back south and work our way down the coast via the West Coast Highway. We detour at Scarborough Beach, but there’s not a parking spot to be found, so we continue on to City Beach, stopping for a look see and bit of a poke around before moving on.

We continue our drive south. Our plan is to combine some time at Cottesloe Beach with the 2012 Sculptures by the Sea exhibit, but we’ve seriously underestimated how busy it would be. We find a parking spot a few blocks away; it seems most of Perth is here.

We locate a tiny sliver of shade, and hide from the blazing sun. The sculptures are difficult to see with the heaving mass of humanity, but TJ seems to enjoy her dip in the Indian Ocean and she gets to experience what hot Sundays in Perth are all about.

We pop into the small sculpture exhibit before heading out, but it’s so freaking hot inside that we can’t breathe. Then it’s back home to nurse our sunburns, walk around the neighborhood, (me making a feeble attempt to identify birds and flora), shower and chill. We barbecue for dinner, and introduce TJ to our favorite Aussie ice cream, Connoisseur Vanilla.

It’s been exhausting, but we’ve managed to give TJ a good taste of Perth, and hopefully whet her appetite for a return visit.

Oops.

33) Exploring Armadale

On a blissfully cool and clear Friday morning in late May we head south via the Tonkin and Albany highways. Autumn has brought us some much needed rain; the undulating countryside is brilliantly green. It takes us about an hour to reach Admiral Road, where we turn left and seek out Bungendore Park (Aboriginal for Place of Gum Blossom), a 498 hectare bushland reserve on the western edge of the Darling Scarp, some three kilometers southeast of Armadale.

Bungendore is mentioned in my Family Walks in the Perth Outdoors book, which features the Robin Ramble, one of a series of walks in the park. It’s been described as a class three, three kilometer loop and is expected to take 90 minutes. We park south of the school as advised, and begin to search for yellow dots. Once again, the directions in the book are misleading, or perhaps just dated, but we can’t find any yellow dots. We meander up an unsealed road, walking for about half a mile before we see our first yellow dot and an information kiosk. Evidently the carpark has been re-located, mystery solved.

We follow the yellow dots through jarrah woodland via a wide trail, which is basically a disused gravel road. The track description tells us we’re surrounded by bull banksias, snottygobbles and sheoaks. We wander, enjoying the peace and quiet. It’s a pleasant enough walk, easy and level, a nice stroll through the bush (2.7 miles, takes us just over an hour).

We backtrack on Admiral to the Albany Highway, turn left on Waterwheel, left on Canns and left on Carradine, where we leave the car in a makeshift parking area. We’re here to explore Armadale Settlers Common, a 383 hectare bushland reserve in the Darling Range Regional Park, which I stumbled upon while researching walking options in the area. It’s pretty through here….the leaves are changing and we’re surrounded by vibrant green rolling hills.

Now this is more like it. We walk up a short incline and stroll from one trail to another, surrounded by scenic bush and some pretty incredible birdlife, including more red-tailed black cockatoos than we’ve ever seen in one place. It feels like a scene from The Birds. At first, we’re impressed by how well the intersecting trails are marked. This, together with the map I downloaded and brought with us, makes it pretty easy to navigate…until we're unable to find the trail that will take us back to the car. Huh. We search, we backtrack, we begin to get frustrated…eventually realizing that at least one of the trail signs is missing and that there are trails that don’t appear on our map. Uh-oh, a person could be lost for days out here. All ends well though, we eventually find our way back by retracing our steps. We both like this area better than Bungendore, despite the missing track markers. We cover about 1/4 of the trails in the commons, which we have completely to ourselves (3.75 miles, about 90 minutes). Note: Don’t attempt this without a map unless you have an uncanny sense of direction.

Map here: http://www.armadale.wa.gov.au/files/3162c0a9-bdd3-4dec-870c-9cb000b2c55c/ASC_Mud_Map_MGA94.pdf

I’d scoped out two nearby possibilities for lunch, the Elizabethan Village Pub in Bedfordale and Roley’s on the Ridge in Roleystone. We reckon Roley’s might be booked out on such a beautiful Friday afternoon, so we decide to have lunch at the pub, and then have coffee and cake at Roley’s afterwards if we can get a table.

The Elizabethan Village Pub does indeed feel like an authentic British Pub...dark and brooding, with white rendered walls and exposed timber ceilings, an onsite brewery with plenty of good brew on tap, a massive outdoor seating area and the biggest carpark I’ve seen to date in Western Australia. We enjoy our lunch here; the food is tasty, the servings generous and good value (bruschetta for me - $12.50, spicy beef curry for the carnivore $21).

http://www.elizabethanpub.com.au/?page_id=2

Our last stop is Roley’s on the Ridge, which is indeed on a ridge, or more accurately, perched atop a big rock outcropping, with spectacular views of the valley below. It's just after 2 pm, but the restaurant is empty (!) We share a decadently rich chocolate fondant with raspberry coulis and cream on the patio overlooking the valley – a lovely end to a beautiful day in Western Australia.

http://www.roleysontheridge.com/

Photos here: 233-240

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo233.html

Snottygobbles. Hehehe

Yeah I know, I can't type that without smiling.

Pardon my ignorance but what are the intriguing-sounding snottygobbles, please?

Am printing off the recent instalments of your epistle, Melnq8, for when we do our WA trip in 2014. We will have plenty of time then as we will be retired from paid employment!

A snottygobble is a tree. There are a couple of theories as to why they're called snottygobbles 1) The look of the inside of the fruit, and 2) Because the fruit is eaten (or gobbled) by wild pigs.

The name is actually more interesting than the tree.

http://www.roleybushcare.com/bush-topics/119-snotty-gobble.html

It is a cold, grey and wet day here in South Australia today and I clicked on to see if you were still in WA.
Wow!
I am overcome with nostalgia for the day "Sunday – Kangaroos, flat whites and beaches" having grown up in Perth - in Woodlands - close to the beach to be precise.
As youngsters we travelled a lot - for those days - by car - to Kalgoorlie and to family farms in the wheat belt. These were long and slow trips with five of us squeezed into quite small cars and the only air conditioning was the windows!
My partner and I also used to visit New Norcia in the early 1970's - well before it was 'discovered'.
However it was the Sunday trip that brought back so many memories - and those kangaroo photos and that landscape.
I am amazed at the Soda Cafe - I had my first swimming lessons as a five year old at Mettams pool - and there was nothing there - indeed it was nearly the end of the coast road in those days.
Since leaving Perth in 1974 most of our trips to WA have been family visits and we have had little time for touring, but with no family there anymore here's hoping I can return and revisit so many of the places you have written about.
Thank you!
Good wishes for your next posting.

Glad to help bring back some memories love_travel_Aus. Sounds like you probably wouldn't recognize WA these days.

Hopefully I'll be able to fit in a few more outings before we leave WA for good.

I'm doing a bit of catching up myself, on this very wet chilly Tuesday in the Rai Valley of the South Island of NZ.

34) A nice surprise…Lake Leschenaultia

A Friday in early August, the sky a vibrant blue without so much as a hint of cloud, we set out. We work our way to the Great Eastern Highway, and eventually begin to climb up into the eastern Perth Hills.

Four years in Western Australia and we’re still amazed by the sheer number of massive trucks that routinely tug up the Great Eastern and Great Northern highways, hauling all manner of mining equipment and today…pigs. Bill comments on the “serious truckage” as we ease around the lumbering vehicles struggling uphill.

We bypass lush green pasture and plenty of inhospitable red dirt, eventually finding what we’re looking for; the turn off to Chidlow via Old Northam Road. At the roundabout we take the first exit onto Thomas, turn right onto Rosedale and there it is, Lake Leschenaultia (pronounced lesh-en-ol-te-ah…I think). And what a sight it is…how pretty is this? The dark blue shimmering lake is fringed by lush green lawn, white sand beach, towering trees, and a large number of picnic tables. In addition to the onsite café, camping sites, and canoe rental (all closed this time of year), there’s 168 hectares of woodsy bush just begging to be explored.

It’s been a long time since we were in this part of the Perth Hills and I immediately regret not getting back here sooner.

We set out on the three kilometer Lakeside Trail, which begins at the eastern end of the dam wall. We circle the lake and take a few side trails, just us and countless chirping, laughing, singing birds….the birdlife is just incredible. We hear several kookaburras; we see a red-tailed black cockatoo and many birds that we can’t identify.

This may be a popular summer destination, but today we have the track to ourselves. We thoroughly enjoy this peaceful easy walk, which ends entirely too soon. We next seek out the six kilometer MTB trail (mountain bike trail) which undulates through jarrah forest and eventually deposits us back where we began. We’ve logged six miles in about 2.5 hours and we’re both quite taken with this lovely park.

We’ve earned a nice lunch, so we backtrack on the Great Eastern Highway and keep our eyes peeled for Inn Mahogany Creek in Mundaring, formerly the unassuming Mahogany Inn, where we’d indulged in “devons” in front of a fire a few years back (see entry #6). My, how things have changed. After being closed for seemingly forever, I barely recognize the newly re-vamped posh restaurant, which re-opened about a year ago. Gone are the “devons”, replaced by an upscale, modern Australian menu.

We while away the afternoon on the Inn’s outdoor deck, (which unfortunately is right next to the Great Eastern Highway), enjoying a budget-busting, sleep-inducing calorie fest. We share the chorizo, olive and bread starter ($17), then Bill tucks into his Tasmanian salmon, potato cake, asparagus, crispy prosciutto, poached egg, salmon roe, buerre blanc main, which he says is very good ($34). I opt for the starter sized sweet potato gnocchi, mushrooms, garlic, cream sauce, parmesan and truffle oil ($21), which is also good, despite the mushrooms; I never have like fungi. We share the vanilla bean brulee, which comes with sour cherry wontons and a strawberry glaze ($14), and disappears in record time. It’s a lovely splash out lunch ($121 with drinks and flat whites).

We work our way back home, backtracking through the ‘burbs of Midland, exercised, content and ready for a nap.

Photos here: 241-250

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/354397/photo241.html

Hi, Melnq8,

The more I read of your wonderful exploits, as well as your adventures of the epicurean kind, in WA the more I feel the need to start planning now to make sure we will have enough time to follow your footsteps.

I for one will miss your descriptive and compelling-reading travelogues when you move on to new climes. You make places come alive and the reader rush to put these places on their bucket list - well, me anyway!

You're very kind dotty. As much as we've done, I can't help but feel we've missed even more. Anyone who says Perth and WA are boring, obviously hasn't tried very hard.

Having just returned from my gazillionth visit to the Swan Valley where we introduced some Perth newbies to our two favorite wineries and had yet another fabulous meal at Lamont's, I have laugh at my comment from my first installment:

------------------

"I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the Swan Valley doesn’t appeal to us the way other Australian wine regions do...I hope to go back again for one last try before I give up on the Swan for good."

-------------------

One last try my arse. The Swan has certainly grown on us, and we've grown because of the Swan (literally!)

ttt for trip planning.

thanks for sharing this with us, Mel.

No worries annhig. Hope it helps. I've been a bit remiss in updates, but we're still exploring WA.

Hi Mel - one question - what is the temp likely to be in Perth in late December?

we're thinking of a trip to Aus and NZ in late 2013 and hoping to take in one of the test matches. We're tossing up at the moment between Brisbane and Perth, but someone said that it might be very hot in Perth by then. [match is 11-16 dec I think]

any thoughts you'd be kind enough to share with me?

Hot to ungodly hot. Upper 30's, but generally dry.

It's also holiday time for locals, so prices will be at a premium and you'll want to book well in advance. There's an accommodation shortage in Perth at the moment, so prices are sky high, even in low season.