Last few days in Perth

27 December

My last few days in Perth were surreal to say the least.  I don't think it began to sink in that I was leaving until my bags were packed.  Georgia and I managed to catch up and I even got to meet her boyfriend, Chris.  We decided that we should go to the "Lucky Shag" for our last night our together.  It seemed somewhat fitting as we've been saying for the last 3 months that we wanted to go there!

It's a great bar on the Swan River as it provides beautiful views across Perth.  We then headed on to Clancy's followed by bad Apples, a suitably good ending to a great time here!

28 December

After finishing at the cafe, I just had chance to do some errands before the kids finally came home from Albany!  Their Christmas presents went down a treat!  In the evening, I managed to get most of the group together for some nibbles and drinks at mine.  It was the perfect way to say goodbye to some amazing people whom my stay would not have been the same without.

29 December

It's finally time to say farewell to the place I've called home for the last 3 months.  I have loved staying here and it wouldn't have been the same without the family, particularly Marcus and Bri who have put up with me.  The day started with a walk along the beach with Max followed by a farewell lunch with my friend Elvira and her daughter.  The afternoon was spent packing up and sorting out loose ends before dinner at a Japanese place, not far from home.  The hardest part was waiting around to leave.  It's at that point where my impatience comes through.  Standing at departures wasn't easy and yes I blubbed!  This is the first time that I've got upset since I left my mum way back in July.  I know I'll see them again soon though!

Next stop: Sydney

Christmas in the sunshine

22 December

Christmas wouldn't be the same without singing a few carols, so I managed to persuade Bri to come with me to the local carol service.  It wasn't quite what we expected but it was fun all the same...

25 December

It's finally Christmas Day!  I love this time of year, however it felt strange not having Sasha and Jai around.  In the morning, we took Max for a walk along the dog beach near Freo.  I still can't get over how many people were there at 7.30am. On the way back, we visited Suni's grave.  I'm glad I managed to go.  

We then came home to prepare our contribution towards dinner before setting off to Cheryl and Nick's.  As always, it was great to see everyone and from the moment we stepped through the door to the moment we left, we never stopped laughing.  I had such a good day.  It did feel weird having turkey with cold dishes and I definitely missed my Auntie Shelly's roasted veg but it was still great.  We even had Christmas pudding with Brandy Cream and Santa even made a guest appearance!  

Still, it was really great having everyone together and it's certainly one I will never forget...

A trip back down memory lane to Claremont

19 December

It's hard to believe that it's 8 years ago that Iain lived in Perth.  Crazy how time flies by!  So I felt it was only right that I paid a trip to his old school.  Claremont itself is a quiet suburb just north of the river in WA.  It has a quaint train station and a fairly small town centre equipped with 2 large shopping centres.  I particularly liked Old Theatre Lane which is a small alley with little cafés and book shops.

Iain's school certainly has changed since he was last there.  It's now extremely modern with new buildings being built around the campus on an almost daily basis.  It felt quite strange wandering around the campus taking photos, I even managed to find Iain's old house, also known as the "crap shack".

Here are some of the photos of the school:

Who knew the Taj Mahal was in Perth...

9 December

Met up with my lovely friend Elvira today.  Always great to see her!  We met in Garden City for a smoothie and chewed the fat.  During a random discussion, Elvira asked whether I'd seen the Taj Mahal yet?  "In India" I asked?" "No! Here in Perth". I thought she was pulling my leg, so in order to prove me wrong, she took me there and told me the story of this gigantic home...

Nicknamed "The Taj-on-the-Swan" as it's located just off the Swan River, this mansion is owned by an Indian multi-millionaire who bought the land in a very elite area of Peppermint Grove in Mosmon Park.  The guy bought 8 plots of land to build this house but suddenly got into serious debt and did a runner back to India.  The skeleton of the house was already built and just awaiting the decor, plastering etc.  The debt is rising by the day after the owner's company went into liquidation but what truly amazed me was the grandeur of the building and the similarities to the Taj Mahal.  The house is reported to be up for sale for 70 million dollars!  Insane!  

Not my personal taste though...

More information: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/clouds-gather-over-perths-shining-light-pankaj-oswal/story-e6frg8zx-1225843005263

http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/curtain-falls-on-tajmahalontheswan-mansion-20110117-19tts.html

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"

6 December

I was invited to gatecrash Marcus' Work Christmas do.  It was great to get out and meet new people.  We were even invited to the Rockpool bar which was an elite, upmarket bar in the Casino in Perth.  We were treated to cocktails by one of Marcus' friends who had won on the machines.  Yummy it was too.  We then went to the Mayflower for dinner which was huge but delicious but most of the evening was spent taking the mick out of Marcus and his new specs!

7 December

After working in the cafe, Bri and I headed into Perth CBD to watch the Chrisfmas parade.  We had decided to take the train from canning bridge but pop down to Hans Cafe for dinner.  Forgetting the time, we chatted away not realising that was 7.20pm and the parade started st 7.30pm!  We therefore opted to drive and luckily found a great spot on the Esplanade meaning we could watch the parade as it was ending.  Finally, I began to feel slightly festive!  The floats were great and the turn out was fantastic.  Great to see so many kids there and such a diverse selection of groups.

*apologies for the blurry photos, my iPhone doesn't take photos well in the dark!

Kyle's 18th, MUSE and fish & chips by the seaside in Freo!

30 November

Today is Kyle's 18th birthday!  We headed over to Nick and Cheryl's house for a birthday breakfast...on the barbie.  Nice to see the family all together and witness such a special birthday for him.

In the evening, I got invited to watch MUSE with Georgia and her friend Kate.  As per usual that put on a light show as well as a great performance.  Really enjoyed the gig and great to see MUSE play live again.

3 December

As it's finally December, you can't have Christmas without an Advent Calendar, so i bought one for me, Sasha and Jai.  Today was Georgia's day off so we met up in Freo for traditional fish and chips by the sea, just like home...but a little warmer!

Roadtrip to Margaret River - part 2

22 November

As the weather was pretty cold and wet (yes in Australia, who would've thought it?!) we decided to take a day trip further south.  We took a drive past Redgate beach then onto Hamelin Bay and Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.  The wind was blowing a gale so we opted to head back to Augusta which is a little further inland and less breezy.  Luckily for us, the sun decided to come out just as we arrived in Augusta.  This town was pretty bare so there wasn't much to see or do.  The only place recommended to us was the viewpoint which wasn't worth the 10 min drive.  It was at this point that we decided to head back up to Margaret River.  We pulled into 'The Berry Farm' to try some of their produce.  The conserves were beautiful but their wine tasted more like port.  Still, that's what this whole region is all about; eating good food and drinking good wine.  We ended up staying at Previlly again as the campsite in town was a total rip-off!

23 November

Today was my mums birthday.  So strange not being there and the thing with camping is that I struggled to charge my phone meaning that I couldn't speak to her :(  

In the morning we popped by the local farmers market.  I loved it.  It reminded me of being back in France with stalls selling cheese, wine, bread and fruits.  I bought some cheese and non-alcoholic drink which uses Shriaz and SBS grapes.  Perfect for a hot day!  We then drove to a winery called Vasse Felix which was recommended by Marcus.  It was heaven!  The wines were rich and incredible and the grounds were just as stunning.  I even bought a couple of bottles as gifts for Marcus and Bri and one bottle for Christmas Eve.  

That afternoon, we went to Gracetown beach.  As we approached the car park, I pointed out how quiet the car park was considering it was a hot sunny day.  Regardless, we headed down to the beach and spotted a wedding party who were waiting for the arrival of the bridge - n'aww.  We walked further down and demoted our stuff.  Gaetan and his mum even popped into the sea for a swim.  It wasn't until the ranger came over to us that we realised there was a reason as to why the beach was so deserted.  He explained that there had been a fatality that morning as a result of a shark attack.  Frightening stuff considering they'd been in the the same stretch of water only hours later.  It's so easy to forget how dangerous this country can be! 

In the evening, the gang headed down to Injuidup Beach and I sat in the pub.  That's the problem with being fair skinned, you feel the heat a lot faster than most.  Still, there's worse places to be than the pub!  We opted to stay in the caravan park next the the pub (convenient) and ate by the barbie.  A typical Aussie evening!

24 November

Today was our last day in Margaret River.  We've worked our way from north to south and back up again finishing off at Sugarloaf Rock then Busselton where we found a Sunday market.  Unfortunately, it was a little too windy to walk along the pier front so we headed for home.

All in all Margaret River is an incredible place and one which I'd gladly visit again and again....

Margaret River Roadtrip- Part 1

21 November 2013

Since arriving in WA, countless people have told me that I must go and visit Margaret River.  So when I was offered to crash a trip with Gaetan and his family, I jumped at the chance.  The drive down took just over 3 hours but provided some spectacular views.  The town of Margaret River reminded me a little bit of Betws y Coed.  It's a fairly small town with most things focused around the Main Street.  

In the afternoon, we headed to see the Mammouth Cave, which is one of the most famous caves in WA as it's covered in stalagmites and stalagtites.  We then took a drive to Conto Beach which was stunning.  The water was tranquille and devine.  It's at times like these that I think, could life get any better?

We managed to find a great spot in Prevally, where we set up the tent, ate dinner, drank great wine and watched the sunset.

Meeting my first Koala

20 November

With only a few weeks to go before I head off to Sydney, I finally organised a trip to Caversham Wildlife Park.  Much to Stormy's surprise, I had planned to take public transport which consisted of 2 buses and 2 trains totalling approx 2 hours worth of travelling!  Ugh...  Thankfully, one of my lovely friends, Gayton, took me in the car as he was taking his mum.

The wildlife park was quite big and is situated in a larger park similar to Richmond Park in London.  I managed to see all the animals I was expecting: a cockatoo, wallabies, kangaroo and I even got to touch a Koala.  What irritated me the most were the vast number of flies that were around.  I had to take the photo below 3 times as I had them all over my face!  This being said, for me, this certainly is one of my highlights of WA.