Let the travels begin

Welcome to our blog.

 

 I hope that I manage to give you an interesting insight in to where we go, and what we see and do along the way. It is just two weeks since we left Nelson. Had an enjoyable quick catch up with my brother Michael at Auckland Airport, then it was on to an Emirates A380 for our flight to Brisbane. Paul had been very keen to experience this aircraft and it exceeded expectations. Comfortable seats with plenty of leg room, tasty meal, great cabin staff, and wide choice of movies and entertainment.

As always, had a great time with Stephen and Cindy and their lively three and a half year old Dante, and cute Bianca, whose 1st birthday it is today. One of the highlights was on Mothers' Day, when Stephen treated three mothers -me, Cindy and their friend Abbey (who just qualified with their delightful little Indy- 6 weeks old) to a high tea. Delectable and beautifully presented, it was a real treat. You can see in these photos.
 

 

 

Last Thursday, after a six hour flight across Australia, we arrived in Perth to a warm welcome from David. His apartment in West Perth is spacious, elegant and comfortable. It is only 100 metres from Kings Park, and a short bus ride in to the CBD.
 

On Friday we set off south for a three day stay in Margaret River. Of course, we considered it our duty to help the local economy by visiting, sampling and buying bottles of the wares at local wineries, and Paul was delighted that there were also some boutique breweries. We liked the town with its interesting mix of shops, restaurants, galleries, etc. The motel we stayed in was the Admiral Stirling, and its ships and the sea theme was very strong.
 

On Saturday we drove to the Cape Leeuwin area at the south western tip of Australia. The solid lighthouse there was built in 1896 of limestone and at 39metres high is the highest on mainland Australia.
 

My brother John and his wife Susan had walked the entire 135Km of the Cape to Cape walk last year, so we sampled just a few Kms of it along beaches and through bush. A very pleasant walk.

 

Left Margaret River late on Sunday morning. Further up the coast stopped at Busselton, a seaside town with a very long 1.8Km jetty( and scrummy steak pies for lunch!). Then we drove north again through karri and bluegum trees to Mammoth Cave. The countryside had been gently undulating so we were amazed to walk in under a cliff to a succession of underground caverns filled with stalagmites, stalactites and limestone shawls.





The caves extend for 500metres and the largest is a staggering 30metres high - equivalent of a ten storey building. You can get a glimpse in these photos.

Have enjoyed the past few days exploring in and around Perth. We enjoyed celebrating David's birthday with him on Tuesday. Yesterday we went on a river cruise from Perth to Fremantle. Were able to see where the local rich, famous (and infamous) live. The riverside complex in this photo last sold for a cool $57 million.
Freemantle is always good for a visit. The 1907 railway station there has undergone major cleaning and repairs since we were last there, The frontage is Donnybrook stone, and a feature are six carved swans adorning the parapet above the front entrance. We returned to Perth on a train.

From here we fly to Singapore this evening for a three day stay. Shall hope to do an update from there.