Another Weekend

On Friday afternoon I headed down the Kwinana Freeway towards the Margaret River District to a place called Bunker Bay, a three hour drive from Perth. Tim had been there for a three day conference with work colleagues and now it was time for the wives and families to join them.

Bunker Bay is a sheltered northerly facing beach near Cape Naturaliste on the western tip of Geographe Bay. This beach has pristine white sand with gentle rolling waves, unfortunately though a surfer was taken by a shark from this location only a few weeks ago.  There were few people in the water but of the 12 men from Tim's work Tim was the only brave sole to take a dive in the surf.

Saturday's entertainment was watching the whales frolicking in the bay.

On the horizon you can just see the tail of a whale

Eastern end of beach

Vegetation on the beach

Bunker Bay

A Weekend Drive

We hit the road around 5am Saturday morning to make the trip to Kalgoorlie, there was little traffic except for the grey nomads crisscrossing the countryside.  Nature provided us with a array of colour in the form of wildflowers that boarded the roadway and there was not much else to break the rhythm of the rolling kilometers, except for slowing the pace when passing through small towns with only a pub and service station.  But there were two towns that were somewhat larger called Southern Cross and Coolgardie, with Coolgardie having several significant historic buildings as this is the place gold was first found in 1892.

Gold was found in Kalgoorlie in 1893 and it has been the main source of income for this town, with the other being in the 19th century sandlewood that was exported to China. On the edge of Kalgoorlie there's a fenced off area where you can see mounds of dirt and vegetation but nothing else until you drive through the gates to the Viewing Platform. There you see the Super Pit which is unimaginable enormous, there is no way you could take one photo of the pit as it is so extensive, you can just make out the trucks at the bottom of the pit and they look like match box toys.

Kalgoorlie for all its roughness has a wonderful main street where new developments hasn't occurred and the beautiful old buildings have been maintained giving you a feel of what it might have been like in its hay day. A visit to the museum and  an evening at the Palace Hotel we left Kalgoorlie early Sunday morning for a 6 hour drive to Wave Rock.

Wave Rock is outside a small township called Hyden, it is a granite outcrop that has a wave like formation.  On top of Wave Rock a retaining wall has been built to collect precious rainwater for the town and there are marked walking tracks over the rock  so that visitors can appreciate the rock and the surrounding landscape.

We arrived home around 7pm after a full weekend.

Wild flowers and Kalgoorlie's water supply - the pipe from Perth

Super Pit

Building in the main street Kalgoorlie

Views towards the Super Pit

Exchange Hotel Kalgoorlie

Wave Rock

A rock on top of the Rock

The Hills District

After living in Perth for 8 months I still can't get over what a contradiction Western Australia can be, it's an enormous state with vast distances but at times places are very close. We're living 4 kilometers west of Perth CBD and to drive to the country on the eastern side of Perth we can be there within half an hour max.

We experienced this on the weekend when we took up the suggestion that we try Pickering Brook Golf Course, which is located east of Perth in the Hills District. Within twenty minutes we're driving around the outskirts of the golf course trying to find out where we pay and the first tee.  After finding a sign we found  that we had to go up the road to the sports club put our $6 in an honesty tin outside the club house and then we could play 18 holes.

The course which included sand greens was rough and ready but beautiful country side. It was a great experience looking for lost balls in long grass, enjoying the wild flowers and watching the kangaroos feeding on the fairways.

Yesterday we went back up to the Hills District and walked a small section of the Bibbulmun Track, this is an amazing walking track that goes from Kalamuda in the north to Albany in the south - approximately 1,000 kilometres. We meet one couple who had just got off the plane from the east coast and were on their first walking day of 6 weeks tracking down to Albany, we were very jealous.

One of the tee's

Sandy green

You can just see a couple of the kangaroo's - they blend into the bush

Wild flowers along the Bibbulmun Track 

Billulmun Track near Mundaring Weir

One of the overnight huts along the Bibbulmun Track 

Kalbarri

Over the weekend we took a road trip 6 hours north of Perth to a place called Kalbarri, approximately 160km past Geraldton.  It was wonderful to be out of the city, to enjoy the country side and such a surprise package it was.  I had expected flat, dry, barren land but instead we were greeted with a patchwork of lush, fertile land that must be the food bowl of WA.

Kalbarri is a small coastal town that has amazing coastal cliffs and also a national park close by that we found to be a mass of colourful wildflowers, deep river gorges and amazing rock formations.  We wished we had had more time to do some hiking around the gorges, but we've promised ourselves that we'll go back next year with a few days spare to really experience the park.

After a perfect day we took some time to watch the sunset at one of Kalbarri's small beaches where Tim spotted whales that apparently frequent the Kalbarri shoreline in spring.

Country side south of Geraldton

On the road heading to Kalbarri

Wild Flowers

The Gorge in the Kalbarri National Park

The Natural Window

On the way home along the new Indian Ocean Road close to Perth 

Chittering Valley

At this time of the year Chittering Valley takes me back to the Southern Highlands and Kangaroo Valley; it is vivid green, with a countryside that is bursting with vineyards, orchards, hobby farms and magnificent views that has the Brockman River flowing through the scenery.

Last Sunday we took a drive to Chittering Valley to enjoy the food and wine festival which was more wine than food being available. The venue was out in a paddock with market stall's selling their produce and people relaxing, enjoying the sunshine, sipping on a vino and listening to the musicians playing their repertoire - it was very relaxing.

Not far from Chittering Valley is the Catholic Agricultural College, which we visited on the Camino walk a few weeks ago. The community of the College were very hospitable and served us afternoon tea but I had mixed feelings as this in a previous life was Bindoon Boys Town. If you've seen the movie Oranges and Sunshine then you'll understand the evils that were behind Bindoon Boys Town.

Enjoying the day

One of the beautiful vineyards

Markets in the paddock

Catholic Agricultural College (Bindoon Boys Town)

Mundaring

Just before the Camino walk we visited Mundaring, which is approximately a 45 minute drive east in the Perth Hills. There's not much in Mundaring apart from the Weir, the hotel, an arts & craft shop and a museum. The town developed because of the construction of the Weir and in those days sly grog was rampant, so in 1898 the hotel was built in an attempt to stop the sly grog.

Mundaring Weir supplies all the water for the Perth Hills district and Kalgoorlie. There's approximately 550kms of pipes that takes 5 - 11 days to pipe water to Kalgoorlie, with 90 million litres of water being pumped daily.

The Mundaring Weir Hotel is very quirky with a large outdoor area where on Sunday's there's lamb on a spit and live music. The hotel also has a large ampitheatre and are hosting during the summer period David Helfgott, The Black Sorrows, James Morrison and others.

Also passing through Mundaring is the Bibbulmun Track that's a marked track from Kalamunda in the north to Albany in the south - a total of approximately 1,000 kms. Walkers can either complete a day walk or walk over a few days to weeks staying in 3 sided shelters that are available on a first arrival bases. This is a walk that Tim and I plan to complete before we leave WA.

Mundaring Weir Hotel

The Wall of the Weir

Mundaring Weir 

Camino Salvado - The Pilgrim Walk

I've just returned after  completing a 170.5km Camino walk from Subiaco to New Norcia with 23 other people.  My expectations were uncertain but the experience was much more wonderful than I could ever have imagine it to be.

The first day while walking along the Swan River we bunched together, it was as if we were uncertain as to where we were going and whether we were up to leading the group. But by the second day we had settled into our own walking pace with some jostling to lead and others very happy to be the tail.

I had imagined that a pilgrim walk would equal some hardship and going without some of life's luxuries but on this walk we really didn't go without. The first day we visited St Charles Seminary at Guildford where we were served an amazing afternoon tea and meet some very interesting seminarians. The following day we gathered at The Chocolate Factory in the Swan Valley for morning tea; this theme continued and I'm suprised I haven't put on any weight.

The country side continually changed as we wandered through vineyards, along side rambling rivers, through farms, forests and cannola fields. As we got to know each other laughter and chatter filled our pathway, then at the end of each day the hospitality of our hosts was wonderful and we had plenty of stories to tell.

When we were approaching New Norcia there were mixed feelings, sad that the our special time together was ending but our feet were very happy. As we walked into New Norcia the bells were tolling to welcome us and this was followed by one of the monks symbolically washing two of the Pilgrims feet. Later that evening we gathered together, celebrating with a fine dinner and drinks at the hotel, then slept peacefully at the old convent.

Since returning home I have found it to be very quiet and the house empty as last week I had quickly adjusted to having so many lovely people around me - I'm now looking forward to the reunion next month.

The group of Pilgrims before we set off Sunday 26 August

Bells Rapids

Thursday morning tea at Stringybark Vineyard

Julimar Forest

Cannola Fields

Walking through Kelly's Farm

Symbolic washing of the feet

Waking up Sunday to a misty morning at New Norcia