Back in the big smoke - check out Perth.

Packing up in Albany saw us doing it in the rain for the first time this trip.  Not bad really for just under six months of travelling.  Mind you we got some done without rain but then it came down heavy, so our ponchos came out of their packet for the first time ever.  Before we knew it we were hitched on and ready to go.  We just had to wait another five to ten minutes as someone was hitching on, on the only road that was the exit to the park.  Then they pulled up and blocked the driveway out as they hadn’t returned their swipe card (you didn’t need it to get out so I had returned ours earlier to prevent this).

Our trip up to Freemantle was a long one without not much happening at all.  I guess that is how you like to have these long drives.  We were sitting on our usual safe 90km/h and holding some people up every now and then but the road was good and had quite a few overtaking lanes.  We also pulled over a few times to stretch our legs, eat and get some fuel.  It is interesting and I should find out if it is a rule for all of WA roads, but whilst the road had a speed limit of 110km/h it also stated that anyone towing could not go over 100km/h.  I thought that was probably a wise thing to have in place and not that many travel that fast but it is just an added safety feature. 

Getting to our caravan park was a lot easier than I thought.  I think I had these pictures of big freeways and missing exits, but really it was just like driving through Albany except a lot bigger.  Checking into the caravan park was quite easy, and thankfully we got to our site with no dramas.  The turn into the boom gate was quite tight for our long van but we managed it.  Then there were the two pages of rules to read over, which of course involved no portable clothes lines.  Honestly I don’t understand that rule, what is wrong with your own clothesline.  So I went and spoke to the office as I really like to hang my towels outside to dry.  Well it turns out our clothesline is fine but what they mean is the rope ones that people hang between their trees and people can’t see at night.

Free from the car.

Not a bad way to end the day.

Hamish taking it all in.

Life is tough.

So after setting up quite fast in the sunshine, and actually it was quite warm, we enjoyed an ice cream and a play on the playground.  We also booked our car in for a minor service on Saturday and started to plan out our week a bit more.  Then we headed out for a drive and checked out Coogee Beach before driving around Fremantle.  The beautiful old buildings and streets look so cool and made us want to stop and have dinner out but we thought we should go home and have the leftovers we had and it would help out the budget.  It was a definite decision that we were going to come back to Fremantle the next day to explore it more.

Streets in Fremantle.

Just a small section of this wonderful place.

Well we all certainly crashed to bed as obviously the big drive had taken it out of us, but at least it was a nice sleep, and I woke up just before six.  At least I could get up and quietly type the blog and do a few things, but then my phone rang and thankfully I managed to grab it before it woke everyone else up.  We were a bit slow going this morning as we wanted to get our trip to Rottnest Island booked.  Trying to make a decision on what day was best whilst taking into account prices and weather was hard but eventually we managed to lock it in and buy our tickets.

Before we knew it we were hopping in the car to head out.  The only problem was that Hamish had cut the back of his ankle the day before so all his shoes were hurting him.  Our solution was to buy him a pair of thongs so on the way into Fremantle we came across a Reject shop and scored a bargain pair for a whole 50c.  We did a few bad turns and held up traffic (a whole one car) at one stage.  Hamish piped up from the backseat about what terrible drivers they are… of course we didn’t correct him, we were too busy laughing.

From there we kept driving to try and find the Fremantle Prison.  Just as we were saying we had no idea where it was we just happen to come across a sign pointing left which led us right to the entrance.  Talk about luck.  That is when the confusion began.  We arrived at the gates knowing what we wanted to buy.  There was a lovely old gentleman there trying to help but I think he was a bit confused by what we wanted.  So we went up to the main counter and he said we had to buy the package tickets at the Gift Store and it should be open soon.  However he could sell us the tickets we wanted for Hamish (Kayla was free), so we bought them. 

Then it was a matter of waiting for the gift shop to open.  We asked someone and well apparently it opened at 10am, but the tour we wanted and the kids were booked on started at 10am.  Hmm how on earth was that going to work and what if the tour the kids were on sold out before we got our tickets!  In the end one of the guys sorted it out and the gift store opened early and sold us our tickets and sorted others who seemed to be just as confused as us.  Apparently the guy on the main counter could sell us our tickets so I think they need to sort that out a bit better!

So off on the first tour we went.  Hamish was well behaved but Kayla was not interested in staying still and the guide wasn’t keen for the kids to walk around – not even in the open massive courtyard or on the grass.  Thankfully it was only 1 ½ hours and for the most of it Kayla was good, but I guess she just found it boring.  Jason and I however loved it and found it so interesting seeing inside and learning all about the jail.  Some of the stories that come out of there are very sad though and obviously there have been some very horrible people locked up in there.

The only time I want to see my son inside a prison.

Getting the low down on life inside.

Just in case anyone thought of jumping.

Some of the artwork inside one of the cells.

After the tour ended we had half an hour until the second tour commenced.  I was wondering if we were going to regret having organised to do the two tours in quick succession with the kids but it was too late to turn back now.  So in the spare time we had morning tea at their café before checking out some other exhibits before the bell was rung for our tour.  Oh joy we had the same tour guide who didn’t really take me as a kid friendly kind of guy.  Still I was determined we would succeed this time.  Again Hamish was well behaved but Kayla still had her moments, but thankfully I managed to keep her entertained a fair chunk of the tour by getting her to draw pictures.  Then she befriended another little girl and they had fun together. 

Don't think you will be getting out of here fast.

The main chapel part.

Two escapees out the front.

Playing a bit of music in the mall.

The second tour was more about stories of prisoners escaping and I really enjoyed this one.  We loved learning about all the successful breakouts and failed attempts.  If anything you have to give them credit for thinking outside the box.  Each time some new check would be put in place to stop it from happening again.  Still some of them totally amazed me at how determined the guys were to break out and then the silly things or bad luck that saw them get captured again.  Their claim is that no prisoner has ever escaped Fremantle Prison and not been captured and returned. 

I don’t fully think this is a fair claim as one guy managed to escape, go interstate, marry, have kids and lead a very long life without ever doing wrong again (not even a parking fine).  The only reason he was ever caught was because he applied for Centrelink in his old age and had cancer.  If he had only applied for it a few months earlier the computer systems weren’t linked so he wouldn’t have come up that he was wanted in another state.  So they had him extradited back to WA and of course due to his age and circumstances he was let off very lightly and didn’t even serve half of the 10 week sentence.  Personally I think they only bought him back and went to the effort so they can make the claim that all prisoners that had escaped had been returned to the jail.

After this tour we thought we would head back down to the main part of Fremantle and go on the big ferris wheel that we had promised Hamish.  This may have had a lot to do with him being well behaved!  Unfortunately though it was not running today, so we did promise we would come back another day to do it.  Instead we enjoyed lunch in the café by the park before letting the kids loose on the playground for a while.  Kayla seemed to be getting more irritable so we decided to slowly make our way back via the beautiful old buildings.  Not such a good idea as both kids were tired from all the walking in the morning so both wanted to sit in the pram. 

So before things got too painful we headed back up to the Fremantle Prison where the car was parked and I took the kids back to the caravan for a rest.  Jason was booked in for the tunnels tour so we left him there to enjoy.  Thankfully the kids were exhausted so when I got back I just put on a movie for them and that seemed to entertain them for quite a while.  It allowed me to get a few jobs done, plan dinner and catch up on a bit of washing.  Mind you, part way into the wash it starts to rain so obviously not my best idea for the day.

Still it was a good afternoon and I managed to have the kids showered and fed dinner by the time we went to pick up Jason.  This was realistically a secret plan that they might just fall asleep on the drive there and back but I was not in any luck at all.  Fair enough really as it wasn’t even 7pm by the time we got home.  Still they were tired and we managed to get them down at a reasonable time.

The next morning was cold.  The condensation on the caravan walls certainly made you realise how much warmer it was in the van but we still didn’t feel the need to turn on the heater.  The best thing of all was that it was a perfectly clear and beautiful day.  So onwards in reducing the washing pile I went, which really is a slow process with a small washing machine.  The plan was to meet with my sister and her family at 10am at the Aviation museum.  We didn’t even know there was an aviation museum.  This place just has so much to do.

I thought we were doing well for time and were going to get there before them, but they obviously did better and were already there when we got there.  Hamish was so excited to see his cousin Madie again.  The whole way there it was how much longer and how much further.  This too can wear thin on a simple 16km journey.  Still it was a fascinating place with all these old war planes and old aircrafts.  They even have buttons with moving parts to keep the kids entertained and a few they can hop into and pretend they are flying.  Again this is a place someone like my Dad could spend an entire day looking at and reading everything.  With kids we managed to knock it over pretty fast but I think Jason and Sean could have stayed a lot longer.

Madie and Kayla having a photo.

Old refuelling truck.

Three hop in but Kayla bails fast.

Ready to go up in the air.

From there Jodi recommended Kings Park and we certainly loved that idea as I have only previously seen a part of it and thought it was spectacular so was certainly keen for Jason to see some of it to.  Getting there was easy at the start but then we got separated from Jodi and Sean’s car and took the wrong turn.  I apologise now to all the Perth residents for our weird turn around and slight hold up of traffic, but we managed to re-join the Connolly’s and then spent the next half an hour driving around trying to look for a carpark.  Yep I am guessing because it was the first sunny day for a while combined with the fact it was school holidays, everyone had the same idea.

Kayla having fun in the pond.

Two cousins building a cubby.

Inside their house.

Kayla still in the water.

Still we walked down to one playground where there was a café and enjoyed a nice lunch whilst watching the kids play.  I went and ordered lunch and as I was bringing it back I couldn’t see Hamish.  I asked Jason where he was so I could get him to come and eat his lunch and Jason said down by the ship, which I knew he wasn’t as I had just come past there.  After a proper five minute search we managed to find him in a playground up top, but gee I was worried for a minute.

After we had all filled up we headed to the Rio Tinto play area which is all about bringing the kids back to simple nature fun.  Of course we didn’t find the first ten minutes fun as Hamish saw a tunnel and ran through it with some other kids and as he was coming out the other side I saw something black hit his back and fall off.  I just assumed it was a football as it was quite large but when Hamish yelled our ‘hey’ and started to cry I realised it couldn’t have been.  He ran back to me and when I saw his back I was mortified. 

Some kid had thrown down a rock, which I am sure was not deliberate or intended for Hamish but still throwing a big rock over a tunnel kids are coming out of is stupidly dangerous.  My first thought was how lucky Hamish was that it had not hit his head as that could have made it a lot worse, and then my next thought was where on earth are their parents to stop that happening.  Surely if you were watching your kid and saw them lift a big rock you would tell them to put it down and then make your kid at least come and apologise.   After a while Hamish settled down and happily went on to play in the water pond and then build a cubby out of the pile of sticks and rocks around. 

Up the top of one of the towers.

Dancing on stage (Hamish did not want to).

We walked around the area a bit more before we had to leave as I had the 3:25pm tunnel tour of the Fremantle Prison.  In the car Jason put into the navigator what he thought the general address was and off we headed.  Thankfully as we were turning out of Kings Park I decided to check what time it would have us getting there and it was 11:56am… hmm why was it going to take so long.  Then I realised it had over 3600km left on the journey.  Whoops obviously we had picked the wrong Fremantle, so I quickly turned that off and we used my phone as I had the prison flagged in wiki camps so it could get us there directly.

The drive was really pretty and took us a totally different way which was nice.  We are quickly realising we just can’t see this place in a week.  You could spend a week in Fremantle alone.  Jason dropped me off and then took the kids back to the caravan.  Kayla was fast asleep which was good as poor Jason was feeling a bit off.  I sat around and enjoyed an ice coffee in peace before my tour started.  This tour goes for 2 ½ hours but a lot of it is spent getting all the gear on and the safety talks.  It is odd doing a tour on your own as you don’t have anyone to share it with but still I met some lovely people.

I wasn’t sure how I would go with this tour as I had to climb down a ladder in big gumboots and then walk through tunnels (bent over as they aren’t that high).  In the end it was fine and I wasn’t the slightest bit worried.  My back got a little sore with all the bent over walking and I actually for once wished I was shorter but that didn’t last long.  When you hop in the boats and paddle around it was really cool and then when they turn out all the lights and get you to paddle in the dark, it is scary and funny at the same time. 

I really did enjoy this different perspective and insight into the history.  The only thing I was slightly disappointed in was that due to us running late the tour guide had to walk whilst talking at some points.  As it is only single file and I was down the back, this meant I really couldn’t hear what he was saying.  This wasn’t his fault as we had to wait for two latecomers so our tour was a little late starting so we had to make up the time somewhere but maybe when you purchase the tickets they should say that you need to be there ten minutes prior to the tour starting so all paperwork can be completed.  You need to sign away your life and have a breathe test, so no pub visit before this tour!  Okay you can have a beer; you just need to be below the legal driving limit.

At the end of this tour I text Jason to see how he was, as if he wasn’t still feeling well we were going to swap around our night tour times.  Luckily he had managed to also have a nap and was feeling better so was happy for me to stay and do the first night tour and then he would meet me and swap over and do the later one.   I had 45 minutes to fill in between tours, so I couldn’t get down into Fremantle for dinner and back again so just had basic lemonade and packet of chips for dinner as the café didn’t look like it was serving meals.  I also popped into the bookstore and got a new book to read and some fun stuff for the kids (and big kids).  Of course Hamish got a forensic kit right… oh my love of CSI is coming through there.

I can honestly say whilst I have loved all four of the tours I did at Fremantle, this one was my favourite.  Definitely a wise idea not to bring young kids on this tour.  Well unless you want to be up with them having nightmares for the next month or so.  I don’t want to give it away but again we went to a few different parts of the jail, heard different stories and they had some moment where it made people jump.  Seeing the face on one young kid was priceless.  I just hope he was okay last night and slept well.  Our tour guide was brilliant and really made it.

The main building at night.

Yep still not going to get out.

Shadows of those on the tour.

Lashes (well the shadow of it).

Then once the tour was over I hot footed it to the carpark where Jason was waiting with the kids.  Both kids were still very much awake (bummer) so we quickly swapped over as his tour started in 15 minutes and I went home with the kids.  They didn’t fall asleep so we watched a movie, but again they didn’t fall asleep.  Golly gosh kids, mum is exhausted and it is 10pm, how can you not be asleep!  So I sent them to bed and just made they go to sleep.  Hamish obliged thankfully but Kayla took some more convincing.  Apparently she had a long sleep in the afternoon.  Eventually she crashed, pretty much just before Jason got home.

Well after such a late night we were certainly in no rush to do much the next day.  Also we had set it aside to catch up on a few jobs that we had been putting off and really needed to be done.  So I went through the massive pile of mail that Jodi had been keeping for us.  Obviously there were some exciting things like new clothes for Kayla and I and then the boring stuff of school books.  Still I was excited that they weren’t as heavy this term and could easily fit them into the cupboard.  Hamish was super excited too as there were heaps of awards and treats from his first term work.   I then also put them all in the folder ready to go and started reading through the first few lessons.

From there it was food shopping, getting oil for the car and just general banking of the kid’s money and posting some mail.  All in all it really wasn’t an exciting morning out at all.  In the afternoon we headed out to Cottesloe Beach to see what it was like and just to get out and see something for the day.  It is funny, as it was a nice beach but I imagined the area to be more upmarket then what it came across as.  For some reason I pictured lots of place to eat with expensive clothes stores but it wasn’t like that at all.  Instead it was nice and had a relaxed casual feel about it.

Hamish enjoying a play on the beach.

Kayla bringing back her goodies.

The surf club.

Looking back down from the carpark.

We stayed there for a while but eventual we headed back home as we hadn’t taken the sunshade down or anything so it was a bit hot in the sun.  Kayla fell asleep on the way home from the beach which meant we were in for another late night which we really weren’t keen on as we wanted an early night with a big day at Rottnest ahead of us.

We already knew that a week in Perth really wasn’t going to cut it, but we weren’t sure if we would move north of the city or not for the second week.  In the end we decided that it was just going to be easier to stay in the one place the entire time so we booked in for another week.  That will take us up until the end of the ANZAC long weekend before we start our trek north.  It also gives us plenty of time to see everything here without rushing, especially with school starting back up next week.

I decided I would start doing a school session with Hamish but half way through I realised I was on unit 8 which wasn’t right as we were only up to unit 6.  Whoops.  Oh well, back to the right one we went and completed a session.   It is great when you can relate the work back to your trip or you can see future things that we are doing which will re-enforce what he is learning on the road.

 

Hamish moved onto the plane.

 

Hugh enjoying the plane.

 

Hamish posing for a photo.

 

No one was responding.

 

One of the choppers.

 

Cousins.

 

Rain, rain and more rain in Albany

We had been quite lazy in Denmark and hadn’t bothered to set up anything outside the caravan other than the awning, so this made packing up very quick and easy.  Mind you we didn’t start until about 8:30am as we were only going down the road to Albany, so didn’t want to get there too early and not be able to check in.   Once we were hitched on and out of our site, we then had to navigate all the kids to try and get out of the park.  This was made all the more scary by the fact we had the caravan on the back so we just took it extra slow. 

Half way out we had to stop as there was another caravan part way through hitching on so we just had to wait for them to finish.  Then of course they decided they wanted to pull out our way, so we had to move right over to one side.  This is where I got out and had the hand held radio, just to get the kids back away from the van and let Jason know he was in the clear.  I have no idea where the parents were but these kids just wouldn’t move off the road.  So I stayed out whilst the other guy moved off his site as I had to hold the kids back from going back on the road.  Then I hopped back in the van and we were out of there. 

Well so we thought.  Nope, last right turn and there are more kids on bikes and what are they doing, just stopped in the road having a chat.  Yes they look as us but still don’t move.  So again I hopped out and asked them to get off the road (politely) as we needed to get through.  Honestly parents, if your kids don’t know the road rules, supervise them.  There were younger kids who would see you coming and get well off the road, but others just looked at you, made you stop and proceed to ride their skateboard past staring at you.

Eventually we made it out, but my gosh it felt like an effort, and we are now counting down to the end of school holidays.  The rest of the trip to Albany was easy going and before we knew it we were checked in and making our way to our site.  Getting into the site was another task in itself.  I thought it would be easy; we just drive around and pull up, done.  No, we had to leave a gap big enough for other cars and caravans to get through.  Yes maybe if we were a small van that would be easy but it took a couple of goes of me directing Jason before Jason took over and did what he wanted to and managed to park the van just fine!  Then unhitching caused the van to rock back a bit which scared us, but luckily we had the chocks in place, but it was still just a moment we weren’t prepared for so it gave us a fright. 

Setting up.

I mean we are right on the edge of a river bank so we really didn’t want our van in there, mind you it would have just rolled back into the big tree behind us.  Still before we knew it we were set up and headed straight into town to find a nice place overlooking the water to have lunch.  Well we didn’t quite make it to a nice place as Hamish spotted McDonalds so we decided to treat them and get that for lunch and took it down to the waterfront to eat.  From there we headed straight to the information centre.  The weather was quite cloudy so we wanted to see the ANZAC memorial before the rain set in.  I ran into the information centre and grabbed a few things plus directions to the memorial, whilst Jason took photos of one of the cars in the carpark.  Yes it was down to only one tyre and had chocks on all the other wheels, so this is probably not the place to park your car long term.

Enjoying a picnic.

This was the only tyre the car had left.

The National ANZAC Centre is just amazing and quite a lot of the grounds are free.  The only part you have to pay for is the museum.  So we paid to go in and the kids lasted about 15 minutes before they got bored.  It is well set out with great displays but it is just all about reading really so nothing to interest a 5 and 2 year old.  I just decided it would be easier to take them outside for a walk around the grounds whilst Jason checked out the rest of the displays.  When you enter the museum you are given a card with a name of one of the ANZACs and as you walk through you find out more and more about this person.

Beautiful grounds and view.

Getting excited.

Checking out the history.

The new centre.

The grounds are spread quite well over the hill and there were lots of areas that intrigued the kids and kept them entertained.  After a while Jason joined us and we finished seeing the rest before making our way back to the car.  We then headed home, stopping only to do the food shopping and grab some bait.  I mean we are set up right on the river so one must try their luck.  At first I had thought we were lucky to get a spot right on the river, but looking back at it now with the steep bank down to the water I was not quite sure.  Still as soon as we got home Hamish wanted to fish.  This was spurred on as there was another kid down by the river fishing.  He wasn’t so happy about having to wait until we had unpacked all the shopping.

Defending Australia.

Oh another gun.

Kayla wanted her picture taken on the rock.

Just stunning outlook.

Such a well done centre.

I got chatting to our neighbours and they had lost their umbrella in the water and it had floated across to the other side, so I offered to get our kayak down and go and fetch it for them as they were leaving the next day.  It was slightly spitting but I didn’t think that really mattered, so we got it down and walked it to and easier part of the park to put it in.  The river bank was just too steep where we are to put the kayak in the water, so we had to walk it 100 metres down river.  Kayla decided she wanted to come for a paddle too so she was following us with her life jacket on. 

Once we were in and set off Jason went back to join Hamish in fishing and we paddled back and retrieved the umbrella and returned it to its owner.  Kayla by now was over our little adventure so she hopped out and joined the boys and I went for a nice paddle up and down the river.  Along the way I picked up little bits of rubbish that were caught in the trees.  I even managed to untangle Jason’s line as he had cast out a bit too far into a tree.  Then it was time to hop out and start getting the kids inside as the rain was picking up a bit.  I managed to find a good log to tie the kayak too so we didn’t have to keep pulling it in and out of the river. 

I can honestly say I had the most shocking night sleep that night, not because of the kids, but the constant rain and then little nuts falling on the roof of the caravan.  It was just so loud.  I did eventually drift off but was woken early in the morning around 4am to the sound of more heavy rain, wind and thunder.  Just what I wanted to hear when camped beside a river.  I was obviously the only one it was keeping awake and in hindsight I should have just turned on the tv to drown out the noise and put me back to sleep.  Instead I just checked the weather radar and saw that there was only one line and there was another line of heavy rain following.  Brilliant, who needs sleep anyway!

Eventually daylight started, but the rain stayed, sometimes lightening to just a little shower before getting heavy again.  I managed to see that the kayak was still were I left it and nothing had blown into the river overnight so winning there.  I felt sorry for our neighbours in the camper trailer as they obviously hadn’t been able to sleep and had gone off somewhere and returned about 6am and started packing up their camper trailer in the rain.  Well the husband did anyway as the mum and son stayed in the car.  I honestly don’t mind a wet day but according to the weather forecast it is going to be like this until after we leave.  Disappointing really as so much that we want to see is natural and walks, so we either can’t do it or will have to do it in the rain.  One of the walks I really wanted to do states it is dangerous in the rain, so I am just praying the weather dudes have it wrong and the sun is going to come out this afternoon and stay until we leave.

Still the wet weather allowed me to catch up on the blog and I decided to do the washing in the caravan park washing machine as it is faster and then use their dryers to have the washing completed in record time.  By then we were over being stuck in the caravan so went out for coffee and I have to admit I ordered the biggest coffee size they had as I was going to need it today.  From there it was a quick stop at the shops as Hamish had a blowout with his gumboots, so we quickly grabbed him a new pair.

Now we were all waterproof we headed out to the Torndirrup National Park to check out the Whaling Centre.  I can’t believe that they only stopped whaling there some 30 years ago, which means (without trying to make myself sound old), they were still operating when I was a young kid.  Still it is part of history but I am glad that it stopped so that we still have the beautiful animals around today to admire.  When you see one of the skeletons you just can’t believe how big they are.  Let alone when the blue whale has a baby that is several metres long and weights seven tonnes.  Yep, glad I am not a whale, though some days I feel like it with my shocking diet.

Feeding the kids to the whale.

There was actually a slide inside.

Hamish having fun.

Then of course it is Kayla's turn.

At first Hamish wasn’t keen to walk around another place, but he soon got into it and really enjoyed it all.  We thought about staying there for lunch but saw the prices and decided against it, instead opting to grab some fish and chips on the way home.  We quickly detoured in to see Salmon Cove, appropriately named by the fish that come in there for shelter.  The fishermen were certainly out that day trying their luck.  We ended up having to make our own lunch back in the van as the fish and chip shop that I had googled and was apparently the best was closed for the day and we couldn’t be bothered to turn around and go back into town.

Bit of action on the tour.

Massive skeleton.

Ready for the movie.

On board the old whaling ship.

Impressive and sad at the same time.

Back at the van the river had risen a little bit so I had to go and push the kayak a bit under the water to free it from under the log it had been floating under the afternoon before.  Jason and Hamish then tried their luck a bit more with the fishing but only Jason caught a bream which unfortunately was too small to keep.  Even the sun popped out a bit for an appearance and suddenly there were a few kids around and out playing, so Hamish and Kayla made a few new mates.  We even bought some firewood so we could have a fire the next few nights and Hamish and Kayla shared their marshmallows with their new friends.

Hamish having a fish.

The sun disappeared behind the clouds again and it started to rain again, but thankfully not as much as the night before and we still got to sit around the fire and have our dinner, before retreating under the awning for dessert.  At least it didn’t put out the fire and it was nice to just sit out there and relax for a while after dinner while the kids played inside with their new friends.  Fingers crossed for no more storms while we are here, this mum needs a good night sleep.

I was in luck, had the best night sleep ever, I think I just crashed and was out for the count after the long day the day before.  We really thought we were winning with the weather too as whilst it wasn’t a clear sunny day it wasn’t raining and it looked like the sun was coming out a bit.  So Jason took the gas bottle into town to get filled up and post a birthday card, while I took the kids around the park to find some better marshmallow toasting sticks and for a play on the playground.

It is so lush and green down here, exactly what I always wanted as a view from my dream home.  Whilst I was trying to take pictures of it I noticed that the clouds were starting to build again and it looked quite dark.  It wasn’t long until the kids and I were retreating to the caravan to get out of the rain.  At least I had convinced them to wear their raincoats and gumboots so they were dry.  Jason got back a little later and we both commiserated our bad luck with the weather but decided we weren’t going to let it ruin our day and still headed out.

Our first stop was to see the lookout over Mutton Bird Island.  It rained the whole way there except for a few kilometres so we thought we were in good luck and going to actually get to enjoy the lookout and walk down to the beach.  Just as we were driving the last kilometre the rain came back over.  I thought I would quickly jump out and take a photo but the wind and the rain was so cold I quickly jumped back in, and sent Jason out!  So we retreated back to town with the rain the whole way back and it seemed to be only getting heavier. 

Looking down onto the wet beach.

A break in the rain so Jason jumped out for a better photo.

Mutton Bird Island.

After a quick drive up the hill in town to the lookout and again retreating with no good photos we decided to pull into the information centre to get their recommendations for a child friendly place to eat.  Their response was not what we wanted to hear – McDonalds.  You are telling me there are no child friendly cafes, pubs, taverns, or restaurants in this town.  We tried to google but that didn’t really turn anything up either except for a pub just up the road from where we were.  Finding a park was really hard and it was pouring rain by now so we decided to head home.  Then we found a carpark out the back so parked there and ran in. 

I am sure it is beautiful on a sunny day.

They didn’t look like they were serving lunch yet so we went to the café next door.  It looked good as there were heaps of other families there but they were packed out with no spare table in sight.  So we left.  By now we were getting seriously hungry and cranky that we couldn’t find a good place to eat and we were running out of time too.  As the weather was horrible we thought we would catch the Shaun the Sheep movie and it was only showing at 1pm.  So unfortunately we called it quits and just got McDonalds again.  Of course drive through as there were no carparks spare and then drove out of town to the cinemas and ate it there in the warmth of the car.

By the time we had finished and the cinema doors had opened (yes it is odd but this was the first session of the day) the sun had started to shine through.  After a quick check of the weather on our phones we decided to skip the movie and try and make the most of the break in the weather.  We knew it wasn’t going to last so we didn’t want to spend the only good time stuck inside.  So back to the van we raced and grabbed our fishing rods, buckets and spades and headed off to Little Beach.  The drive was just so pretty with a mixture of green rolling hills, waterways, of either rivers, lakes or inlets and then the scrub of the forest reserve.

Check out the sky now and the beautiful beach.

The boys trying to fish.

Beautiful white sand and crystal clear water.

When we pulled up we were just amazed by the beauty of this little pocket and it was certainly helped by the fact that the sun was out which made the water so much prettier in colour.  Jason took the kids down to the beach while I walked up onto the rocks to get a few photos before joining them down on the beach.  Kayla and I built sandcastles and went for a walk while the boys tried their luck fishing off the beach.  I know everyone raves about Lucky Bay near Esperance but I personally would rate this beach better.  The only thing Lucky Bay has over this beach is that it has calmer waters for swimming for the little ones, but honestly I think if we walked around more we would have been fine.

It all got too much for Kayla.

Crashing waves.

Everywhere you look it was another photo opportunity.

Still it was a nice and relaxing way to spend the afternoon.  Every now and then a little shower would pass over but luckily it was only light rain and it didn’t ruin our time down at the beach.  Eventually we had to pack up as it was starting to look a little dark again so we thought we should call it quits before we got caught out.  We drove home a different way and found a nice new estate where each house was on at least an acre and their view and land were just stunning.  Yep I could certainly build there.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent back at the caravan park with the fire started up again and more marshmallows were toasted.  They even have a little vegetable and herb garden here in the caravan park that you are allowed to pick and use from.  I have certainly been enjoying the fresh silver beet as we don’t buy it much as the kids aren’t the biggest fan and you can only seem to buy massive bunches of it.

Unfortunately no keepers.

Well it was another relatively wet start to the day and it looked like it was going to stay that way for most of the day.  I had been holding out going to Mt Barker and then onto Castle Rock to climb up to the skywalk but I wasn’t so sure that I was going to get to do it.  Still one had to try their luck.  As we drove into Mt Barker Jason said we should see if they have a bakery we could call into.  I naturally agreed and it just happened to be we drove past a sign to turn left to the bakery.  There were a lot of cars parked outside and across the road so that had to be a good sign and after waiting for a park, which was quite entertaining watching people reverse out without looking, we went in. 

This wasn’t just any ordinary bakery; it was award winning for their pies.  There were also heaps of other treats that the kids got to pick from so they were in their element and Jason and I debated for ages which pie to have.  I mean if they had only won two awards it would have been simple to pick but no, they had won so many gold awards for all different types of pies.  In the end Jason chose the smoked pork pie and I went the chicken, camembert and cranberry pie.  Both were delicious but I think Jason’s was our pick of the two.

Decisions, decisions.

Just some of their selection.

So after finding that little hidden gem, we drove around the town before heading out to Castle Rock.  The whole way there you couldn’t see the top of the mountains so I thought there would be no way I would be going up, but when we pulled into the car park there were heaps of cars so I thought we should give it a go.  I had read that it was only a 3km return walk so we got the kids out, but then I read that it was 4.4km return on the signs.  Hmm I think there needs to be some brochures updated and after reading more of the signs we decided it was best not to do it with the kids, so up I went.

After only 500m I was certainly glad we didn’t take the kids up as it was not exactly one they would have enjoyed and talking to people coming down it was only going to get harder – yay for me.  Every now and then there would be a spot where you could get a glimpse of the view so I would snap a photo in case there was cloud cover when I got to the top.  Eventually I made it up to the top part where you had a choice of two ways.  One to a simple lookout and the other “scramble” as they called it up to the skywalk. 

Heaving up the track.

The view part way up.

Hanging rock.

Looking up to the sky walk.

Now I am not a big fan of heights, yet alone heights that I don’t’ feel are safe, and well this climb I didn’t think was overly safe but I did it.  Then there was the ladder up to the walkway.  All that effort to just see clouds! It was also quite windy, so I quickly snapped some photos before making my way back down.  I was quite nervous, my heart racing and legs like jelly but I managed to safely get down.  I then did the easy lookout before making my way back down.  After only about 400m I realised that I had left my water bottle up there. 

Up on the sky walk.

A few quick snaps and I was out of there.

Heading back down the water logged track.

 

I had safely put it down when I went up to do the scramble climb but forgot to pick it back up.   At the time I was talking to other walkers who were coming up and the lady kindly offered to pick it up and bring it back down for me.  I had full admiration for them as they were doing the climb with three young kids, one being only 4.  The walk back down was nice and easy, you had to watch where you walked as the path was quite waterlogged but it was still a lot easier than going back up.  Once at the bottom I went and found Jason and the kids in the car and just said we had to wait for the family to bring down my water bottle.  After an hours wait we gave up on my cheap Kmart $2 water bottle and headed home.  It was well after lunch and I think everyone was starting to get hungry.

Trying to avoid that puddle was hard.

Once home Jason made a quick trip into town to fuel up, pump up the tyres, get some red wine for dinner (needed it in the dish) and of course grabbed me a new water bottle.  I now have the biggest and flashiest water bottle.  I just made the kids lunch and started to pack up outside before the rain came back and started to saturate everything.  We had decided in the morning we would just chill at the caravan the rest of the day and slowly pack everything away.

The afternoon just flew by but we managed to fit in some fishing (nothing big was caught) and Jason got to go for a kayak and fish from there.  I lit a fire again but the kids weren’t interested in toasting marshmallows.  The park manager came over to me and said there had been a complaint about the smoke but he looked at my fire and said hopefully it would go away once it gets going more.  I did politely tell him it had been well and truly going for over an hour and did offer to put it out.  We weren’t the only ones with a fire, but I think he just wanted to look like he was doing something about the complaint.  He said it should be fine but he just wanted to warn me in case she came over and complained (his opinion was that we are in the country, this is what you do).

Packing up has started.

Having fun on the playground.

Hamish enjoying a play.

Beautiful caravan park.

Another small fish caught.

Eventually Jason came back from fishing and we pulled the kayak back up the bank and it got packed away.  The thought of an early night was certainly a nice one but it wasn’t going to happen as we had a fair bit to get done.  With a big drive ahead of us the next day (all the way up to Freemantle) we would ideally like to get on the road early as the weather is going to make it slower too.  Even though it has rained a lot down here in Albany, we have still really enjoyed our time and really think it is a beautiful spot and Happy Days Caravan Park is a great place to retreat to at the end of the day.  We really do like these smaller caravan parks which just seem to have a more personal feel about them.

Little Beach was so pretty.

Love this photo of the boys fishing.

Driving through Albany.

The barb wire fence to stop the enemy if they made landfall.

They would have to get past these two first though.

Loving the new look.