Esperance - Kalgoorlie - Ceduna 7.12.12 -

After leaving Esperance, we drove to Norseman where first stop was the Visitors Centre. There we bought our cards for the Nullabor Links Golf Course, the longest in the world! We had a long chat to the lady behind the desk and then walked out without paying and she had to chase us across the park as we headed toward the car, blissfully unaware. Poor thing was puffing by the time she caught us! We then played the first two holes of the course which was very rough with artificial grass greens and local rules which allowed us to tee up on the fairways..... had to to get above the stones!!!

We bush camped at Mt. Thirsty with two other couples for company and watched the magpies and butcher birds and their babies. They weren't a bit shy and came demanding food as soon as we pulled up. That night was the first we'd had for sometime without cloud and the night sky was a vast, glittering canopy over the silent land. It was awesome.

Next morning we drove to Kambalda for the next hole. There was no one there and we just followed the directions for play. The greens were oiled sand and the fairways not mown at all. It's quite an experience playing these remote country courses which lack the funds and members needed for a groomed course.

Onwards to Kalgoorlie and what a surprise it was to drive into such an historic city. First impressions were of wide streets, magnificent pubs on all corners and wonderful civic buildings. The streets were buzzing with activity and people were everywhere. All the parking was angle parking which makes life difficult for caravanners but there was a section catering for long vehicles in a back street. We gathered the information we needed and headed to our chosen caravan park. In the afternoon we played another two holes of golf on the exceptional Kalgoorlie course. The greens were perfectly grassed and the fairways lush. The course is very organic with sweeping curves, rolling hills and valleys, and curved bunkers. Pathways wound through garden areas and the entire experience of playing the picturesque course was delightful. Next time we'll play eighteen holes. We finished the day with a cold beer in the clubhouse and a very tasty dinner.

The following day was a massive wash day ... three machine loads!!

We took a tour of the historic Bordello Questa Casa, which is Australia's oldest working brothel, and the only original one operating since gold rush days, over a hundred years ago. It is known as 'The Pink House" and is famous for its "starting stalls". They were doors the girls would open to allow the men to see them behind a grill. There they would discuss business and if there was agreement the girl would allow the man in. It was interesting to hear some of the history of prostitution from Madam Carmel, who has been there for the last twenty years. She explained the way the girls were 'contained' which meant they had to be in the brothel during working hours, could not solicit and could only go into town in the company of the Madam. They did not mix with the townsfolk. If local men wanted paid sex they had to go to the brothel in Hay Street which was the red light district with brothels along the entire length of the street on both sides, well away from the women and children of the town.

Pressed tin ceiling in the brothel.

After that we went to the the KCGM Super Pit lookout to peer with disbelief into the huge open cut gold mine where the giant ore trucks looked like tonka trucks busily working below. This man made wonder can be seen from space and is the richest square mile of goldbearing earth in the world. We were told there was to be a blast at 5pm but for some reason it was aborted. We chatted to a local man who knew about the mine and he picked up small rocks from under our feet and showed us the difference between gold and 'fools gold'. That was enough to have Glenn and I fossicking in the carpark, hoping for the big nugget!

Bronze sculpture of Patrick (Paddy) Hannan, the first man to discover gold in Kalgoorlie.

 

We went to the Kalguria Indigenous art gallery which had beautiful work by local artists and we couldn't resist adding a few more Christmas gifts to our over-loaded van.

Next morning we packed up and went into town to do some food shopping, stocking up on fresh fruit and vegetables for the next week and the trip over the Nullabor. It wasn't until later we remembered the strict quarantine restrictions in South Australia which prohibit moving almost all fresh produce into the protected area. Oh well.... I guess we'll have to do the 'rabbit thing' and then cook what's left!!

We camped in Fraser Range Station rest area for the night, just short of our next golf hole, on our own with a few owls for company. Love it!

Hope you had a great birthday today Angie.

10.12.12

We played another three holes of the Nullabor course and I have to say I am consistent.... just don't ask the score. Glenn is managing better than I am and had his first par today. Actually, we are really enjoying the novelty factor and the fact that it breaks the long distances across the Nullabor. The information said .... "Balladonia Roadhouse. Hole 1: Skylab Par 3 - 175m (through scrub - beware of snakes!!)". .... Gives you some indication of the quality of the fairways!

Just outside Caiguna there is a blowhole and the air coming out was really cold. The hole is part of extensive underground caves, which access the aquifer below.. Underwater divers have explored a lot of the cave system but many kilometers are still to be discovered. We ended up staying back off the road about 300m from the blowhole for the night. It was windy and very cool. Another van came in it join us just before dark.

Next morning we played the Caiguna hole, then drove to Cocklebiddy for the next, and onwards to Madura for the third of the day. We bush camped along the road and then played Eucla, Border Village and Nullabor the next day.

Border village

Between Border Village and Nullabor the highway follows the coast fairly closely and the views from the Bunda Cliffs are extraordinary. The cliffs below are part of the longest line of cliffs in the world. Head Of The Bight is one of the best places in the world to see the Southern Right Whales as this part of the Nullabor Plain coastline becomes a free range crèche between May and October.

The following day we played Nundroo, Penong and finally, two holes at Ceduna Golf Course. We are now proud holders of magnificent certificates attesting to our skill and perseverance. They will be framed and hung in due course in a place of prominance in our home!!

We admired the excellent felted scarves, bags and jackets in the Visitors Centre before booking into a caravan park and luxuriating under a hot shower.

 

ESPERANCE AND CAPE LE GRANDE NP 4.12.12

We left our campsite at a record breaking time of of 7.30 this morning and arrived in the lovely town of Esperance. After attending to some shopping we went to the Information Centre to find out about the local area. We met a fascinating man in the carpark, a German immigrant about our age, church goer, youth worker, farmer. He was a delightful man full of energy and enthusiasm who told us about camping areas in Germany where you pay a minimum few Euros to camp and then extra for all the other things like showers, dump points, power, washing machines etc. With so many vans totally self- sufficient, even to the point of carrying their own grey water, it makes a lot of sense. It would be a great thing for Australia where, at present, you pay a flat rate whether you use the facilities or not.

On advice from the woman at the centre we drove the 40 km Great Ocean Drive loop road which took us along a scenic route past stunning beaches. We stopped at every opportunity to look and photograph the magnificent coastline. The colours were amazing. Pure white beaches fringed water of clear blue.

 

After re-fuelling, we left Esperance and headed for Cape Le Grande NP which we'd heard so much about.

We camped at Le Grande campground, one of two in the NP as it was the most sheltered from the cold, SE wind. The sites are hunkered down behind the dunes and the low coastal scrub, and separated by vegetation so each one is private. The facilities include a good camp kitchen, hot showers and flush toilets.. all for $6 each. We explored our immediate area and took a long walk along the beach after we arrived mid-afternoon.

Next day we started out with a swim .. our first in the Southern Ocean. Interestingly, Australia is the only nation to recognise The Southern Ocean - to most of the world it is just part of the Indian Ocean. We didn't stay in for long but enjoyed the invigorating, crispness of the water!! On the way down we saw a small snake on the sandy track. It was a grey-green and had black running stitch lines along the length of itsbody, except for the tail which was slate grey. It tolerated our cautious inspection before sliding into the low coastal scrub. We spent the day driving though the park and stopping at all the places of interest. There are fabulous walks from our beach along the 15km coastal track to Hellfire Bay which has sand like icing sugar, to Thistle Cove, Lucky Bay and Rossiter Bay.

Thistle Cove

We also went to Frenchman's Peak which has extensive views over the park. While we were at Lucky Bay we watched the kangaroos lazing on the beach and had a mother and joey come close to us. We did a bit of bird spotting and watched four Japanese divers with SCUBA gear and very impressive underwater cameras as they entered the water.

In the afternoon the rain came down and we bolted for the comfort of our van. While we were in the camp kitchen cooking dinner we met a Danish woman and then a Frenchman who accepted our offer of pumpkin and cabbage to fatten out his meal of noodles.

We only skimmed the surface of this amazing place and plan to return.

 

Pemberton 28.11.12 Walpole, Albany

RAIN ... Actually it's beautiful ... and the Karri trees are soaking it up and enjoying the cool wetness on their leaves. Problem is that it is a bit heavy for walking purposes as everything underfoot is wet and slippery. Nevertheless, we managed the lovely walk to the Beedelup NP Falls in light rain and saw a Western Rosella and some Fantails. The forest was alive with birdsong. There is a suspension bridge across the stream from which to view above and below the falls. It was misty. I climbed halfway to the platform up the Bi-Centennial tree but the rungs were slippery so after posing for a photo, I came down. Glenn hates heights so kept his feet solidly planted on Terra Firma.

On our drive through the Karri forest we came to a tree called the Elizabeth North Tree. It was named after an extremely well travelled woman who recorded plants from around the world in the 1800s. She donated her paintings and drawings to the Kew Gardens In England. One of them was a painting of this tree.

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We followed the Karri Drive through the Warren and Gloucester National Parks, tuning in to the radio for tourist commentary at various places. We wanted to camp in the forest but all the cleared campsites were tents only which left free camps under tall trees so we decided to go to the c'van park in Pemberton because of the strong winds. There was a lot of debris on the road as we drove, so thought it judicious not to camp under the gigantic Karri trees and risk a falling limb crushing us to death. It would really spoil our holiday!

We went to the famous Gloucester Tree, one of eight trees used as fire watch lookouts. They are amongst the tallest in the forest and smoke can be easily seen above the canopy and reported. Usually you can climb this tree (which we did 40 yrs ago) but it was closed because the rain made the steps slippery so we did a loop walk from there. We miss-read the signs and ended up going down, down, instead of up when we thought we should be going up. We continued along the track until we reached a road and then walked uphill which eventually took us back to the carpark. There are a number of tracks and the one we did was part of the Bibblemun Track which goes 950 kms from near Perth to Albany. The entire area is stunning and a hikers' delight!

We left Pemberton and drove to Windy Harbour where it was exceptionally windy!! There were a lot of holiday shacks with interesting names, seabirds and fishing boats anchored and riding the huge waves.

From there we drove to Pt. D'Entrecasteaux, still windy but wildly beautiful.

Pt. D'Entrecasteaux

The next night we spent in the Shannon NP between Pemberton and Walpole, which gets a really well deserved tick of approval in the Camp Six book, otherwise known as the camper's bible. It has cleared, flat sites well separated from each other, set in a Karri forest. Best of all are the showers heated by a modern version of the old chip heater and firewood supplied for cooking fires. The chip heater was the social hub of the campground where people chatted, fed wood into the fire box and discussed the joys of a hot shower and the next great camping spot.

We drove to Walpole and went to the information centre for maps and advice, and ended up staying there, ensconced in comfortable arm chairs, assisting the Australian cricket team dispose of the top order batsmen from Sth Africa. We were tired then from our exertions, so drove the scenic route around the Knoll and out to some of the beaches. The area is picturesque with tall forests opening to pastureland and beautiful coastline. The storm clouds continued to dump sheets of rain, chased by patches of warm sunshine, but it was cold. We were back into long pants and jackets which had to be unearthed from under the beds.

Next night we camped on the Knoll, overlooking Nanulup Inlet and had a pair of White-tailed Cockatoos for company..... And more rain....... Drip, drip, drip.... Across the bay there was a lot of festivity with good music but alas, the dreaded Kakaoke started. We were grateful we were at a distance but the sound still carried over the water. Thankfully they finished about 10pm.

We awoke to a bright sunny day and drove to The Valley Of The Giants. There is an amazing tree-top walk which is child and wheel-chair friendly and superbly constructed. It is 40 metres above ground at its highest point with views over the canopy to the hinterland. It is part of a forest experience which goes for 800mtrs through the old growth forest of Tingle trees at ground level as well. We took a guided tour and learnt how important fire is to these trees and how to differentiate between different trees and plants. It was an excellent day.

Tonight we are in a free camp at Cosy corner with the surf pounding onto the beach. Sounds a lot like home! We have company... maybe 20 vans and tents nestled in behind the dunes... A lot of surfers.

We stayed two nights, walked along the beautiful beach and met a couple from Adelaide we played scrabble with. They have been on the road for three years and love it. The pressure is now on to get to Pete's house in Cowra by 23rd Dec. for Christmas. We have 21 days....... And the Nullabor Links Course to play on the way. We'll have to pick up the pace!

At Albany we did a quick shop, refuelled and checked on the bush fires burning along the coast which were creating a lot of smoke. We didn't see much of the town before we moved on but intend to revisit this southern coastal area at another time. We overnighted along the road near Ravensthorpe and pushed on to Esperance the next day.

 

Margaret River - Augusta 22.11.12

The road to Margaret River was through vineyard after vineyard, with imposing cellar doors and formal gardens. Arum Lillies proliforated in gullies and shady spots and Glenn's comment was that they must be feral. How could he think anything so lovely could be feral, not to mention forgetting I had them in my wedding bouquet!

We found our way to the visitor centre and discovered we were just in time for a big food and wine festival featuring famous chefs from around the world, including Sydney siders Kylie Wong and Tetsuya. Margaret R was very busy with the huge influx of tourists for the event.

Glenn's first cousin Denise lives in Margaret R with husband Ron, and Glenn and I spent many hours catching up after too many years. They have a beautiful property surrounded by forest and they own and operate the nearby Stone Cottages, luxury accommodation set in peaceful countryside. We spent four days with them, camped under the trees beside the fountain, sightseeing during the day and eating, drinking and talking at night. We fed the chooks, explored the orchard and garden and walked to the cottages to have a look. They are lovely and together with the house, are set in 115 acres of Jarrah and Marri forests.

Ron generously passed on to us tickets he'd been given for the second day of the Gourmet Escape and we had a great day sampling the famous food and wine of the region. We watched a cooking demonstration by Russell Blaikie and sampled the delicious Arkady Lamb at the end, and sat in on a Q&A session with Andre Chiang from Restaurant Andre, Singapore. We were held up in traffic getting into the venue, Leeuwin Estate, and missed Tetsuya from Sydney in Q&A and demonstrating which was disappointing. All up it was a great day filled with sips and nibbles.

Another day was spent in and out of the galleries looking at superbly hand crafted furniture featuring the local Jarrah and Marri timbers, creative garden sculptures, jewellery, ceramics, glassware, paintings and textiles..... drool, drool !! Our favorite was the huge Boranup gallery in the Karri forrest

We booked the car in for a service and explored the main shopping strip while we waited for it. There is a wonderful bakery which serves delicious food in the most interesting of surroundings. The old house has been decorated with vintage tablecloths, some of which hang at windows and an assortment of non-matching furniture arranged in intimate nooks and crannies. There were Proteas in glass jars, posies of small flowers and hanging baskets, posters and old light fittings. It was crammed with couples and families and the hamburgers we had were the best yet. They also had homemade sweet treats. A unique place staffed with back-packers from next door.

Unfortunately, we were too busy enjoying ourselves to concentrate on victory for the Aussies in the cricket!

The coast line is rugged, dotted with surf breaks and pure white sand and Glenn was keen to revisit the places he surfed on our honeymoon. We turned off the coast road into every beach, stopping at Prevelly where the Margaret R meets the ocean and where a new wife watched anxiously as a new husband surfed a huge break more than forty years ago.

We continued the trip down memory lane, to Hamelyn Bay and its friendly stingrays, eventually arriving at Augusta. Glenn's cousin Frank lives there now in a newly acquired house with fabulous views of the south west's biggest river system, the Blackwood. We sat on his deck with cold beer and wine and then had a guided tour of house and garden and talked about Frank's plans to renovate the old house. We went to dinner at the pub and had time catch up on all the news.

We have loved seeing all the maternal cousins and families and stitching together some of Glenn's family tree. They have all been so warm, welcoming and happy to see us that it's been an absolute pleasure for us.

Augusta is a very pretty coastal/river town with so much development potential. Next morning we looked around the town and sat in the sun and watched the fishermen for awhile.

We then headed off to see the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, the tallest on mainland Australia and the meeting place of the Southern and Indian Oceans.

From there we turned east to begin the last leg of our trip. We overnighted in the forest halfway between Augusta and Pemberton and met a young German couple doing the round trip in six months. They now have first hand experience of the enormous distances of this country! We also had RAIN..heavy and continuing!

Katanning, Bunbury. Cape Naturaliste. 19.11.12

We have followed the road inland and south to Katanning and have spent two nights in a row under the trees in the wheat belt. The first was at Crossman and the second between Wagin and Katanning. It's great to be out in the bush again under the stars at night.

Along the way we have admired the stunning roses along the streets and in every garden at Williams, a beautiful town with an op shop which was closed, sadly! Wagin was interesting because of the imaginative junk sculptures along the road into town and the huge emporium carrying everything imaginable from furniture to incense, ladies underwear and dog bowls! Fascinating.

I am (reluctantly) informing you of the card score at Glenn's request ..... GLENN 25. Jenni 24.

In Katanning we went to visit Ron, (second cousin) and his wife Ruth, wonderfully welcoming people who parked us in their driveway, plugged us into power and fed us dinner and breakfast. We talked our heads off piecing family history together for Glenn and hearing about their very busy lives spent donating time to community projects. Ron was instrumental in setting up the Men's Shed and is an active voice in local government affairs while Ruth devotes time and energy to church affairs, local hospital cooking to raise funds, and to feed elderly neighbours and grandsons. Ron gave us a guided tour of the town they have spent most their lives in. They are amazing people and we loved spending time with them.

Next stop was Bunbury to see the childhood home of Glenn's mum Laurel. Unfortunately, there was no one home but we spoke to a neighbour whose son lives next door and will pass on information of our visit. We took lots of photos of the house and garden.

We followed the coast road south looking for a place for the night. Eventually we found a spot in the Tuart Forest which already had quite a few vans. We were joined by a Wicked van with a bunch of German kids in tents who squeezed in behind us. We spent a pleasant time having a drink with two other couples, one of which had been on the road in a small motor home for six years. The Tuart trees have a beautifully patterned bark, a bit like paving and most had moss on the southern side. They smelled spicy.

Next day we drove into Yallingup to check out the beach. The sand is pure white as we remembered from 41 years ago when we came here on our honeymoon but the town has grown of course.

Then to The Cape Naturaliste NP, well known for its working lighthouse which offers panoramic views of the formidable coastline. We walked the tracks around the headland, spotted several sun baking lizards which were loath to move off the track for us and enjoyed the bush flowers. The vegetation became scrubber as we got closer to the windswept coast and we spent some time at the Whale Lookout spotting whales migrating to the Southern Ocean for the summer. This is the starting point for the CapeTo Cape walk which ends at Cape Leeuwin, south of Augusta. It would be a great walk to do.

 

Perth and Freemantle. 9.11.12 - 18.11.12

The drive through the outskirts of Perth, through Freemantle and a bit further south to Coogee Beach C'van Park was stress free with the phone on navigator. The park is very pleasant, on the beach and not far from all of the city attractions so we will stay a week or so.

Day 1. Went to the Fremantle market for terrific fresh fruit, veg, salami, cheeses etc. wonderful. This very exotic butterfly on stilts was there for the enjoyment of all the shoppers!

Then to meet Joan at Ange Crisp's house in Cottesloe for lunch and to meet new babe Joni who is a petite, pretty, fine featured little girl of 3weeeks. Had several wonderful cuddles and then we were off to get Heidi. We had a photo shoot there with 6 mth Scarlett and her parents. Then we left her with dad Mark and we five girls, including Joni, went to the Hyatt for high tea. We had a busy time eating everything and drinking the constant stream of wine... Joan and I that is, as the girls are nursing mothers so only had a small amount of champagne!

Day 2. Glenn and I went to the Shed market which wasn't as interesting as the Fremantle market the day before... Smaller and without the wonderful gourmet food. Nearby, we discovered people sitting all along the harbourside so investigated. To our surprise, we had stumbled onto the start of the Fremantle Classic Yacht Race so spent the next three hours watching and learning what was involved.

At one stage I left to explore the vintage market in the warehouse just behind and bought a dress for the immense sum of $5 and a gorgeous handbag. I was amazed at the large number of young and not so young women there all decked out in vintage attire. They were so interesting, individual and beautiful. How I love such flair and creativity in clothing.. each person making a statement of their own, rather being decked out in chain store uniformity!

We finished the day with the Crisp family again for a delicious baked lamb dinner, a few reds and more cuddles of the babies. It was a wonderful day with exciting happenings and old friends.

Day 3. An interesting day exploring the city of Fremantle on foot, admiring the gracious old buildings, small houses beautifully renovated and the street sculptures. We thought it had a vibrant sense of history and a European flavor with narrow, winding streets, corner cafes with tiny tables and umbrellas on the pavement, and a lot of trees featured in small squares with old lampposts and bench seats.

Just after we bought a parking ticket for two hours, a generous girl gave us one with five hours remaining. We thanked her and then gave our ticket to another family. When we returned to the car we still had almost an hour left so passed it on again. Great system!! All parking in the city is metered and policed and there are enough places to make access very convenient. Most parking is reasonable... $1.50 ph .. so people use it.

We spent hours in the Japingka Indigenous Fine Art Gallery where we saw the work of Alma Nungarrayi Granites which depicts the star dreaming of her Walpiri people from the Tanami Desert. Her "Seven Sisters Dreaming" paintings are utterly amazing. They represent the 'sisters' in the night sky with star-lit luminosity, movement and vibrancy. They are exceptionally beautiful. A second exhibition of small works by twenty leading Central Desert artists captured the burnished colours of the desert heartland. The gallery itself was a handsome building with WA jarrah floors and balustrades.

Day 4. This was our 'gaol' day at the Fremantle prison, built by convict labour in the 1950s. It is a heritage listed site which has been restored to its original condition. Firstly we did a tour and were treated as newly arrived convicts, going through the process of admission until finally arriving in our cells! We were spared the indignity of stripping, showering and donning prison garb and escaped the shackles.. We saw the exercise yards, the kitchens, and the single cells no bigger than our toilet. We shut ourselves in the solitary confinement cells, with a bucket for company and had some sense of what apalling conditions prisoners endured.

Unlike our modern prisons of cold steel, the Fremantle prison is a thing of beauty, constructed from handcut limestone blocks with WA Jarrah doors and ceilings and flagstone floors. it is four storeys high with cells lining both sides of a central passage. It is perfectly symmetrical and well proportioned.

Unfortunately, Glenn had to be flogged with a cat-o-nine-tails for his crimes over the last few months!

After going to 'capacino alley' for lunch, we returned for an afternoon extreme adventure tour of the tunnels under the prison. We watched the video, filled in the waiver form and were breath tested to determine our level of sobriety. Glenn and I both scored zero! We then were kitted out with overalls, gum boots, helmets and headlamps, life jackets and harnesses and again asked if we were claustrophobic or afraid of heights. Then the adventure began with each of us being locked on by a gadget on our harness, to runners which followed the rungs of the ladder down 20 metres to the tunnels below. There were small platforms below each section of ladder where we had to negotiate a change of direction which was tricky. At the bottom we unhitched from the runners and began the walking section. It was very dark and wet underfoot and mostly we moved in a bent position because of the lack of height. This is where the helmets came into their own, protecting heads from the roof of the tunnels. We saw shells in the walls and fine tree roots growing through the ceilings as well as casts where tree roots had died and rotted away leaving holes in the roof.

The next section was negotiated by boat, two of us to a boat. They were very sturdy and we had a paddle each but often used hands against the walls of the tunnel where it narrowed, to move the boat along. The water was crystal clear and provided drinking water for the entire colony for a period of time. Without that supply, the colony would not have survived its infancy. Interestingly, Fremantle was not a penal colony originally, but settled by free man and women. It was only when it became obvious that there was not sufficient manpower to build necessary infrastructure that convicts were sent from England to provide a labour force. The prison was condemned and closed in 1991, largely due to the fact that modern fire engines could not pass through the entry which was designed for horse and cart vehicles.

The 2.5hr tour ended with a steep climb back up the ladders, a photo opportunity and a return of gear. We were each given a certificate of achievement and signed a piece of paper to say we'd returned to the surface unharmed! It was an excellent tour with an informative guide with a sense of humour.

Looking down into the 20 mtr shaft

After the tour we looked at Humaninside, an exhibition in the prison gallery which looks at the past but also has photographs of contemporary aboriginal people in cells and urges viewers to listen to how their lives are affected now. These people stand side by side with their children, parents and aboriginal advocates of human rights. It aims to have us consider the fact that our system of punishment is not working as numbers of aboriginal people in custody are increasing. " Why is this the case? Is it because we remain in pursuit of the idea that the role of 'justice' is primarily punishment?"

There is a true story about an orphan boy brought out from England under the child migrant plan, who, as an adult, meets an aboriginal woman and several children are born. The father leaves his young family in search of work as many men did and the young mother doesn't cope. When welfare come, her children are taken into care. The eldest boy Grahame is 5 and his brothers just toddlers. They are moved several times and run away trying to get back home. They are severely punished and shifted from one institution to another, including juvenile reformatories. Finally, after a series of court charges for absconding and a small crime, Grahame is made a ward of the state. At sixteen he does his first stint in Fremantle Prison, where he'll spend most of the next nine years and where he secretly begins to write in his cell.

PRISON Grahame Dixon (extract)

There must be another way

To punish

Penalize

Those of us


Who stray

And break

The rules

That protect the taxpayers

From us

The reef of humanity's

Wrecks.

Day 5.


We went to Fremantle to the Shipwreck Gallery which features a comprehensive display relating to The Batavia, it's cargo, structure, artifacts and written records. It was the most notorious of the many wrecks strewn along the Ningaloo Reef coastline.

Then a short walk to The Roundhouse, which is set high overlooking Fremantle Port and surrounding coastline. it was built to house the first prisoners of the colony and is partially restored. Like most buildings here, it is constructed from local limestone and is beautiful.



We ate local seafood at 'Lucious Lips' on the waterfront.

That evening we were guests of Glenn's cousin Rex and his wife Debbie at the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club. We had a delicious dinner and filled in many gaps in the family history. It was wonderful to see Rex after forty years and to meet Debbie.

Day 6

We started the day with a swim in the ocean, just over the sand from our camp ground, followed by a short lie on the beach to soak up some sun. The wind has a edge to it as we move south and the water is cooler. Grandson Alex skyped us so we had a chat to him and then 'played' with our computers.

That evening we drove around the southern part of Perth to Cannington, to have dinner with another of Glenn's cousins, Denise, her husband Steve and sister Elaine.

Day 7

We spent a great day in the beautiful King's Park and the Botanic Garden! The park is the result of the vision of Andrew(?) Forrest, the first member of parliament for WA. who wanted following generations of Australians to see the area in its original state. An enormous amount of work has been done to stabilize the banks and eradicate feral species of plants.

The day was sunny and the views over the city spectacular. We wandered along all the trails lined with an astonishing variety of native trees and flowers, many of which we'd never seen before. The iconic Kangaroo Paw grows from miniature to very tall and was striking in mass plantings and the flowering gums shaded the pathways. There were Boabs and grass trees and banksias and tiny bush flowers. All the way along the walking paths are explanations of how the indigenous people used the plants for food, medicine, tools and shelter. At the war memorial on Mt. Eliza there were hedges of rosemary for remembrance and lavender to signify the battlefields of France.

On an open, sloping, grassed area known as 'The Green', workers were setting up for an open air concert that night. The venue is roped off and concert goers sit on low chairs or blankets. It is similar to the Twilight Concerts at Taronga Zoo except the viewing area in Perth is much larger and is a perfect auditorium. I may sound parochial, but it lacks the 'Wow' factor of the Sydney Harbour views!

Day 8.

Glenn's cousin Rex and wife Debbie invited us to their home for a birthday celebration for Rex, where we met Debbie's family, children and grandchildren, first cousins Denise and Frank and families. All these welcoming relatives are on the maternal side .... Glenn's mother Laurel. There was lots of talk about the family history and the cameras worked overtime! We were sorry Glenn's mum and sister Denise weren't there to enjoy it too.