Finally at Perth, headed straight for previously booked caravan park, very organised like residential streets with good concrete pads, lovely ablutions. As soon as we were settled we headed for our friends about 15 minutes away. All excited to see each other after our last visit here about 7 years ago, though we had seen them momentarily in NZ a couple of times. As Bruce & Stu were originally at sea together there has been non-stop conversations about the sea, the old days & anything marine, while Rene & I have done the family & grandchildren to death. Bruce has recently retired after being a ship's pilot in Darwin, & Geraldton ever since they arrived here over 20 years ago from Whangarei. The 'neighbours' at the caravan park must wonder what we do with our time as we leave about 9am each morning to join them walking their dog Billy, the most gorgeous Cavalier Spaniel who I could take home tomorrow. We have done something different every day, from going into Perth City to doing tourist drives around the area, being mostly fed & watered by Rene & arriving back at the van about 9.30-10pm each evening. In other words, 'having a ball'. Of course we normally stay away from cities but there were various tasks we needed to address , - #1 having my camera cleaned due to dirt on the inside of the lenses, & also had to take the van into a caravan repair place to have the fridge checked as it has not been running on mains power for a while. Only an element as it turns out, but an expense we could have done without.
One day we went to Fremantle to visit Bruce at one of his volunteering interests, assisting on a replica sailing ship called the 'Duyfken' or in English 'Dovekin'. In 1606 this small Dutch ship commanded by Captain Willem Janszoon, sailed from the Spice Islands in today's Indonesia & mad the first recorded European landfall on the Australian Coast. They charted 330 kms of Cape York Peninsula's western coast in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The indigenous people of Cape York have passed this story down through generations but it has otherwise been a little known part of Australian history. Thus this replica was built to convey that history & to learn more about the shipbuilding & seamanship of those old times. It is sometimes sailed, otherwise is a tourist attraction at it's berth in Fremantle where Bruce does his stint each Wednesday.
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| Bruce & Janice onboard "yacht" Duyfken |
Yesterday afternoon we took Rene & Bruces' two canoes to the upper Swan River & took it in turns - we girls first, accompanied by Billy in with Rene, pelicans & white egrets & ducks on the river. Then the guys turn, of course longer than us but we enjoyed sitting by the river watching a group of young men fishing. By the time the guys returned it was 'wine o clock' & a barbie, sitting under the stars.
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| "Billy" |
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| Bruce and Stu on the Swan River |
Today we all left 'home' at 7.30am, headed for a nearby Farmers Market, walked Billy in the nearby park, then stocked up on fresh fruit & vegies for the next week. Also being Mothers Day, R & B's son had booked us all in for a breakfast near the beach & marina not far from either home. Was nice to have a family Mothers Day even though it wasn't with my own family. Tomorrow the four of us head north to a family bach at a place called Leeman for a couple of nights, us in the van which we can park there. After that we all head further north to Geraldton for two nights, then two more nights further on to Kalbarri National Park. Rene & Bruce will then return to Perth & we will continue on. Will miss their company tremendously as we all get along so well.
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