Posts Tagged With: Australia

Making it Home

Posted on April 12, 2025 by julieallen36

Our last trip in the Hop on Hop Off Uber was the next day (Sunday). We’d done our packing and had to check out of the hotel at 11am. Our flight wasn’t until later in the afternoon so we had time for one more stop. One of the most visited attractions in Perth is the historic Perth Mint and it looked an interesting place to spend our last morning.

It was another very hot and sunny day and we waited for the start of our tour in the shady courtyard. I managed to blag a copy of the kids quiz which featured multiple guess scratch off answers! We decided to listen to the tour first and then see what we had learned.

The tour was very good and we learned about the history of the place as well as getting to gaze upon and even handle plenty of gold! The Mint was established in the 1890s as a subsidiary of the Royal Mint in the UK. The population of Western Australia was growing very rapidly due to the discovery of gold at Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie and Murchison. The Mint produced coins for the growing colony as well as being the place that miners brought their raw gold to be turned into coins and bullion. We handled huge replicas of some of the most famous gold nuggets including ‘Welcome Stranger’. This is the biggest gold nugget ever discovered and was found by two Cornish Miners in Victoria, Australia in 1869. It weighed 72 kg or 192 pounds. The miners were paid £9381 for it back in the day but at 2019 gold prices it would be worth £2.3million. The plastic version I handled weighed slightly less and was worth about £2.34

Once in the Mint itself we wandered freely around the exhibition which had real gold and silver nuggets on display. It also held the 1 tonne record breaking coin. This didn’t look real but is made of 99.9% pure gold with a lovely bouncing kangaroo on it. Its face value is Aus $1 million. We enjoyed standing on the scales and having our ‘Weight in Gold’ recorded and then also trying to lift the real gold ingot. This weighs 400 ounces and is totally enclosed so that, even if you can lift it, you can’t scarper with it. Bad luck thieving Brummies!

The final stage and indeed highlight of the visit was watching the ‘gold pour’! This is where we got to sit where the furnaces are and watch our guide as she got dressed up in all sorts of PPE and poured the molten gold out of the ‘Crucible’ pot and into the Ingot mould. This was all very dramatic and done in the dark.

We bought some souvenir gifts in the shop and then made our way back to the hotel where we had a bit of time by the lovely pool and then got changed ready for our flight. We got another Uber to the airport where the Qantas lady was able to resolve the issue we’d had with our seats so that we could sit together on the way home. Phew. Now we just needed to relax so it was a bit unnerving when the very loud alarms went off when we were part way through security. The tannoys said that there was a ‘security breach which was currently bring investigated’. It kept saying this over and over again v loudly. The staff went into lockdown mode and we were asked to stay where we were. It felt as if there might be a terrorist on the loose but the security lady said it was more likely to be someone vaping in the toilets.

Eventually, we were allowed to go and made our way through to the Gate with Jane in her wheelchair. Unfortunately, the retail experience through here was very poor so my plans for last minute purchases were made impossible.

Once on the plane we settled in for the 17+ hour flight home. Very little sleep was had by either of us but all in all , it wasn’t too bad. We arrived back at Heathrow at 5am and I was very glad when our lovely taxi driver, Luke, came to pick us up and drive us home.

I think it will take me some time to process my feelings about the whole trip, the ups and downs but my overall sense is of a new respect for the vastness of this country and a love of its people, animals and strangely -trees. As we were driving to the airport in Perth I saw a sign with a helicopter (rescue) on it and the words ‘Help. It’s what Australians do’. How true that is.

Well that’s all very nice but I must say I feel very relieved to be home with Jane, safely in one piece. I always knew that Australia is basically out to get you ever since reading Bill Bryson’s book ‘Down Under’. So let’s leave things with the words of Bill Bryson-

Australia: It has more things that will kill you than anywhere else. Of the world’s ten most poisonous snakes, all are Australian. Five of its creatures – the funnel web spider, box jellyfish, blue-ringed octopus, paralysis tick, and stonefish – are the most lethal of their type in the world. This is a country where even the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you out with a toxic nip, where seashells will not just sting you but actually sometimes go for you. … If you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner, you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistible currents, or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. It’s a tough place.” 😳🫣😀

Now we’re really thankful that we made it back!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Australia, Perth | 1 Comment

Bells and Botanicals

Posted on April 6, 2025 by julieallen36

Sunday would be our last full day in Perth and we had considered getting on the Hop on Hop off Bus. However, in the end we decided that there were three main ‘stops’ that we wanted to spend our time at so we’d just hop about by Uber instead. We actually woke up to some cloud today and temperatures of a mere 28 degrees.

Our first stop was to return to the Bell Tower at Elizabeth Quay. It is a very modern structure made with copper and lots of glass. The lady on reception told us we were in luck as the bellringers would be doing there thing today between 12 noon and 1pm. The bell tower includes the 12 bells of St Martin’s in the Field, Trafalgar Square London and these form part of a 16 bell peel with two extra chromatic notes. They are the second largest set of change ringing bells in the world. The bells from London were rescued from being scrapped in 1988 and donated to Western Australia in exchange for the metals for new bells to be made for St Martins in the Field.

In addition,there is one absolutely enormous bell called the ANZAC Bell. It’s made of gold, copper and tin and is the largest swinging bell in Australia. We visited the 5th Floor of the Bell Tower in time to see this being rung at midday. Luckily our ears were protected by the glass encasing it!

Next we went down to level 4 where you could see all the 16 bells ringing as the Bellringers began to do there thing. The sound brought back memories of royal weddings and other events back in London.

There was lots of information on the wall about the bells including a note of the inscriptions in each. I was doing a bit of sketching whilst listening to the bells when this older gentleman, approached and made a comment about the bells. Somehow, I got chatting to him and he introduced himself. It turned out that he was the main man behind the whole initiative to bring the bells over to Perth. He was here visiting with his son and family and his name was Laith Reynolds. He asked where Jane and I came from and when we told him he said that he’d lived in Burford (Cotswolds) for many years and had just sold his house there! Next thing you know, Laith invited us to join him and his family for a behind the scenes view of the bellringers! Of course we were up for this! So down we went to the 2nd level and into the bellringing chamber where there were eight people holding onto the ropes. We had to be absolutely silent and if anyone asked, we were members of Laith’s family! Laith is massively keen on everything related to bellringing- hence his passion for saving these bells.

Afterwards we felt very privileged to have been allowed into the inner sanctum. But more than this- to have met Laith. I Googled him later and found that he’s an incredible chap. He was a fine example of the Australian Entrepreneurial ‘Have a Go’ spirit. He and his wife had lived all over the world (Canada, Bangladesh, China, Hawaii and of course Burford! ). He’d worked for Philips developing two way radio systems, then branched out on his own into mining, agriculture and now even healthcare- developing new blood tests to detect cancers. What a guy.

I admit we were a little star struck by our meeting and afterwards we needed to cool down with an ice cream from the Gelateria. It had been recommended by someone at Rosebridge House. I had pineapple and mint and Jane had the special which involved vanilla, raspberry ripple and Vovo biscuits. Both hailed a success.

By now it was 2pm and we caught the free Blue CAT bus to Kings Park. This is one of the world’s biggest inner city parks and is actually located just above our hotel. There is a Jacobs Ladder that climbs up to the entrance of the park but that’s no use to us! We decided to concentrate our efforts on just the Botanical Gardens part of the park and the first stop was the very classy gift shop. Here I bought several items for inspiring future art projects!

We started at the War Memorial which is in memory of the ANZAC troops who served in WW1. Being Sunday there were lots of families enjoying the green space and we liked the views across to the Perth Skyline once more.

Once we entered the Botanical Gardens proper we did a little circuit which allowed us to explore the different regional areas, magnificent Eucalyptus trees, beautiful Banksias and Baobab. I was particularly keen that we walk along the raised walkway and glass bridge that took us through the tree canopy. It did actually start to rain as we were doing this but it only added to the magic of this place as the sun made everything sparkle.

Jane was very tired as we made our way around but we did complete our circuit and then decided to have a quick beer before catching our Uber back. We sat out side in the cafe admiring the views over to the city and the setting sun. The Eucalyptus trees lining the street were absolutely stunning and burned an image in my memory. It was so lovely that we decided to stay and eat here which was a good decision as the food was delicious.

I’d been struggling to piece all of the different parts of Perth together in my head. Sydney made perfect sense but somehow Perth seemed to be these disparate areas that had no real connection. However, I think the visit to Kings Park brought things together for me and meeting the legend, Laith Reynolds, was the icing on the cake. What a good day it had turned out to be.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Australia, Bell Tower, Kings Park, Perth | Leave a comment

A date with the quokkas at Wadjemup

Posted on April 3, 2025 by julieallen36

On Saturday we woke up early which appears now to have become a thing! Today was one we’d be looking forward to and we were very glad to still be able to make the trip. We were off to Rottnest Island to see the Quokkas and this time, in the wild.

Originally, we had been due to catch the ferry from Freemantle and then hire bikes to get around the island as there are no cars. Luckily, in the circumstances, we’d been able to change our booking and were now leaving by ferry from Barrack Street Jetty, Perth and ditching the bikes in favour of the ‘Rottnest Bayseeker’ bus tour. This turned out to be a right result.

Firstly, the ferry up the Swan River to Freemantle was great. We had seats up on the sun deck (in the shade) and the captain gave an interesting commentary as we went along. The views changed as we left the city skyline behind then went past the houses of the rich and famous on the beautiful, lush banks of the river. When we got to Freemantle we were quite surprised to see the huge cranes and container ships…maybe it was a blessing that we’d had to cancel our stay here!

It was lovely and warm up in the sun deck but once we got out into the open see it became a little more rocky and breezy. I kept my eyes on the horizon as the lovely crew served us Icepops to keep us cool. After an hour and a half since setting off we were arriving into the pretty harbour of Rottnest Island. As we approached we had an Indigenous welcome as the island ‘Wadjemup’ is sacred in the Aboriginal history. All of a sudden it became incredibly peaceful and calm and it felt like this was a place we were going to love.

This reminds me of something I’ve been meaning to talk about. Although we haven’t really been on an Aboriginal ‘heritage’ tour or directly learned about ‘Dreamtime’ stories, we have seen hints along the way. One thing that is very noticeable is part of the ‘Reconciliation’ with the past. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples, Australia’s colonial history is characterised by devastating land dispossession, violence and racism. The most obvious part of this reconciliation process that we’ve seen is known as an ‘Acknowledgement of Country’. This manifests itself in statues in the various cities and towns, signs at Airports, in verbal greetings to trips and events and on all the different websites. The podcast I’ve been listening to on the History of Australia begins every episode with an Acknowledgment of Country.

For example on arriving in Rottnest the greeting might go like this

“As we arrive here today, we’d like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Wadjemup land on which we tread. We would like to pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future of the Whadjuk Noongar people.”

It’s important because for so long the Aboriginal and Torres Island peoples have experienced a long history of exclusion from Australian history books, the Australian flag, the Australian anthem and for many years, Australian democracy.

It’s an interesting approach and I noticed that when our tour with Shelita in Broken Hill began with such an acknowledgement, a lot of the older Aussie’s in the group raised their eyebrows and tutted loudly. Hm.

Certainly Rottnest Island played its part in this terrible history and we visited the little museum which tries to educate about this. Today the island is a place for happy visitors but in the past it was used to imprison and mistreat Aboriginal peoples who were put to forced hard labour in quarrying limestone and building some of the settlement that remains today.

Anyway…enough of the bleak history. Today Rottnest Island is more famous for two things 1) Its beautiful beaches and stunning waters and 2) The 1,300 Quokkas who call Rottnest their home and who are an Instagram sensation.

Quokkas are everywhere on Rottnest Island and in fact it’s how it got its name. Although these smiling little cuties are marsupials of the wallaby family but smaller, the Dutch guy who discovered the island way back in 1696 thought it was infested with rats ….hence he called it “Rottnest Island”!

Jane was v keen to capture the iconic photo of a Quokka standing up smiling, and we tried to tempt them with tasty looking leaves. They weren’t really playing and perhaps preferred the dropped chocolate ice cream outside the bakery.

The settlement area is very busy with people trying to get to grips with their bikes or stocking up on food and water for the day. But it is also very shady so great to keep cool and we enjoyed lunch of a sausage roll and a slice of Raspberry Lamington from the Bakery and cold ice peach tea.

After this we decided we had time to go for a short walk to Pinky Beach which should only take 20 mins through the accommodation huts (v basic) and trees. However, although the beach was very lovely with white sand and sea of every possible shade of blue and green, it was ridiculously hot. I felt incredibly frazzled and Jane got her sandals wet when a wave came in further than expected. This place wasn’t for us and I could get away quick enough to find a sheltered spot. What on earth had we been thinking when we thought we could ride around here on bikes? To be fair the 40degree heat is exceptional for Perth at this time of year but still….thank goodness for Jason and his VIP bus trip!

There were only about 10 of us on the 1:45 trip and the bus was lovely and air conditioned as we drove around the whole island which is bigger than I’d thought and quite hilly in places. We learned more about the history and the flora and fauna as we drove along the quiet lanes exploring all of the gorgeous beaches and swimming spots. Unlike Hamilton Island, Rottnest is a A grade reserve and totally government owned so there is very little development allowed and the Quokkas come first.

The tour round took about an hour and a half with just two short stops but the views through the windows were great and we took 100s of photos. Once back at the harbour it was more of less time to catch the ferry back to Perth. We again sat in the sundeck and enjoyed the cruise back in the fading sunshine.

Jane found us a nice place to eat in St George’s Terrace and we had a lovely meal at Sentinel. We felt a little under-dressed in our sweaty gear from the day out whereas other diners were all dressed up and off to the theatre! But who cares….those beers tasted really good. What a fabulous day and we happily found our way home once more via Uber.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Australia, Perth, Quokkas, Rottnest Island | Leave a comment

Back on plan – Perth City Centre

Posted on April 1, 2025 by julieallen36

Finally, on Friday 28th March we were able to get our holiday back on schedule. The one thing we hadn’t had to cancel or rearrange was our stay at the Aurea Hotel in Perth City Centre. So after our last breakfast at Rosebridge we were back in an Uber and 30 mins later arriving well before check in at our final stop.

We had to wait in reception for our room to become available but it was very hot outside and we liked the Air Con. It looked like they weren’t going to relent and let us in before 3pm so we made a decision to go out. All of a sudden room 202 was ready for us to occupy. Lovely. We’d chosen this hotel because it’s relatively newly refurbished and got great reviews on Trip Advisor. It didn’t disappoint as our room was very spacious, with a restful picture of a beach as a backdrop to the beds, great Air Con and a balcony that overlooked trees and the city skyline beyond. It was so modern that we couldn’t actually work out how to turn the lights on!

We did a bit of unpacking and then headed out following the Receptionists guidance to catch the free bus to Elizabeth Quay (all buses in Perth CBD are free 😀). It was only a short bus ride and walk away and is an area that has seen massive redevelopment into a trendy waterfront attraction on the Swan River. It was named after Queen Elizabeth II in honour of her Diamond Jubilee year, following her visit to the area for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. It was opened in 2016.

Today, it was very quiet really and our first destination, The Bell Tower, which had been recommended to us by the boring chap back at the BnB was closed for a private function. Never mind, we could do that another day and meanwhile we wandered about taking photos of the skyline and modern pedestrian bridge and the Spanda Sculpture which is 29m high. There are quite a lot of restaurants etc in the area but I did notice that not all of these premises were occupied. Generally, I’d say that Perth had aspirations to be as cool and trendy as Sydney but had a way to go but all of the Uber drivers were very keen to tell us how thriving the city is and how much development is going on.

The city skyline is very impressive and over our few days here we saw it from various different angles. Lots of the buildings have company initials and names on them. I was intrigued to know who these were and what had lead to the economic development in Perth. Without doubt it’s been the focus on resource industries- mining and in particular – iron ore as well as Agricultural exporting. Many of the signs on the tower blocks are mining companies such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Chevron, South32 as well as the usual suspects of the world of finance EY, Deloittes and numerous banks. I also discovered that the richest person in Australia is from Perth. Gina Rhinehart is a mining magnate (Hancock Prospecting) and her net worth is Aus $ 29billion. And guess who she’s friends with in America?

Perth is diversifying and has a highly educated workforce and known for its innovation. Its location on the Indian Ocean within the Asia-Pacific region gives it access to fast growing economies. It looks like the future is bright for ‘The City of Light’. It also looks like I’m giving the boring man at the BnB a run for his money.

It was a very hot afternoon and The Island Brewery seemed like a good place to stop for a cold one. It tasted very good indeed and then we walked up Barrack Street to the ‘Best Fish and Chip Shop’ in Perth. Despite a slight mistake in ordering fish without batter (😇😆) it was indeed very good. And the mushy peas were suitably stodgy. This tatty little place is in a slightly seedy area, so we were soon back in an Uber and heading back to our haven beneath Kings Park. That makes it sound like we were sleeping on a park bench which obviously we weren’t.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Australia, Elizabeth Quay, Perth | Leave a comment

Out and About from Rosebridge House

Posted on March 31, 2025 by julieallen36

So, yes….as I mentioned the only slight snag with our BnB was that we didn’t have a car and options for eating out locally were very limited. Pete had explained that there was a good Italian Restaurant just 6 mins walk away but other than that we’d need to go into Kalamunda which was a 20 mins walk. Unfortunately, the latter was out of the question.

On our first night we decided to walk down to the Italian very slowly as it was still very hot at 5-30. We got there and the place looked shut. I popped downstairs and found their pizza takeaway place. The guy in there confirmed that the restaurant wasn’t open today and they had a problem with their pizza maker. Hopeless.

We had no choice but to get an Uber into Kalamunda and head to the Kalamunda Hotel, which Cate had recommended. This was a really local place full of families enjoying time together. It was very traditional and obviously had quite a history too. Jane and I weren’t all that hungry so we decided to share our meal and it was delicious.

When it came time to leave, Jane ordered us another Uber but it kept saying that the driver was 10 mins away and then after 7mins , they’d cancel. This happened twice and then eventually the wait time became 22 mins. Crikey, this wasn’t looking good. We were outside by now and asked the nice waitress who’d served us, whether there was a local taxi firm. There was but they came from down in the city and never gave an expected arrival time! All of this fuss for a 4 mins drive…

Enter scene left our heroes….Brad and his girlfriend Olivia, who had been chatting to the waitress and overheard our predicament. Brad piped up with ‘where do you need to get to Ladies?’ When we told him he said, with a broad smile, he could drop us off. It turned out he was a supplier to the hotel so the waitress vouched for him👍

We piled into the car with Brad and Olivia and off we went. They were absolutely lovely and turns out Brad’s family came to Australia on the 3rd boat of the colonisation of Swan River. Meanwhile, Olivia was telling Jane that her family were £10 poms who came over from Manchester, needing to evade the Mafia!! It was like a living history lesson. They dropped us off at the gate and we said our farewells, what a kind thing to do.

The next night we decided to risk walking to the Italian again. It is a lovely walk down there through an avenue of beautiful native trees. The meal and service was fabulous and on the way back we could see the most amazing sunset, over the city and down towards to the sea. We enjoyed the food so much that we went back again the following night after our big day out.

Indeed, our big day out. On our final day at Rosebridge House we decided to hire a car again and visit a couple of different parts of Perth. We picked up the car from Thrifty at the airport at about 9-30 and our first stop was Caversham Wildlife Park which is not too far away. It’s a wonderful place to see Australian wildlife and we had a great day. By 10am it was already incredibly hot and I was worried about us walking around this place. However, luckily there was plenty of shade and some places were vaguely air conditioned. They’re well organised and we particularly enjoyed the ‘Meet the Animals’ bit, photo with a Wombat (Neil), the Penguin feeding time, the Quokkas, the huge number of koalas but especially the baby one and the kangaroo walkthrough (possibly too many of one thing there….) . One of our favourites was the incredible Tasmanian Devil, who put on a little show for us once he’d woken up that is. He ran actively around his enclosure exploring every little bit as if he’d never seen it before. He climbed a tree and had a bath and his incredible ears shone bright red in the sunshine.

In between meeting all the animals we kept going back to the cafe area to cool off with more water and iced peach tea. It wasn’t until later that I saw just how red my face had got from the heat. All of the volunteers running this place were incredibly friendly and jolly and it was an excellent day out, where we stayed much longer than the 1:30 hours that coach trips are allowed.

Next we were supposed to be visiting the Swan River Valley. This is a wine growing region and I thought we’d be able to visit the vineyards and winery’s to have a look and maybe there would be some nice shops. However, it’s not really like that and because it was now so late (approaching 4pm) everything was starting to close. We popped into one winery ‘Sitella’ and the vines did look beautiful but it was too late to go into the Cellar Door. As we were still a bit frazzled and glad to be in the air conditioned car, we weren’t inclined to stop again and decided to just complete the circuit and call it a day.

We dropped the car off at the airport again and called an Uber to take us home. We had to meet him over at the airport terminal which was a bit of a pain in the heat but hey ho. He drove us nearly back to our place when I suddenly realised that I’d left my iPad in the hire car. It wasn’t in my bag and I remembered leaving it in the boot and something had gone ‘bump’ at one point. Obviously, it had fallen down the back. The Uber driver turned around and we headed back. I tried to phone Thrifty but they wanted me to email and said they’d get back to me within 7 years. I was very stressed, worried that they’d hire the car out again. We decided to try ‘Find My Device’ and sure enough my IPad came up on the map. However my worst fear was confirmed as my iPad was on the move. It appeared to be getting further away at first, oh no……now what….we pressed on and suddenly it looked as if we were following the car with my IPad in it! At this point Jane checked her back pack and guess what she found…..Oh yes, I had!!! We asked the Uber driver to turn around once more. Poor man. I felt hugely relieved that it now looked like it was only my pencil crayons that had fallen on the floor.

It had been a rather expensive day at the park but over a glass of wine at our now favourite Italian Restaurant, Jane and I agreed that the Tasmanian Devil’s ears alone were worth it.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Australia, Caversham Wildlife Park, Perth | Leave a comment

Slowing down in the Perth Hills

Posted on March 30, 2025 by julieallen36

Now that Jane was making good progress and after a couple of days relaxing out of hospital, it was time to move on. We had been due to go to Melbourne next and pick up a campervan to drive the Great Ocean Road. However, we’d already cancelled flights and campervans and decided to skip Melbourne altogether and just get ourselves to Perth where we could take it easy before our flight home.

To get to Perth we had to go via Brisbane on a late afternoon flight (1hr +).We had arranged wheelchair support with Qantas and their service was excellent. They looked after Jane and I superbly and not only did Jane get pushed around the airports in the electronic wheelchairs and help carrying all our bags but we also got to board the planes in Category 1 ie first which meant no stress whatsoever. Just to be clear, we didn’t get upgrade to First Class but what they did do was perfect. On the plane from Brisbane to Perth (5hours +) the aircrew even arranged to move the chap who was supposed to sit next to us to another seat so that we could have all the space to ourselves. 🙏

We arrived very late into Perth and got a taxi upto our accommodation in the Perth Hills. Rosebridge House Bed and Breakfast in Gooseberry Hill. Jane had found this place when looking for alternatives as we’d had to cancel in Freemantle. It was described as an ‘adult only retreat’ and we had 4 nights here which were absolute bliss. We had our own little garden apartment right next to the lovely pool. The owners Pete and Julia have been running the place for 18 years and had thought of everything you could possibly need. They were super accommodating and even helped me do a load of washing (much needed after 13 days at the Ibis!).

Every morning we had breakfast in the old fashioned but gorgeous dining room over looking the tropical gardens. Here Julia fed the ‘pets’ including the Bandicoots (very small cute marsupials and not rats despite their similar appearance), Rainbow Lorikeets and Australian Ring Neck parrots. We even had a brief visit from a Kookaburra one morning.

We spent two days just relaxing by the pool but we mostly had to stay in the shade because the temperatures were just too hot at 38 degrees. We’d also retreated into the Air Con to avoid the midday sun. I made the most of the pool and did lots of sketching whilst we were here. Jane meanwhile enjoyed reading her book and relaxing.

This lovely retreat attracted some interesting people who we chatted to over breakfast, all attracted by the peaceful nature of the place.

Cate, a scouser, living in Tasmania after a career as aircrew with Qantas. She was there with her partner Anthony and her son, as well as her Mum (aged 91) who had been visiting from the UK .

The couple from Hertfordshire who were very keen to tell us all the things we needed to do in Perth. The Bell Tower, the car Museum and as Jane described it…’several more very boring suggestions’!!!

Another Kate who was there visiting family members who were all elderly and ill.

Paul, the German chap probably in his 90s who could hardly walk but liked his sausage for breakfast and was on the phone looking for a bridge partner.

Emily, (well, let’s call her that) the very young backpacker from the UK who was on her own but feeling very over-whelmed by Perth. She’d had a great time in the hostels in Melbourne but come to Perth for the sunshine. However, she found the hostels here to be less friendly. She’d obviously been quite upset and her Mum had booked her into this lovely place for a couple of nights. She was going back into Perth looking more cheery and hoping to get work.

The house itself is v historic. It once belonged to a magistrate, and has classic Australian style architecture of a single storey, made of wood, with verandahs and a picket fence all around. The garden had been built from scratch by Pete and Julia and had lots of ‘secret’ shady places to sit. The trees are stunning and I enjoyed the challenge of trying to identify them with the help of Photos on my phone but I’m not sure how reliable it has been. But there were Eucalyptus, Hibiscus, Moreton Bay Ash, Honey Mesquite, Orange Jasmine, Magnolia, Tree Ferns, roses, geraniums and bourganvillea. Beautiful.

The only slight issue with staying up here in the Perth Hills without a car turned out to be eating out…but I’ll save that for the next post!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Australia, Perth, Perth Hills | 1 Comment

Sunrise with the Bouncers

Posted on March 28, 2025 by julieallen36

For the second part of our car hire experience, we needed to make a very early start. We were off to find wildlife once more . When I’d told Leera (my friend back home, who has done big long trips round Australia) that we were stuck in Mackay, she said that we needed to go to Cape Hillsborough as it was ‘the most beautiful place in the world’. Here the forests meet the sea and the kangaroos and wallabies can be seen on the beach at sunrise and it was where she found so many sand dollars. It was about 50km from where we were staying and quite remote so I couldn’t really see how Jane and I were going to make it there.

So when Svetlana on reception also recommended this trip as well as the huge billboard at the entrance to the airport, it seemed very tempting.

However, we’d need to get up at 4am to get there in time. Well, that was just crazy talk …but Svetlana put forward a convincing argument of ‘well if it was a flight you’d just do it so…you have to! ‘

So, it was decided and we set the alarms for 3-45am so that we could be on the road by 4-30. It was very dark and the roads were pretty empty. We drove down the Bruce Highway which is a major road but only single lanes in places. The speed limit is mostly 100kmph but I trugged along at about 80. Thank goodness those huge long trucks hadn’t woken up yet.

Eventually we left the Bruce Highway and started to head down a very windy lane towards Cape Hillsborough. It had started to rain and was very steamy outside. We finally made it to the car park at Casuarina Beach. There was obviously a campsite beyond a red-lit barrier and there was a car parked in the car park with all its lights on. There was a couple mooching about outside it. I got out of our car and asked them, if they were here to see the Roos and wallabies. They said they were and pointed in the direction of a path down to the beach.

Jane and I walked down with the aid of torches on our phones.The beach was in darkness but there was a sign saying ‘Welcome to Kangaroos on the Beach’ . It warned that you shouldn’t touch the Roos, not to have bright lights and no blocking the Roos exits. A little further along we could make out a few lights so we headed off in that direction.

As we approached we could see the silhouettes of 3 kangaroos and several wallabies. We kept behind the line and tried to listen to the Ranger but couldn’t hear a word. The Roos were mostly eating mangrove pods and some cereal (Puffa Puffa Rice) provided by the Ranger. They moved about pretty oblivious to their audience and got really close. Well the Roos did, the Wallabies seemed to keep their distance. Meanwhile, even though it was a bit cloudy the sun did rise turning the sky shades of orange and pink. It was a very beautiful and tranquil scene as most people were very respectful and quiet.

As it got later the animals moved towards the forest – getting closer to the people who couldn’t resist petting them. They didn’t seem to mind at all but the Ranger did and told people ‘not to touch as they are wild animals, you know.’ He rewarded Jane and I , who had resisted temptation, with stickers!

By 6:35 the sun was up and the Roos and wallabies bounced off into the trees – the show was over. The lazy folk who were just turning up were disappointed and by 6:35am the beach was empty . Jane and I agreed it had been a fab experience at a stunning, natural place. Happy, we drove the scenic route back to our hotel , now able to enjoy the views on the way. We even saw one cheeky wallaby eating leaves by the side of the road. He looked more surprised to see us than we did him! It was so cute it didn’t look real. We arrive back at about 8:30 just in time for breakfast.

After this we decided that we felt fine and would make the most of our car hire by driving the short distance to Eimio Beach. Here we found Mango Avenue – a terrific mango tree arch over the lane . No fuss is made about this at all but it’s stunning.

Then we drove round to Eimeo Beach where despite the signs warning of crocodiles, deadly jellyfish and strong currents, there were plenty of people out surfing and enjoying the waves.

Hold on a minute….did someone say there were crocodiles in the sea……what were the people thinking.🫣

We found a spot by the Surf Club to sit down in the shade and admire the views. I think it’s just one of quite a few beautiful beaches around Mackay. I did a little sketch and it was really enjoyable. The young girl serving us a cold drink got chatting to me about my watercolours. She enjoyed painting too but said she hadn’t been able to find any decent paints in K-Mart. I told her about mine which are about 30 years old and still going strong.

The day was incredibly hot by now and we were ready to make a move. What a splendid morning we had had. I drove back and retuned the car and then we spent the rest of the day taking it easy and enjoying all of the wondrous things that the Ibis had to offer.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Australia, Cape Hillsborough, Mackay, Queensland | 5 Comments

Platypus Drive

Posted on March 28, 2025 by julieallen36

After a good nights sleep at the Ibis it was time for Jane to be released back into the big, wide world. I’d introduced her to the joys of the Ibis buffet breakfast and given her a big plate (Alan) to load up with the plentiful supplies. We then had a restful morning.

We decided that maybe instead of just sitting round the Ibis, we could hire a car for a few days and venture out. However, here in Mackay car hire was extortionate and so we decided we could only afford one for 24 hours, noon til noon.

We asked Svetlana on reception, what we could do and where to go. Her first suggestion was to drive up to Eungella and see the platypus in the wild. Well, we didn’t need any further encouragement but she mentioned that we could stop on the way at Pinnacle Pies so we knew we were onto a winner!

I picked up the car from the airport at noon and was served by the nice man from Guildford and I was soon walking away with the keys. Waiting for me was a brand new Mazda Automatic. I got in and realised that I had absolutely no idea how to drive it, as it’s been ages since I’ve rented an Automatic! Luckily, Jane, who has never driven an automatic in her life, was able to tell me what I needed to do and I eventually managed to turn it on. I put it in Drive and off we went.

The roads in Mackay on a Saturday were very quiet and we drove a short distance to our first stop, the World’s Smallest Roundabout. Don’t tell me Mackay hasn’t got anything to offer tourists! It’s actually in a very nice residential area close to the beach and most importantly, getting here gave me the chance to practice driving the car.

Now we were ready for the main trip. This was to drive up what’s known as ‘Pioneer Valley’ apparently one of the most beautiful valleys in Australia. Or did they say ‘in Mackay’? 🤣

We drove through the pretty villages of Marion, Mirani, Gargett, Finch Hatton and finally Eungella following the mighty Pioneer River. The valley is known for its sugar cane production and there are vast fields of the stuff all along the route as well as several huge mills and lots of railway lines for transporting the crop. It is like a scene from a movie probably starring Sidney Poitier.

We failed to stop at Melba House (Home of Dame Nellie Peach Melba) but couldn’t resist the signs for Platypus Beach. This turned out to be just a rough track down to the river underneath the road bridge. It’s apparently a popular bathing spot but the jokers in the car leaving as we arrived, said that there was a croc down there but it would probably be ok!!! Very funny, mate. Of course, there were no crocs or platypus to be seen.

We did also stop for a famous pie at Pinnacle Pies which is a busy, family run place in the middle of nowhere. We chose the famous Steak and Potato pie which came covered in the famous mushy peas , as is the tradition. It was really good!

The scenery was stunning with the ever changing weather and light. Classically Australian (gum trees, farm tracks and sugar cane). However, at Netherdale we suddenly started to get warning signs. No petrol for 500 km, sharp bends, steep road, blind bends on narrow road, skidding risk, rockfalls, unsuitable for caravans, dips in the road. Svetlana hadn’t mentioned this part of the journey. As we started to climb up the escarpment and out of the valley, it got hot and steamy and then rainy. Oh great, but it was too late to turn back now….we were only 5km from the platypus!

At least it was very quiet…I think the only vehicle I met was a car trailling a caravan. So much for the signs…. This road was definitely on a par with other scary ones like The Bealach na Ba in Scotland or the road to Thrypti in Crete. But here the Aussie’s forget to mention it and don’t even give it a name.

At the top of the pass we stopped to look at the views from Goodes Viewpoint. They were only rated as ‘Goode’ because they need to do some hedge clearance to open up the view a bit which looks straight back down the valley we’d driven through. The other thing Jane spotted here was a kookaburra sitting in a branch minding its own business. Hurrah.

Then we drove onto our final destination Broken River. Here we are definitely up in the tropics. It’s very wet but there is just a 40metre walk from the car park to the viewing platform by the river. There are just a handful of people here and straight away we spot a platypus. They are very small and cute. You spot some bubbles, they surface, then in 30seconds- they’re gone again. As everyone else wandered off we stayed patiently and we were rewarded with a second little platypus who surfaced right beneath us. As we got back to the car we felt smug that we’d followed advice and worn our trainers and socks as we watched people in crocs and flip flops trying to remove leeches from between their toes! Very happy with our day, we retraced our steps and got home just in time for our meal out!

Tonight we left the Ibis behind once more and I drove us into Mackay centre where Jane had booked us in to the very trendy Indian Restaurant ‘Roshin by Raj’. The centre of town looked lovely all lit up in the evening glow and a warm drizzle. The glow was actually coming from the Gelateria on the corner which provided a tasty pudding to finish our meal.

The Indian food was really tasty and just what the Doctor had ordered. We were all done and off to bed by 8-30 as we had a big (relaxed) day ahead of us.😉🦘🌅

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Australia, Mackay, Pioneer Valley, Queensland | 3 Comments

The Kindness of Strangers- the missing photos!

Posted on March 28, 2025 by julieallen36

Hello, apologies but it appears that the photos for the last post didn’t upload. I thought this was because of poor WiFi strength where we’ve just been staying, but having now arrived at our shiny new hotel in Perth CBD it appears that this wasn’t the case. In fact, I’m just too prolific and had run out of space on WordPress…maybe because of using the big photos? More research needed on that. But for now, I’ve upgraded and by popular demand (well David mentioned it!) here are the photos from the last post.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Australia, Mackay, Queensland | Leave a comment

The Kindness of Strangers- Mackay, Queensland

Posted on March 24, 2025 by julieallen36

Whilst Jane made her way to hospital on the big chopper, I arrived back on Hamilton Island with Aaron. The team at Hamilton Air had waited for us to get back and we agreed with Dan, the owner, that Aaron would fly me the next morning to Mackay. Aaron was fantastic, keeping in touch with the team at Reefworld and letting me know via WhatsApp when Jane got picked up and how she was doing.

He then agreed that if I packed all of our bags, he’d come and collect them later in the evening so that I could take them all with me in the morning. I rushed around the apartment trying to get it all done and sure enough he arrived in a golf buggy and took the majority of it away. I gave him a harvest festival box of all the things that we’d bought at the IGA supermarket as we wouldn’t be needing any of that now as we would not be returning. He continued to be my contact point with the hospital in Mackay once Jane had arrived and it was a huge relief to know that she was now in the hands of the Emergency Team there. At 9pm I got a text from Jane to let me know she was doing much better and that I should get some sleep!

This didn’t really happen as although I was totally shattered I couldn’t get the air con in the bedroom to work and it was stiffling. Ah well.

The next morning I was up early and had to walk down the road with my remaining bags to get my lift to the heliport. Aaron was ready and waiting for me and off we flew to Mackay. It was a beautiful morning but all I wanted to do was get back to Jane.

At the Mackay Airport , Aaron helped me get all the bags out and ordered me a taxi and we said our farewells, me giving him a huge hug of thanks.

Luckily, the taxi never came and I ended up dragging my bags over to the Ibis Hotel where I have been staying for the last 12 nights! Initially I think Jane thought she’d be out after a day but this turned out not to be the case! The first person I met at the Ibis was Becs on reception, who looked wide-eyed at me when I explained my predicament. She booked me in for one night and then got me a cab to take me to the hospital.

The local cab firm is 13Cabs and my first driver was Sean. More about him and the other drivers later but for now let’s get back to Jane. It took about 15 mins to get to the hospital and I was pointed in the direction of the Emergency Department. Here I found Jane in a partitioned area, hooked up to all sorts of machinery, drips and still on oxygen. She was already SO much better than she had been when I’d last seen her and quite alert and planning her escape. It was quite a relief.

Then in came the team of Doctors who were looking after Jane. There must have been about 8 of them and then it was all a bit much.

So, I’m going to cut a long story short now and what I really wanted to say was how utterly amazing everyone that I have met and who has looked after Jane, has been. I’d never heard of Mackay, Queensland before we arrived here and it certainly wasn’t on our itinerary to visit. However, I have to say that I have fallen in love with this place, a city of just 121,691 people , 972km north of Brisbane. Surrounded by sugar cane fields, it is now a service centre of the mining industry of the Bowen Basin. So here are some of those I wish to thank.

The Staff and residents at the Ibis Hotel- after 12 nights here I’ve got to know lots of the staff who have looked after me so well. Becs, Svetlana, Kushall and others on reception dealing with my constant requests to extend my stay. Katie and all the team in the restaurant and bar where the food has been fantastic and varied, the McLaren Vale Shiraz – perfect and where they’ve introduced me to my new favourite pudding. Cardamom Spiced Coconut Custard Sri Lankan Watalappan. Made with coconut milk, jaggery, nutmeg, cashew crumble and served with fresh fruits. Delicious.

Meanwhile, the residents have been endlessly fascinating. Lots of miners coming and going as they start and end their 7 day shifts, First Nations Ladies having a business meeting and talking about getting the Elders on their side, weekend golfers, holiday makers and all-night clubbers. Early on I was asked by one couple who I’d said hello to in the lift whether I wanted to join them for dinner, as I was on my own. I politely declined and they were absolutely lovely about it. Then on about Weds I met Robert Todd ‘Toddy’ to his friends. He sat next to me at dinner (I mostly sat at Table 18 underneath the TV) and I warned him that someone else sitting at his table had just smashed a glass by nudging the table when he got up. We got chatting and it turned out he was originally from Cornwall. He’d spent 20 years in New Zealand before he and his partner, Lisa-Marie, and his kids moved to Hervey Bay 7 years ago. He was in business to business sales and we spent the evening chatting about everything from his own experiences of ill health (heart attack), the Australian economy, and Toddy’s Top 3 tips for sales success! He was funny, kind, self- deprecating and swore like a true Aussie and it was just nice to find out a little bit about where I was staying.

The taxi drivers of 13Cabs have picked me up from the Ibis, taken me to and from the hospital everyday. Sean was the first driver to pick me up and in fact he took me home on the first day too. I thought maybe Sean was their only driver but this wasn’t the case. I also met John, Mr Singh, Tao from Zimbabwe, Varindar and several others. All were kind and chatted to me about my day. Sean would wave to me every time I saw him and make a point of stopping to ask how Jane was doing.

The team at CQ Rescue helicopters. This is the organisation who sent the helicopter to rescue Jane. There base is right here on the airport and I could see the helicopters coming and going from my bedroom window. One afternoon after getting back a bit early I decided to take a wander over to see if I could go in and thank them. There was no obvious way in so I asked a chap in the car park where the door was. He asked who I was there to see and I started to explain the story. It turned out he was the CEO of CQ Rescue and he invited me in to show me around. He told me that they’re kind of a charity with sponsors and help from the Queensland Government. He said that they’d invested in 2 new AW139 Helicopters , one of which had rescued Jane. These choppers went 30% further and 30% faster than their old ones providing a World Class Rescue service. He said that without this new helicopter, they would not have able to get out to where Jane was rescued from. The two choppers had cost AUS $ 52 million. Unfortunately, there was no crew around when I visited , they were all out on another rescue at the mines. Thank goodness for the brave and clever people who stay away from home to provide this service on 7 day shifts and thank goodness for all the fund raisers who made the purchase of the new choppers happen.

Next I want to thank all of the staff at the Mackay Base Hospital where Jane was taken and looked after so so well. The Emergency Team were brilliant and thorough. One of them just had an inkling that it might not have been asthma and got the cardio doctor to look at Jane. The nurses on Emergency were full of energy and cheerful. Whilst we were there we saw how they had to deal with some really difficult patients, including one guy with mental health problems and issues with ‘the system’. He kept kicking off because they wouldn’t let him go outside for a cigarette. It took 2 security guards and 4 policemen to restrain him.

The Nurses, Cleaners, Wardies and catering team on Jane’s Ward, G2 were superb. Jasmine was Jane’s nurse for 6 days running. She was smart, funny, helpful, kind and totally on top of Jane’s situation. She was my favourite. We also loved Jenny the cleaner who came every day to do such a thorough job of cleaning Jane’s room. (Yes, she had her own en suite). She was lovely and helpful especially when my mobile phone went missing when I’d been helping Jane have a shower. I couldn’t find it anywhere but she said ‘I’ll just check Michael’s room’……Michael was one of Jane’s neighbours. He had dementia and kept forgetting where his room was and coming into Jane’s . Sure enough , he was sitting on the balcony with my phone in his hand listening to it ring out with ‘Find My Phone’. Thank you Jenny!

The catering team meanwhile fed and watered Jane and she was particularly fond of their puddings – pineapple upside down cake and custard, Bread and Butter pudding and Apple Crumble and Custard. Meanwhile I enjoyed my choice of very unhealthy lunches from the cafe downstairs or Docs Place across the road where the ladies made the most tasty plain old cheese and onion sandwich.

Finally, I want to thank the Cardio Team at the marvelous Mackay Base Hospital. From the young Doctor who first suspected that Jane had experienced Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy to her consultant Mr Sachin Sondhi. The team made sure she received all of the help and meds she needed and were tireless in their efforts to get a complete diagnosis and left no stone unturned. Jane had X-rays, blood tests , ECGs, Echocardiograms and MRI scans to rule out blocked arteries and other problems. The big thing I noticed about this team was the way they all took real time to listen to Jane. They never interrupted but they listened and then weren’t afraid to offer opposing viewpoints to the Consultant, alternative approaches etc.

All of this care was provided under a reciprocal agreement between Australia and the UK, whereby treatment provided in a public hospital has been provided free of charge. All we needed to do was apply for a Medicare card and they were even (mostly) incredibly helpful whilst we did this. Another thing I’ve noticed here is that people take your word for things. They don’t ask for proof, or question you. They trust you and do the right thing.

So as Jane has now made a good enough recovery to be released from hospital and to continue onward travel, we are incredibly grateful to everyone in Mackay. Jane always told me that I’d love the Aussie’s and we are just so lucky that this happened here. Mackay ❤️❤️❤️