Pickups in Perth

G’day!

Although asia was amazing and everything I hoped it’d be, boy it feels good to be in a more ‘normal’ setting.

We arrived in Perth in the afternoon in our shorts, vest and thongs (I’m a local now) to be greeted by 15 degree, drizzly weather… To any other expectant traveller arriving in Australia in the summer, this would’ve been incredibly disappointing, but for us- it was bliss. We whipped out the jumpers and jeans and got cozy when we arrived at our family friends house. They gave us the keys to their pick up truck and their house in the south of Perth, so that’s where we headed for 4 days.

We arrived in Augusta very late, so approaching a secluded house by the river with a tin roof which picked up every noise, we felt like we were in ‘cabin in the woods’! However, when we woke up to see clear blue skies and the woods surrounding the house with a distant view of Margaret river, I was so excited.

We went out to discover the tiny village which had a bookshop, DVD rental store (ancient history!!), 4 fish and chip shops, a salon and a little supermarket. Naturally, first on the agenda was fish and chips- our most missed meal from home. It was amazing! Instead of doing much for the rest of the day, we went back to the house, lit the fire and watched Austin Powers for the rest of the evening.

The next day, we visited Margaret river which was a much bigger town which reminded us of a country town in the north of england. It had little gift shops, surf shops and lovely local people (and free parking everywhere!!)

The next day we went back to Margaret river, but on the way, we stopped at ‘Jewel Cave’. After refusing flatly to step foot on the bush walk path which you could do while waiting for the tour as it warned for venemous snakes, I waited in the cafe! Going through the 20 metre high jewel cave, which has only been free of water for 30 years, we saw straw stalegtites which form over thousands of years, huge hanging crystals and rather phallic formations. It was a lengthy walk but was utterly beautiful and interesting. We even experienced real ‘cave darkness’

After that we headed to a chocolate factory and bought some amazing freeze dried raspberries coated in chocolate which were worth e v e r y penny. That evening, we sat on the tailgate of the truck and watched the sunset listening to country music (yes it was completely cliche).

The last day we had, we headed to Hamelin bay which was stunning but unfortunately we didn’t see any stingrays, which is what they are famous for. After that, we headed to the local (and only) pub for a freezing cold beer in the freezing cold weather with a stunning view of the river.