Gilgara Retreat Margaret River

... is something Australians do very well) and learnt a lot about the first settlers to the area. The day was marred slightly by us not winning the kayaking race that rounded off the tour - We were leading and had it in the bag until Sim steered us a little too close to the bank and then we were rammed from behind and beached spectacularly on the bank. It was amazing how badly Simon took it! I think he is definitely missing competition and ...

... spent the evening shooting the breeze. Tuesday we got going & headed for the Bi-Centennial Tree (part of the old Fire Watching chain for all the national parks. There are five huge trees spread out over 50 odd kms, with fire spotting towers on them, & they are now open to the public to be climbed). I took one look at the ladder, the height & the gradient & said 'not tonight Josephine.' Kay & Paul got right ...

... and a few interesting camping areas. We explored a couple of caves. That involved wearing a helmet and torch and going on a self guided tour through the caves in complete darkness - a bit different to the guided tours we had been on at Buchan Caves. Each week we went into Margaret River to shop, update emails on the computer, do the washing, etc. It is quite a nice town to wander round and it was nice getting familiar with a new area. We feel like we know it ...

... since, as I smugly predicted half an hour earlier, the heavens opened and we were treated to thunder and lightning on a scale I can only imagine last took place when the universe was created. Torrents of rain turned the footpaths into rivers so we stopped for something to eat, hoping to see the rain out. It wasn't to be as the rain continued apace all afternoon - generously, our hosts for lunch provided us with the world's dodgiest looking raincoats for ...

... We can only assume that there is little for teenagers to do out here except 'use' rubber. (David: Lois wouldn't let me try to add my own tyre marks to the rest - spoilsport!) The lonely distances are scary but there are lots of little shack shops and tiny one-man-band petrol stations where you can be reassured of the existence of Man. We got back to Perth late on the third night after driving well over 1000 km. Our next stop the following afternoon was Adelaide. Love, us x

... gelernt und wir haben zusammen gekocht und dann noch bis in die Nacht Bier und Wein getrunken... Am naechsten Tag habe ich dann zwei Caves angeschaut: Lake Cave und Jewel Cave. Beide waren sehr schoen mit vielen Kristall Steinen, aber im Gegensatz zu unserem Hoell Loch eher etwas klein. Am suedlichsten Punkt von Southwest in Augusta bin ich dann auf den Leuchtturm (189 Treppen) gestiegen und habe die Aussicht genossen. Draussen ...

... br>
Our final stop for the tour was the cheese farm, where we tasted some delicious home-made cheeses, and I also had a fantastic mango milkshake that makes me lick my lips just writing about it! Katie & I managed to not buy anything but Si & Lisa got stuck in again!



Wally then drove us and our happy tummies ...

... clearings an occasional winery popped up in the looming nightfall. We arrived at Margaret River township around 8.00pm - our destination for the next few days - and booked into the local backpackers. That evening we stopped at the Corner Bar at the Margaret River Hotel. The glass of wine and pleasant surrounding with fireplace behind had nodding off. It was with relief when I snuggled into the sleeping bag.

... you know the menu: Birthday lunch: Fresh made crusty ciabatta with selection of dips; Roasted red pepper with harissa Smoked trout pate Semi-dried tomatoes Duck and sherry pate Venison salami Birthday dinner: Salmon and parma ham encrout with garlic and lemon courgettes Fizzy strawberries in dark chocolate After Birthday Breakfast: Tasmanian Smoked Salmon and scrambled eggs All very tasty but the Tasmanian Smoked Salmon wasn't quite up to Craster standards.

... as well as kangaroo, emu, and grubs. Yes, I ate grub! It was cooked, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Really, it just tasted like dried up wood. Brian then brought out a lot of foods made from bush tucker. There was a variety of chutneys, yogurt, jams, and pesto sauces. Overall,the food was pretty good, but some of it was terrible, as you'll see in pictures eventually. After we were finished eating grubs and 'roo, we needed to get ...