Mandurah and Rockingham

I totally forgot I had lost a tooth yesterday and Kade reminded me to check the cup and the Tooth Fairy had come and left me $3. All the coins where different, one was the normal one another one was from Perth and the last one was from an occasion which had something to do with Old Peoples Day. 

It was a drizzly day so we did mostly driving and exploring the surrounding suburbs. First we visited Mandurah where we walked around the marina and saw big fancy boats and old broken down boats, there was also houses on the water which was pretty interesting. 

Then we drove around the town for a bit then drove on the freeway to the next suburb Rockingham. We drove past a giant Grain Terminal Jetty where trains come and dump off the grain from the farms in the country and on to a giant conveyor belt which brings it to a station out in the water so the boats can ship it to other countries. 

Then we went to an Environment Centre where we spotted some of these live animals: An Moray Eel, 2 types of fish one was poisonous, Blue Tongue Lizard, Bearded Dragon, Chickens, Green Tree Frog, King Skinks, Pythons, Bobtail Lizard, Long Billed Corrella and we would of seen turtles because the volunteers help injured turtles get their strength back and then free them back in the ocean but luckily for the turtles there was none that needed help at the moment. There was also a veggie patch, a compost bin and a worm farm for the schools that visit.

 

(Kade and I doing some homework.)

Herron Point

After a reasonable day of driving we pulled in at our next stop for the next 2 nights at Herron Point Campground. On the way we stopped in Bunbury to have a look around. We climbed up a spiral staircase which led up to a lookout  which overlooked the foreshore and a checkerboard lighthouse which was very interesting and very unique. Then we drove to the beach to look at a Volcanic Rock where I spotted a little crab scuttling under a rock in slimy water. Before lunch we went into a sweet store called Taffy’s where we could see a man making honeycomb and brought it around for everyone in the shop to have a piece, we bought a white chocolate block with sprinkles which was very yummy. 

We had a lunch accompanied with some very eager seagulls who kept trying to eat our food. I think that we are staying in a lovely spot and at dusk I got to see some men putting out nets for fish and maybe crabs to swim into. Luckily for me finally my tooth fell out (well actually mum pulled it out) and I’ve put it in a glass at the end of bed for the Tooth Fairy to collect.

Giant rope swing

This morning we had a quiet morning. The first activity we did was explore the forest on the property we are camping on. We found some really cool activities which we think is used for the schools that visit there. We found a swing which is humungous, the swing is made from a very long thick rope with a knot near the bottom. We had to climb up on a platform made from a tree, grasp the rope  and JUMP. It was really fun and tickled by belly as I went flying. We also found an abseiling corse but we couldn't do it because it was old and the rope was to strandy. I tried to climb a commando net but couldn't climb over the top because the net was way too wobbly. 

Not long after we left  the caravan we found ourselves exploring the town of Cowaramup, it had lots of different statues of cows along the sides of the streets. The first store we went into was the a sweet store called Candy Cow where we bought some fudge, Kade and I ate Fairy Floss flavoured fudge and Mum and Dad had Salted Caramel. Then we went to a really cool gift and gallery shop where I bought some new earrings. 

On the way back we stopped at a winery called Voyager and I actually got to try some White and Red Sparking Grape Juice while Mum and Dad tried some wine.  In the beautiful yards of Voyager there was a ginormous Australian Flag 8x16 metres wide it was so big there is only 6 others in Australia that wide.  We have to leave tomorrow and I’m really sad because I love this area so much.  

Along Caves Road

Today we did some exploring along Caves Road, the first visit was Gracetown. We drove around the town, looking at the amazing views of the ocean that the houses had and picking out houses we would love to buy. Then we kept driving along the long road and came to the next town Yallingup, which is the home town of Taj Burrow, the professional Australian surfer who I saw competing in the World Surf League a few days ago. It had the prettiest coloured water I’ve ever seen so we went down to the sand, which I sank in because it was so deep. We watched the water crash up against the steep sand. 

Then we drove to another lighthouse, a smaller one at Cape Naturaliste.  This time we didn't go in side we just did a bush walk around the light house looking out on to the rocky waters of the Indian Ocean. At Bunker Bay we had lunch and I saw that no one was swimming in the water and then I realised why. I saw a sign which read: WARNING! There has been recent shark activity at this beach. It really made me freak out, I was keeping an eagle eye out for any signs of sharks around. 

On the way back we had a drive around Dunsborough which had some beautiful houses overlooking the beach. After that we explored the beautiful Canal Rocks where I found some little crabs hiding in the rocks. We also stopped at two wineries, one of them was very fancy called Laurance and the other one was named Cheeky Monkey. Back home we found a thick rope ready for us to do tightrope with Kade and our new friends. After that we did a little bit of bike riding to end our nice day.  

This is the beautiful place where we have been camping at Margaret River.  

Busselton

This morning was the first time in a while where we didn't have to wake up early so I relaxed in bed and read my book, The Chronicles of Narnia. When we got up, we left and drove to Busselton and arrived at Busselton Market. It had stalls of nice little goodies and I thought of my friends back home as I looked at the items in the stall. We bought some fruit, vegetables and honey to take home and eat. 

After we had a look around, we walked across the road and found ourselves at the beach looking at the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere. The jetty is 1.8 kilometres in length and is long that some people go on a train to get to the end. We walked along the jetty right to the very end and when I looked back to the beach I felt like I was walking on the ocean because of how far I was away from the foreshore. After our long walk back, we sat in the shade to have lunch and I glanced across from us and saw an ice-cream store. Mum and Kade went and bought us some ice-creams.  Kade had Malteser flavour and mum and I had the most unusual flavour… Apple Pie flavour.  It tasted really nice and it had little gooey bits of apple in it too. 

I was really happy because I got to Skype some of my family because they were at my nanny and pop’s house for dinner. I got to see my little cousins, my nanny and poppy, my great nan,  2 of my aunties and 2 of my uncles.  After a little rest on the grass, dad drove us to the pub for dinner which was really yummy and relaxing to the end of our big day. As we ate we listened to a live band which were really good and after them we listened to a man play by himself. When we got back home more people had arrived at camp including girls my age so we stayed around the campfire until I went to bed to read again. 

Anzac Day

Once again we had to get up early, this time it was because we were going to the Margaret River, dawn service for ANZAC day. We got up at 5:00am and headed to memorial park to wait for the the 100th anniversary dawn service which started at 6:00am. It was quite chilly and there were over a thousand other people there as well so people were spilled out on to the street. 

After the dawn service finished we went to the local farmers market and bought some yummy fresh produce and I ate a Vanilla Custard Scroll which I’m surprised I enjoyed because I don’t like custard. 

Then we drove to Augusta where we went to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse which is the tallest mainland lighthouse in Australia and the 3rd tallest in Australia overall. We climbed the lighthouse and saw at the top where the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet. After we climbed down we did an audio tour and learnt about the lighthouse, the area and how tough it was to work at the lighthouse. 

To have lunch we drove to Blackwood River which is a beautiful river where dolphins were often spotted but sadly we didn't see any there. We drove past a sign which said Hamelin Bay and decided we should go have a look so we went down the beautiful beach and saw an amazing sight, heaps of dolphins close the sand and rounding up Australian Salmon. It was amazing to see, the way the dolphins made a circle trapping the fish and they didn't even eat them they did it just or the thrill of it. They weren't the only ones doing it for the thrill of it, the fisherman were too, they where casting then 1 second later pulling in a giant Australian Salmon but releasing them because they were to hard to cook. At home we relax and had a lovely roast for dinner. 

Mens Final

We had to get up early again this morning because yesterday the mens surfing was put on standby. Today the first mens semi-final was out of John John Florence from Hawaii against Nat Young from U.S.A. I really wanted John John to win and luckily for him he took out the win and earned himself a spot in the grand final. The next semi final was to decide who would be joining John John Florence in the Grand Final. The competitors were Taj Burrow from Australia and Adriano De Souza from Brazil, of course I wanted Taj to win because he was a local from Yallingup which is in the Margaret River Region. But unfortunately for Taj, Adriano took out the title and earned his spot against John John in the in the Mens Drug Aware Margret River Pro. Then finally the Final began it was really close and Adriano De Souza took out the mens title and it really couldn't have gone to a nicer guy. 

Then it was time to go back home to pack up a caravan and leave, it was the longest drive yet, a whole 10 minutes, yes we are still in Margaret River at Glenbrook farm. The farm has 2 horses. 1 donkey and 12 Guinea Fowl which is a type of bird.

Margaret River

Today was an incredible day, it all started with getting woken up at 5:45 in the morning to get ready to leave for our next stop Margaret River. The reason we woke up early was because it was supposed to poor in Denmark that morning and we didn’t want to pack up wet.  Another reason we left so early was because at Margaret River the World Surf League was going on and we didn't want to miss the Woman’s Finals. 

We left at 6:30 and arrived at Leewin Naturaliste National Park at 10:10, dropped our van off and headed to Surfers Point which is where the Surfing was being held. Luckily we got there before the final had started, Carissa Moore from Hawaii against Courtney Conologue from the U.S.A. I wanted Carissa to win but in the end Courtney took out the title. We followed the surfers to the podium where they were awarded beautiful trophies and talked about their life with surfing and how proud they both were to participate in the final. Luckily for me both Carissa and Courtney both took there photo with Kade and I. 

There where people broadcasting the surfing online where I might be on it in the background somewhere. When we were leaving I’m 99% sure I saw Ed Sheeren leaving too but it might not of been him but I think it was since he’s been in Australia recently. After dinner we got a fire going and we cooked some delicious  Marshmallows before bed.

Walking amongst the Giants

The morning started with breakfast, I had a nice big breakfast to get me ready for my big day. We decided that our first stop of the day should be at Walpole - Nornalup National Park in the Tingle Forest. This area is called Valley of the Giants because of it’s towering trees, their canopy height ranging from 30 metres to 80 metres. Some of the tree species that grow in the Tingle Forest include Marri, Karri, Jahrah, Sheok, Red Tingle and Yellow Tingle trees. The Tingle trees only grow in that area because of the requirements. The trees need to live within 10km of the ocean and the area must have at least 1200 mls of rain a year for these trees to survive. We signed up for a guided tour of the Ancient Empire section in the Valley of the Giants. The tour was very interesting and I learned heaps of interesting facts about the trees and the area. After the tour finished we walked on the Tree Top Walk. The Tree Top Walk is 600 metre walk on a suspended swinging bridge reaching between 9 to 40 metres in height above the ground. On the walk, because of the slight sway of the bridge, it felt like we were a koala in the canopy of the swaying trees.

After that we drove to Walpole but we couldn't see much because of a controlled burn off going on in the area, so we drove back to Denmark but luckily we had packed our bathers so instead of going back to the caravan we drove to Greens Pool again where we had a nice relaxing swim to end our lovely day. 

Out and About

Today we did much more exciting activities, firstly we drove to a maze which somebody built on their own property in Denmark. So we decided to have a team race, Dad and I against Mum and Kade. Mum and Kade got to the middle 1st, but they did not read the sign and went through an emergency gate. On the way back out of the maze we all separated and went in different directions. Dad came 1st, I came 2nd, Kade came 3rd and Mum came 4th. 

Then we drove into the town of Denmark to have a look around. We did a bit of shopping and then played on the playground, before lunch at the award winning bakery. Then we went to Greens Pool which one of the best swimming spots in Australia. We stayed there for a couple of hours swimming, climbing and jumping of rocks and building things in the sand. Then after that we drove to a Locally famous ice-creamery. I had Malteser flavoured ice-cream in a cup and Kade had Chocolate flavoured in a cup.But then sadly it was time to go back to the caravan where we found new neighbours had moved in next to us. 

Parry Beach

Yesterday we climbed East Mt Barren which is 311 metres high and we met a few others climbing as well. It wasn't hard because it wasn't as steep as Frenchman Peak. 

Today we drove we drove 5 hours South-West to our next destination Parry Beach just out of Denmark. It is a beautiful sunny day about 25 degrees, so we went down to look at the beach, it has lots of rocks to fish on and heaps and heaps of seaweed. Finally, today I’ve seen kids my age and lot’s of them, as I’ve only seen kids much younger than me.   

   This the view from the top of the mountain. It overlooks the ocean and the Culham Inlet.

Fitzgerald River National Park

Today was an exciting day.  We are now at Fitzgerald River National Park, we arrived yesterday.  But today for what seems like the 1st time in forever it was a sunny, warm day. We went for a 3 hour walk along Hamersly Beach where we found lots of pretty and interesting washed up cuttlefish, shells, rocks and gems.  Dad also spotted a washed up puffer fish along the jagged rocks. Before we left for the walk, we had to clean our shoes at a boot cleaning station.  We had to do that because the National Park is threatened by a disease called Dieback.  This disease kills plants by destroying their root systems. This National Park has the largest diverse range of plant species and this disease is threatening.  Dieback can be spread by just mud or dirt on the bottom of peoples shoes and car wheels. 

Then after lunch we went to Miley Beach.  I didn't believe that there was a beach with my name in it until I saw the sign since it is such an unknown name.  If only the spelling was the same as my name. It was warm enough to go swimming in the ocean. It was quite dangerous since the water pulled back on you, there was some big spiky rocks, humungous waves and sudden drops in the sand.  Kade and I sat in the water and and let the waves splash up around us and turn us around.  Then it was time to go back to the caravan and we saw some kangaroos. 

Natural beauty

This morning it rained and rained.

So we played a few games of Chinese Checkers and Monopoly Empire. After lunch we waited for the sun came out we decided to go for a walk. It took us 1 hour and a half to do it was mostly rocks and sand.  When we arrived at our destination we saw beautiful water rushing down the mountain and around the rocks. What people would pay thousands of dollars for landscaping is right here growing naturally in the mountains. But then it started to rain again so we headed back home to the caravan.

In this photo, you can see at the back where our caravan is amongst the trees.  See how close to the beach we are.

Exploring

Today was an interesting exploring day. In the morning it was raining but went to Lucky Bay the whitest beach in Australia! It was so White that when the sun shone on the sand it was hard to look at. The water was very very clear. In some of the little puddles on the rocks you cloud see little tiny fish swimming around and hiding under rocks. 

Then we drove to Thistle Cove, just when I thought Lucky Bay’s water couldn't get any better I saw the water was even more beautiful at Thistle Cove! Mathews Flinders named both Lucky Bay and Thistle Cove. There was a place called Whistling Rock, it echoed the sound of the ocean which I found quite interesting. We also spotted a crab in a little rock pool it had Yellow, Orange and Red colours. 

Then the finally the sun came out so we went back home to have lunch and I got told that we were going on a walk. But it was not a normal walk it was basically a climb up Frenchman Peak.  Frenchman Peak is a mountain over 250 metres high and over 1,200 million years old. It was a little bit scary climbing up because it was still wet from the rain and if I slipped I was done for. It took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach the top and back. Then we went to Hellfire Bay which was small but very very pretty and the sand was very white and felt like sugar.  

Museum visit

Today we didn't have very nice weather. So we went into to town to see what’s there. We ended up going to Esperance Museum. It had interesting things such as old boats, the history of the town, old cars and tractors, old trains, a sky lab, old music and living in the olden days.  It had a Minke Whale’s top jaw which was slightly larger than me! Everyone back home went back to school today while I basically had an excursion to the museum. 

Then we went for a drive around some of the coastline looking at the beautiful water and beaches with interesting rocks. 

Today I learnt that Esperance was found by a french ship and named Esperance. Esperance is a French name for ‘hope’. Aboriginals have been in the area of Esperance for over 200,000 years and the aboriginal name for the area is ‘Kepa Kurl’ which means ‘the place were the water lays down like a boomerang.