To Geraldton! When John decided to take a few days off and take me to Geraldton, I was very excited. This was going to be a new place in Western Australia I had never been before. Not to mention, it was the most farther north I had been in Western...
At this point of John’s vacation, we were resolved that rain was going to be part of it, particularly today. We decided we would hunt for orchids in the rain. Oh the places he takes me… His face just seems to say, “Here I am eating my breakfast very sensible...
Staying at Siesta Park, makes it easy for the orchid hunter, like us, to access where they grow. So we started our orchid hunting day early. Soon we were off, looking for the spots our book that mentions where orchids can be found. Drakaea is a genus of 10 species...
It used to be Kings Park Wildflower Festival, but now it’s Kings Park Festival. There’s no doubt Kings Park will be where the wildflowers are this September, with the largest presentation of WA’s blooming beauties from all across the state. Kings Park will transform into a rainbow of colour and...
Definition of whim 1: a capricious or eccentric and often sudden idea or turn of the mind : quit his job on a whim 2: a large capstan that is made with one or more radiating arms to which a horse may be yoked and that is used in mines for raising ore or...
We have driven past the Kalamunda History Village a few times, each time promising to visit it, but after 5 years of marriage, we finally did. So glad we went! It was a special treat, and I could have spent the whole day there were it not for hunger, we...
Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first campaign that led to major casualties for Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important...
Someone in the orchid group indicated he found a Pygmy orchid west of Corrigin. So I rush to our orchid map book and find a more exact location. Then, looking at a bigger map, we see that if you go as far as Corrigin, you might as well keep on...
Saturday March 25, 2017 marked the date of the first annual Toodyay Music Fest. With stages in Duidgee and Stirling Parks for bands and various other performers, St Stephens Church opened its doors for those who prefer to be entertained by classical and easy listening music. The streets of Toodyay...
Sculptures by the Sea, Cottesloe is staged on the beautiful Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia. Loved this sculptures event in the past and was very excited for it this year. The exhibition is featured from the sea wall all the way along the sand towards North Cottesloe and on the surrounding...
Our first attempt to the Berry Farm was rained out, so we decided on this pretty day to have another try. The Berry Farm is a very special and almost magical place and I love it there.
Driving in Western Australia’s Southwest one day, and we spot a sign that advertised something that looked like “G-Spot Ice Cream, the sexiest ice cream in the South West” definitely caught my attention. Over the years in the SouthWest, we had tried Simmo’s Ice Cream (once on our honeymoon), Miller’s...
Spring in Western Australia brings back the spectacular bird, the Rainbow Bee Eater. The rainbow bee eaters go north in the cold months, but return when it warms to our Perth region in Western Australia. From Birdlife: Rainbow Bee-eaters gather in small flocks before returning to summer breeding areas after...
Rain was most certainly the word to describe 2016 Perth spring. This day, we had planned to go to Margaret River to the Berry Farm, got there, but had to move on because of rain. Also called Rosenberg’s monitor, I learned something interesting. It lays its eggs in termite mounds...
Normally when we go to the Zoo, we go on a Sunday after church. That usually makes our time at Perth Zoo rushed and we don’t get to see everything we want. This time, we went on a Saturday. They weren’t calling for the greatest of weather, and frankly, I...
And so the weather turns, another rainy weekend. Only it wasn’t just going to be rainy. The Australian Weather Bureau were predicting possible storms, hail, and near hurricane force winds. We packed up the truck and went anyway.
When we stopped at Cervantes, we picked up a brochure for Lesueur National Park and decided to go there. Lesueur National Park covers 26,987 hectares and is recognised for its outstanding conservation, landscape and recreational importance. It is home to over 900 plant species – 10 per cent of Western...
After finishing a short while at the Beekeeper’s Reserve, we went back on the road again. The road was taking us more north and to the east. Now we would be on our way to Mount Lesueur.
Southern Beekeepers Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately 240 kilometres (149 mi) north of Perth. From 1889 until it was officially closed in 1971, a stock route between Dongara and Perth ran through what is now Southern Beekeeper’s Nature Reserve and Nambung National...
John and I got up early on Saturday, on a brisk Western Australia morning and headed for the King’s Park plant sale in hopes of getting a pink fairy orchid of our very own. We were early as the area hadn’t opened its gates yet, we waited in a growing...
Last time we went to Manea Park, it was in October. This time we would try Manea Park in September, hoping to get a glimpse of different orchids, and most of all the prize of Western Australian orchids, the Queen of Sheba. Someone in the orchid group had spotted one....
You’d think that we might have had enough of a wildflower or two the day before, but not so. We chose Father’s Day (it’s in September in Australia) to go to King’s Park for the Wildflower festival that Perth has every year. Find yourself in a carpet of wildflowers in...
Continuing from the Coalseam Conservation Park blog…our drive. So the drive back home was in and out of wet weather, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying our first weekend outing and taking in all the Western Australian scenery. A drive in the Western Australian countryside, some might say...
So where does the name Coalseam come from? Coalseam Conservation Park is one of the few areas where black coal can be seen at the Earth’s surface. It is also the site of the first coal mining in Western Australia. The Irwin River has cut through the local rock exposing...
Not really understanding what a coalseam really is, we took our first Saturday together and decided to drive to Coalseam Conservation Park. Driving is truly the key word, as it was far and the weather didn’t cooperate much for us to do a whole lot else. Next blog, Coalseam...
Something happened on our way to the beach. We went to another beach. Scarborough Beach (You’re spoiled for choice here in Western Australia)
This was going to be my first Sculptures by the Sea. I don’t know why we hadn’t gone any of the summers I had been here before. This year, we went twice. (Something that just seems to happen, that we have to go to the same event twice). Given that...
Another Perth Sculpture, also a fountain. This blog post is continuing about Perth Sculptures, but is better described as a fountain. I’d say it is a good mix of both. This fountain stands in the center of a small lake (Citizen of the Year Lake) in the “Burswood Park Heritage...
Perth is a city that loves its sculptures, maybe even the whole of Western Australia. I have been in some remote places and one can still find a sculpture even there. How interesting in this outing to discover one dedicated to a beloved old game of my childhood, Hopscotch. At...
Still in the Bunbury area, we took a second eco-walk, this time the Manea Park Walk Located in College Grove, the Manea Park Walk takes in a range of habitat types. Manea Park is Bunbury’s premier bush reserve and supports several threatened species including the forest red-tailed black cockatoo and...
Many years ago, Petra sent me this precious book about Gnomes. My interest in these unknown beings began there. So when I learned there was a place in Western Australia called Gnomesville, it was a must-see place to go! And off John and I went! Gnomesville is literally a place...
I tried before and couldn’t do it, so I know better this time: I can’t write just one blog about the Perth Royal Show, I must do it over a few blogs. I will start with just some random moments at the Show: One section of the show, they let...
One day we had new friends over for dinner, this was the first time they had been to our house. One quick look at the front yard and Pauline said, “Hey John, you have your own private bush-land right here.” I was rather touched how she just noted and stated...
After Nannup, we took a different road towards home. Not sure if the “magic” is in the mushrooms that grow there.
So we decided on a weekend get-a-way. John got off early from work and we traveled south and west from Perth. It’s a beautiful area with rolling vineyards sitting against a backdrop of ocean and forest, pristine beaches, small country towns, and natural wonders. One of the first things we...
When I started this post, I was going to share a good many of the photos taken at Caversham Wildlife Park. Then I realized it would take a long time to process all of those photos. So I decided on a slide show / movie instead. This also ended...
