Anna's Aussie trip, Post 7: WA, Day 6

On Sunday, November 20th, Mum, Dad and I went to a nearby meeting and then had lunch back at the caravan park.  After lunch, they took me into Perth to show me some of the sights in Western Australia's capital city.

First we saw The Bell Tower, Home of the Swan Bells...

Then we walked out onto a pier on the Swan River and watched a tour boat pull in...

Next we drove up to Kings Park and Botanic Garden, which has an incredible location overlooking Perth city and the Swan River, but which was so full of Sunday afternoon picnickers that finding a park was almost impossible!  We found one eventually though, and spent a while enjoying the view before continuing on our way.

The Bell Tower and pier from another angle

Grass trees

Red kangaroo paw

Jacaranda tree

Next we headed to Fremantle, where we stopped at a hilltop memorial overlooking the coastal city...

...And then we drove into Fremantle and wandered through the streets, where we came across a street market with a "sticky maze"!  I really liked Fremantle - it had interesting architecture and a fun vibe.

That evening I took Mum and Dad out for dinner at Miss Maud Swedish Restaurant to thank them for a wonderful 6-day caravan trip.  This smorgasbord restaurant was recommended to me by one of our blog readers (thanks Jac!), and has been open 365 days a year without exception since 1973.  Not a bad effort, eh?!  We all enjoyed our delicious dinner at Miss Maud's, and I thoroughly recommend a visit if you're ever in Perth!

Later that night, Mum and Dad took me to the airport for my flight back to Brisbane.  Thanks, Mum and Dad, for a great trip!

Anna's Aussie trip, Post 6: WA, Day 5

On Saturday, November 19th, Mum, Dad and I headed into Busselton to walk the length of the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere. Busselton Jetty stretches 1.8 kms into Geographe Bay, Western Australia. At the end of the jetty is an Underwater Observatory, but it was booked out for the next few hours after we arrived, so we weren't able to experience it. It's also possible to ride the Jetty Train to the end of the jetty and back, but we did the 3.6 km return trip on foot. It was a nice walk and a very picturesque spot!

After the walk, I felt I had earned a Mrs Mac's meat pie with tomato sauce.  :)

Later on, we stopped for lunch in Dardanup, a small town in the Ferguson Valley, where we saw a pet goat and a game of cricket.

We had heard of a place called Gnomesville near Dardanup, and wanted to visit it.  It proved rather difficult to find, however, as it was randomly located in the countryside quite a way from Dardanup, and the locals within a half hour radius didn't seem to be able to tell us how to get there.  After driving along a lot of country roads, we eventually found a roadside map that pointed us in the right direction, and Gnomesville turned out to be well worth visiting!

I've no idea how it all started, but within a few years it has grown into a community of thousands of garden gnomes, scattered along walking trails, up trees, and even extending through the fence into the bush beyond.  Travellers from all over the world leave gnomes there, and we overheard one lady say that she had been there a few months earlier and it had grown significantly even since then.  It's a great spot for it, as the little stream, ferny ground cover, and speckled lighting definitely bring to mind the kind of Enid Blyton-esque woods that could be home to fairies, toadstools, and garden gnomes that come to life when humans aren't looking.  It was fascinating!

A gnome called Ben

British gnomes

Welsh gnomes

Kiwi gnomes

Astronaut gnome

Gnome loo

My favourite gnome

Gnome couple

Gnomes on the other side of the fence

Laidback gnome

Mobile gnome

Gnome tribute

Fun, huh?!  What a random, unique and entertaining spot!

That evening we arrived back in Perth and stayed at the Crystal Brook Caravan Park, where we'd stayed the first night.  The next day would be my last day in Western Australia.

To be continued...

PS.  This is our 400th blog post!  :)