On our way to Perth we stopped at Busselton and Bunbury - both fantastic places centred on water/beach. Although Margaret River was great its main tourist attraction is its wineries. And the reality is that with four children you are not going to be visiting many wineries!! (I bartered for two and it was painful.....) On reflection, based on the kids' needs, I think Busselton and Bunbury would've been better alternatives.
We had a great time at the Busselton Jetty which for some reason had a really good feel about it - it may have just been because we were really in good moods. The Jetty is 1.9km; it's so long you can catch a train to the end. We decided against the train but rather walked the jetty. I'm glad we did because the people and activities we met on the way was worth it. Halfway down we (some of us) decided to jump off with some of us still clothed! This has become one of the unexpectant highlights of the trip so far. There were some older teenagers that were jumping off - some were; some were too scared! We watched them for a bit until Nick turns to his dad and says I will if you will. Boys will be boys and while they were competing over who did the biggest bomb, Bella whipped off her top and jumped in - to the delight on onlookers.
The #bigbombs at Bussleton Jetty. "I'll jump if you jump." The jetty was actually a lot higher than the picture shows!
Showing the boys how to do it #jump like a girl!
We arrived in Perth and it was good to know we were going to be in the one spot for five days. We had booked the car in for a service so we needed to stay that length of time. The first day in Perth all I did was wash clothes (felt like home....). It was drizzling with rain so I ended up spending over $40 at the laundry - that's two bottles of wine (or a meal for the children).
At Perth we stayed at Karrinyup Waters Resort. The Park was great in that it had good facilities but for us, it was in a dreadful location. We have tried to determine what's better - a great park with good facilities or a so-so park in a great location. We have found that although it's important to listen to people's advice; we must not get caught up feeling like we 'must' do what people tell us to. Firstly it is impossible for us to do everything we are told is 'not to be missed' and secondly people's interests are different from ours. Our decision to choose this park is a good example. It was highly recommended to us by two elderly couples but it didn't tick any of our boxes. Although the park was great and had great facilities it was in the middle of absolutely nowhere. We like to be able to get up in the morning and go for a run along a track or beach or walk to a coffee shop (if there is one!). However we were in the middle of a cold, drab residential area that took us nearly 20 minutes to drive to a supermarket.
Little Creatures Brewery.... The Cider magically kept disappearing.....
The Big Wheel in Fremantle
While in Perth we spent a day in Fremantle. Although I still have no feelings for the Dockers; Ioved Fremantle. I wished we had looked for a park near Fremantle. We went to Little Creatures Brewery for lunch which had a great atmosphere. It was also nice to go 'out' as most of our meals (almost all) to this point had been on the BBQ.
We drove from Hillary's Beach to Cottesloe Beach and it would have been great to have had the sun shining so we could have enjoyed the beaches.
It was so good to have some "girl-time"
While we were in Fremantle we caught up with some old friends. And Matt and I both admitted we were a little excited to have other people to talk to. Poor Liv and Mick - I think we may have over powered them with our excitement! But not as excited as Will as he had three new mates to play with ALL his age. They have triplets - and their parents are absolutely troopers! It was fun (a little too fun) to catch up for a few drinks and pretend that we were normal and not living out of caravan. I actually put lipstick on!! (Maybe it was the fumes of the lipstick that made me giggly tiddly). We also went to their house for dinner the following night for a home cooked meal - that was even better!
Having a blast - the big derby (apparently). #spasessionupmysleeve
And of course one of the main reasons we stayed in Perth was for the AFL football derby! We managed (whoop whoop) to get tickets to this sold out game. It poured rain (whoop whoop) and probably two of my worst teams were playing (double, whoop whoop). But this holiday isn't about me and I think I now have a day spa visit up my sleeve to be used at a later date!
Our stay in Perth was great in that it was relaxing and allowed us to 're-charge' (meaning we washed our clothes and did groceries) Due to the inclement weather, we didn't get to enjoy the beautiful beaches.
Next stop Kalbarri and Shark Bay (Monkey Mia).
The Stevens' x
#makingmemories
Decided to make some friends and support the locals. Doesn't look like they made many friends only because we had to get there so bloody early!