"Needs and struggle are what excite and inspire us..." - William James
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| (Spending a week of relaxing holiday) |
Day 1 - 05 January 2005
The best of Western Australia
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| (Flying over the Western Australia) |
Our flight to Perth which was supposed to depart at 9.40 a.m. was delayed for an hour. We had to wait for some connecting passengers from Amsterdam. When we arrived at the Perth Airport, the Australian Pinnacle Tours coach driver met us outside the arrival terminal. We checked in the Goodearth Hotel and were free at our own leisure after that.
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| (Our spacious hotel room) |
Our hotel room was cozy, equipped with kitchenette and microwave oven, if we want to indulge in simple cooking. As the hotel is located less than 1 km from Perth city, we strolled along the Swan River to the center of the city for some dinner at an Indonesian Restaurant.
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| (The Malaysian Consulate near our hotel) |
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| (The Perth skyline at late noon) |
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| (Chasing birds at the beach) |
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| (One of the Cathedral in town) |
There are a lot of food outlets serving Muslim meals. As most of the shops in Perth close at 5.30 p.m. we spent first night in Perth watching Blade 3. Later, at the hotel reception, we booked several tours for tomorrow and the day after. Tonight we slept soundly.
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| (At a bistro for a cup of coffee and scones) |
Day 2 - 06 January 2005)
Pinnacles and sand-boarding
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| (The sand is as white as snow) |
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| (Sand-boarding at white sand dunes) |
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| (Our guide and driver looking for assistance) |
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| (Our tour bus is stuck in the sand) |
We left the city and headed north to Yanchep National Park where we stopped to view koalas and kangaroos. I spotted one miserable kangaroo on the way. Most probably the rest were hiding in the bushes avoiding the scorching sun. We took a break at the Shipwreck Café at the small fishing settlement of Lancelin before going for the thrilling experience of 4-wheel driving over massive sand dunes. Unfortunately, our bus got stuck on top of the sand dunes for more than an hour.
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| (The Pinnacles Desert) |
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| (The limestone formations of the pinnacles) |
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| (We spotted a kangaroo here) |
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| (Our cheery tour guide) |
It took some strong men to shovel the sand to put the bus into motion again. Some of us got the chance to try sand boarding while waiting.The journey passed through wildflower country and along beautiful white sandy beaches. We stopped at the Rock Lobster town of Cervantes for lobster picnic lunch.
Afterwards we visited Nambung National Park, home of the amazing Pinnacles Desert. Here we walked through parts of fascinating landscape covering over 400 hectares and have a lot of photo shots.
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| (Serene and quiet ambiance in the park) |
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| (A boat ride in the Blue Lake) |
Day 3 - 07 January 2005
Valley of the Giants and Tree-top walk
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| (Visiting another National Park) |
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| (A koala relaxing on the tree) |
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| (A Cockatoo Sanctuary in the park) |
We headed south through the towns of Rockingham and Mandurah. We stopped at Donnybrook for morning tea and ample time to purchase some apples and stone fruits. We continued our journey through the rolling farmlands of the Blackwood River Valley. We stopped at the Diamond Tree, one of the three towering trees used as a bush fire tower. We had another round of lobster picnic lunch. Some attempted to climb to the wooden watch cabin at the top of the 51 meter tall tree.
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| (The Valley of the Giant) |
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| (A cabin in the wood) |
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| (The Canopy-walk on top of tall trees) |
We continued our trip through stunning section of Karri forest before reaching the Valley of the Giants. Here we experienced the Tree Top Walk, a 400 meter elevated walkway constructed through the canopy reaching up to 40 meters above ground. The view of the forest was sensational. Later we walked through the Ancient Empire, where wide girthed trees, goblin like in appearance grow up to 5 meters in diameter at the base. Later, we enjoyed our afternoon tea in the forest before heading back to Perth via different route.
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| (A large hole at the base of a giant tree) |
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| (A funny looking tree) |
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| (A car can pass through this giant tree) |
On the way, we visited William Bay and the seaside town of Denmark. Then we headed inland via Mt Barker and Kojonuo where we stopped for dinner at The Kodja Place Visitors Centre, a contemporary tourist complex combining aboriginal culture and rural heritage. We arrived Perth around 10.30 p.m. exhausted and famished.
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| (A long walk to the bay) |
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| (Watching the sunset at William Bay) |
Day 4 - 08 January 2005
Free and Easy City Tour
Today’s tour is free with the two tours we took yesterday and the day before. Starting in Perth city, the tour includes all key attractions and historical point of interest, starting with Kings Park botanical garden, where we have time to experience the new tree top walk through the trees canopies. Later we continued to Cottesloe Beach before arriving at historic Fremantle.
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| (The natural beauty of Swan River) |
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| (A half-day tour of Perth) |
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| (Historical building) |
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| (One of the many theaters in town) |
We were free to venture into Fremantle town but we decided to spend more time in the Fremantle Market where we bought some souvenirs. I bought a pair of beautifully embroidered cushion covers at a discount. We had kebab for lunch then returned to Perth with the coach, spending most of the journey catching up with our sleep.The afternoon was spent in the room to cool off and nap till late afternoon. Went for a stroll along the Swan River and had late dinner at Mc Donalds.
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