Mon. 24th Sept., 2012 - Jurien Bay to Bunbury

It was 9am when we left Jurien Bay - the sun was shining & the temperature was 18C.  The brilliant white dunes looked like snow-covered mountains as they gleamed in the bright sunshine.  With the turquoise ocean on one side & the dunes on the other, we were loathe to leave the coast & move inland.  Bob tried to photograph the picturesque scenery but it was so panoramic that it was difficult to capture it & do it justice.  We've realised, so often, that there is nothing like the real thing.  However, it's nice to have a record for future reference.

Our route was still strewn with wildflowers that coloured the verges & the bush on either side of us - how lucky we were to have arrived at the exact time of their blooming; it was a wonderful sight.  Grass trees (known as 'black boys' before the name became politically incorrect), began to appear in the landscape, their spiky 'topknots' adorning the dark trunks.  Frequently, they had tall, black spikes extending upwards from their grassy heads, probably carrying the seeds.  When we got out of the car to look at them more closely, we realised that many smaller low-growing flowers abounded that we'd been unable to see as we drove along.  The kangaroo paws were incredible, dotted amongst numerous other lovely plants.  There is so much beauty in the world, but all too often we fail to notice it.

The Mitchell Freeway took us through the centre of downtown Perth, which is a very attractive city, situated at the mouth of the Swan River.  It was reminiscent of the Mediterranean, with its terracotta rooftops & arched doorways.  Time was our biggest enemy & we could only take a brief glance as we drove straight through.

At Mandurah, we did something we hadn't done for years ... I knew you'd think that; shame on you! ... we bought some Kentucky Fried Chicken.  We were hungry & it tasted delicious!

We began to see signs advertising wineries.  It was a long time since we'd seen grapes growing - they obviously don't thrive in the red dust!

On arrival in Bunbury & finding our caravan park, we discovered that it was just across the highway from our friends, Gillian & Tony; within walking distance, in fact.  We called on them for a cup of tea & made plans for the next couple of days.  It was good to catch up & share one another's news.

We were definitely in "up" country - half of the nearby place names ended in "up": Myalup, Binningup, Burekup, Dardanup, Boyanup & Mumballup to name a few!  We discovered that the aboriginals use "up" to inidcate "near or by water".

Before dinner, we were invited to join two couples (neighbours in the caravan park) for drinks.  Several wines & beers later, we returned to our van & "rugged up" for what turned out to be a very cold & wet night.  Fortunately, we were warm & cosy in our little home.