I've been very, very "beezy", hence only managed to post my monthly wrap-up now.
Also dealing with problems uploading my October photos from my mobile, but after many tries, I've realized that the photos are in heic format (not sure how) and I'll have to convert them to jpg. In the meantime some of them are quite blurry...
Friday 6th - A couple of months ago I had booked 4 "free tickets" to attend two very popular events in the city. The friends who were meant to come with us, were sick, so at the last minute I invited a neighbour and her daughter to accompany us to the events.
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| Sign in the train |
We took the train into the city and walked 10 minutes to the Government House Gardens for our first experience - "Fire Gardens Festival".
The fire gardens consisted of 28,000 individual fires (which made the warm evening even hotter), scattered around the huge gardens, right in the centre of town, and the event attracted almost 45 thousand people to the Government House gardens to experience the wonderland of firelight, kinetic sculptures and live music.
After the fire festival we took the allocated free buses to Kings Park to attend "The trees speak" (Boorna Waanginy) lights festival. It consisted of 3D projections telling stories about WA’s beautiful South-West and the culture that has nurtured this cherished land for millennia.
Previously held in the Summer of 2017 and 2019, the festival attracted 300 thousand people then.
Over 1,4km (0,87 mile) on the main road of Kings Park, people flowed through an immersive tunnel of wonder through six Noongar seasons (the Aboriginal people consider we have 6 seasons instead of 4), and stories of this land : fires, rain, plants coming to life and birds and animals roaming around, as Kings Parks majestic trees became a moving canvas speaking of the splendour and diversity of Noongar Boodjar (land of the local Aboriginal) and the urgent need to protect the land we share.
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| Night view of the city centre from Kings Park |
Saturday 7th - Jose and I attended a dinner/dance at the Portuguese Club for the WA Portuguese of the Year Awards. There are nominations in 6 categories - Business, Profession, Arts & Culture, Sport, Community and Youth.
One person wins for each category - and then one person/persons is given the main award - WA Portuguese of the Year - this year it was won by 2 older men who have been in Radio for many years.
Dinner was excellent - with 1/2 lobster for starters, then alternating serve of chicken or fish. Dessert was 2 balls of ice-cream with strawberries, and there was cake served with coffee or tea.
During and after dinner a band entertained the guests with some popular songs and we still danced a bit before leaving the party close to midnight.
Our 91 year old friend Idalia is always ready for a party, and we are her "taxi ride" on these occasions. She's always ready for a spot of dancing too. She's amazing!
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| Jose and I and our 91 year old friend Idalia and I |
Tuesday 10th - a new young Doctor started at our Clinic, much needed as we had been advertising for over 2 years!
Thursday 12th - we departed on a 5-day camping trip to try out our recently acquired and renovated camper trailer. The destination was the town of Cervantes, just over 2 hours north of Perth.
Along the way we stopped a couple of times to see some sights and arrived at the RAC camp grounds around 3pm, set-up and then relaxed. As the sun was coming down we walked to the seafront to see the sunset, then walked around the small town until it got dark and we returned to eat dinner. As soon as the sun set, the evening got very windy and cooler.
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| metal sculpture of a windsurfing board at sunset |
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| Sunset at the beach |
The facilities of the camping grounds were amazing with modern toilet/shower blocks, a communal kitchen with stoves, fridges, microwaves, toasters, kettles, etc. We basically only used the kettle and microwave, but many people were cooking from scratch and then sitting down at the tables to eat. Across from the kitchen there was a lounge with comfortable sofas and lots of people having a quiet time reading (no tv - only in the kitchen/dining).
Cervantes - the town with a population of about 500 was named after an American whaling ship which was wrecked off the coast in 1844. Strangely enough it then has many of its streets named after Spanish towns - Madrid, Catalonia, Cadiz, Cordoba, Malaga....
It is now a popular holiday destination known for its lobster industry and the nearby Pinnacles, and is also know as "stargazing" central and is an official Astrotourism town, with selected observing sites where you can observe the night sky.
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| Spanish street names/ Lobster Shack - the most famous restaurant in Cervantes |
The following day we drove along a dirt road to the nearby Hansen Bay.
It was very windy and the beach was deserted. On our return we stopped at the Hansen Bay Lookout. It's worth climbing the stairs for a panoramic view of the bay and surrounding islands, Cervantes and the nearby Lake Thetis.
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The wood stair case to the lookout, at Hansen bay beach, view to Cervantes to the right
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The next stop was at Lake Thetis - home to thousands of stromatolites - layered rock-like formations crated by photosynthetic cyanobacteria - the salty lake is one of five places in Australia with living stromatolites, and they provide a record of the most ancient life forms on the planet! These are believed to be over 3000 year old!
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| Stromatolites at Lake Thetis |
It was quite a hot day, 30C (86F), and the flies were relentless! One of the things we forgot to take was a hat with a net to protect against the "country" flies. We were constantly doing the "Australian Wave" 😆 (Look it up on youtube, you'll have a laugh)
That evening we went to the Pinnacles, at the Nambung National Park, 20 minutes south of Cervantes, one of the major attractions in the area.
I've visited the Pinnacles various times, usually when we have overseas visitors, but this was the first time that we went to watch the sunset and look at the starlit sky.
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Sunset at the Pinnacles - from the Desert View Lookout
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Nambung National Park spans about 190 hectares and contains thousands of pinnacles, from a few centimetres high to 5 metres high!
We paid an entrance fee of $15 (at that time the office was closed), but there is a trust box where you can leave your money or pay by card on the ticket machine. There are well maintained toilets and bbq facilities.
The Pinnacle formations are made from limestone, from broken seashells and coral being blown inland and exposed to the elements. One theory suggests they were the result of extremely large limestone deposits being eroded by the weather over time. Another theory states that they were originally tree casts or roots, made solid by the calcium present in the sand and covered in limestone.
The Pinnacles are thought to be between 25,000 and 30,000 years old. However, the Pinnacles Desert was not widely known until the 20th century, and Nambung National Park itself was only created in 1994 when three reserve areas were combined.
You can either walk the 1,2km (0.75mile) loop getting close to the pinnacles or drive the 4km (2.49 mile)gravel road. There are parking bays along the track, so you can stop and explore.
The Desert View Lookout if the perfect stop for spectacular photos and also the ideal spot to catch the sunset.
The Pinnacles Desert is also the perfect destination for astronomy enthusiasts as it’s free from the bright city lights. Sunset Stargazing Tours run from Perth, including a dinner in the desert, spectacular sunset views over the desert, and a breathtaking guided stargazing experience after dark. Where better to view the milky way than in the middle of the desert?
We came across 3 tours while we were there, all waiting for the sunset while nibbling on their cheese and crackers and a telescope nearby to watch the stars later on.
I also took photos of the thousands of stars with my mobile phone, but they aren't very good... And then we drove back to Cervantes, slowly as kangaroos have a habit of jumping on the road after dusk. The sunset and night views were a great experience!
Saturday 14th - A 31C day, and we went to lunch at the Lobster Shack - a must when you travel to this area.
Owned by a family who pioneered rock lobster fishing in the area, the Lobster Shack has a warehouse where visitors can experience all aspects of the rock lobster industry - fishing and processing methods (tour fee applies), and then go next door to the restaurant for a delicious seafood meal, while looking out to the beautiful turquoise waters. If you don't like seafood, beef burgers are available.
We went for the WA Rock Lobster grilled with garlic butter (for Jose) and Lobster Thermidor (for e).
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View from the Lobster Shack
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Lobster Thermidor
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Watch out for the seagulls who are always ready to steal your food.
Sunday 15th - We drove to Jurien Bay (20 minutes north) before lunch and had one of the best fish and chips by the beach at the Jurien Bay Beach Cafe. It was a 33C, but it was nice by the sea.
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Kids park in front of cafe and the beach
Jose was keen to visit Stockyard Gully Cave - north of Jurien Bay, and we ventured for 7km into a corrugated road . When we reached the cave area we parked the car and there was a 300mt walk to the entrance - well the flies appeared to be in the millions, and we just waved and waved! We had only brought 1 headlamp and the cave was quite dark, so I wasn't keen to venture further, worried about snakes. 
On the way south to Cervantes we stopped for coffee and at Green Head, where we visited the beautiful 3 Bays Lookout. 
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Monday 16th - we packed our camper and had breakfast at the Seashells Cafe, then checked out from the camping grounds at 10AM.
On the way back to Perth we again stopped in various places to see the sights.
In Lancelin, we had a swim in the cold sea, then lunch at the pub, right in front of the sea. I had fish and chips again :)
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| Bay of Lancelin |
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Eating by the sea at the Endeavour Tavern in Lancelin
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| fish & chips lunch |
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| funny seagull signs |
Our next stop was a very quick stop at the tiny town of Seabird and then Moore River, where the river meets the sea. It looked like a nice place to stay for a few days, with the camping grounds right in front of the beach/river.
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| Seabird coast |
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| Moore River, where the river meets the sea |
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| Pelican statues at Moore River |
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| Cool statues in the roundabouts of Moore River |
Back to work on Tuesday 17th. That evening we had just finished having dinner when we heard the police helicopter and the sirens of police cars going around the neighbourhood. We wondered was happening in our mostly quiet area.
The following day on the drive to work I heard on the radio news that a lady from our neighbourhood had been arrested the night before, when she fled to one of the parks after "allegedly" having stabbed a 14 year old boy with a kitchen knife, when she found having sex with her daughter. She didn't know the 15 year old daughter had a boyfriend, had no idea the boy was inside the house or how he got in and I presume she might have thought the daughter was being raped?
The poor woman appeared in Court the following day, and is due to go back to Court in November. A sad episode for both lady and the daughter and their family.
Thursday 19th - Jose was invited as deputy for the "Council of Portuguese Communities". Originally his female partner was going to run with another lady, but according to new laws, a candidacy needs to have a partner of either sex.
Voting will be on the 26th November, and there are 3 candidates, one from Melbourne and 2 from Perth. Australia elects 2 candidates - one for Sydney, (Canberra, New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, Jacarta) (no one ran for Sydney) and one for Melbourne (Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Adelaide).
Sunday 22nd - We had lunch with a young couple and their 2 children at their newly built house. After lunch we drove to Coogee for the meeting of the Codfish Academy to decide on the next get-together and the election for the Committee members.
Wed 25th - For the first time I attended a meeting at the Canning Council offices regarding a childcare centre that is planned to be built in a small street that comes off a main road, destroying 3 very much needed houses in the process and the fact that we already have 3 daycares in the area that aren't completely full, and the demographic of the suburb is older people and not young families.
Over 150 people had signed against it when the council emailed the residents, and only 3 were for the project. Sadly, only one resident registered to speak (lots of people weren't aware you had to register and also for the 2 days preceding the meeting no one had internet here!
Then the Councillors spoke and we had 3 (State appointed) that voted for and 1 (local councillor) against, raising the fact the street is too small for the 120/140 cars driving through every day, twice a day, parking issues, the fact that it would be on a corner with a very busy main street, there wasn't a traffic count in the last 11 years and the amount of cars the developer mentioned was from 11 years before....
Still, it appeared as if the others had already their speech prepared, and they approved the project on the condition that their change their plan to have a masonry fence instead of a colorbond fence (steel panels) for better protection.
We have a Facebook neighbourhood group, and one man has undertaken to take the matter further with donations from the residents. Less than 2 weeks ago, there is a counting device on the street, which will stay for 10 days, so let's hope that shows the real number of cars in 2023. Apparently, the Department of Transport had no idea about the proposal for the childcare centre and says they were not consulted to submit a Traffic impact statement (TIS) and for this type of project they require traffic data not older than 3 years!!
Thursday 26th - I had the day off work and drove to Rockingham , about 30min south to meet up with Jan, an ex-work colleague, so we could visit the "Castaway Sculpture Exhibition" an annual exhibition showcasing artworks created from repurposed materials at the Rockingham foreshore.
Friday 27th - Our Community harvest group got together and we "inaugurated" the kitchen of the recently built pavilion at the Canning show. We made pasta, and froze it, to be used for the following weekend, when we had the Canning Show.
Saturday 28th - Jose, I and our 91 year old friend Idalia went to the Portuguese club to commemorate the club's anniversary. Members had free entry which included dinner and dance.
I made jam from the last loquots I picked from our huge tree. They are a favourite with the Ringneck parrots!
The magpies still come across from the park to eat in my front garden and one of them has become more familiar with me and comes right to the front door. The other day I had the door open and just the metal security door closed and I was in the kitchen and heard a magpie call. When I went to the front there it was waiting for me. So cute :) |
| A magpie and a galah on top of the postbox where I put the seeds and water |
And I end this post by being grateful for the wonderful month we had.
A youtube video about the Fire Festival
