Picnic at the park

On a wonderful sunny day, we decided to go on a picnic at Whiteman Park. This is also where Caversham Wildlife is located. We went over to Darcy's house to pick him up. After such a long time, i finally got to see his truck, which i call the Optimus Prime. Have never came close to such a big vehicle before! My mom was equally awestruck and we were admiring it for awhile :)

Parked majestically at the backyard of Darcy's house

Dashboard has so many buttons and meters - confusing!

Being a trucky , as they call it here can be very tiring. One is only allowed to drive at certain hours and on certain roads. One trip takes about 3-4 days back and forth. So, it is no surprise that the sleeping area have to be as comfortable as possible as that's the little luxury they call "home" when on the road!

Behind the driving area is the oh so comfy bed and check out the plush burgundy leather interior!

It's so high, my butt had to be given a push in order to get to the driver's seat

This huge vehicle, when running on full capacity it has a whooping 62 wheels! Oh my, i can't even imagine the time and cost to fix these tyres. Tht's why it comes as no surprise that it is known as a Road Train when running on full capacity. And the air horn is loud enough to scare the entire neighbourhood. I got a scare myself even though i was the one pulling it!

Side view of Optimus

Me in front of Optimus - notice the words "Road Train" - only to be revealed when on full capacity

After enough of fooling around and getting cosy with Optimus, we finally left Darcy's place and headed for Whiteman Park. Dropped Edmund off to Caversham as it was more interesting to bond with the animals than old folks! :p  There are a few picnic spots in Whiteman Park but we chose the Oyster Pool area as it was less crowded. 

Entrance to the picnic area

I can't remember when was the last time we went for picnic. Most probably when we were still kids and picnics used to be by the beach. Food was mainly kurma curry and sandwiches with tea / coffee. But this time, it is western style consisting of Roast Chicken, Ham & Cheese sandwich, salad, soft drinks and cheesecake for dessert. And best part of all, tables and chairs provided :)

Food glorious food - laid out on the table

After eating , while waiting for Edmund, we played few rounds of cards. I don't even remember the name of the game. Non of us were sure of the rules but we just played along and had a blast. Check out the seriousness of the folks:



Close up: Mom & Dad; Aunty Angeline & Darcy



Card games are meant to be taken seriously!

Wondering peacock

We were so engross and had so much fun playing cards that time flew by so quickly. Just when mom started winning, it was time to go pick Edmund up and head home before the sky gets dark. All in all, it was a great day to just chill out and relax. ;) 

Busselton

When my parents came to visit, we decided to take a short trip to Busselton. Busselton is about 3 hours away from where we live. The biggest attraction there is the Busselton Jetty. Since Uncle Yan was doing a roadtrip, he rented a campervan which i think is really cool! We started the day welcoming the campervan and organising everything for his road trip.

Campervan which was my uncle's best fren for 12 days!

Sneak peak of the inside - side sofas to be converted into a queen size bed at night

Old fashion petrol station along the way

During our last trip to Busselton, we stumbled upon the Old Cheddar Cheese Factory and bought some really good cheese. Gave some to my friend Wern and he said he was in cloud nine eating them. This place provide free tasting and this time we managed to taste the creamy vintage cheddar which was absolutely heavenly!

The array of cheese available in different flavours and sizes

After making our purchases, we continued on to Busselton. It is really exciting just to see the Information Centre! What makes this jetty so special, you might ask. Well , it is the longest jetty in southern atmosphere, 1.8km to be exact, stretching across Geographe Bay. One can choose to walk or take the Jetty train across to the end where the Underwater Observatory sits. 

Interpretive centre where you learn more bout the jetty and get tickets

That's us eating leftover breakfast before gathering energy to get our tickets , it was super windy!

Seafood basket for lunch

 Lunching picnic style

After lunch, we headed straight for the Underwater Observatory. Since it was so windy, we opted to take the train, rather than walk 1.8kms. The tour runs every 1 hour and the train goes back and forth every 20 minutes. It was rather exciting sitting in a slow moving train on a wooden narrow jetty.

Famous Jetty Train

After 20 minutes of shivering from the cold wind and breathtaking views, we finally arrived at the Underwater Observatory. Once we got in, we were guided down the spiral stairs and views were split into 4 different levels , about 8 meters below sea level. what welcomed us were amazing views of coral and fishes, which previously only divers were able to experience.

 

Entrance to the Underwater Observatory

Interesting drawing of the underwater observatory

 Pictures of sea life from various level of observation window

Rays lurking admist the darkening sky - taken on the way back from the jetty

By the time we reached the starting point, it was already getting a bit dark and cloudy. So we head straight for our accommodation. This time we picked the Busselton Mercure Apartments. We rented a 3 bedroom apartment with full facilities including BBQ pit. The vicinity had outdoor and indoor pool but too bad we didn't have time to explore. Also by the time we got there, it was too cold! Kevin & I took the master bedroom with a jacuzzi ensuite ;) My mom and Aunty Angeline slept in one room, Uncle Yan and dad took the loft and Edmund decided he wanted to make the comfie couch his bed.

 

Our accommodation at Busselton Mercure Apartments

Next day, we cooked breakfast before checking out of the apartment. Decided to explore Cape Naturaliste, stopping by at Sugar Loaf Rock (Scenic Point), Cape Naturaliste Light House and Ngigli Cave. Edmund and Uncle Yan was luckyo to do both the Light House and Ngigli Cave tour since it is their first trip to Western Australia. My parents and Kevin & I swop places for the Light House and Ngigli Cave.

How to explore Cape Naturalise - by walking trails!

Amazing views at Sugar Loaf Rock

Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse

Ngigli Cave

 Three of us inside Ngigli Cave

 

Observation teatre - recommended to check out the stalagtites lying down, totally different!

Believe it or not, Ngigli Cave used to be a very popular honeymoon attraction! I couldn't help making funny faces when was told this piece of information. Those days, couples were allowed to "pluck" the gemstones from these caves to bring back as souvenir. But these days, we are not even allowed to touch them!

So yeah, after the cave, we said goodbye to Uncle Yan while he part ways to explore southern parts of WA for the next 12 days. We stopped by Mcdonalds for lunch before heading back to Perth. What a great activity filled weekend, we had!

A day out with Ed at Swan Valley

My bro Ed came to visit recently. On a day where he didn't have any plans with his friends, i decided to bring him to Swan Valley. It was supposed to rain occasionally on that particular day but we took our chance. And oh boy, it turned out to be a gorgeous day. My pictures will tell! :) 


So we started off almost close to noon, after i did some household chores while allowing Ed to digest his breakfast. It is my first time driving to Swan Valley so i wasn't very sure of the roads. We actually made a wrong turn and ended up at Sandalford Winery , which is perfect! 


Sandalford is one of the biggest winery estate in Swan Valley. Their estate is huge enough to hold concerts throughout the year. We didn't get to join the wine tour this time but managed to hang around the grounds and took some pcitures. 

 Sandalford Wines

 Special bins for you smokers out there 

 Table grapes planted way back in 1890!

 Shading myself from the sun under a huge tree while Ed was busy taking pictures of the vines

 Endless rows of vines

 Part of the estate where concerts are sometimes being held 

 Check out the clouds and the reflection. Stunning eh ? 

 Shadow of Ed and I..

 Group of birds lazing around but fly away immediately when they hear foot steps

Our next stop was to get some chocolates at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory. They provide free tasting of their chocolate nibbles in Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate. All you gotta do is scoop away with the tiny spoon provided. 

 Array of truffles available for the sweet tooth 

Then, it was time for lunch. We stop by at Mallard Duck Cafe, a cosy little cafe. We shared a Valley Platter. On a beautiful day like this, couldn't resist a glass of Rose Wine. Absolutely refreshing! 

My glass of Rose Wine ... just the right amount of sweetness

Our Valley Platter - Salt & Pepper Calamari, King prawns with mayo, marinated olives, warm cacciatore sausages, roast duck shanks, lamb koftas, bread of the day with chef's dip... yummy!

After lunch, we walked around the outdoor area of the cafe before heading off to our next destination. 

 Lemon trees... can u spot the lemons ? 

 Llama , lamb and little ducks chilling out 

Some of you might wonder, is our lunch enough for two ? Well, we didn't wanna over eat because we had to save space for dessert..... home-made ice cream!!!

Oggies Ice Cream 

Oggies serves the best ice cream in Swan Valley. You have plenty of flavours to choose from and the guy is very generous with his scoop of ice cream. One scoop is enough to leave you bloated till dinner. I opted for the bailey's coffee flavour while Ed opted for Mint with Chocolate Chips.

 Truly satisfied with our flavours!

Last two years, when i joined the Pink Bus Tour of Swan Valley, we stopped by a brewery. Although the experience didn't turn out quite well at the brewery, the huge gigantic tree left an impression on me. Had to bring Ed over because i don't think anyone has seen quite a tree like that!

Different angle views of what i call the "Mighty Gigantic Confused Tree" 

Lancaster is a must visit. Why ? Simple because they provide free wine tasting and cheese! Their red wine are a bit dry but Kevin & I love the Late Pick Chenin dessert wine. It is absolutely heavenly. 

 Muscats surrounding their sign board 

Daily offers are scribbled on chalk boards

 Ed chilling with his glass of wine.. does he look stoned ? hmm.... 

 View of the tasting shed and the beautiful sky

By then, it was almost 4pm and time for us to head home before the jam starts. Couldn't resist taking a slight detour and visited Mondo Nougat. Have always heard of Mondo but never been nor tried their nougats. Felt a little disappointed as the staff there were very cold. After tasting their nougat, i prefer Golden Boronia, anytime! Well, that's my personal preference :) 

 Entrance to Nougat world  

Can't resist taking a picture with this cute little car and the cherry blossom painted walls 

So, that was our day at Swan Valley. Yes, we did get stuck in a bit of traffic. Ed was busy "fishing" the whole journey back.  The outing was priceless because i don't remember when was the last time my bro and I actually hung out. I was so thankful that the rain decided to stay away and made our day out a perfect one!