Wednesday, April 4
Just a short drive from here (25 min) is the beautiful Swan Valley - home to 70 wineries. As mentioned in earlier blog entries, we had already visited one or two. However, since we really couldn't drive and sample all the great wines, we signed up for a day tour of the area.
The 21-passenger bus picked us up outside the train station around 9:15 a.m. for the drive to the first winery. Our tour guide and bus driver, Claude, was personable and knowledgeable about the area and the wineries. He kept up a steady pleasant chatter on the way to the Sandalford Winery. This is one of the largest wineries in the area using commercial methods to produce their wines. In the beautiful, modern tasting gallery we were given a lesson on how to taste the wines and the fun began. Our Sandalford wine-pourer introduced each of the wines starting with the whites, then the reds and finally a Port. I lost count but I think we sampled at least 7 or 8 wines there. And, it was only 10 a.m. We had a few minutes to browse the shop and purchase any wine if we wished, but were under no obligation to do so. We did enjoy the Port so bought a bottle of that to take back with us to Mexico.
The other four wineries we visited were small, family owned vineyards as are most of the wineries in the Valley. While you may run into Sandalford wines elsewhere in the world, it is unlikely that you will find the others that we visited - like Windy Creek or Lancaster. Our second visit was to Lancaster - a very small vineyard where they send their grapes elsewhere to be processed according to their specifications. We again sampled several whites, reds and a Port. Swan Valley specializes in their white wines but also produce some nice reds and Ports. At the Lancaster tasting cellar we also enjoyed a sampling of delicious cheeses produced in the area.
Next stop was a lovely botanic garden on the river where our driver picked up the rest of the tour group who had taken a cruise from Perth to this point. We now had a full bus as we headed to the third stop - Windy Creek Estate. Again, we had a diverse selection of wines to sample and the group was definitely getting a little livelier.
It was approaching time to absorb all this wine with a little lunch so we drove next door to the Sittella winery. Unfortunately, we had to sample the wines there before lunch. By this time, they weren't tasting quite as good - my taste buds were already getting worn out. We sat down to platters of meats, cheeses, tempura veggies, salad and fresh bread. We enjoyed visiting with a British couple and another couple from Queensland, Australia while dining. Other tour members were from New Zealand and Italy. We were the only Americans. Everyone was very friendly.
Now we were ready for our fifth and last winery - Heafod Glen. Again we had 7 or 8 wines to try and I have to admit that I could not sample all of them. There was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm at this tasting cellar - I think we were all getting wined out. But, we had two more stops to make.
Elmar's in the Valley was a micro-brewery and we were offered to try a small glass of one of their 4 brews. We tried Ein Stein - a Pilsener and were not very impressed. However, we continued our visit with the British couple we met at lunch.
Our final stop, thank goodness, was the Margaret River Chocolate Factory - yum. There were bowls of chocolate buttons - dark, milk and white - which we could eat at much as we wished. We each received one truffle of our choice and a couple of other pieces of chocolate candy. There were viewing windows to watch the workers making these luscious truffles and other candies. The shop had lots of chocolate Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs.
Completely sated with wine, food and chocolate, we climbed wearily back onto the bus for the short trip back to our drop off at the Perth train station. Just as we were making the last turn onto the street by the train station, a large city bus turned into Claude's lane and dragged our bus several feet. It was clearly the city bus driver's fault and Claude had 21 witnesses to that fact. After a short slightly heated discussion with the guy, he (the city driver) admitted to his fault. There was not a lot of damage and we hardly felt the impact. Since we were so close to our drop off at the train station, we said our good byes to everyone and jumped on the train for our 25 minute ride back to Joondalup. It had been a lovely day and a great way to see and experience the Swan Valley.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
36 Holes of Golf
Mini-golf, that is. Just down the road in Wanaloo is an unusual mini-golf course. The two 18-hole courses are in a botanical garden setting which is tropical and green unlike the surrounding dry, brownish bush. There were several waterfalls and ponds and the holes wound through the gardens blending in beautifully. It’s an oasis in an otherwise parched land. Beside the gardens is a lovely little café where you can have breakfast or lunch.
We arrived for golf around noon with the plan to eat after our 36 holes. Just ahead of us, a school bus load (79) of children had arrived and was swarming through the golf course. We decided to return later. At 2:00 we had a pleasant outdoor lunch and then played golf. We were practically the only ones playing and it was a very peaceful and quiet afternoon – except for the occasional expletive heard when certain golf strokes went awry. The first 18 holes were conventional mini-golf – some easy holes and some more devious. The second 18 hole course was different – it was called billiards golf and you had to hit the bumpered edges of the greens to go into the hole - you were penalized if the ball went in directly. It was very challenging – I won at regular mini golf but John cleaned up in billiards golf since he is the more skilled billiards player. It was a beautiful walk through the gardens even if we didn't par the courses.
We arrived for golf around noon with the plan to eat after our 36 holes. Just ahead of us, a school bus load (79) of children had arrived and was swarming through the golf course. We decided to return later. At 2:00 we had a pleasant outdoor lunch and then played golf. We were practically the only ones playing and it was a very peaceful and quiet afternoon – except for the occasional expletive heard when certain golf strokes went awry. The first 18 holes were conventional mini-golf – some easy holes and some more devious. The second 18 hole course was different – it was called billiards golf and you had to hit the bumpered edges of the greens to go into the hole - you were penalized if the ball went in directly. It was very challenging – I won at regular mini golf but John cleaned up in billiards golf since he is the more skilled billiards player. It was a beautiful walk through the gardens even if we didn't par the courses.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Caversham Wildlife Park
Monday seemed like a good day to visit the Caversham Wildlife Park in the Swan Valley. Located within a larger State park, Caversham is totally fenced in to keep predators out and residents in. It was neatly laid out in sections of various Australian birds, mammals and reptiles (not many reptiles, though). Many of the birds were in huge aviaries so you were right in there with them. A large area was open to stroll around with totally laid-back, tame kangaroos. You could pet them and feed them. You could also go in with the Koala bears and meet them up close and personal. They were also very laid back - mostly sleeping since they only eat eucalyptus leaves which are very low in energy. They sleep 18 hours a day and eat the rest of the time. They were quite adorable-looking and very soft to touch but somewhat lacking in personality. It was nice to be able to take pictures of them so close up.
There was the typical children's petting farm also with quite an assortment of goats, sheep, burros, llamas and even camel rides. The whole park was well designed and attractive with native plants and neat landscaping and walkways. It made for a pleasant afternoon. We certainly wouldn't be able to see these native animals so up close and personal.
Before visiting the park, we stopped at one of the wineries for lunch. We chose one called Oakover and it turned out to be a good choice. One of their lunch specials was a seafood risotto topped with 3 tempura battered shrimp and a tangy green salad. The flavors were fabulous and we chose a bottle of their white wine to go with it. Well, we didn't drink the whole bottle, of course, but took it home to enjoy later. John has to keep his wits about him when driving down here.
There was the typical children's petting farm also with quite an assortment of goats, sheep, burros, llamas and even camel rides. The whole park was well designed and attractive with native plants and neat landscaping and walkways. It made for a pleasant afternoon. We certainly wouldn't be able to see these native animals so up close and personal.
Before visiting the park, we stopped at one of the wineries for lunch. We chose one called Oakover and it turned out to be a good choice. One of their lunch specials was a seafood risotto topped with 3 tempura battered shrimp and a tangy green salad. The flavors were fabulous and we chose a bottle of their white wine to go with it. Well, we didn't drink the whole bottle, of course, but took it home to enjoy later. John has to keep his wits about him when driving down here.
Burns Beach and Joondalup Festival
Friday through Monday
Just a 10 minute drive from home is a beautiful beach on the Indian Ocean called Burns Beach. It was another lovely warm, sunny day - perfect for a stroll by the beach. The beach was quiet and the water wonderfully clear. Seemed a bit chilly when I waded in it but we were not planning on swimming anyway. There was a walking/cycling path on the limestone cliffs above the beach and we took a fairly long walk there before heading home to park the car and then walk to a nearby area for lunch at an Asian restaurant recommended by our neighbors. The menu had lots of things we never heard of, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. - quite a selection. We decided on dishes we knew: John had Pad Thai and I had Sweet and Sour Pork - both were very good. That evening the neighbors, Geoff and Joy, joined us for a bottle or two of wine and a very pleasant visit. One of our favorite things about home exchanges is the opportunity to meet locals. Australians and New Zealanders are very friendly.
Saturday was the beginning of a 2 day annual street festival in Joondalup. We walked over in the afternoon to catch a few street performers and a very creative parade - made up mostly of the various primary schools and community organizations. I loved the bagpipes at the end of the parade. The theme of the parade was about a children's fantasy book which was collectively written by a community writers organization, as I understood it. Each school made costumes and floats (mostly out of recycleable materials) to represent sections of the book. We thought it was very well done. After the parade we strolled back home and stopped at the local fish and chips place - Govendors - I'm not getting tired of fish and chips yet and enjoy comparing them. Here we had a choice of types of fish and we decided to try the barramundi. It was excellent - the breading was light and crisp and tasty. The fish was perfectly cooked and absolutely fresh. So, it was pretty high on our list so far - probably just exceeded a little by the restaurant at the fishing dock in Fremantle. Today (or tomorrow, depending on whether it was the 31st here or in the US) was my birthday but John has plans for a dinner party at a restaurant in Perth next week so we will celebrate then, if becoming old enough to go on Medicare is reason to celebrate - ugh.
Sunday we did a little food prep and laundry. We invited our friend's daughter and her 2 teenagers over for an American meal of hamburgers, cole slaw, potato salad and apple crisp with ice cream. We enjoyed the visit with Myra, Calvin and Mia very much. Myra is an event planner at Chapel Farm in Swan Valley in the heart of the wine district and she seems to be a very hard working young woman and has done a great job bringing up her kids so far. Matt, 15, was about to leave on a 2 1/2 wk trip to Thailand with his school to visit and help with some orphanages there. Mia, 13, is also a charming, well behaved young lady and both seem to be good students as well as a help to their mother. They live right at Chapel Farm.
Later that evening we saw some of the festival fireworks display from our back patio. It was very impressive, even though we are accustomed to the seemingly continuous fireworks in San Miguel. We felt sorry for the poor local birds - they were protesting and flying in every direction thinking the world had come to an end having been so rudely awakened from their evening's roost.
Just a 10 minute drive from home is a beautiful beach on the Indian Ocean called Burns Beach. It was another lovely warm, sunny day - perfect for a stroll by the beach. The beach was quiet and the water wonderfully clear. Seemed a bit chilly when I waded in it but we were not planning on swimming anyway. There was a walking/cycling path on the limestone cliffs above the beach and we took a fairly long walk there before heading home to park the car and then walk to a nearby area for lunch at an Asian restaurant recommended by our neighbors. The menu had lots of things we never heard of, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. - quite a selection. We decided on dishes we knew: John had Pad Thai and I had Sweet and Sour Pork - both were very good. That evening the neighbors, Geoff and Joy, joined us for a bottle or two of wine and a very pleasant visit. One of our favorite things about home exchanges is the opportunity to meet locals. Australians and New Zealanders are very friendly.
Saturday was the beginning of a 2 day annual street festival in Joondalup. We walked over in the afternoon to catch a few street performers and a very creative parade - made up mostly of the various primary schools and community organizations. I loved the bagpipes at the end of the parade. The theme of the parade was about a children's fantasy book which was collectively written by a community writers organization, as I understood it. Each school made costumes and floats (mostly out of recycleable materials) to represent sections of the book. We thought it was very well done. After the parade we strolled back home and stopped at the local fish and chips place - Govendors - I'm not getting tired of fish and chips yet and enjoy comparing them. Here we had a choice of types of fish and we decided to try the barramundi. It was excellent - the breading was light and crisp and tasty. The fish was perfectly cooked and absolutely fresh. So, it was pretty high on our list so far - probably just exceeded a little by the restaurant at the fishing dock in Fremantle. Today (or tomorrow, depending on whether it was the 31st here or in the US) was my birthday but John has plans for a dinner party at a restaurant in Perth next week so we will celebrate then, if becoming old enough to go on Medicare is reason to celebrate - ugh.
Sunday we did a little food prep and laundry. We invited our friend's daughter and her 2 teenagers over for an American meal of hamburgers, cole slaw, potato salad and apple crisp with ice cream. We enjoyed the visit with Myra, Calvin and Mia very much. Myra is an event planner at Chapel Farm in Swan Valley in the heart of the wine district and she seems to be a very hard working young woman and has done a great job bringing up her kids so far. Matt, 15, was about to leave on a 2 1/2 wk trip to Thailand with his school to visit and help with some orphanages there. Mia, 13, is also a charming, well behaved young lady and both seem to be good students as well as a help to their mother. They live right at Chapel Farm.
Later that evening we saw some of the festival fireworks display from our back patio. It was very impressive, even though we are accustomed to the seemingly continuous fireworks in San Miguel. We felt sorry for the poor local birds - they were protesting and flying in every direction thinking the world had come to an end having been so rudely awakened from their evening's roost.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Pleasant Times in Perth
Monday through Thursday - March 26 to 29
We love the transportation system here. The train station is a 20-25 min walk or 5 min drive from the house and we can get a senior all day ticket for about $2.40 US which is good on all trains, buses and ferries. It's just 25 min on the train to downtown Perth. From there we can take other trains or buses to just about anywhere local.
On our first trip to town, we took 3 different bus routes around downtown just to get an overview. Then we walked around the center and found a wonderful food court with an overwhelming number of food stalls to choose from. I spotted some sushi that looked fabulous. It's not John's thing but they also had some cooked Japanese dishes that looked good to him so that is what we decided on and it was a delicious choice. I have not had a lot of sushi in the past but this was certainly the best I've had so far.
We had done our grocery shopping on Monday so I have been doing a little cooking in the evenings. There is a great gas BBQ out side and nice outdoor spaces in which to eat. We're very comfortable in our Joondalup house.
Across the street from our house is a regional park with a lake. We did a 2 1/2 hr walk in both directions and enjoyed it very much - very different trees and shrubs from what we are used to. We did not see a lot of different birds but there is a crow-like, huge black bird that is very vociferous - we hear and see them everywhere. There's another large black and white bird we also see - a type of magpie. We haven't seen any kangaroos yet but I'm sure they are around. There is a drought here and much of the terrain is brown and dry. It's quite a contrast from very green New Zealand. That may be why we are not seeing a lot of wildlife.
Yesterday we took the train (2 of them) to Fremantle - called "Freo" by the locals. It's a charming seaside town with interesting architecture located just down the road from Perth - two 25 min train rides from the house. We first took a bus all around the town for an overview and then had lunch at the fishing boat docks. The restaurant had beautiful fresh seafood of every kind and was well known for its fish and chips. So, that's what we had except that I had a combination of fish, shrimp, scallops and squid - all fresh and delicious. John had Red Snapper and chips and it was wonderful too. I wish I had taken a picture of their fresh fish counter - everything was so beautifully arranged and colorful - a work of art. After lunch we set off on a section of the walking tour and stopped in King's Square to wander through a market of artisan stalls which they have every Thursday. We also stopped at a jewelry store specializing in opals. They were very beautiful but VERY expensive. We just looked. We really appreciate the availability of excellent tourist brochures and maps - makes it easy to get around and see everything.
Today we plan to check out the local beach. The weather should be quite nice for a walk there.
We love the transportation system here. The train station is a 20-25 min walk or 5 min drive from the house and we can get a senior all day ticket for about $2.40 US which is good on all trains, buses and ferries. It's just 25 min on the train to downtown Perth. From there we can take other trains or buses to just about anywhere local.
On our first trip to town, we took 3 different bus routes around downtown just to get an overview. Then we walked around the center and found a wonderful food court with an overwhelming number of food stalls to choose from. I spotted some sushi that looked fabulous. It's not John's thing but they also had some cooked Japanese dishes that looked good to him so that is what we decided on and it was a delicious choice. I have not had a lot of sushi in the past but this was certainly the best I've had so far.
We had done our grocery shopping on Monday so I have been doing a little cooking in the evenings. There is a great gas BBQ out side and nice outdoor spaces in which to eat. We're very comfortable in our Joondalup house.
Across the street from our house is a regional park with a lake. We did a 2 1/2 hr walk in both directions and enjoyed it very much - very different trees and shrubs from what we are used to. We did not see a lot of different birds but there is a crow-like, huge black bird that is very vociferous - we hear and see them everywhere. There's another large black and white bird we also see - a type of magpie. We haven't seen any kangaroos yet but I'm sure they are around. There is a drought here and much of the terrain is brown and dry. It's quite a contrast from very green New Zealand. That may be why we are not seeing a lot of wildlife.
Yesterday we took the train (2 of them) to Fremantle - called "Freo" by the locals. It's a charming seaside town with interesting architecture located just down the road from Perth - two 25 min train rides from the house. We first took a bus all around the town for an overview and then had lunch at the fishing boat docks. The restaurant had beautiful fresh seafood of every kind and was well known for its fish and chips. So, that's what we had except that I had a combination of fish, shrimp, scallops and squid - all fresh and delicious. John had Red Snapper and chips and it was wonderful too. I wish I had taken a picture of their fresh fish counter - everything was so beautifully arranged and colorful - a work of art. After lunch we set off on a section of the walking tour and stopped in King's Square to wander through a market of artisan stalls which they have every Thursday. We also stopped at a jewelry store specializing in opals. They were very beautiful but VERY expensive. We just looked. We really appreciate the availability of excellent tourist brochures and maps - makes it easy to get around and see everything.
Today we plan to check out the local beach. The weather should be quite nice for a walk there.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The Flight and First Day in Joondalup (Perth)
Friday, March 23, 2007
It's time to head for Auckland and our flights to Perth. Since we have to be at the airport by 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, we booked a motel close to the airport. We were able to arrange to leave the rental car at the motel for pick up by the rental company and take the shuttle to the airport only 5 min. away. We had a simple dinner next to the motel and retired very early in order to get a decent night's sleep. Well, we didn't sleep very well thinking about getting up at 3:00. Everything went well checking in and boarding the plane. They served a decent hot breakfast and we tried to doze a bit. The flight was about 3 1/2 hrs. and I watched "Dreamgirls" which was very entertaining. Our plane arrived on time in Melbourne in the rain. We stood in line quite a while to have our documents checked and then we had to pick up our luggage and there was a problem because there were a lot of international flights arriving at the same time. We waited 45 minutes just to get our luggage and ours was about the last to arrive - nerve racking, to say the least. Fortunately, since we had nothing to declare (darn, I had to leave the nice seashells I found on the beach behind because I would have had to declare them). Luckily, we were waved through without an inspection. There was no easy way to check our baggage through. We had to haul it to domestic departures and check in with Qantas again - standing in line. Oh well, we still made our connection to Perth in time. This was a 4 hour flight and they served a nice lunch and showed a movie which turned out to be "Dreamgirls". Oh well, I tried to sleep but since it was now late morning, I wasn't able to but I had a good book to read.
Our plane arrived on time in Perth but there were no gates open so our plane sat on the tarmac for 45 minutes. At baggage claim we found our home exchangers' daughter, Kym, there to pick us up. We really appreciated this because by now we felt a little like zombies. The ride to Joondalup was less than 1/2 hour. The house was very nice and we quickly settled in. We were too tired to go out and buy groceries but our hosts very kindly left a meal in the freezer for our first night and a nice bottle of wine. We stayed up as long as we could which wasn't very long. On top of the time zone changes (3 hrs) we had an additional hour to deal with because this night was the end of daylight savings time. I fell dead asleep on the sofa watching TV at something like 7:00. We woke up and went to bed probably around 8:00. Unfortunately, we were wide awake at 4:30 a.m. Well, at least we got 8 hours of sleep. After breakfast, which our hosts also kindly provided, we took a walk around the neighborhood. Joondalup is a northern suburb of Perth - about 15 miles north of the city center. It's very close to the beach and relatively new. The streets and walks and green areas are very clean and pleasant. The architecture of the area looks sort of English. After our walk we made out our grocery list and jumped in the car to go shopping. We easily found our way to the nearby mall and guess what, all the stores here are closed on Sundays. So, while we were there, we checked out the commuter train station for schedules, fares, etc. While we were reading the signs a woman in a security uniform asked if she could help us. She gave us all the information we needed and we found that the train is a great way to go and very inexpensive. There is also a local free bus to tour around Joondalup. We asked her if there were any restaurants nearby and she directed us to an area down the street that had a lot of restaurants and thankfully, most were open on Sundays. She particularly recommended Paddy Malone's, owned by friends of hers. We headed there and had a very English dinner called "Sunday Roast" consisting of roast beef, carrots, peas, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. It was all delicious.
The weather was lovely - not a cloud in the sky and warming up quickly to something that felt like 80 degrees with no humidity - a lot like San Miguel.
Our good friend Ed in Kansas City has a daughter living in the Perth area. She and her partner run an establishment in the Swan Valley - only about 1/2 hr from here. They call it "Chapel Farm" and it is a restaurant and event facility - they cater a lot of weddings and other parties there. They've been working on adding overnight accommodations and are having their grand opening on Tuesday. We were invited and since it is at night, we thought we would drive out there today so we were familiar with the area. I got directions from Myra and Google Maps and off we went. It turned out to be quite easy to find and Myra gave us a quick tour of their charming facilities. They were getting ready for a wedding to be held that evening. So, we headed down the road to take a look at some of the wineries which Swan Valley is famous for. We stopped at the Houghton Winery which John had read something about. The facilities were beautiful and the wines we sampled - just a few since John needed to keep his wits about him driving - were very nice and reasonably priced, we thought. We bought a White Burgundy, a Chardonnay Verdelho and a Merlot for later consumption. We decided that we would be back to this area so just made a nearby stop at a rum distillery. Who would have thought that we would find a rum distillery here - but I sampled a couple of rums - one was 51% alcohol. They were made from cane sugar and surprising good. We purchased a pint of the standard 37.5% rum and headed for home.
It's time to head for Auckland and our flights to Perth. Since we have to be at the airport by 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, we booked a motel close to the airport. We were able to arrange to leave the rental car at the motel for pick up by the rental company and take the shuttle to the airport only 5 min. away. We had a simple dinner next to the motel and retired very early in order to get a decent night's sleep. Well, we didn't sleep very well thinking about getting up at 3:00. Everything went well checking in and boarding the plane. They served a decent hot breakfast and we tried to doze a bit. The flight was about 3 1/2 hrs. and I watched "Dreamgirls" which was very entertaining. Our plane arrived on time in Melbourne in the rain. We stood in line quite a while to have our documents checked and then we had to pick up our luggage and there was a problem because there were a lot of international flights arriving at the same time. We waited 45 minutes just to get our luggage and ours was about the last to arrive - nerve racking, to say the least. Fortunately, since we had nothing to declare (darn, I had to leave the nice seashells I found on the beach behind because I would have had to declare them). Luckily, we were waved through without an inspection. There was no easy way to check our baggage through. We had to haul it to domestic departures and check in with Qantas again - standing in line. Oh well, we still made our connection to Perth in time. This was a 4 hour flight and they served a nice lunch and showed a movie which turned out to be "Dreamgirls". Oh well, I tried to sleep but since it was now late morning, I wasn't able to but I had a good book to read.
Our plane arrived on time in Perth but there were no gates open so our plane sat on the tarmac for 45 minutes. At baggage claim we found our home exchangers' daughter, Kym, there to pick us up. We really appreciated this because by now we felt a little like zombies. The ride to Joondalup was less than 1/2 hour. The house was very nice and we quickly settled in. We were too tired to go out and buy groceries but our hosts very kindly left a meal in the freezer for our first night and a nice bottle of wine. We stayed up as long as we could which wasn't very long. On top of the time zone changes (3 hrs) we had an additional hour to deal with because this night was the end of daylight savings time. I fell dead asleep on the sofa watching TV at something like 7:00. We woke up and went to bed probably around 8:00. Unfortunately, we were wide awake at 4:30 a.m. Well, at least we got 8 hours of sleep. After breakfast, which our hosts also kindly provided, we took a walk around the neighborhood. Joondalup is a northern suburb of Perth - about 15 miles north of the city center. It's very close to the beach and relatively new. The streets and walks and green areas are very clean and pleasant. The architecture of the area looks sort of English. After our walk we made out our grocery list and jumped in the car to go shopping. We easily found our way to the nearby mall and guess what, all the stores here are closed on Sundays. So, while we were there, we checked out the commuter train station for schedules, fares, etc. While we were reading the signs a woman in a security uniform asked if she could help us. She gave us all the information we needed and we found that the train is a great way to go and very inexpensive. There is also a local free bus to tour around Joondalup. We asked her if there were any restaurants nearby and she directed us to an area down the street that had a lot of restaurants and thankfully, most were open on Sundays. She particularly recommended Paddy Malone's, owned by friends of hers. We headed there and had a very English dinner called "Sunday Roast" consisting of roast beef, carrots, peas, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. It was all delicious.
The weather was lovely - not a cloud in the sky and warming up quickly to something that felt like 80 degrees with no humidity - a lot like San Miguel.
Our good friend Ed in Kansas City has a daughter living in the Perth area. She and her partner run an establishment in the Swan Valley - only about 1/2 hr from here. They call it "Chapel Farm" and it is a restaurant and event facility - they cater a lot of weddings and other parties there. They've been working on adding overnight accommodations and are having their grand opening on Tuesday. We were invited and since it is at night, we thought we would drive out there today so we were familiar with the area. I got directions from Myra and Google Maps and off we went. It turned out to be quite easy to find and Myra gave us a quick tour of their charming facilities. They were getting ready for a wedding to be held that evening. So, we headed down the road to take a look at some of the wineries which Swan Valley is famous for. We stopped at the Houghton Winery which John had read something about. The facilities were beautiful and the wines we sampled - just a few since John needed to keep his wits about him driving - were very nice and reasonably priced, we thought. We bought a White Burgundy, a Chardonnay Verdelho and a Merlot for later consumption. We decided that we would be back to this area so just made a nearby stop at a rum distillery. Who would have thought that we would find a rum distillery here - but I sampled a couple of rums - one was 51% alcohol. They were made from cane sugar and surprising good. We purchased a pint of the standard 37.5% rum and headed for home.
Last Days in Pauanui
Wednesday and Thursday we didn’t do a whole lot. It would have meant more driving for John to explore other parts of Coromandel Peninsula so instead we did some walking locally. There is a small wetlands area in Pauanui with a pleasant “boardwalk” which we did and also on the beach on the Pacific – just absolutely gorgeous – wide and very fine white sand. This time of the year it was almost totally deserted – just a few hardy souls actually in the water – we were not among them.
On Thursday I decided to take the hike up Pauanui Mountain – not really a mountain but that’s what they call it. The sign said it was 1 ½ hrs to the top. but someone else heading up ahead of me said it wasn’t really that long. The sign also said “only for experienced, fit walkers”. I decided I was up to it and I really wanted to get up there for the view so up I went. It started out pretty easy but got quite steep and rocky the farther I went. Unfortunately, I did not have hiking shoes/boots – just running shoes with somewhat worn out tread. I got up to a point where there was a great view and decided to turn around there because my traction just wasn’t good enough for the trail – darn! I did get some nice pictures, though with a view of all of Pauanui and the beautiful beach. Back at the trail head there were a couple of short walks along the beach to a stony cove which was quite beautiful – so I did that. I had just enough time to walk on the deserted beach then before John returned to pick me up. You’ll be able to see the pictures I took on my web albums page.
Friday we headed to Auckland to return our rental car and spend part of the night in a motel – we have to be at the airport by 3:30 a.m. for our 5:35 a.m. departure to Melbourne and Perth. Ugh!
On Thursday I decided to take the hike up Pauanui Mountain – not really a mountain but that’s what they call it. The sign said it was 1 ½ hrs to the top. but someone else heading up ahead of me said it wasn’t really that long. The sign also said “only for experienced, fit walkers”. I decided I was up to it and I really wanted to get up there for the view so up I went. It started out pretty easy but got quite steep and rocky the farther I went. Unfortunately, I did not have hiking shoes/boots – just running shoes with somewhat worn out tread. I got up to a point where there was a great view and decided to turn around there because my traction just wasn’t good enough for the trail – darn! I did get some nice pictures, though with a view of all of Pauanui and the beautiful beach. Back at the trail head there were a couple of short walks along the beach to a stony cove which was quite beautiful – so I did that. I had just enough time to walk on the deserted beach then before John returned to pick me up. You’ll be able to see the pictures I took on my web albums page.
Friday we headed to Auckland to return our rental car and spend part of the night in a motel – we have to be at the airport by 3:30 a.m. for our 5:35 a.m. departure to Melbourne and Perth. Ugh!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)