Monday, April 9
Easter Monday is a holiday - this has been a 4 day weekend for Australians. We didn't know what would or would not be open so we decided to visit the Aquarium at Hillarys Harbour, just a short drive from here. When we got close we realized that there were hordes of people flocking into Hillarys Harbour. In addition to the Aquarium, there are beaches, a Boardwalk full of shops and restaurants, etc. We wound our way to the Aquarium and luckily found a parking spot as someone was pulling out. Then we had to stand in line (we know how to do that well, being from Mexico) to pay admission.
The AQWA (Aquarium of Western Australia) was well done. The exhibits were organized in such a way that you wound through the building from one section of WA to another or from one type of sea-life to another. The entire exhibit was amazingly colorful and interesting and represented 12,000 km of Australian coast. They had many beautiful and strange as well as dangerous types of marine life, including an enormous tank that you sort of walk through - with sharks, turtles, rays and many types of fish. Outside there was a seal tank and show which we only caught the very end of. Most impressive to me were the beautiful living corals in the tanks and some of the most beautiful, colorful and exotic sea creatures we have every seen. I have posted some of the pictures I took but it was difficult to capture as much as I would have liked because of glass tanks and light levels.
After our visit to AQWA we strolled through the boardwalk along with the masses of other visitors. It was time to think about having something to eat but the restaurants and cafes were way too crowded for us. We headed back to Joondalup and found Paddy Malone's open - we had been there to eat on our first day here. John ordered seafood spaghetti and I tried their fish and chips. What we forgot to do was ask what was in the seafood spaghetti because John has a bad reaction to mussels. It arrived with 1/2 dozen small mussels on top but lots of other things so guess who got to eat the mussels? They were delicious.
Tuesday the stores were open again and I managed to persuade John to take me to a large mall and then downtown where we did a little shopping. Today we will be organizing for our departure tomorrow to Sydney. I may or may not be able to post from there but if not, I'll report on our Sydney adventures when we get home.
Goodbye to Joondalup and Perth - we truly enjoyed our time here.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Chapel Farm Mongolian BBQ
Easter Sunday, April 8
Our activities for the day were a leisurely morning at home and a trip to Chapel Farm in the afternoon for Mongolian BBQ. Since we would be returning home after dark and would be having a glass or two of wine, we decided to take public transportation. We took the train to Perth but had to get off and take a bus part of the way due to track maintenance. Then we took another train to Midland where we caught another bus which dropped us off right at Chapel Farm. It took about 2 hours total compared to a 25 min. drive but it was stress-free and we had plenty of time.
Darren and Myra, our hosts, welcomed us with a glass of wine and when the rest of their friends arrived they gave us all a tour of their new guest accommodations. Chapel Farm has been a restaurant and event facility for about seven years. Darren and Myra have been working very hard to add on the six guest rooms doing most of the work themselves. The facility used to be a horse farm and the guest rooms were stables. Each room has a different theme: African, Beach, Bali, Black & White, Australian and Japanese - I think. The rooms are lovely - they did a great job.
The atmosphere is very warm and casual. The grounds include a pasture and pond with a burra, young alpacas, exotic goats and a couple of sheep - all one big happy herd. The restaurant includes an indoor lounge and tables, covered pavilion and a dance floor. There are also outdoor spaces suitable for wedding ceremonies.
As for the Mongolian BBQ: we were given a bowl to fill with raw ingredients of our choosing from a refrigerated buffet cart containing beef, chicken, fish, squid, a variety of veggies and a large assortment of sauces - mostly of the Asian variety. We then handed the bowl to the chef who skillfully cooked it all (like a stir-fry) on a huge gas-fired grill - 1.8 meters wide. Actually, there were two cooks and quite a few dinners could be prepared at one time. The completed meal was plated and we helped ourselves to steamed rice and more sauce if desired. The results were delicious and you would only have yourself to blame if you didn't like the taste since you chose the sauces yourself.
One of the guests was Darren's mother visiting from Melbourne. After dinner, she and a friend of hers entertained us all with line dancing on the dance floor. Now the last time I was involved in line dancing was when we lived in Missouri. There it was all country & western music. It seems that now it's done to all types of music including opera. Anyhow, it was great fun watching and lots of the kids in the restaurant joined in.
Darren's chef very kindly offered to give us a ride home since he lives near Joondalup and we gratefully accepted. We said our goodbyes and thank-yous and were home in about a half hour.
Our activities for the day were a leisurely morning at home and a trip to Chapel Farm in the afternoon for Mongolian BBQ. Since we would be returning home after dark and would be having a glass or two of wine, we decided to take public transportation. We took the train to Perth but had to get off and take a bus part of the way due to track maintenance. Then we took another train to Midland where we caught another bus which dropped us off right at Chapel Farm. It took about 2 hours total compared to a 25 min. drive but it was stress-free and we had plenty of time.
Darren and Myra, our hosts, welcomed us with a glass of wine and when the rest of their friends arrived they gave us all a tour of their new guest accommodations. Chapel Farm has been a restaurant and event facility for about seven years. Darren and Myra have been working very hard to add on the six guest rooms doing most of the work themselves. The facility used to be a horse farm and the guest rooms were stables. Each room has a different theme: African, Beach, Bali, Black & White, Australian and Japanese - I think. The rooms are lovely - they did a great job.
The atmosphere is very warm and casual. The grounds include a pasture and pond with a burra, young alpacas, exotic goats and a couple of sheep - all one big happy herd. The restaurant includes an indoor lounge and tables, covered pavilion and a dance floor. There are also outdoor spaces suitable for wedding ceremonies.
As for the Mongolian BBQ: we were given a bowl to fill with raw ingredients of our choosing from a refrigerated buffet cart containing beef, chicken, fish, squid, a variety of veggies and a large assortment of sauces - mostly of the Asian variety. We then handed the bowl to the chef who skillfully cooked it all (like a stir-fry) on a huge gas-fired grill - 1.8 meters wide. Actually, there were two cooks and quite a few dinners could be prepared at one time. The completed meal was plated and we helped ourselves to steamed rice and more sauce if desired. The results were delicious and you would only have yourself to blame if you didn't like the taste since you chose the sauces yourself.
One of the guests was Darren's mother visiting from Melbourne. After dinner, she and a friend of hers entertained us all with line dancing on the dance floor. Now the last time I was involved in line dancing was when we lived in Missouri. There it was all country & western music. It seems that now it's done to all types of music including opera. Anyhow, it was great fun watching and lots of the kids in the restaurant joined in.
Darren's chef very kindly offered to give us a ride home since he lives near Joondalup and we gratefully accepted. We said our goodbyes and thank-yous and were home in about a half hour.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Kings Park Perth
Saturday, April 7
Good Friday was an official holiday so we stayed home and didn't do very much - recuperating from our late night out Thursday.
Today we decided to head downtown to visit Kings Park. We had seen the edges of it briefly when taking the bus around Perth last week. We took the train to town and then a short bus ride to the park. By this time, it was noon so we had seafood and chips in the park overlooking the city.
Kings Park is the most impressive city park we have ever seen as it covers an area of 1,000 acres - Central Park, New York City could fit inside it and there would still be 1/3 of Kings Park left. After lunch we gathered up a map at the Info Center and set off on the Federation Walkway through the Botanic Gardens. The park was not at all crowded and we strolled along the walkway at a very leisurely pace looking at the amazing variety of Australian plants, shrubs and trees. A sign boasted that 1/2 of Australia's 25,000 species are represented in Kings Park. There were labels on many of the plants and most were unfamiliar to us. Since it is fall here, there were very few flowers - I can only imagine what the gardens look like in spring. The walk follows the edge of the park overlooking Perth center and the Swan River. The views were magnificent! There were lookouts along the way for taking photos and an unusual bridge that goes up to treetop level at one point. There are many areas for picnicking on the grass or in gazebos with ponds, waterfalls and fountains. Several areas were available for weddings (they are free to use) and they were all busy this day. At the far end of the walk we strolled through the grassy areas back to the Info Center. We then took a short (25 min) tram ride through the park since we weren't up to covering all 1,000 acres on foot. There is a lot of room for future development but the park is fabulous just as it is. I will be posting some pictures shortly. The day was somewhat overcast but pleasant for walking.
We caught a city bus inside the park which took us back to Perth Center where we strolled through some of the pedestrian shopping areas including London Court - a passageway of shops with English type facades. Finally, we browsed in Border's Books where I bought a book I had been looking for.
We headed back to Joondalup on the train just in time to fix a light supper and relax for the evening.
Good Friday was an official holiday so we stayed home and didn't do very much - recuperating from our late night out Thursday.
Today we decided to head downtown to visit Kings Park. We had seen the edges of it briefly when taking the bus around Perth last week. We took the train to town and then a short bus ride to the park. By this time, it was noon so we had seafood and chips in the park overlooking the city.
Kings Park is the most impressive city park we have ever seen as it covers an area of 1,000 acres - Central Park, New York City could fit inside it and there would still be 1/3 of Kings Park left. After lunch we gathered up a map at the Info Center and set off on the Federation Walkway through the Botanic Gardens. The park was not at all crowded and we strolled along the walkway at a very leisurely pace looking at the amazing variety of Australian plants, shrubs and trees. A sign boasted that 1/2 of Australia's 25,000 species are represented in Kings Park. There were labels on many of the plants and most were unfamiliar to us. Since it is fall here, there were very few flowers - I can only imagine what the gardens look like in spring. The walk follows the edge of the park overlooking Perth center and the Swan River. The views were magnificent! There were lookouts along the way for taking photos and an unusual bridge that goes up to treetop level at one point. There are many areas for picnicking on the grass or in gazebos with ponds, waterfalls and fountains. Several areas were available for weddings (they are free to use) and they were all busy this day. At the far end of the walk we strolled through the grassy areas back to the Info Center. We then took a short (25 min) tram ride through the park since we weren't up to covering all 1,000 acres on foot. There is a lot of room for future development but the park is fabulous just as it is. I will be posting some pictures shortly. The day was somewhat overcast but pleasant for walking.
We caught a city bus inside the park which took us back to Perth Center where we strolled through some of the pedestrian shopping areas including London Court - a passageway of shops with English type facades. Finally, we browsed in Border's Books where I bought a book I had been looking for.
We headed back to Joondalup on the train just in time to fix a light supper and relax for the evening.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Jeannie's Birthday Dinner
Thursday, April 5
Even though my 65th birthday was on March 31, John decided to organize a dinner party to celebrate and last night was it. He asked our neighbors for a restaurant recommendation and invited them to join us for the dinner. He also invited Myra (our friend from Kansas City's daughter) and her partner Darren. Our destination was the Matilda Bay Restaurant overlooking the Royal Perth Yacht Club harbor. We were delighted that Geoff and Joy offered to drive since John still is not keen to drive at night. He was also able to partake in our wine drinking without having to worry about driving. In fact, last night was our first time to see Perth at night.
We arrived at the restaurant for our 8:00 reservations and the view of the harbor and the Perth city lights was stunning. The weather was perfect and the bay was like glass. Matilda Bay was a lovely restaurant - perfect for our little celebration. After enjoying our first bottle of wine we ordered our dinner (I ordered Tasmanian wild salmon which was served over risotto and a delicate orange glaze all topped with a couple of perfectly cooked onion rings) and more wine, ending with dessert 3 1/2 hrs later - a fun leisurely and delicious dinner party. While I certainly would have enjoyed having old friends there too, we did enjoy the evening with our new Australian friends.
Even though my 65th birthday was on March 31, John decided to organize a dinner party to celebrate and last night was it. He asked our neighbors for a restaurant recommendation and invited them to join us for the dinner. He also invited Myra (our friend from Kansas City's daughter) and her partner Darren. Our destination was the Matilda Bay Restaurant overlooking the Royal Perth Yacht Club harbor. We were delighted that Geoff and Joy offered to drive since John still is not keen to drive at night. He was also able to partake in our wine drinking without having to worry about driving. In fact, last night was our first time to see Perth at night.
We arrived at the restaurant for our 8:00 reservations and the view of the harbor and the Perth city lights was stunning. The weather was perfect and the bay was like glass. Matilda Bay was a lovely restaurant - perfect for our little celebration. After enjoying our first bottle of wine we ordered our dinner (I ordered Tasmanian wild salmon which was served over risotto and a delicate orange glaze all topped with a couple of perfectly cooked onion rings) and more wine, ending with dessert 3 1/2 hrs later - a fun leisurely and delicious dinner party. While I certainly would have enjoyed having old friends there too, we did enjoy the evening with our new Australian friends.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Swan Valley Winery Experience
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.
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.
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.
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