Feb 21-23
Hi All,
First I want to take a moment to recognize the severity of the destruction in Fiji from Cyclone Winston. Sounds like the islands have been badly hit and we, of course, worry about our many friends there. Most of the cruisers that opted to spend the season there have checked in and are safe, albeit with some boat damage. Not much from the islanders yet, as I’m sure they are busy
dealing the situation at hand. We are praying for their safety and a quick recovery.
We did a little to help Vanuatu last year recover from Cyclone Pam and from the initial reports Fiji will also need a massive amount of international help. The major tourist area in southern Viti Levu was sparred but not so the northern parts and other islands like Koro!!! As we learned last year, money is the best thing to donate at this time to the many international relief organizations!!
We basically took it easy while in Adelaide getting ourselves sorted for the upcoming trips to Perth, the GSR train trip and Kangaroo Island…..all of these trains and planes have luggage restrictions so we had to be efficient in our packing!!
Road trips always have there challenges….many different accommodations and we hit the big one in Adelaide…the dreaded noisy neighbors…first the hotel had paper thin walls so we heard everything…in the afternoon they threw a birthday party for the 70 year old mom…ok, we can live with that….but then they started playing the guitar and screeching….not pretty….ugh….they finally left for dinner but came back and partied hard from 11-1:30amish…..arghhhhhh!!!
So with little sleep we completed our packing the next morning….went to a local mall to get a haircut, buy a surge protector (for the train), buy another USA/Aus plug converter….we only had one and sharing was becoming problematic:)))), Kathy bought some “accessories” for her outfits and then off to the airport. We did find a secure covered parking garage to leave all our wine et al in the car for the next 12 days!! We flew Jetstar which is the no frills airline in Australia and we found it to be quite nice….maybe because the middle seat was vacant:)))
But then we get our luggage and I start to pull the big suitcase and it is not rolling….WTH….one of the wheels had been badly damaged and would not roll…..ugh….got a cart and made it to the rental car and now the search for duck tape begins….the hotel brought us electrical tape….not strong enough….bought some “duct” tape at Brunnings….it is more like electrical/vinyl tape and will not stick to the suitcase….the hunt continues….in the meantime I get to carry it….fun…NOT!!!
Freemantle/Perth: We did not stay in Perth but drove the 40 miles to Freemantle on the bay. We now have been in 5 of the seven Australian states – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and now Western Australia!!!
“Fremantle is a port city in Western Australia that’s part of the Perth metropolitan area. It’s known for its maritime history, Victorian architecture and remnants from Australia’s days as a British penal colony. Fremantle Prison, which housed convicts from the 1850s to 1991, now features re-created cellblocks. The Round House, a landmark 1831 building, also briefly functioned as a jail.”
We got our first viewing of the Indian Ocean….yea!!!! Now that makes 2 new oceans on this trip….the Southern and Indian Oceans!! We now have seen 4 out of the 5 oceans….only the Artic to go!!!!
We loved Fremantle and wished we would have planned to spend 2 nights there….darn:((( We walked the ocean/port front for hours. We spent about 2 hours in a shipwreck museum….lot’s of history about the Dutch East India Company and the various trade routes. In the early 1600’s the ships started to come straight west over from Africa riding the roaring 40’s westerly winds but they had trouble calculating when to turn north to Indonesia and many went too far and crashed into the Australian west coast.
We also saw several prisons….England continued to send convicts to Australia for many years and many of the cities were founded by ex-convicts. In fact, Adelaide actually advertises that they are the only city found by non-convicts.
So we are on our walk about and we go by a micro brewery called Little Creatures. We had actually had this beer about a week or so ago and really liked it. The guy is just opening up and he comes out to talk with us….good morning mates, would you like to come in for a free tasting….sure, but at 9am…a bit early for us Yanks…ok, come back in a few hours when you are thirsty….and that is what we did…..a thorough round of beer tasting….made Craig proud of us for sure:))))
Stats:
Traveled:
Car miles: 225 miles to Adelaide; 2125 miles total
Air miles: 1325 miles from Adelaide to Perth
Total traveled miles: 3450 miles
Wrong turns: 0 today; 2 total
Kangaroo/”Roos”/Skippy count: 0 this leg; ~204 total!!!
Skippy roadside warning signs: 3 this leg, 107 total
Koala count: 0 this leg; 34 total
One Way bridges: 0 today; 19 total
Speeding Tickets: 0 today; 1 total
Hotels: Lakes Hotel in Adelaide; just ok, neighbors from hell, paper thin walls, nice view
Esplanade in Freemantle: nice, old renovated hotel, nice pillows))))
Food: room service at The Lakes, nothing special; pizza at Esplanade, just ok
LIG!!!! Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
Freemantle Harbor
Our first viewing of the Indian Ocean
The story of the Batavia sinking
Recovered hull of the sunken Batavia…..look at those massive timbers……built in the early 1600’s!!
A cannon on board……now that was huge!!
The trade routes
High Street in Freemantle….really liked the architecture!
The Prison
Esplanade Hotel where we stayed for 1 night
Little Creatures brewery
Our tasting
Just love their logo!!!
