Yallingup to the end

Well the past month and a bit has flown by! We have been staying in Yallingup for that long now and it feels a bit like where did it go? We got out and saw a bit of the area right away. We rented a Hobiecat and had fun out in the bay. We have gone to many beaches in the area and Tom and I got a chance for another 3hr hike along a portion of the cape to cape track. Nathan was keen to not miss out so we took him on a small hike on the trails the next day. The weather has gotten steadily hotter and hiking is now not part of the agenda.



We have explored the surrounding areas. Margaret River is known for the 100 + vineyards and the tourist area around here.  Bussleton is a larger town to the north that is known for a 2 km long jetty that was just reopened with a big party that we went to. It was a family occasion with sandcastle building, treasure hunting, a magician and a puppeteer that were good for Nathan. We went a bit further north to Bunbury also to Tessa’s parents who lent us some bikes and had us for a nice lunch.



 

Nathan the supervisor in training



We have mostly liked staying close to home and going to the beach nearby. Nathan has been entertained by counting the stairs every time we head down there. We are ½ block to the stairs, 106 stairs and ½ block to the main beach. At the beach, Nathan is usually the supervisor telling Dad where to dig for a pool at the tide line.  Nathan gets in when it comes to the complicated bits like tunnels and bridges. The kookaburra comes everyday if not more than once.

We haven’t seem much new for animals out here. A few reptiles is all, I think. We found a bobtail lizard in the garage one day and it turned into a tough job to get it out. Later we learned it is a good sign to have a lizard, as it means there aren’t any snakes. Well it shouldn’t be living inside anyway, but I hope it stuck around the yard. We saw some black lizards called black skinks and a baby brown snake, or Dugite as they call them in WA. There have to be a lot of snakes in this country, but that is one animal I prefer to not see.

I have been going to a pilates class in Dunsborough and have been trying to get a bit of running and yoga going again also. It is too hot now for running. We are in a heat wave and the news says this is the hottest summer in 30 years. We can sure find the extremes in this country. I prefer to be too hot like this than to be cool.

Max Maxwell drove out here for a visit from his time in Tassy and Adelaide. It was great to have him here. A face from home is a breath of fresh air. Nathan was excited to have someone new to hang out with too. He raced Max at everything, to get ready, to get down the stairs, to get in the truck etc.  He even got Max colouring. We toured around the area a bit more with him for a couple of weeks, shared many great meals and drank a few beers along the way.

We headed down to the south coast for a few days. First night we stayed in Pemberton and ate at the Pemberton Hotel! Not the same as our Pemberton hotel, but similar. This is an old logging town with big Karri trees. They are a eucalypt tree and really beautiful. We stayed at a great place with cabins on a farm. Nathan got to feed the animals in the morning with the owner and the sheep and goats were right out front of our place. We headed down to Denmark to the Valley of the Giants and went on a beautiful tree top walk. An actual walkway in trees, I think it was 100+’. These trees are also a eucalypt but are called Tingle trees. There was a lot of beautiful coastline, bays and rocks and such along to Denmark and Albany. We were gone for 4 days with that loop and are now enjoying the last few days in Yallingup.

We are starting to pack up or bring all our stuff together anyways as we are leaving in a few days. No not home to the snow yet. We have booked an excursion to Bali for a quick trip. I am excited to get a taste of Asia and see a new area that we weren’t planning on. I am looking forward to Bali being so different, but sad to say goodbye to Yallingup. I am starting to get homesick now and miss our friends more all the time. And Sushi Sen!

Cheers,

Lana