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Archive for November, 2004

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Heading Up The West Coast

Monday, November 29th, 2004

When last I wrote, I was just getting off the Indian Pacific train in Perth, preparing to head up the west coast with Grant and Bec, a couple from Victoria, Australia. This was something of a change to my plans.

Western Australia is big. Really big. At 2.5 million square kilometres, its bigger than Canada’s largest province (Quebec) by over 65%. The vast majority of this bigness lies to the north of the capital of Perth. Not only is the northern part of the state big, it’s also empty, with 1.3 million of the state’s 1.8 million inhabitants living in Perth and most of the rest of them to the south of it.

Because of this, I’d decided that I’d have to limit my travel in WA to the southern part of the state. Some of the most interesting parts lie north of Perth, but the distances are just so vast and the points of interest so far apart (and often off of the main roads) that there’s no easy way to visit them as an independent traveller. Tours are expensive, as are rental cars (and my experience in SA made me wary of them anyway.) Buses are a possibility, but schedules, and the remote nature of many attractions make using them problematic.

With all of this in mind, Grant and Bec’s offer of a spot in their car while they spent a week driving up the coast as they moved to the mining town of Port Hedland was nothing short of miraculous. Not only were they offering me a “free tour” of the west coast, they were inviting a guest along on the first real holiday they’d ever had together. Hooray once again for the kindness of strangers!

With just a bit of rearranging the contents of their car, we soon had my pack and walking stick stowed and were ready to hit the road.
[read on]

Westward Ho! South Australia and The Indian Pacific

Saturday, November 27th, 2004

Well… It’s been ages since I last wrote, and much has happened, most notably my having moved from the east coast to the west.

The journey to Western Australia started with the overnight train trip from Melbourne to Adelaide. I’d planned on spending a few days in South Australia on the way out west, and especially given its status as a transportation hub, Adelaide made a natural base.
[read on]

Chillin’ Out in Melbourne

Saturday, November 13th, 2004
I woke up (very) early on the Spirit of Tasmania, headed for Melbourne and decided to go for a wander to look for some form of entertainment. Lo and behold, I found an international rugby match (Australia vs. Scotland) ... [Continue reading this entry]

Recipes

Wednesday, November 10th, 2004
As regular readers will know, I make a point of trying to cook a dinner for anyone who has me stay in their home for more than a day or two. The two menus I've prepared so far are ... [Continue reading this entry]

Tasmania Part 2: The Overland Track

Monday, November 8th, 2004
The Overland Track is probably the best known multi-day bushwalk (as the Australians refer to hiking/trekking/tramping) in the country. It winds its way over 78.5km across Tasmania's central plateau, through Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park. This park ... [Continue reading this entry]