WA does not mean “Washington”
It stands for Western Australia, an enormous state in Australia, where we had grossly inadequate time to explore. We spent our time in Perth and the SW section of the state, but wish we could have spent time really exploring the state; driving north up to Monkey Mia, or explore the Kimberly (one of the last great frontiers on earth), or visit the Bungle Bungles, or drive the longest straight highway in the world on the Nullarbor Plain (and visit some of the great mines of the world).
Perth was refreshing after baking in the Outback and reminded us of San Diego, or even Seattle (with good weather). it’s a very outdoorsy city with lots of parks and bike trails along the Swan River stretching all the way to Fremantle. We spent some time exploring the parks and biking. We then rented a car and headed south to the Margaret River area for some wine tasting. The region is renowned for premium wines and we quickly found out why.
We’ve had a lot of really forgettable, inexpensive Aussie wines. Margaret River reminded me just how amazing a full bodied Shiraz or Cab-Merlot blend can be. Just about everything we tasted was excellent, including a few Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blends that changed my mind about this combo. We visited these wineries: Cape Montelle, Leeuwin Estate, and Voyager. And the best part? All the tastings are free! Take that, Napa.
On our way back from MR, we decided to take a detour to Cape Leeuwin lighthouse, which is the most South and West point in Australia. It’s also the place where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet. Along the way, we stopped at a beach called Prevelly Park to dip our toes in the Indian Ocean and stumbled on a surfing competition. The huge 4m waves were breaking perfectly, and the local guys seems to be winning against the Tassies and Queenslanders.
Back in Perth, we spent a day on Rottnest Island off the coast. We hired bikes and rode around the island stopping at different beaches for lunch and views. When we first arrived there was a big sign with “Do not feed the Quokkas. Danger, venomous snakes.” It soon made sense as we saw a “baby” Dugite, which is a poisonous snake, sunning himself along the road. We didn’t have to look far to find one of the native marsupials on the island called a Quokka. They are related to kangaroos and wallabies, but are about the size of a cat. Here are a few snaps from WA:
halftime
December 5th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Lovely! And here we are, trying to figure out where we stashed the gloves and scarfs at the end of last winter season. Plus, I’m asking Santa for one of those ski hats that cover everything on your face but the eyes. Sounds like you’re having an incredible experience. Thanks for keeping us updated!
December 6th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Also, aren’t Quokkas ROUSes?
December 19th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don’t think they exist.