Tuesday 20th Jan

Continuing the catch-up...

Tues 6th Jan
We decided to try the coast again, Great Ocean Road being one of the world's greatest coast roads (not just the Southern Hemisphere's) so took another route down through the Otways and stopped at the Treetop Walk - a steel walkway taking you (gradually, not scarily) to the tops of the gum trees and finally (via an abseil if you like) along a magnificent fern gully. A gorgeous day, the scent of the gums all around - we were really pleased we'd stopped. As we got towards the coast though a nasty mean breezy sea mist came in and covered everything...we anyway went to see the Twelve Apostles, the famous sea stacks, but were dismayed to find that where we'd previously just wandered about on the clifftops and actually onto one of the stacks, there was now a huge visitor centre, restricting where you can go, and hundreds of foreign tourists (we didn't count ourselves, these were tue foreigners.) The Apostles were as magificent as ever, but we moved on quickly, tried a couple more of the famous landmarks and found the same -and now it was raining too- so decided where we REALLY wanted to be was the mountains, so completed the zigzag of the last couple of days by heading back up to Grampians again. Before we left the coast though we did make sure we stopped at the old London Bridge, that used to be a double-arched stack and in 1982 we walked to the end...but in 1990 the arch nearest the cliffs totally collapsed, leaving 2 astonished people standing on the other half, out at sea. (They're not there now though.)
(Deb and Rob - if you're reading all this and worying about your trip there next month - don't be dismayed, by that time all the schools will be back and it'll be like Dawlish in winter, only with bigger scenery and better weather - it's all so spectacular , you'll love it.)
A couple of hours' drive took us back to the Grampians, approaching from Dunkeld in the south this time, and we drove the length of the main ridge in the evening sunshine, and at one point running parallel with a 'roo as it bounded alongthe roadside for about a minute. It was quite breathtaking - these are truly amazing mountains. Our motel in Halls Gap looked up to the peaks on either side, and a mob of kangaroos grazed just acrooss the field from us. (The next evening, we watched a bloke very slowly scooping up all the roo poo from the motel lawn, it tool him a leisurely hour and a half - only to find that there was as much as ever the next morning.) A posh meal that night in the Best western next door - starting with bush tucker nibbles (roo, emu, yabbies and scallops). And a stroll through the little town afterwards as kookaburras squabbled in the trees around.

Wednesday 7th Jan
We headed off to conquer a mountain - Mount Rosea, one of the high peaks, a 12 km walk. The lower slopes were covered in regenerating trees (big fire here a few years ago) and some startlingly beautiful wildflowers, then once we reached the open hillside it was scrambling over huge boulders for over an hour, following a tricky little trail which took us forther up the slopes as all the peaks of the Grampians came into view. Just as we stopped for lunch a few hundred metres from the top, the sunshine disappeared...and so did the peaks...yes! it was exactly like climbing a Scottish mountain, as we stood on the summit the fog swirled in and obscured everything. Oh well. By the time we'd reached the forest again on the descent it was brilliant sun and blue sky again. It was a fabulous walk though, ending in another pretty little fern gully, where violets were blooming, strangely out of season.
We drove to another area of the range to a landmark called the Balconies - 2 great shelves of rock, one above the other, thrusting out over a deep valley. Geoff had fancied walking out to the edge and was dismayed to find they were sealed off - but we got a good SAFE view of them and of sunset over the great bowl fromed by the high peaks. We think it's about the area of Snowdonia - and in all our 6-hour walk earlier we saw no-one until we were within 5 minutes of the end.

Thurs 8th Jan
We were completely captivated by the Grampians, but needed to be in Adelaide, 500k away, by 6pm as I'd told the CWA we would arrive at the accommodation at that time. So sadly we had to leave, driving through to the end of the range and out onto the huge plains towards Adelaide. A hot sunny day but with a ferocious wind blowing which made it feel chilly, very bizarre. We stopped off at Mount Arapiles, known as the Ayers Rock of Victoria - an enormous pebble famous for its rock climbs. The view from the top was perplexing to English eyes - flat as far as we could see; farmland covered in a thin layer of tinder-dry dry grass. It's hard to see how stock can find any food. Below us were dry salt-lakes, it all felt quite alien. Further north we drove across the Little Desert, seeing a goanna and a pair of wedge-tailed eagles just before we got there. It is indeed little, at least the section crossed by the road is only 24k, but fascinating changes of habitat every few k. We stopped for a short walk at a picnic spot...following slithery trails through the sand, though we never found their makers.
From there it was several hours' drive through the flat dry farmland until we began to climb from Tailem Bend into the equally dry hills near Adelaide . Lovely country, we wished we had time to stop at Hahndorf which is a German-originated winegrowing area. But chasing that 6pm deadline we hurtled on through the hills, climbing all the time until we began the descent into the town. When we did this drive 26 years ago it was a terrifying rollercoaster plunge down to the city. The spoilsports have now cut a new road into the hill so that you can no longer see the city panorama - but it's still pretty terrifying. And we rolled gently into our night's accommodation...at exactly 6pm!
The CWA is the equivalent of the WI in the UK and NZ (Country Women's Association) and my mum has been a member for 25 years. They own accommodation in most of the state capitals(not sure about Perth) which are open to everybody - very reasonably priced, and the Adelaide one is almost a stately home, in a superb location looking out onto the city's green centre - highly recommended for B&B.
We weren't there for long before Paul came to pick us up. Paul is an internet friend of Lindsay P., they have never met but nevertheless Paul had offered to look after us while we were in Adelaide, and drove across town from his home near the airport to fetch us for a meal. And he and Vanessa entertained us royally (though we never did see the possums, Lindsay). Good food, good company and good conversation - we learnt so much about the city and the country, especially about Paul's job working with the Aborigines in a vast area of the country. A really good evening.

Friday 9th Jan
Paul had offered to meet us in town and show us some of the sights, so we walked across the parks of the green centre and through the Botanical Gardens to meet him on North Terrace. Botanics in Australia are free parks like any other, and are used by people for jogging, strolling, playing games as well as looking at plants - they are really vibrant places. This one has some very fine displays - especially the lotus blossom pond which took our breath away.
Paul took us into the Art Gallery, where we saw more of the HeidlebergSchool artists - we couldn't have had a better guide as he was trained in the Visual Arts and so helped us to understand their history and techniques. We saw some interesting modern artists as well, and some stunning Aboriginal art, which we're beginning to understand. We moved on to the Museum of South Australia and again were glad Paul was there so that he could interpret the displays in the Aboriginal Galleries.
We carried on to the Adelaide Oval (a very attractive ground, much like Edgbaston used to be 30 years ago) and went to the excellent little Don Bradman museum. Lots about the Worcester ground there - Bradman kept getting double centuries there apparently. We walked back to the CWA, right across the centre of town, in only 45 minutes or so - that's how small Adelaide is, but perfectly formed of course.
After a meal in a restaurant with Paul and Vanessa, they continued to be tour guides, taking us to see the sunset over the town from the hills. Unforgettable, and unmissable if you ever go there. We also toured the different facets of Adelaide - the millionaires' area, the imposing public buildings near the Oval, and the Soho-like area - where we learned that Adelaide isn't always the sedate, refined place we'd always believed. In fact they claim the most murders in Australia (though Perth does too!), and we were advised not to wander the town after 10 pm - just like in Darwin, which we'd considered pretty well frontierland.
We sadly farewelled (yes, it is a verb in Aus) Paul and Vanessa; we'd become good friends in a very short time, and we can't thank them enough for their hospitality and kindness.

Saturday 1th Jan
Off at 9 am to the airport - driving through the middle of town it took 15 minutes! There we had a bit of a shock - the first hitch in our travel arrangements - we weren't booked on the plane. Well, we were, but no-one had paid for the seats. After a bewildering few minutes, it was very quickly sorted; Qantas were excellent, as in fact they had been throughout our time in Aus. We had to pay up front, but our travel company have refunded the money to us. We shot through security in a pretty confused state ...only to see Paul and Vanessa, who had not only come to see us off, but had been into town to pick up a bag of gifts which we'd left behind in a food centre the day before, and given up for lost. see what we mean about kindness?
An interesting 3hour flight to Perth. You cross an awful lot of sea, but also 2 South Australian peninsulas, and then the south of Western Austraia. All look pretty wild and empty. Our arrival in Perth was HOT, the hottest we'd encountered so far, and the drive into the city is on a sweeping scale. Perth appeared to be closed (it was Saturday afternoon), until we went right into the centre to find everyone in the malls, just like Merry Hill! A walk down to the seafront/riverside (the breeze called the Fremantle Doctor very strong though), and then we headed north to Wanneroo, a suburb about 45 min away (though a lot longer in the working week.) Here we'd been invited to stay with Mal Croughton, who emigrated from Kidderminster a couple of years ago after being involved with the Cricket Club. He and Colleen gave us a great welcome, they have a beautiful house with an amazing garden which they have created in a very short time, I was very jealous. Before we ate (juicy barbied T-bone steaks, great cooking Mal) they took us to a cemetery - unusual, yes, but this one is really a piece of native bush (there are great swathes of these right in the urban parts of Perth) where graves are marked by plaques - and where kangaroos come to feed in the evening. They are very used to people and you can stand within a few feet. A very tranquil place, we loved it. We also went to the coast, and paddled in the Indian Ocean for the first time. Then another evening of good conversation, we were feeling very comfortable by then.

Sun 11th Jan
Mal and Colleen gave us a sightseeing tour of the seaside areas. Perth is a mammoth place, and expanding at a great pace, but nowhere is far from the sea, and everyone makes the most of it. Some great beaches and marinas, tens of thousands of boats and beautiful stretches of sand. We worked our way southwards to Fremantle (which was still sending out the Doctor). What a gorgeous little town, it has been renovated in recent years and we really enjoyed looking round it, vowing to go back one day.... We especially liked the Shipwreck Gallery of the Maritime Museum; it's a fearful coast for shipping,and some of the stories of wrecks and how their histories have been pieced together are astonishing.

Mon 12th Jan
We just had to go and see the Pinnacles, in spite of the 250k drive, so we set off north and were out of Perth very quickly, into farmland and bush, with some impressive stud farms, one of which had the charming name of Timely Hostess Mews. Mal had suggested stopping at GinGin, and we were glad we did, it's the prettiest little town imaginable. Must go back, we thought... From there on it was a fascinating drive, changes of landscape and vegetation every few km. To the right there were low hills - Bill Bryson noted that if you head inland over them "with amazing swiftness you will find yourself in a murderous and confusing emptiness." So we didn't. We just looked over at the coast on our left instead.
It's not the real wildflower season, that was a few months ago, but we were bombarded by hundreds of different species, all of them strange, colourful and covetable. After a couple of hours we arrived at the tiny seaside town of Cervantes. We were treated to the sight of the Indian Ocean at its most dramatic, white sands (our feet loved it, craved for more) and the sea a startling pale green close to shore, darkening to deep indigo further out. And the Doctor still blowing - hard! We also saw an enormous moth (in the ladies' toilets in fact), probably 6 inches long - no idea what it was.
Next we followed signs to Lake Thetis - Stromaolites. If you're a Bill Bryson fan you'll know he was completely bowled over by the ones he saw at Sharks Bay. At the time they were only found in 3 locations in the world, that was the only one in Aus, but since then obviously more communities have realised what they've got, and another 5 have been found. They're rather like corals made up of algae-like micro-organisms, and are pretty well indescribable. But they thrive in Lake Thetis, which is a salt lake, and on the beach they form mini-volcano shapes, so it's like a miniature lunar landscape. Somehow you feel very happy just looking at them - as Bill Bryson found. Their geological history is venerable, I'm sure Geoff can explain it to you, but I just...liked looking at them. An unexpected bonus was some incredible birdlife, including a flock of black-winged stilts, looking as though they would topple over any minute.
We spent a long and happy time there, then zoomed off to find the Pinnacles. All this time storm clouds had been gathering, and we were convinced this would be a re-run of our last visit to a desert, in South Australia in 1982 - when we saw a lovely rainbow as the 5-year drought ended. But we didn't care when we got to the Pinnacles, they made us feel happier still. We drove around a winding, dipping sandy track and looked at...well, they can only be described as completely mad columns of rock, all sizes and shapes, thousands upon thousands of them surrounded by golden desert, and all mad. It was exhilarating, we were euphoric for a long time - until the gathering clouds whipped up a mini sandstorm and we drove off, seeing as we left the finishing touch of two kangaroos hopping out from behind a group of Pinnacles. We drove back to Perth feeling completely happy, even the few spots of rain the clouds yielded before rolling away seemed good fun.
I'll now hand over to Geoff to explain the stromatolites and the Pinnacles...at this point I should open up links to learned articles as a great deal has been written about both features but I don't know how to do that, so as a quick summing up: Jen has described stromatolites well but what makes these large stumpy bollards special is that fossil ones date from 2,700,000,000 million years ago and they represent the oldest record of a living organism on earth yet there are still growing examples today; the pinnacles are only a few 10's of thousands of years old and as they appear now only a few thousand. There are several theories as to their formation but essentially they are the remains of a layer of limestone rock. The pinnacles themselves are up to about 3/4 metres high and look like giant mis-shapen teeth. they are the harder, cemented, bits of the layer, the rock in-between (not being cemented) was much "crumblier" and was eroded away. The whole area is constantly changing as the wind shifts the desert sand. It is burying the pinnacles in the south, but but blowing away the crumbly rock to create more pinnacles in the north.