Claire and Linds

FINALLY WE HAVE ARRIVED IN THE WEST!

As we drove across the SA/WA border, we looked at each other and both thought, 'Oh my god, we're here, we've done it!!' We had left behind the east coast for a new start in a State, which sometimes might as well be in another country.

How many years have we been talking about moving? Ok, so we aren't going to settle down immediately. We do have a little side trip to complete first but essentially our goal when we first bought La Dolce Vita in 2005, was to pack up and leave Sydney for Perth, WA.

Three years on and we have arrived. It has been alot of fun re-tracing our steps in the south west, especially with more time on our hands. Oh and we also had a little event called a wedding, which made our time down south even more memorable! As we head north up the coast, following the warmer weather into unexplored territory (well for us anyway), our feedback on Australia's largest State are mixed. South , where the majority of the State's1.5million population resides, the landscape is wild, lush and stunning. As we head north however the places we are visiting are becoming more remote and we have lots more KM's to cover and the landscape is alot more barren. Our verdict on WA is still out, though to sum it up, every day we watch yet another spectacular sunset and have tomorrow to look forward to. We are having an AWESOME TIME!!

PHOTO SLIDESHOWS

Esperance - January 09 Just recently Esperance was voted 2nd best town in Australia by Australia Traveller Mag. We have to agree, we'd certainly recommend a visit. In summer Esperance is a windsurfing mecca and although we arrived late in the season, Linds had a few great days out on the water. We also re-visited Cape Le Grand National Park, which is the jewel in the crown, claming to have the whitest sand on any beach in Australia (scientifically proven - apparently!) Extensions to roads and cycleways, since '99, meant we also got to see much more of the region's amazing coastline. As for Esperance town itself, we were left wondering whether anyone cared about it? Click here to see the photos.	Denmark, Walpole & Pemberton - January, February & March 09 Where the forest and wilderness meets the ocean. Oh it is soooo much nicer visiting places when the weather is good. We fell in love with Denmark, spending almost 2 weeks here across Summer and Autumn. The number of 4WD tracks and secret surf spots near Walpole warrant a return visit, more suitably equipped. And as for those Karri, Marri, Jarrah and Tingle Trees. Their majestic presence make driving anywhere in this area quite awe inspiring. Click here to see the photos.
Margaret River & Dunsborough- February & March 09 WE WILL LIVE HERE ONE DAY!! A bold statement but if you don't have dreams to live for then what's the point....... We have always raved about Margaret River however until we booked our wedding in Dunsborough, we had always driven through the town,thinking it to be the poor cousin to MR. Not any more. We had wind and plenty of it, we got married and had a party; the surf cranked at the right time and we drank lots of good wine. And most importantly we got to do all of this with our family and friends. It was a very special time and we had a ball! Click here to see some photos. Tying the Knot - Dunsborough, Friday 13th March 09 The best party we have ever held and one we will never forget. Click here to visit the website.	Perth & Party Time - February & March 09 Basing ourselves in Fremantle, Perth's southern port suburb, we arrived in Perth with some serious celebrating to be done. First cab off the rank was a visit back to Sydney for Claire. As one of four bridesmaids, she ensured Nicole's Hen Party went off with a bang. This was then followed by some serious wedding preparation. For those of you that thought we had loads of time on our hands, think again. It wasn't until we arrived in Freo that we got our act into gear. 10 days of pure madness. It was then time to celebrate Nicole and Greg's wedding, which provided a useful lesson in the art of drinking in moderation. This was immediately backed up by the arrival of our families and UK wedding guests, which coincided with numerous birthday celebrations. And all this even before we returned down south, to begin in earnest 2 weeks of wedding celebrations. Perhaps also one of the reasons why we need such a long honeymoon to recover!!! Click here to see some photos
Mid West - April & May 09 We first travelled this stretch of coastline in 1999 so were interested to see what had changed since our last visit. At the Pinnacles there was a damn big Visitor Centre and huge car park, where once a dirt road had lead you to the ‘little desert by the sea’. Geraldton, previously a small seaside town, infamous for windsurfing, has become the bustling business centre of the Mid West and still looks to be expanding. On this visit however we enjoyed taking our time and looking at its few landmarks and of course making the most of the late season wind. And finally there was Kalbarri, which had become a special place for us on our first visit. A few new roads initially threw us but the warmer weather (it was July, cold and wet when we were last here) allowed us to really enjoy everything the national park, river country and beaches had to offer. Just in range of Perth for a long weekend. We will certainly be returning.	Shark Bay - May 09 Unchartered territory, our 2 day stay turned into 10 days, as we enjoyed what everyone comes here for – fishing!!! At our camp site we met a wonderful couple from Perth, with a boat. An essential factor in the fishing equation. We had a ball and caught so much fish, that we were eating it for a month afterwards!! The Dolphins at Monkey Mia were a bit of a disappointment. Not sure what we were expecting but when Dolphins were part of the local wild life in Kingscliff, seeing them up close didn’t seem so exciting but the Tiger Sharks that took our fish were! The only draw back to our visit here, is that we now want to buy a boat and there is so much 4WD exploration in this area, we want to come back on another long trip!
Coral Coast - Coral Bay and Exmouth - May & June 09 We’d heard so much about the Ningaloo Reef Marine Park and how it rivaled the Great Barrier, that this was certainly going to be a highlight of our trip. We haven’t been disappointed. Snorkeling with Whale Sharks, the Ocean's largest fish, has long been on Claire’s ‘Wish List’ – and it really was a David Attenborough moment. But also what's special about this stretch of coastline, is being able to snorkel straight off the beach and out to the reef and view all its marine life, in warm clear water, without any need of a boat. Cape Range National Park provided us with plenty of these opportunities and some wonderful camping spots too. We also tracked down some Black Footed Wallabies hiding in the rock faces of some stunning gorges.	Exmouth - July 09 We parked ourselves in Exmouth for 8 weeks, allowing Linds to rehabilitate after a nasty windsurfing accident and prepare himself for the local surf season to kick in. To bide our time we got jobs – shock, horror!!!! We are now both very proficient in making beds and cleaning holiday chalets, though we won’t be making career changes. It has however been a good experience living in a town of 2000 people; 250km from the main highway; living on a caravan park ; and frequenting a pub that runs out of beer on a Friday night!! Claire also volunteered for CARE, a not for profit that rescues and rehabilitates native wildlife so we got up close and personal with little Red and Euro Kangaroos.
Navy Pier Dive - Exmouth - July 09 Exmouth is a relatively new town in Oz, growing from the construction of a U.S.Communications Base in the 1960's, as they prepared themselves against the Cold War. As part of The Base, a pier for both U.S and Australian Navy vessels was constructed however since the use of The Pier has declined, it has instead become one of the Top 10 Dive Sites in the World. (Apparently!) Because fishing is banned off the Pier and boats are only allowed within 400m of the construction, fish life is abundant in and around the Pier Pylons. So Claire took the plunge and I have to say it certainly was a special experience. At times I felt like I was looking through the window of an aquarium. The photos don't do the Dives justice but will give you a flavour of what life down there is like!	Red Bluff, Quobba Station - July 09 & August 09 Back tracking 350km south of Exmouth, with much excitement and anticipation, we headed to Red Bluff, a notorious left handed barrelling desert surf break, 2hrs from the nearest town and 200km along dirt road - would La Dolce Vita make it??. We prepared for a 3 week stay, stocking up with food, booze, fuel (there is no electricity) and plenty of water - the ocean being the camp's only source. What more can I say than, we fell in love all over again, with The Bluff. What an amazing time we had. Linds surfed whenever there was a wave to be had, which was 80% of the time, when we arrived it was pumping. He got quite familiar with the Green Room (for none surfers that means he got barrelled, more than once). We met some fantastic 'crew', we drank and danced under the desert stars and if anyone thought camping was about two minute noodles night after night - then think again. After purchasing a camp oven, we cooked feast after feast, and bake off's and fresh fish became the norm! 3 weeks turned into 5 and The Bluff has certainly become our number one camp spot in Oz. The honeymoon continues.......
Karijini National Park - September 09 Karijini had ALOT to live up to. Much has been written about the second biggest National Park in WA and if all the feedback from other visitors was true, we were in for a treat. We have visited quite a few of Australia's National Parks but neither of us were really prepared for the spectacular scenery of Karijini. The hidden gorges, which look like small cracks in the earth as you drive up to them, provided some really memorable walks, bouldering and scrambling and the occasional wading through icy cold water, we couldn't get enough! Infact we could be found returning to gorges at 5am to get the best light for capturing the experience forever. You name it, we walked it. It really was a photographers dream and nightmare rolled in to one. But thank god the area was gazetted as a National Park in the 1960's, otherwise the mining magnets would have ruined it many many years ago, as the area is rich in Iron Ore. We will certainly return and would say this is an Aussie treasure not to be missed.	The Pilbara - August & September 09 The Pilbara is best known across Australia as being the country's prime producer of Iron Ore. Up until 12 months ago, this was the place to make some serious $$$, as WA enjoyed a resources boom. (Though to be honest, signs of recesssion haven't been too noticeable whilst travelling around this State, just go to the pub and buy a beer - how much?) So we decided to go and check out Rio Tinto's Iron Ore mine in Tom Price, where everything is HUGE! Infact Rio own the largest private rail network in the world, servicing 32 mines across the Pilbara - no wonder their trains are 2.5km in length, they have alot of ore to shift. Amongst all the mining sites Karijini National Park (see opposite) and WA's wild flowers brightened up the landscape and we also managed to catch up with our Kingscliff neighbours, Lyn and Paul and Kirra's mate Elgy. We have to admit, there was quite alot of discussion about whether any of us had found a place as great as Kingy?!
The Kimberley - (Broome, Derby, Windjana Gorge; Tunnel Creek NP; Bucaneer Archipelago; Fitzroy Crossing; Halls Creek; Bungle Bungles; El Questro & Kununurra - September 09 Supposedly the last frontier in Australia, The Kimberley has some of Australia's last untouched areas and is a must for all 4WD enthusiasts. We weren't going to be put off by this and there are other ways to see such wilderness (In some places aerial perspectives proved the way forward). And we have to say, if it had been cooler (temps reaching 39 degrees by the time we arrived in Kununurra and the endless quest for plunge pools), we would have given the entire length of the Gibb River Road a good go so instead we covered 150km either end!! There were a few surprised faces when we arrived at some destinations, which included water crossings, which we did both in the bus and on the bike and as peillion Claire walked a couple - never again - the croc factor became too much. The Kimberley's population is also 50% indigenous and this was our first real introduction to WA's indigenous culture and art, which we loved. We also met Herman Zapp and his family, who are travelling the world in a 1920's car and have been on the road 9 years - such an inspiration. Infact we met some really interesting characters in this part of the world and also visited some rather special places. We also became obsessed by Boab trees but their uniqueness along with everything else in the Kimberley, will certainly mean that we will be coming back to this amazing part of Oz sooner rather than later.. And next time we will be in a 4WD with AC!!!

Dolce Vita - a life of pleasure and luxury

West Australia - The Honeymoon State