Now that Dave and I are finally settled into our apartment we have re-established ourselves as tourists. Life at Jundee has been pretty quiet and we're now quite comfortable in our positions here. It's wildflower season (spring) and the most beautiful flowers are blooming. The local wildlife is starting to appear and it won't be long before the snakes and lizards start appearing. Unfortunately, it's starting to heat up during the day and it won't be long before a 45 degree day is normal.
(Clockwise from Top Left: Sea Lions basking, a friendly Quokka, Dave with our sweet ride "The Puke Cruiser", and Henrietta Reef)
We have been keeping ourselves busy in Perth, getting to know the neighbourhoods and hanging out with our new friends. This past week we (specifically, me) finally worked up the courage to go for a dive. Everybody knows that I have an outlandish fear of Great White Sharks even in fresh water. After visiting the aquarium, I learned that scientists had tagged several sharks and found their migrational routes went right by Perth for all of them. So I was not too excited for diving, but as most divers will tell you, all that goes away once you are down there.
It was a particularly windy, turbulent and cold day even for winter/spring, but Dave and I toughed the boat ride out to Rottnest Island (directly west of Perth). However, the ride out ended with me curled up around a metal post on the floor of the boat a pale shade. After a couple of hours resting on Rottnest with a cup of coffee we were ready for a dive. There were mutiple swim throughs and a good variety of colourful fish. Now that we're more comfortable in the cooler waters, we're set to take on better sites nearby.
(Barry on the Land Bridge with Stef and I safe up top, one of the "Blow Holes" where pressure forces water through an unnoticeable crevice)
(Barry's skink, Dave and I posing at Salmon Beach).
(Having a beer and picnic at the beach, 70% of Albany's power is wind generated!)
(Having a beer and picnic at the beach, 70% of Albany's power is wind generated!)
On the weekend, we headed down to Albany with a couple of Canadian friends, Stef and Barry. Albany is on the southwest coast of Western Australia and well-known for whales, rock formations and giant Tingle trees. You can drive a small car through some trees, but there aren't many of those trees left. It was a lot of driving, but a roadtrip with good friends is never dull. Even Trivial Pursuit can get out of hand!
(Dave and Stef nervously walking among the tree tops, inside a Red Tingle tree, Barry for scale on a tree knob).
(Dave and Stef nervously walking among the tree tops, inside a Red Tingle tree, Barry for scale on a tree knob).
