Queensland Turtles
With the Great Barrier Reef just offshore the Queensland coastline is home to many marine creatures. Turtles are one of the most commonly seen and you don’t even need to get wet to see them. The beaches at the southern end of the reef, between Bundaberg and 1770, are popular breeding grounds for various species of turtles, including Loggerhead, Flatback and Green Turtles. The largest turtle rookery in the South Pacific is at Mon Repos Conservation Park, which is 14 kilometres from Bundaberg. Between November and February each year adult female turtles come ashore after dark to dig nests, lay their eggs and cover them before heading back to sea.…
Top 10 Things to do in Broome
Broome is a quirky little outback town on the Dampier Peninsular along the dramatic Kimberley coast of north-west Australia. It is a beautiful pearling centre with a complicated and unique history. Before visiting Broome I knew very little about the town and what to expect of the place, other than it being somewhere Western Australians visit during their winters and rave about. It didn’t take long before I fell for Broome too. Willie Creek Pearl Farm The Willie Creek Pearl Farm lies at the northern end of Cable Beach, 35km north of Broome and offers a fascinating insight into modern pearl farming, as well as explaining how pearls are cultivated.…
5 Places to visit in Western Australia
Someone mentioned to me today that they had heard Western Australia referred to as ‘Perth and desert,’ which made me want to highlight all the amazing parts of WA that perhaps the world is less aware of. Western Australia is the largest of the Australian states and covers over a third of the Australian continent’s footprint. WA boasts a north, west and a south coast and is bordered by the Indian Ocean and the Great Southern Ocean. Yes, there is also a lot of desert, but also some of the most spectacular natural scenery you will ever see. Here are what I consider to be the top five places to…
The Aussie Way – Part 4
Whale watching in Western Australia
Every so often life shows you something wonderful. Happening upon a whale and calf playing lazily in surf just off a local beach is one of those things. The coastline in south west Australia is spectacular and although the water is often cold enough that you are not tempted to swim, the sunshine keeps you warm whilst exploring and there is always something to photograph. Having driven 120 kilometres east out of Esperance to Thomas River, no sooner had we stepped onto the squeaky white sand, we spotted a whale and calf playing in the bay. To the western end of the beach is a gentle sloping rocky outcrop that…
Wave Rock
Hyden is one of the many towns littered across Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region and makes a great stop on the drive between Perth and Esperance. The rock and its surroundings are yet another fantastic example of all Australia can offer of the great outdoors. The drive from Esperance to Perth is long. It takes nine hours driving and longer if you stop for lunch. We like a roadtrip and the few different routes between Perth and Esperance seem to offer little difference by way of the time the drive takes, so we vary it and last time drove via Hyden. Hyden is a small town of about 300 people 350…
Australian wildlife parks
Australia has some fantastic animals to boast about, as well as some of the weirdest critters and deadliest species around. A visit downunder is not complete without meeting some of the locals. Of course, ideally visitors would see these animals in the wild. Spend enough time in Australia and you will probably see a lot of the wildlife in its natural surroundings, including the less appealing ones. The cunning Aussies are aware that visitors don’t travel all the way here in the hopes of seeing these animals, they want to definitely see them, so wildlife parks have sprung up across the country. Most Australian wildlife parks can be relied upon…
The Aussie Way – Part 3
The longer I spend downunder the more I notice. I feel I have graduated a level in understanding Australian ways recently, as I have noticed more of the subtler differences in everyday life. Have you always wanted to be a fireman? Australia likes to think of itself as a land of opportunity and in the volunteering field it most certainly is. There is a vast array of activities carried out by volunteer teams, such as fire and rescue services, marine rescue, community event management and environmental activities are just a few. Compared to the UK where fewer organisations are operated by volunteers it gives people the opportunity to commit to…
Spend time in Fremantle Prison
Australia’s convict history is well known but did you also know that capital punishment was still in effect in Western Australia as recently as 1984? On a recent trip to Perth I thought I would investigate with a trip to Fremantle Prison. As first impressions go, Fremantle Prison does not disappoint. The striking gatehouse and perimeter walls, despite being built of what turned out to be rapidly deteriorating limestone (oops), give an impressively solid appearance. Those convicts who thought the journey from Britain was harsh had another thing coming. When they arrived in the blistering heat of the Swan River Colony (now Perth) in 1850 the first thing the prisoners…
When do expats become locals?
A stranger stopped me in the supermarket yesterday and asked me “Are you a local?” I am English and currently living in Australia in a town where it is generally believed that you must stay at least ten years before you are considered a local. Having been here just under a year I wasn’t confident that ‘yes’ was the correct response. Remembering that I was in the supermarket that I visit weekly to restock the fridge though, I hazarded a ‘yes’. “Oh great,” he said “Can you tell me where they hide the bacon?” Of course I could, so to that extent at least, I am a local here. But…
