Roadtrip to Margaret River - part 2

22 November

As the weather was pretty cold and wet (yes in Australia, who would've thought it?!) we decided to take a day trip further south.  We took a drive past Redgate beach then onto Hamelin Bay and Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.  The wind was blowing a gale so we opted to head back to Augusta which is a little further inland and less breezy.  Luckily for us, the sun decided to come out just as we arrived in Augusta.  This town was pretty bare so there wasn't much to see or do.  The only place recommended to us was the viewpoint which wasn't worth the 10 min drive.  It was at this point that we decided to head back up to Margaret River.  We pulled into 'The Berry Farm' to try some of their produce.  The conserves were beautiful but their wine tasted more like port.  Still, that's what this whole region is all about; eating good food and drinking good wine.  We ended up staying at Previlly again as the campsite in town was a total rip-off!

23 November

Today was my mums birthday.  So strange not being there and the thing with camping is that I struggled to charge my phone meaning that I couldn't speak to her :(  

In the morning we popped by the local farmers market.  I loved it.  It reminded me of being back in France with stalls selling cheese, wine, bread and fruits.  I bought some cheese and non-alcoholic drink which uses Shriaz and SBS grapes.  Perfect for a hot day!  We then drove to a winery called Vasse Felix which was recommended by Marcus.  It was heaven!  The wines were rich and incredible and the grounds were just as stunning.  I even bought a couple of bottles as gifts for Marcus and Bri and one bottle for Christmas Eve.  

That afternoon, we went to Gracetown beach.  As we approached the car park, I pointed out how quiet the car park was considering it was a hot sunny day.  Regardless, we headed down to the beach and spotted a wedding party who were waiting for the arrival of the bridge - n'aww.  We walked further down and demoted our stuff.  Gaetan and his mum even popped into the sea for a swim.  It wasn't until the ranger came over to us that we realised there was a reason as to why the beach was so deserted.  He explained that there had been a fatality that morning as a result of a shark attack.  Frightening stuff considering they'd been in the the same stretch of water only hours later.  It's so easy to forget how dangerous this country can be! 

In the evening, the gang headed down to Injuidup Beach and I sat in the pub.  That's the problem with being fair skinned, you feel the heat a lot faster than most.  Still, there's worse places to be than the pub!  We opted to stay in the caravan park next the the pub (convenient) and ate by the barbie.  A typical Aussie evening!

24 November

Today was our last day in Margaret River.  We've worked our way from north to south and back up again finishing off at Sugarloaf Rock then Busselton where we found a Sunday market.  Unfortunately, it was a little too windy to walk along the pier front so we headed for home.

All in all Margaret River is an incredible place and one which I'd gladly visit again and again....

Margaret River Roadtrip- Part 1

21 November 2013

Since arriving in WA, countless people have told me that I must go and visit Margaret River.  So when I was offered to crash a trip with Gaetan and his family, I jumped at the chance.  The drive down took just over 3 hours but provided some spectacular views.  The town of Margaret River reminded me a little bit of Betws y Coed.  It's a fairly small town with most things focused around the Main Street.  

In the afternoon, we headed to see the Mammouth Cave, which is one of the most famous caves in WA as it's covered in stalagmites and stalagtites.  We then took a drive to Conto Beach which was stunning.  The water was tranquille and devine.  It's at times like these that I think, could life get any better?

We managed to find a great spot in Prevally, where we set up the tent, ate dinner, drank great wine and watched the sunset.

Meeting my first Koala

20 November

With only a few weeks to go before I head off to Sydney, I finally organised a trip to Caversham Wildlife Park.  Much to Stormy's surprise, I had planned to take public transport which consisted of 2 buses and 2 trains totalling approx 2 hours worth of travelling!  Ugh...  Thankfully, one of my lovely friends, Gayton, took me in the car as he was taking his mum.

The wildlife park was quite big and is situated in a larger park similar to Richmond Park in London.  I managed to see all the animals I was expecting: a cockatoo, wallabies, kangaroo and I even got to touch a Koala.  What irritated me the most were the vast number of flies that were around.  I had to take the photo below 3 times as I had them all over my face!  This being said, for me, this certainly is one of my highlights of WA.

Another trip to see the Glory and Bri's Birthday!

16 November

Today was Ellie's 18th birthday.  Crazy how time flies huh?  

As we are all meeting up for Bri's birthday, I decided that today would be the best time to take Sasha shopping for new clothes.  Although I didn't have a budget! I did have a time constraint as we were off to watch Perth Glory again.  The difference being this time they had William Gallas playing.  A French superstar!  They drew...again but that's better than nothing.

In the evening, we went to Clancy's for pre-drinks followed by Mai Tai for dinner.  It was nice to get the whole gang together again especially for Brian.  Just as we sat down for dinner, Auntie Shelly returned my Skype call.  Although I was happy to see them, I also found it hard being away.

Beerfest weekend!

8 November

As It was Marcus' 'free' weekend meaning no kids, we decided to pop to the local pub "just for one".  Well, everyone knows that as soon as you say that, it's bound to get messy and that's exactly what happened.  We started at my favourite bar, Bad Apples followed by the newly re-opened Clancy's and then Pepper wine bar.  To say, I felt rough in the morning would be an understatement.

9 November

Going out the night before, seemed a good idea at the time.  I woke up with a stinking headache but after a trip to Hungry Jacks for a frozen coke, I returned to form.  Becca and I arrived on the site just before 12.  The beer fest was being held in Fremantle on the esplanade by James, Toby's friend from home.  James had bought all his staff over to help out seeing as it's the first time they'd held such an event in WA.  Becca worked in the ticket booth and I worked with Gage Roads who were a local brewery.  At first, I arrived to a bare tent.  No signage, nothing.  Considering everyone else had huge banners, I felt ours looked pretty poor. 

It was definitely much busier than I thought it would be.  I spent most of the day working with Cam who is the Marketing Manager for Gage Roads.  It was crazy, I met so many British people which in a sense was lovely as I could've easily been home.  

10 November

It's day 2 of Beerfest and a scorcher!  37C- wowzer!  Still, after a good nights sleep I was raring to go. Worked with Cam and Jade.  Considering I had very little help yesterday, Jade was a very welcome addition to the team.  

Most of the bands over the weekend were pretty good.  The headliners were The Beards who sang songs about...beards!  In their honour, all the Tazzy boys grew their own.

As the festival drew to a close, the team sat back and reflected on what an awesome weekend it had been.  Becca and I were so lucky to have met such a lovely group of people.  We even made nicknames for each other:

Me: short red (obvious really)

Becca: hat girl (as Matt kept buying her hats all weekend)

Matt: walkie talkie guy (as he carried one all weekend)

James: Big Boss (organiser)

Andrew: The Warrior (given to him by some drunk guy in Freo as an insult)

Stu: Power Ranger (as at times, he moved so fast, I thought he was going to fly)

Jordi- Awesome dude (given to her by Matt)

Mathias- no name

My first Aussie Barbie

2 November

Marcus reminds me so much of my Uncle Steve in many ways.  Today was as so exception as we paid a trip to the garden centre.  You could see that he was in his element.  Jai and I on the other hand used the trolley as a lorry to navigate our way around.  It was huge!

In the afternoon, we headed over to Marcus' friends house for dinner.  It was lovely and they made me feel really welcome.  This was my first Aussie BBQ and one I will remember.  

In the evening, I went over to Georgia's friends house for drinks.  Everyone was there, including the frenchies so it was a perfect opportunity to practice my French.  I even made some other friends too- perhaps I'll be in double figures by the time I leave!

5 November

Since being in Oz, I've found it difficult to find a job.  This is not for want of trying, I can assure you that!    Still, the odd day here and there is coming in handy.  Today is Melbourne Cup Day similar to the Grand National, but the Aussies take it seriously.  Most companies allow staff to go to the event or one similar or watch the main race.  I was asked to help out at a real estate agency in Subiaco as their boss had paid for them all to go the 'The Garden' to watch the race.  As I popped our for lunch, I had a call from a relo in Sydney.  Instead of the usual 'your visa isn't a 457' nonsense that I usually get, the lady seemed quite positive.  She even said she was quite optimistic that if it worked out, she could tailor a job for me meaning that I'd get sponsorship.  It does sound a little too good to be true but I'm remaining positive about it all.    

No Guts, no Glory- my first Australian football match

27 October

It has now become a Sunday ritual that we all get up early (well...I get up early as everyone gets up at about 6am here every day) towa tch Sasha's Futsal match.  For those of you that don't know, futsal Isa Brazilian version of our beloved game but much faster.  The games are shorter, there are no throw-ins (except the goalkeeper)and if the ball goes out and is not put back into play within 4 seconds then it is given to the other team.  As most people know, I like sport anyway but I now love my futsal Sundays,especially when Sasha's team wins 13-0.  Awesome!

In the afternoon, the whole team went to watch Perth Glory play at their new stadium.  The sun was beating down and it was a pleasant 30C.  At half-time, our lot were asked to go on the pitch to carry the large shirt. A pretty special moment considering this is now aired to 20 other countries around the world.  What's even better is that they won, 1-0! Starting the season as they mean to go on, I hope!   As the final whistle was blown, the players wandered around the pitch to thank the fans for their support.  Some of them spent over an hour taking photos with the kids and signing shirts.  Something you wouldn't see in the EPL.  Here's my picture of the day with Daniel De Silva.  This boy will go far so watch out for him: