Australia - Travels with Verne and Roy

Historical York, WA, 13-15 October 2020

A tale of two tiny towns; canola blossom prequel and a soapbox moment; Day Trippers, yeah! – York Motor Museum; Burnley House and Settlers Cottages – this and other cases of apostrophic abuse; where to eat, if you’re lucky

“You should spend a night or two exploring the olde-worlde historical Avon Valley,” son Carl had recommended – not once but several times. York had a great motor museum for his dad, and we should try to catch the spring wildflowers.

So, eventually, we did. I booked two nights’ mid-week accommodation at York’s Burnley House and Settlers Cottages through agoda.com. I’d fancied three nights, but Roy thought two would be enough. So now, not having seen everything there is to be seen, I have an excuse for us to go back there.

Vasse Felix Wine Estate, August 2020

Venerable Vasse Felix Wine Estate (founded in 1967 by Dr Tom Cullity) is the Margaret River region’s oldest winery, and one of its most elegant.

Margaret River Trio, 17-21 August 2020

Temper Temper chocolate factory; ginger, chilli and other addictions; equal-opportunity Eagle Bay: microbrewery plus vineyard; escapee lilies at large; Commonage Road Food & Wine Trail

*While at Temper Temper Fine Chocolate Factory, why not visit the Margaret River region?

(*With acknowledgement to the oft-quoted: “While at Raffles, why not visit Singapore?”, attributed – to the best of my knowledge – to that famous hotel’s equally famous guest Noel Coward.)

#1 Temper Temper Fine Chocolate

Top of my agenda for any trip to the Margaret River region, 200km south of Perth WA, is to visit the Holy Grail of chocolate, Temper Temper.

Restocking my supply of chilli dark chocolate at Temper Temper

Busselton Break, 17-21 August 2020

The WA History Channel: Moondyne Joe advancing Australia fair; Broome or Busso?; Jolly Jetty Tour; Review: Bayside Geographe Bay Resort

It’s now nearly months since Roy and I have been forcibly confined to Western Australia – without one of us even having nicked a loaf of bread or a side of ham. And we’re gradually getting to know a bit about this aspect of local history, courtesy of granddaughter Mia (10).

Tea for Two at The Green Tea House, Subiaco – July 2020

The tea-tabulous Tsutomo Iwasaki; flashback to Kagoshima 2009; of catechins, monks and samurais; a long story; An Innocent Man; Sam-san the barista-in-training

Tasting green tea at the tea-tasting-tabulous Green Tea House, Subiaco, Perth

One Wednesday afternoon in July, after a light bite of lunch at Cranked in the buzzy inner city suburb of Leederville, my new friend Debbie Uller drove me to the Green Tea House (www.greenteahouse.com.au). (Find it at Shop 17, 375 Hay Street in Subiaco; call +618 9388 7425).

Debbie at the Green Tea House – a suburban shopwindow hides a little corner of Tokyo

Margaret River Getaway 7-11 June – Part 1: Dunsborough

We’re all going to Dunsborough; magnificent market; three-quarters of the way there; review: Bayshore Beachside Resort; Gracetown and Cowtown; finger-lickin’ picnic spot

Having visited and stayed in the town of Margaret River several times now – check out these two blogs here and here, for example – I hankered to try somewhere different.

Good old Groupon directed me to the coastal town of Dunsborough. “I love Dunsborough!” exclaimed Carrie when I told her we’d booked a Monday-to-Friday stay at Bayshore Beachside Resort. It was a snip at $600 for four nights in villa “under the peppermint trees” with two bedrooms and a spa bath.

It’s around three hours’ drive south from home in Joondalup to Dunsborough – the red pin marks the spot – in WA’s Margaret River region

Love in the time of Covid-19, Part Two: Flattening the Curve, May 2020

Winter whinge; my loser husband; cycling for svelteness; surf ’n’ turf birthday barbie; hallelujah for Phase 3!

Though there’s still a fair amount of sunshine, the weather has drastically cooled here in WA. We set off on our often blustery morning bike-ride to Mullaloo in temperatures of 13°C or 14°C; it might rise to 20°C or so by lunchtime, and in the wee hours it can on occasion drop as low as 8°C.

Coastal cycling path from Burns Beach to Mullaloo

Love in the Time of Covid-19, March to April 2020

The Land Down Under; All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go; Goodbye Z4, Hello Volvo CX 40; Stayin’ Alive; The End of the World as We Know it; Blue Skies Through the Tears

Bursting with travel plans for the rest of 2020, Roy and I arrived in Perth WA on 21 February from South Africa. (For the record, we’d come via Paris, Roy’s niece Charlie’s London wedding, a couple of days with my sister Dale and her family in Kent, and then six nights in Singapore.)

Verne’s Visa Woes, December 2019

Triple visa challenge; one night in an Athens jail; Japie-friendly destinations and a wander down Memory Lane; a toast to travel in 2020

Arriving in my home town of Durban a couple of months ago was not the time to kick back and relax, as Roy sternly reminded me. I had to get cracking on the three visas I required for our 2020 travels: Australia, France and the UK.

Viking Sun Cruise: Sydney to Durban – Part 3

From Perth’s port of Fremantle, it’s eight straight days at sea to Mauritius. Roy had been looking forward tremendously to the many sea days on this cruise – around 15 in total – and he wasn’t disappointed.

What can one say about eight days at sea? On Day One, the prospect seems endless… endless in a good way, if you’re a hardy sailor such as Roy; but if like me you’re already popping the Kwells and calculating whether your stock is sufficient to last all the way to Durban, it may not be an unalloyed delight.

Here’s how the Indian Ocean should (but doesn’t always) look

That said, after a couple of days of wind, high swells and general queasiness, I’m happy to report that the sun came out and the Indian Ocean unruffled its feathers, settled down and suddenly turned the mesmerising shade of blue that it should be.