Perth

Hello Fam and Friends, we left you at Carnamah in the mid west wheat belt, with farmers expecting a bumper season of wheat, canola and lupins.

Prior to reaching Perth on July 21, we spent a day/overnight at New Norcia, a destination on our bucket list as we have been to Norcia, Umbria on our first trip to Italy many years ago.  On arrival we were quite stunned by the ecclesiastical buildings, both in number and size.  The monastery was first set up as a mission to educate young aboriginal boys. The excellent information centre and museum/art gallery were full of interesting history and artifects relating to the settlement, which has had a chequered life following settlement by two Spanish Benedictine monks in 1847.  There are now only 7 monks in residence, and the village relies almosy entirely on tourism.  I would highly recommend a visit, it can be a day trip from Perth central, approximately 126km and is a pretty drive.  There is no caravan park per say, rather a few powered sites with water at the back of the roadhouse, I'm not sure what future plans are.

There is an excellent museum reflecting the history of New Norcia and the art gallery has one of the largest collections of religious art in Australia.  A second European Gallery comprises excellent examples of Post Renaissance Italy and Spain artworks dating from the 16th century.  A most unexpected and delightful find.  

New Norcia Museum and Galleries

New Norcia

Travelling southwards to Perth, we arrived at Maida Vale to stay with my dear friend Jane's niece, Victoria and Ben Murphy and boys Sam & Josh.  They kindly offered some space for us to park the van up whilst we went into the city for four nights to stay in a hotel near the Kings Park.  Firstly the car needed a major service and the van a good tidyup, so once these chores were attended to we headed into the city.  It has been many years since Noel had been to Perth, and I have only been for a day or so not long after we met, some twenty years ago.  Much had changed, and we so enjoyed being able to walk everywhere and take in the sights.  There is a nice mix of old and new, the riverfront had been overhauled into a waterpark, promenade and outdoor area surrounded by some up market hotels.  There is considerable construction work going on in this waterfront area as well.

Our first day was a trip to Kings Park and the Botanic Gardens.  I cannot overstate the aesthetic value and beauty of this public space.  It is an enormous parcel of land, a little over 400 hectares, with quite a sheer drop to the Swan River, offering an elevated view overlooking the CBD and South Perth.  There are many iconic photos of the Park and has been on my bucketlist for many years.  

We were fortunate to arrive at the time a volunteer guide was taking a tour and it happened we were the only participants.  Our volunteer was a botanist and we thoroughly enjoyed our time discussing various horticultural subjects.  Noel did enjoy the walk and was very patient as I absorbed so much new knowledge in a subject so dear to me.

Qualup Bells (Pimelea physodes)

Silver Princess

Kangaroo Paw

Paper Daisy

This was just the tip of the WA native plant iceberg!  It was like being let loose in a lolly shop and not knowing where to start, but as you will see in later missives, there are thousands more to behold as the wildflower season erupted after wonderful winter rains.

We treated ourselves to two lovely restaurants in Perth.  Firstly, Guy Grossi's Garum located in the Westin Hotel, so very different to the Melbourne institution of Florentino.  A large modern wharehouse feel, good Italian food, some fabulous wines, but, regretably, I was disappointed with the service.  Our second restaurant was Fraser's at Kings Park, with a magnificent view over Perth city.  A more traditional establishment with excellent food, wine and service.  

Kings park drive

View from Fraser's

We had a lovely walk into the city and took a boat trip on the Swan River.  It was a great way to see the city and Dave our guide was informative and fun.  We followed the river past the Old Swan Brewery, South Perth and upstream to Optus Oval.  The footbridge to Optus is quite striking, representing two mating swans.

Optus footbridge

City skyline

We took a Sunday drive down to Fremantle and wandered the streets soaking up the sun and atmosphere and had a terrific lunch after making a choice from many on offer.  The city of Perth extends down the coast and east into the hills more than I had realised, so it was very interesting to tour around and gain a better understanding of life in the West - completely oblivious to the dangers of Covid!  If they do get an outbreak of Delta here, there are in for a big shock.

On Monday 26th we enjoyed coffee at the Optus Oval cafe with a colleague of Noel's from his Readymix/Holcim days.  It was lovely for him to catch up with Peter and Sue, who now live in East Perth.  They too have retired and live a full and busy life, so we had much to chat about.

Our city stay was over and we headed back to Maida Vale and our home on wheels.  The rest of the week was spent with Victoria's family and we felt so welcomed and 'at home'.  It was great to spend time with Sam and Josh, making me a little homesick to see our own grandchildren.  Ben and Victoria have a farm south of Perth at Benger, so we headed to the farm for a few days on our way to Busselton.  

Ben and Vic are well into developing their Speckle Park beef cattle stud and we were so incredibly interested in the project, the farm improvements and the stud process.  We felt so much like 'family' and therefore so proud of the work they have and will achieve into the future.  They have put themselves out there, and are well on their journey to reach their goals.

On buying the property they have restored the old homestead, built new shedding, miles of fencing, and the list goes on.

Murphy Family

Old homestead at Benger

Speckled Park heifer

It was great to be out of the van and back on a farm, despite freezing weather.  Noel was a happy boy with tractors, trucks and cattle.  I was in perfect time to prune the many roses in the garden, so I hope they a lovely for Victoria in summer. 

Our stay came to an end and on August 1 we headed further south to Busselton for a week in a unit on the beach we had organised through our timeshare.  My next check in is all the adventures from Busselton....

We are so blessed to be free of the terrible lockdowns you are all experiencing and can only watch and hope that you stay safe and well.

Love Nanna Maz & Poppy, Mum and Dad, Maz and Noel.