Monday, April 24, 2006
Perth - Day 5 - Busselton to Margaret River to Pemberton
5 Apr, Day 5 - Busselton to Margaret River to Pemberton
The day began with a good breakfast of eggs and sausages with tomato relish (courtesy of Chris bought from Margaret River Chocolate Company in West Swan on Day 2). The tomato relish was yum yum, so I decided we should get one jar when we visit them at Margaret River that day. We were again greeted by ducks in the morning. A whole group of them. Perhaps they were looking for food...
After breakfast, we checked out and moved on to Busselton Jetty. We actually planned to bring the kids on the train ride along the jetty out into Geographe Bay, but it was too bad that the train was out for maintenance. That meant that we got to walk that 1.8km to end of the jetty for the underwater observatory visit.
It was a good walk. Matthew enjoyed it too, watching birds fly by, people fishing along the jetty. The long walk was rewarded with breathless views of the sea at the end of the jetty! Surprisingly this bay is pretty shallow at 8 metres deep and the waves are quite gentle. Tidal changes vary within 1 metre.
Watch a video
Fish in action
Did you see? So many live action! Real fish swimming in the ocean and we did not get wet. No need for scuba diving or snorkelling!
Then we had to walk back to shore. Another 1.8km walk. Both Matthew and Megan were rocked to sleep by the "klock klock" motion of moving the stroller over the timber planks.
We actually wanted to make our way to Margaret River since the kids were sleeping. However Matthew woke up when we stopped at the petrol kisok to pump up. We ended up eating MacDonald's for lunch and fed the kids there. There was a playground and the kids had some fun there too.
1 hour drive later, we reached Margaret River Chocolate Company. Matthew had real fun here, toddling around and even wanted to "crawl" under a bench to touch a dog. He also chased after some wild birds. He also picked up some twigs and dry leaves from the grass and tasted them!! Hahaha..
Watch some videos
Chasing birds
Dog under the table
Next stop, Voyager Estate as recommended by our friend Kok Weng. We were greeted by a massive estate! The grounds were huge! The gardens were so beautiful and they had the rose in my favourite colour... eerrr, I dunno what's the name of the colour, it's a variation of red...
Matthew and Megan had so much thrill running around the gardens. Megan even got herself a pretty Jie Jie (sister). They even have their photo taken together.
Watch another video
Toddling Toddler
Margaret River to Pemberton was almost 2-hour drive away. Matthew took a nap, so did Megan. When we reached Pemberton, the sun had set (about 7:15pm) and it was all dark. We were also late for kids' dinner. We settled ourself down to eat at Gloucester Motel. Yum yum. Food was good, but Matthew refused to take his dinner. He ended up eating chicken and vege from my plate.
We then made our way to our lodging at Pump Hill Cottages. We booked Wattle Cottage. As it was dark, we searched every cottage that did not have lights on. Finally found it. The owners were kind and left all the lights on, so that we could find our way. We had to make our own fire and that was kind of fun.... More on our farmstay in Day 6.
The day began with a good breakfast of eggs and sausages with tomato relish (courtesy of Chris bought from Margaret River Chocolate Company in West Swan on Day 2). The tomato relish was yum yum, so I decided we should get one jar when we visit them at Margaret River that day. We were again greeted by ducks in the morning. A whole group of them. Perhaps they were looking for food...
After breakfast, we checked out and moved on to Busselton Jetty. We actually planned to bring the kids on the train ride along the jetty out into Geographe Bay, but it was too bad that the train was out for maintenance. That meant that we got to walk that 1.8km to end of the jetty for the underwater observatory visit.
It was a good walk. Matthew enjoyed it too, watching birds fly by, people fishing along the jetty. The long walk was rewarded with breathless views of the sea at the end of the jetty! Surprisingly this bay is pretty shallow at 8 metres deep and the waves are quite gentle. Tidal changes vary within 1 metre.Watch a videoFish in action
Did you see? So many live action! Real fish swimming in the ocean and we did not get wet. No need for scuba diving or snorkelling!
Then we had to walk back to shore. Another 1.8km walk. Both Matthew and Megan were rocked to sleep by the "klock klock" motion of moving the stroller over the timber planks.
We actually wanted to make our way to Margaret River since the kids were sleeping. However Matthew woke up when we stopped at the petrol kisok to pump up. We ended up eating MacDonald's for lunch and fed the kids there. There was a playground and the kids had some fun there too.1 hour drive later, we reached Margaret River Chocolate Company. Matthew had real fun here, toddling around and even wanted to "crawl" under a bench to touch a dog. He also chased after some wild birds. He also picked up some twigs and dry leaves from the grass and tasted them!! Hahaha..
Watch some videos
Chasing birds
Dog under the table
Next stop, Voyager Estate as recommended by our friend Kok Weng. We were greeted by a massive estate! The grounds were huge! The gardens were so beautiful and they had the rose in my favourite colour... eerrr, I dunno what's the name of the colour, it's a variation of red...Matthew and Megan had so much thrill running around the gardens. Megan even got herself a pretty Jie Jie (sister). They even have their photo taken together.
Watch another video
Toddling Toddler
Margaret River to Pemberton was almost 2-hour drive away. Matthew took a nap, so did Megan. When we reached Pemberton, the sun had set (about 7:15pm) and it was all dark. We were also late for kids' dinner. We settled ourself down to eat at Gloucester Motel. Yum yum. Food was good, but Matthew refused to take his dinner. He ended up eating chicken and vege from my plate. We then made our way to our lodging at Pump Hill Cottages. We booked Wattle Cottage. As it was dark, we searched every cottage that did not have lights on. Finally found it. The owners were kind and left all the lights on, so that we could find our way. We had to make our own fire and that was kind of fun.... More on our farmstay in Day 6.
Labels: Perth 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Perth - Day 4 - Perth to Mandurah to Bunbury to Busselton
4 Apr, Day 4 - Perth to Mandurah to Bunbury to Busselton
We were all packed and ready to move base to Busselton. We had those pop-into-toaster waffles for breakfast. Matthew had bread and waffles too. After breakfast, we set off for Mandurah, 74km to the south of Perth, our first stop en route to the South West. After an hour and half drive, we reached Mandurah. Of course, the kids were glad to get out of the car for a run!
Megan had fun chasing after the sea gulls, so did Matthew. He held on to my hand and made me run with him to chase after them (not that he knew how to run). well, watch the video and u know what i meant. You would notice that there was this noisy sound in the background; that was the motorised sweeper moving around sweeping the area.
Watch a video
Chasing seagulls
It was near the kids' lunch time, so we settled to have a light lunch at The Merchant Tea and Coffee Co. The kids must be hungry as they finished their lunch very fast. After Mike brought Matthew for a walk and they came back with Matthew sleeping. Well, Megan also fell asleep in her stroller after a walk.
While the kids slept in the car, the two mommies popped by Woolsworth Supermarket to get some grocery. When we were back, the kids were awake! So we made our way to our next stop, Bunbury, almost two-hour-drive away.
To be honest, I can't remember what happened on this stretch of road trip, whether Matthew went back to sleep (I think Megan did) or he cried along the way. I think he did nap when we were near our stop at Bunbury, The Dolphin Discovery Centre.
About this Dolphin Discovery Centre, this was what we read "Watch from the beach or wade into the water with the dolphins should they swim into the shallows of the 'Interaction Zone'. Dolphin visits are at no set time as these animals are wild, however interaction occurs mainly in the morning." Well, we did not get to see any dolphins, but the water was calm with gentle waves and Matthew and I had fun chasing and catching the waves...
Watch a video
Chasing and catching waves
Fun fun fun and it was back to the car for another ride to our final destination Busselton. We got lost finding our accommodation for the night, Geographe Bayview Resort, because we missed out a 5 in the address. It should read as "555". We lost one 5. Imagine 555 and 55, that was a big big distance away. Haha.. we all laughed about it in the end.
We finally found the resort and got the key to our unit. Not bad, quite cosy. We had a surprise welcome too... from the ducks! Three ducks waddled their way to our door and Matthew was amused by them! Tien Huat had brought Megan out for a walk and missed seeing them at our door.
After settling down, we made our way to Equinox, a restaurant next to Busselton Jetty for dinner. Expensive, but definitely worth it. Their tomato soup was fantastic! Matthew had some too, really yummy!
Matthew was so tired that day that he did not even wait for me to finish bathing to have his milk. Haha... Both Mike and I also fell asleep next to him.
We were all packed and ready to move base to Busselton. We had those pop-into-toaster waffles for breakfast. Matthew had bread and waffles too. After breakfast, we set off for Mandurah, 74km to the south of Perth, our first stop en route to the South West. After an hour and half drive, we reached Mandurah. Of course, the kids were glad to get out of the car for a run!
Megan had fun chasing after the sea gulls, so did Matthew. He held on to my hand and made me run with him to chase after them (not that he knew how to run). well, watch the video and u know what i meant. You would notice that there was this noisy sound in the background; that was the motorised sweeper moving around sweeping the area.
Watch a video
Chasing seagulls
It was near the kids' lunch time, so we settled to have a light lunch at The Merchant Tea and Coffee Co. The kids must be hungry as they finished their lunch very fast. After Mike brought Matthew for a walk and they came back with Matthew sleeping. Well, Megan also fell asleep in her stroller after a walk.
While the kids slept in the car, the two mommies popped by Woolsworth Supermarket to get some grocery. When we were back, the kids were awake! So we made our way to our next stop, Bunbury, almost two-hour-drive away.To be honest, I can't remember what happened on this stretch of road trip, whether Matthew went back to sleep (I think Megan did) or he cried along the way. I think he did nap when we were near our stop at Bunbury, The Dolphin Discovery Centre.
About this Dolphin Discovery Centre, this was what we read "Watch from the beach or wade into the water with the dolphins should they swim into the shallows of the 'Interaction Zone'. Dolphin visits are at no set time as these animals are wild, however interaction occurs mainly in the morning." Well, we did not get to see any dolphins, but the water was calm with gentle waves and Matthew and I had fun chasing and catching the waves...
Watch a video
Chasing and catching waves
Fun fun fun and it was back to the car for another ride to our final destination Busselton. We got lost finding our accommodation for the night, Geographe Bayview Resort, because we missed out a 5 in the address. It should read as "555". We lost one 5. Imagine 555 and 55, that was a big big distance away. Haha.. we all laughed about it in the end.
We finally found the resort and got the key to our unit. Not bad, quite cosy. We had a surprise welcome too... from the ducks! Three ducks waddled their way to our door and Matthew was amused by them! Tien Huat had brought Megan out for a walk and missed seeing them at our door.
After settling down, we made our way to Equinox, a restaurant next to Busselton Jetty for dinner. Expensive, but definitely worth it. Their tomato soup was fantastic! Matthew had some too, really yummy!Matthew was so tired that day that he did not even wait for me to finish bathing to have his milk. Haha... Both Mike and I also fell asleep next to him.
Labels: Perth 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Perth - Day 3 - Caversham & AQWA
3 Apr, Day 3 - Caversham and AQWA
Another bright and sunny day. Day 3 was an encounter with the wild, both land and sea creatures. We headed off to West Swan. We made a stop at the famous Margaret River Chocolate Company for morning tea. We had latte and white chocolate cake. Pure Indulgence. Yum Yum!!! The kids had fun tumbling around the green area in front of the verandah. Matthew had his first taste of chocolate. mm.. many firsts on this trip.
The Whiteman Caversham Wildlife Park was our next stop and it was truly a wild wild encounter. The park showcased all the animals you would be able to find in Australia. Animals were grouped according to the different states and we finally had a chance to see the Tasmanian Devil!
Up close personal encounter with the kangaroos, we even fed them directly from our palms. Matthew was amused, amazed and even wanted to try roo food!!! He was also daring enough to pat and stroke the kangaroo. Then there were the white kangaroos. This silly mommy was so engrossed by the unusual kangaroos that she forgot to take some photos. And also the white peacock.
The weather was so good that Matthew insisted that we took off the long sleeve T-shirt he was wearing. ok but the only thing was that the white long sleeve T-shirt was worn beneath the Next T-shirt he was wearing. He was topless for that one minute we took off his shirt!! No photos to show the topless Matthew looking at the kangaroos. Then he wanted to sit in the stroller with his shoes off! Aiyo, I tell you, all the crankiness from not having a good morning nap.. After lunch and after much rocking, Matthew finally went down for a nap in the sarong carrier. We didn't even dare to put him down in the stroller or car seat, just to make sure that he had a good nap and he did!
Matthew woke up to the beautiful Hillarys Harbour, where AQWA the aquarium of western australia is located. The 20-minute-drive was rewarding as at the end of it, the ocean presented itself to us as we came to the top of a hill before reaching the suburb of Hillarys. Before visiting AQWA, we went to Spinnakers at the north side of the harbour for a late lunch. The restaurant was located right at the end of the harbour, next to the water! What excellent view! Food was good too.
This is one of my fav photos of Matthew. Enjoying the view, the sailboats, the water, the sky and the sea gulls. He was happy, wasn't he?
We drove to the south side of the harbour to AQWA. I thought I would be totally overwhelmed by the aquarium (as I still could remember our unforgettable trip to Sydney Aquarium two years ago), I was disappointed. It's actually quite similar to our Underwater World in Sentosa, except that the focus was more on the marine / aquatic life in Australia. There were outdoor holding tanks, featuring seals and stingray and a touch pool. Some colourful marine life caught Matthew's attention. More encounters with the wild. The seal was attracted to Matthew (partly because we were the last ones left at the exhibit) and the touch pool where Matthew touched a starfish!!!
Watch a video
Matthew's encounter with a seal
Another bright and sunny day. Day 3 was an encounter with the wild, both land and sea creatures. We headed off to West Swan. We made a stop at the famous Margaret River Chocolate Company for morning tea. We had latte and white chocolate cake. Pure Indulgence. Yum Yum!!! The kids had fun tumbling around the green area in front of the verandah. Matthew had his first taste of chocolate. mm.. many firsts on this trip.
The Whiteman Caversham Wildlife Park was our next stop and it was truly a wild wild encounter. The park showcased all the animals you would be able to find in Australia. Animals were grouped according to the different states and we finally had a chance to see the Tasmanian Devil!
Up close personal encounter with the kangaroos, we even fed them directly from our palms. Matthew was amused, amazed and even wanted to try roo food!!! He was also daring enough to pat and stroke the kangaroo. Then there were the white kangaroos. This silly mommy was so engrossed by the unusual kangaroos that she forgot to take some photos. And also the white peacock.
The weather was so good that Matthew insisted that we took off the long sleeve T-shirt he was wearing. ok but the only thing was that the white long sleeve T-shirt was worn beneath the Next T-shirt he was wearing. He was topless for that one minute we took off his shirt!! No photos to show the topless Matthew looking at the kangaroos. Then he wanted to sit in the stroller with his shoes off! Aiyo, I tell you, all the crankiness from not having a good morning nap.. After lunch and after much rocking, Matthew finally went down for a nap in the sarong carrier. We didn't even dare to put him down in the stroller or car seat, just to make sure that he had a good nap and he did!Matthew woke up to the beautiful Hillarys Harbour, where AQWA the aquarium of western australia is located. The 20-minute-drive was rewarding as at the end of it, the ocean presented itself to us as we came to the top of a hill before reaching the suburb of Hillarys. Before visiting AQWA, we went to Spinnakers at the north side of the harbour for a late lunch. The restaurant was located right at the end of the harbour, next to the water! What excellent view! Food was good too.
This is one of my fav photos of Matthew. Enjoying the view, the sailboats, the water, the sky and the sea gulls. He was happy, wasn't he?We drove to the south side of the harbour to AQWA. I thought I would be totally overwhelmed by the aquarium (as I still could remember our unforgettable trip to Sydney Aquarium two years ago), I was disappointed. It's actually quite similar to our Underwater World in Sentosa, except that the focus was more on the marine / aquatic life in Australia. There were outdoor holding tanks, featuring seals and stingray and a touch pool. Some colourful marine life caught Matthew's attention. More encounters with the wild. The seal was attracted to Matthew (partly because we were the last ones left at the exhibit) and the touch pool where Matthew touched a starfish!!!
Watch a videoMatthew's encounter with a seal
Labels: Perth 2006
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Perth - Day 2 - Cottesloe
Labels: Perth 2006
Perth - Day 2 - Cottesloe & Freo
2 Apr, Day 2 - Cottesloe and Fremantle
Day 2 started off bright and sunny. We made our way to Cottesloe Beach. We were greeted by the blue sky and the deep blue Indian Ocean. What a sight! Beautiful! The adults were totally mesmerised by the magnificent scenery. The kids were frightened off by the roaring waves!
A walk on the sand, we moved along on a grassy strip and made our way to the famous Indiana Tea House. They were closed and would only open for lunch. That was so disappointing. However we found another cosy cafe opposite and had a hearty breakfast! After breakfast, I brought Matthew to an open area next to the Indiana Tea House and Matthew touched a dog for the first time! I cannot remember what breed it was, but Matthew was totally amused by the fact that he could touch a dog.
After brunch, we made our way to Fremantle or affectionately known as Freo by the locals, 20minutes drive away. First stop - E-sheds. Really nothing much here, only tourist stuff. We wasted time here, with nothing much to do.
Second stop - An open field opposite the grand Esplanade Hotel. Both Matthew and Megan had lots of fun here, chasing birds, "running" up and down a slope. The slope was pretty steep. Megan did not realise it and "dashed" down the slope and a little fall on the grass at the bottom. Thereafter she cautiously went down the slope, taking careful steps.
Third stop - Fremantle markets. Here's a good place to go. We bought lots of vegetable for the kids' porridge and even managed to buy some baby snapper fillets. Lots of stuff to see and buy, but we only spent 1hr there. Matthew slept in the sarong carrier and had a good nap.
Fourth stop - Il Gelato. Matthew had his first taste of icy cold gelato and he loved it! Hestiated at first by the cold and strange sensation in his mouth.
Fifth stop - The famous Cicerello's for fish and chips with a view of the boats in the harbour. As I was typing this post, Mike mentioned that Matthew must have loved this place very much. The expression and excitement he had on his face showed it all. The setting sun, the breeze, the boats, the water. We really don't know what he was so excited about, but he was very very happy!
A note to add, Matthew had so much fun tumbling, falling on the grass, squat to stand, stand to squat, toddling around. He gained so much confidence walking that for the rest of the trip, he was toddling instead of crawling!
Day 2 started off bright and sunny. We made our way to Cottesloe Beach. We were greeted by the blue sky and the deep blue Indian Ocean. What a sight! Beautiful! The adults were totally mesmerised by the magnificent scenery. The kids were frightened off by the roaring waves!
A walk on the sand, we moved along on a grassy strip and made our way to the famous Indiana Tea House. They were closed and would only open for lunch. That was so disappointing. However we found another cosy cafe opposite and had a hearty breakfast! After breakfast, I brought Matthew to an open area next to the Indiana Tea House and Matthew touched a dog for the first time! I cannot remember what breed it was, but Matthew was totally amused by the fact that he could touch a dog.
After brunch, we made our way to Fremantle or affectionately known as Freo by the locals, 20minutes drive away. First stop - E-sheds. Really nothing much here, only tourist stuff. We wasted time here, with nothing much to do. Second stop - An open field opposite the grand Esplanade Hotel. Both Matthew and Megan had lots of fun here, chasing birds, "running" up and down a slope. The slope was pretty steep. Megan did not realise it and "dashed" down the slope and a little fall on the grass at the bottom. Thereafter she cautiously went down the slope, taking careful steps.
Third stop - Fremantle markets. Here's a good place to go. We bought lots of vegetable for the kids' porridge and even managed to buy some baby snapper fillets. Lots of stuff to see and buy, but we only spent 1hr there. Matthew slept in the sarong carrier and had a good nap.
Fourth stop - Il Gelato. Matthew had his first taste of icy cold gelato and he loved it! Hestiated at first by the cold and strange sensation in his mouth.
Fifth stop - The famous Cicerello's for fish and chips with a view of the boats in the harbour. As I was typing this post, Mike mentioned that Matthew must have loved this place very much. The expression and excitement he had on his face showed it all. The setting sun, the breeze, the boats, the water. We really don't know what he was so excited about, but he was very very happy!
A note to add, Matthew had so much fun tumbling, falling on the grass, squat to stand, stand to squat, toddling around. He gained so much confidence walking that for the rest of the trip, he was toddling instead of crawling!Labels: Perth 2006
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Perth - Day 1 - The flight
1 Apr, Day 1 - Singapore to Perth
We flew SQ223 at 9:35am to Perth, reaching our destination almost 3pm. Matthew missed his morning nap or rather he refused to sleep, so he was rather cranky on most parts of the flight. Despite being sleepy, he fought his urge to sleep and ended up crying quite a while. Finally, after his lunch, I managed to find a quiet spot (near the toilet) and rocked him to sleep. Here's a photo of Matthew sleeping in the almost too small bassinet.
The take-off of the flight was good, but the landing was the WORST we have ever experienced and Matthew got a shock and ended up crying again!
We cleared customs without much trouble, though we brought along 1 pack of rice, lots of baby biscuits and sachets of milk powder. After we left the restricted area, the first thing the kids wanted to do was to go outdoors! The weather was brilliant despite the wind that was blowing. Most of our time at the airport were spent waiting for Avis to get our car ready and us trying to fix the car seats.
We stayed at Mont Clare Apartments at East Perth and we must say that the accommodation was pretty good. It was 2-bedroom-2-bathroom self contained apartment. But it was a little far from the central Perth area, approximate 7 streets away. We ended up eating Chinese takeaway from a little outlet nearby for dinner. Well, lousy and expensive, but enough to fill our hungry tummies.
Stay tune for Day 2 of our beautiful Oz trip!
We flew SQ223 at 9:35am to Perth, reaching our destination almost 3pm. Matthew missed his morning nap or rather he refused to sleep, so he was rather cranky on most parts of the flight. Despite being sleepy, he fought his urge to sleep and ended up crying quite a while. Finally, after his lunch, I managed to find a quiet spot (near the toilet) and rocked him to sleep. Here's a photo of Matthew sleeping in the almost too small bassinet.
The take-off of the flight was good, but the landing was the WORST we have ever experienced and Matthew got a shock and ended up crying again!We cleared customs without much trouble, though we brought along 1 pack of rice, lots of baby biscuits and sachets of milk powder. After we left the restricted area, the first thing the kids wanted to do was to go outdoors! The weather was brilliant despite the wind that was blowing. Most of our time at the airport were spent waiting for Avis to get our car ready and us trying to fix the car seats.
We stayed at Mont Clare Apartments at East Perth and we must say that the accommodation was pretty good. It was 2-bedroom-2-bathroom self contained apartment. But it was a little far from the central Perth area, approximate 7 streets away. We ended up eating Chinese takeaway from a little outlet nearby for dinner. Well, lousy and expensive, but enough to fill our hungry tummies.
Stay tune for Day 2 of our beautiful Oz trip!
Labels: Perth 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
We are back
Yuppie. We are back. It was fun, of course not without some downs. We were there from 1 to 9 April. I'll be updating soon with lots and lots of photos.. come back soon!
Labels: Perth 2006
