Yesterday morning we got up late and took our time over breakfast. We filled our tank with water on our way out of the camping area. A young woman asked me if the van was difficult to drive. She had been looking at a Sunseeker van for extended travel and been talked out of it by the salesperson as being too small for what she had in mind. I assured her that I find the van quite easy to drive, but I am used to driving vans (usually the Toyota vans for transporting wheelchairs). As I look around our space this morning, it’s clear that for longer trips this van is ideal. We have some washing on the small drying rack in the living area and can still move around and reach everything we need.

Stephen asked about the feeling in the town about the mine. She said that on the whole people were positive though there were complaints about dust and noise, of course. However the mining company does a lot for the town in terms of funding public works, which goes a long way towards reconciling locals. And there are the jobs.

Our first stop after leaving the campsite was to visit a minesite viewing platform on the edge of town. There is a path leading upwards and a roofed and fenced viewing area to an unused section of the mine.

We couldn’t resist this photo opportunity!

Our next stop was in Bridgetown where we followed the signs to caravan parking and found not only shade, but power. We plugged in and switched the fridge to AC whilst we went and had morning tea (coffee, chai latte and a huge savoury muffin – shared). We then went to the local IGA and bought what we needed and some extras as well, it is such a lovely shop.

As we got down the road towards Manjimup I noticed a car and caravan behind us and was wondering if it was Marie and Geoff. We stopped in Manjimup, after following Geoff around to a suitable parking spot. It turned out to have the dump point, very handy.

They followed us down the lesser road which leads directly to Northcliffe. On the way we felt a couple of thumps on the van, the second one particularly loud. When I checked later there is a hole down at the bottom of the passenger side panel next to the car door. It must have been a very strong impact to have done it. Thank goodness it is on the edge and probably doesn’t need repairing. Maybe just one of my famous duct tape patches.

After meeting up and having something to eat in the town we went our separate ways, us to Sid’s Camp and they to the caravan park. Glenn is with us and needs a cabin of his own and Sid’s camp is a BYO accommodation place. We are paying about $14 less per night for a site with power and water. The best shower/toilet bathroom is a very short walk away from our site and we took advantage by having late afternoon showers.

I did some handwashing. There is a laundromat in town, but as it involves waiting around for washing to be done it seemed simpler to do a few things by hand. We haven’t linked up the water hose and have been refilling our 5 litre water bottle as needed for washing, drinking, etc.

The road into the camp is a badly corrugated gravel road and we had to take it very slowly. We are staying here two nights and plan to spend the last night at the caravan park.

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The benches of Greenbushes are adorned with wise sayings. The toilet wall art from the Greenbushes Pool camp was also quite lovely.

Yesterday morning we walked into the town from our campsite. It was a bit less than two kilometres, going slightly uphill most of the way. I saw a couple of kangaroos, speeding away from me in the distance. It was a coolish day, but we covered up against the sun anyway with long sleeves and jeans.

The first stop was the Discovery Centre, basically a propaganda exercise on the mine and forrestry in the area. There is farming as well, but that wasn’t part of the disply. It was very well done, with an introductory video about the town (not too long), a mine ‘experience’ of being underground, with buttons to push for different interpretive stuff.

There was a diarama of the local bush and wildlife. The actual bush is much more beautiful I have to say. Then a section on the forestry, including the technology. They have introduced two species of trees for harvesting, the pinus radiartis (pine trees) from California and Tasmanian Blue Gum.

After breezing through I went to the cafe for a cup of tea and Stephen spent another hour on the exhibits. This is normal, of course. There was a $5.00 entry fee, which we were happy to pay.

We came home for lunch and spent the afternoon sitting outside the van as it was fairly warm and we are parked in full sun for most of the day. This is excellent for the solar. There was a breeze all day and it was very pleasant. Around 6.00 p.m. we went for another walk.

Both evenings here have been disappointing in terms of sunsets as there is no cloud to pick up the evening light. However, we are still in love with this location and hope to return.

The little town has many old wooden houses and a church. Apparently there is a Catholic Church and a Uniting Church, but we only saw the Anglican Church.

Today we plan to go to the viewing point for the mine, head to Bridgetown to get cash and some fruit, then nead down to Northcliffe. We will be able to fill the van with water before we leave here, but will have to wait until later in the day to empty the toilet.

All taken between about 6.15 to 6.30 a.m. I took a walk down the boardwalk to the pool, camera in hand.

We slept well last night and it was mostly quiet, apart from a little noise from the lithium mine. There was quite a lot of light in the sky from the minesite as well.

 

Our first stop was at Baldivis for a coffee. Although we had been on the road for less than an hour you need to factor in that we had spent a couple of hours after breakfast packing up and loading the van.

Our next stop was our usual one at the John Tognela rest area where we had lunch and a half hour nap. We like this place for the pine scented trees and flushing toilets. One caravan was set up for camping.

Our next stop, very brief, was at Dardanup for our favourite German Rye sourdough Bread.

Then on to Greenbushes for an overnight stop. Last time we stayed at the sports ground, but this time we thought we would try the Greenbushes Pool. This is spring fed and apparently safe for swimming. For a while after we arrived we had the sound of kids playing in the water, but it is getting quieter.

Here we have flushing toilets, a BBQ area, and a playground. A notice to Grey Nomads advised us of exciting activities in the town, including singing, crafts, computer skills and woodworking. It would be possible to walk into town from here. It’s so lovely that we are thinking of staying for a second night. If we need water we can get it at the sports ground. We followed the little walk trail around the pool, which has signposts at various points.

Our camping spot is up a short gravel road where we overlook the pool. There is a lot of birdlife. It’s cool this evening and we are wearing long sleeves, jeans and socks as we sit outside.

Today we went to Roleystone to pick up the Winnie. She’s sitting at the bottom of the driveway on the front verge waiting to be packed up for leaving. We have one important job to do – to refill at least one of the gas bottles. Otherwise, it’s just packing our clothes, swimming gear, gadgets and food. I have lists for each section.

At Roleystone the Winnie is under a good shade tree for most of the day, with enough full sun to keep the solar system working. It probably stays cool. Going out a few minutes ago (about 6.00 p.m.) it was about 35 degrees inside. All the hatches are open, the fan has been on, sucking hot air out, and the two little windows in the C are open as well. We do the best we can.

 

Yesterday we enjoyed having our last quiet day before the building recommences. About 6.00 p.m. we went to explore more along the Swan River to a place we saw on our last walk. We don’t know what the island is called, but it is near the new development Ascot Waters, opposite the Ascot Racecourse. As it was evening, the photos are rather grainy, but still, we were excited to be able to cross the bridge from Ascot Waters to a park like island.

We were surprised to find that the centre of the island is cleared into an open field. The bush part is just around the edges. Rather than being a problem, this gives a wonderful sense of a large space for walking. There are city glimpses, but most of the view is of the field, the surrounding bush and the sky. We had clouds last night which made for more interesting photography experience.

Local residents can see birdlife from their homes. These swans swam towards us, suggesting that people are feeding them, hopefully with food that is suitable for swans, not bread.

These magpies refused to talk whilst I was filming. They did not appear to be disturbed about me coming close to take photos.

We got home late and had toast from our home made bread with salad and scrambled eggs. Day one of 2019 sorted!

 

Yesterday we went to Fremantle for lunch and a movie. We walked through the markets, but found it very crowded and felt we wanted to be outside as it was a particularly nice day – sunny, slightly warm, with the sea breeze. We ate lunch at the foodhall, sitting outside and observing what was happening.

We went to see the movie VICE, which was a very interesting story told in a slightly self mocking way (the movie mocking itself). It was quite challenging to make sense of and we had a coffee at a small bar as we nutted it through. Worth seeing again, perhaps. Cheney was not played as a monster, indeed he was prepared to make sacrifices for his family.

Afterwards we were heading home and even got on the train, but changed our minds and decided to walk over to the E-shed for a snack. Whilst there, we heard a singer/musician doing a very good job on Bob Dylan music. We wandered out to the Maritime Museum, which was shut, of course as it was after 5.00 p.m. We asked directions and were able to get to the little Fremantle Beach.

Then home by train and bus, feeling we had had a very good day out. Over 10,000 steps for once, but we didn’t find the walking tiring, probably because we have been going for regular walks lately.

We went for a walk along the Rivervale foreshore a couple of nights ago. I wasn’t that happy with the photos from that outing, but we enjoyed walking along a path and seeing all the development from the river side of Great Eastern Highway. There are new picnic areas and lookouts with signs. We imagined how nice it would be to have an apartment overlooking the river.

 

Marie and Geoff were staying two doors down in Pinjar Road before leaving this morning at about 9.30 a.m. Glenn’s cabin is nearby. Very handy.

Yesterday we went to the Dome cafe at Port Coogee for lunch and dinner. Geoff and Stephen walked back from lunch, into the wind, though they said it was sheltered part of the way. Glenn had been out for the day on buses and although the main bus doesn’t run on Sundays he worked out a way of getting back to the caravan park on his own. Geoff dropped him off at a bus stop in the morning.

We felt we had to go out to dinner at the Dome because Glenn missed out at lunch time. We were rewarded with more tasty food and a beautiful sunset. It was cloudy and windy most of the day, but the sun came through enough to give beautiful colours.

We’ve had a very restful mini break and feel ready to tackle the world again. This is definitely a good option when we want a short time away from daily life. It was easy to get bookings this time, though I read in this blog that we couldn’t get bookings either here or at Woodman Point one other time, and ended up going to Burns Beach. Burns Beach has the advantage of ocean views from the caravan area, but there is no shade. Shade is preferable and we only have a very short walk to the beach here. Plus, it is a short bus ride into Fremantle, there is good shopping at Port Coogee, and we have a choice of cafes during the day and the Dome for evenings.

Today is quite cool and partly cloudy with a medium sort of breeze.