A brief taste of Perth.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 5
Monday, September 1

Uncle Jerry wasn’t able to get into work Monday morning due to full parking lots at the train station. (I wish I could use that excuse and get away with it.) Since he didn’t actually have to be at work until 3 or so for a meeting, however, it ended up working out really well for me: He offered to take me into Perth for the morning.

I was excited, because, after coming all this way, I was glad I was at least going to say I got a taste of Western Australia’s flag city. It was a rainy morning as we made the half-hour commute, a light mist still falling as we pulled off the motorway and into the city.

The first stop was King’s Park and Botanical Gardens (I seem to be hitting up a lot of those lately, too!). The rain let up as we were walking over this really neat raised bridge up in the trees, and the morning improved from there. I liked King’s Park, and would have liked to spend more time there. I think it was probably because it was so green. I like Aussie, don’t get me wrong, but I did find myself missing the greens of New Zealand.

As it was, though, we walked around for perhaps 20 minutes on winding paths, bordered by native trees and plants and Aboriginal artwork and information. A lot of the Aboriginal ancestral “dreamings” were briefly explained on plaques here and there. I was brought back to Chatwin’s “The Songlines,” and was really glad that I had decided to read it after all.

We walked to the edge of the gardens, where you can overlook the city from the footpath. The Perth skyline isn’t very tall or wide or, really, all that impressive. Perth is actually a lot smaller than I had expected it to be.

We headed back through the park, passing various war memorials and stopping quickly in the gift shop to pick up a few postcards. Then it was down into the heart of the city.

Parking in a car park, near the entertainment center, we set off into downtown Perth. Uncle Jerry pointed out the train station, the Horseshoe Bridge, and other various things here and there. We weaved our way through the main strip of shopping, heading for the waterfront. He wanted to show me the Bell Tower – the best-known piece of architecture in Perth.

Situated in Barrack Square and overlooking the Swan River, the Bell Tower, while certainly no Opera House or Harbor Bridge, was really cool looking in its own right. With brick-red “sails” at the bottom and a slim tower of green glass reaching up like a too-tall mast, it’s easy to see how it now serves as Perth’s “symbol.”

I was happy to simply take photos of it from outside, but Uncle Jerry said we should go up it. Had I known that it would cost us 20 dollars to do so, I probably would have declined. As it was, though, I soon found myself climbing the winding stairs (since the elevator was temporarily out of service) that snaked around the tower.

It was a warm afternoon (well, warm by my standards, at least), and I found myself sweating as we paused to watch the bells being rung in the belfry. The bells – the Swan Bells as they’ve been renamed – have an interesting history of their own. Twelve of the 18 bells used to hang in London’s St. Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square, and date back to somewhere between 1725 and 1770. They were gifted to Western Australia to commemorate Australia’s bicentennial in 1988, and eventually ended up as part of WA’s “Millennium Project” – The Swan Bells.

Today, the 12 old bells, along with six newer ones, are still rung the old-fashioned way. You can pay extra to take part in the bell ringing, which happens sometimes multiple times an hour. Apparently this is very popular with the kids.

As we made our way up to the observation deck (and some fresh, cool air), I could see why kids would really like coming to the tower to ring the bells. The 18 bells sounded loudly out over the water and city, and made me smile. It’s definitely a step up from the church “bells” that “ring” every 15 minutes at ONU. (Sorry ONU, but a recording of bells ringing just doesn’t quite do the trick for me.)

After the Bell Tower, we headed into town again for a quick sandwich, and then it was back to the house. Uncle Jerry had to get to work.

That afternoon, I went with Lindy and Aedan to pick Hannah up from school. She attends a small alternative school, and, after a week of hearing about lunch restrictions, no-homework policies and lessons about “personal space,” I found seeing such a school first-hand quite intriguing.

It was not much more than a collection of buildings, colorful artwork, and a sandy playground. Kids weighed down by large backpacks raced across the parking lot, a few of them stopping to say hi to Aedan. He’s apparently very popular with the older boys in Hannah’s class.

I can see why such a small, informal school would be appealing. There was a very friendly feeling in the air as I watched kids greeting parents and saying their farewells to each other in the afternoon sun. Aedan ran off to play in (can you guess?) the sand as Lindy caught up with a few other mothers. Aedan got a ride on the swing (and a nice mouthful of sand when he fell off, laughing) before we left.

We stopped at a small park on the way home, where Hannah and Aedan had fun going down the slide and climbing on the rope jungle gym. I was content to sit in the sun and watch.

That evening brought with it another delicious home-cooked meal (a pork roast this time), and plenty more antics from Aedan. He’d finally gotten totally over his shyness around me, and spent the evening showing off. This included eating his dinner with a fork, eating sand out of his shoes, and giving me a bit of a show after his bath as he rode around on his firetruck wearing nothing but a pair of sparkly bunny ears. I wish I’d snapped a photo – it would have come in good handy 10 years or so from now for blackmail purposes.

Uncle Jerry drove me to the airport later that night, and followed me all the way through to my gate. I found this slightly funny, since I’ve been travelling on my own for some time now. But I suppose it’s just the uncle/dad in him.

Then began the long night of air travel. I caught the red eye from Perth to Melbourne around 11 p.m., and then flew from Melbourne to Sydney to Christchurch to Wellington. I arrived back in Wellington around 5 p.m. the next day, with my luggage somewhere back in Australia. If I hadn’t been so tired, I probably would have cared a lot more. As it was, all I wanted was to fall into bed.

Flying kangaroos.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 4
Sunday, August 31

On Sunday, after packing up and checking out of the hotel, we headed for Nambung National Park, a short drive from Cervantes and the real reason for coming up north for the weekend. Nambung is home to The Pinnacles – a patch of dessert where bits of hard limestone jut up out of the ground like thousands of bony fingers. The Pinnacles promo brochure describes it as such: “Rising mysteriously from the dune sands are thousands of limestone pillars, a landscape in eerie contrast to the surrounding heath.” I find it quite melodramatic myself, but I suppose it works.

The narrow, winding road leading into Nambung was rife with signs warning drivers to watch out for kangaroos and emu. Lindy said the last time they’d been up this way, Hannah had spotted a group of kangaroos hopping through the bush. She had just wondered aloud if we’d see any this time around when, what else bounded onto the road directly in front of us but a little brown kangaroo! Uncle Jerry slammed on the break, but it wasn’t fast enough. The kangaroo made contact with the side of the hood, and went flying at least two meters into the air.

I can say I saw a very rare breed of kangaroo while in Australia – the kind that fies.

The kangaroo, after its short flight, hopped off again. I’m going to tell myself that that means it was okay. End of story.

The Pinnacles area consists of a few hiking tracks, and one lone one-way dirt road that makes a 4 kilometer loop through the park. We took the loop.

We stopped multiple times along the drive, clambering out of the (now slightly dented) car to roam around the strange rock formations. It’s hard to explain in words, but it really is quite a sight. The color contrasts – the yellow-orange sand and white pillars were set on a backdrop of blue-gray clouds – were what struck me the most. There’s not much green in that place, but, for once, I didn’t really mind.

Aedan was in his glory, having both sand AND rocks at his disposal. Even though we were told not to touch or climb on any of the Pinnacles, Aedan chose not to heed this rule. I guess I can’t blame him though – if I were 21 months old, incapable of speech and harboring a slight rock fetish, I would have been all over those things, too.

We spent roughly an hour in the park, padding through the packed sand, me taking a good number of photos along the way. It was strange, though, because I was the only true tourist in the group. Jerry and Lindy hadn’t even brought a camera since they’d been to see the Pinnacles before. But it was too good a sight to resist, and I had already resigned myself to be the camera-toting American in the group.

On the drive out of Nambung, we saw some wild emu alongside the road. It was quite surreal to see the big feathery things lumbering along without any fences to hem them in. Don’t worry though – we didn’t hit any!

We stopped at Hangover Bay briefly. It was yet another beautiful, secluded white-sand beach. I have a feeling Australia boasts a whole lot of those. I told Uncle Jerry that I didn’t think I’d been to so many beaches in one week in my entire life. But I wasn’t really complaining.

We drove out to Jurion Bay for a lunch of fish and chips (and yet another beach) before turning the car back in the direction of Perth. The ride home was slightly taxing, as Aedan had already had his nap for the day. He cried for about the last hour, and I have to admit that I eventually tried to drown him out with my iPod. It’s not that I didn’t like the little guy; I just don’t do well with little screaming children.

Arriving back in Fremantle around dinnertime, we headed for Clancy’s Fish Pub, a Sunday evening favorite for all the local families. Clancy’s has a huge enclosed yard at its rear, where all the kids run around and play together, giving their parents a break. Aedan and Hannah did just this.

Lindy and Jerry’s friend David met us for dinner, as did Hannah’s friend Finn and his mom Sarah. We had a nice dinner and conversation, everyone taking turns keeping an eye on Aedan. David is especially fond of both Aedan and Hannah, and was really talented at keeping them amused.

After our adventurous day, I don’t think I’d be alone in saying that I was relieved to crawl into bed that evening.

Cervantes.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 3
Saturday, August 30

For the weekend, Uncle Jerry had planned to take us all on a mini holiday. Hannah was quite amused at this idea, because I was already on holiday. Meaning it would be a holiday within a holiday. What she didn’t know was that it was actually a holiday within and holiday within a holiday, since being in NZ is a gigantic holiday in and of itself.

Having planned to make a 10 a.m. start, naturally we didn’t actually make it out the door until after 11. That’s the beauty of travelling with small children. We made a stop at the chemist (pharmacy) to pick up some Panadol (something similar to Advil) for Hannah, and then had to run back to the house for Lindy’s purse. So much for that early start.

We were headed to Cervantes and The Pinnacles, roughly 250 kilometers north of Perth on the coast. It took us about three and a half hours to get there, with a brief stop on the way for lunch at a petrol station that had various colorful birds in an enclosure outside. Luckily, Aedan slept for most of the trip, though Lindy sat in the backseat with him and Hannah just in case. I sort of felt bad, but she (along with Hannah) insisted.

The drive, overall, was enjoyable. The sun came in and out as we headed north, and the land became increasingly less populated. Western Australia is, for the most part, very flat. Driving across it made me think of the long drives through Ohio farmland to get up to ONU. Except the landscape in Australia is quite different. There aren’t many tall trees. Instead, the land is covered in mostly short, prickly-looking bushes and yellow wildflowers. The blacktop road (which, I was informed, would turn to dirt if we drove east or further north for about an hour) was flanked on each side by a swath of rusty-colored dirt stretching off into the distance.

We got to Cervantes in the late afternoon and checked into the Best Western. I think it was one of the few businesses in the small town, aside from a general store, a post office and a tavern. We got settled in our room (a family unit), and then decided to go for a walk.

We walked in the direction of the beach, Aedan in and out of the pram as we went, playing in the dirt and gravel driveways. Along with stairs and sand, he also really like stones. I was struck by the smallness of Cervantes as we walked. It felt very secluded; someplace people from outside would want to get away to, and people from inside would want to get away from.

The beach was deserted when we got there. The sand was white, and the water of the Indian was an unreal shade of baby blue, nearly completely clear and colorless where it lapped up on the shore. Aedan and Hannah ran around in the sand, Hannah building a castle and Aedan picking up large fistfuls just to feel the fine grains trickle between his fingers.

Climbing up to a lookout before heading back into “town,” I took a family photo of them, and Aedan spent some more time climbing stairs. I suppose it’s a treat for him, as Jerry’s current house doesn’t have any.

We decided to walk along the shore on the way back, simply for a change of scenery. Hannah splashed along in the surf, and Uncle Jerry pushed the pram through the wet sand, joking around that he wouldn’t have to exercise now for months. From Lindy’s response, however, I got the impression that it was likely the only exercise he’d done in a long time.

Since we got back into town before the Best Western was set to serve its dinner buffet, we stopped in at the tavern for about an hour. It was labeled, very conspicuously, by large, bold letters spelling out “TAVERN” on the roof. You know, for all those low-flying planes in search of a beer and some chips.

The tavern was actually quite nice inside, though. We sat outside on a porch dotted with picnic benches and large umbrellas. Hannah and Aedan amused themselves with race car driving video games, and Jerry, Lindy and I had a chat about a lot of things, which was nice. I’m sad that I’ll be missing their wedding in November.


We went back to the hotel for a buffet dinner that Lindy and Jerry labeled “old people food.” Apparently the hotel’s usual dinner menu is stellar, and their expectations weren’t quite met by the buffet. I, however, used to a diet of Easy Mac and Subway, thought it was pretty good.

Bedtime preparation that night consisted of Aedan taking his very first shower with Hannah. He seemed to enjoy it, and celebrated the occasion by then peeing on the bathroom floor. Oh, little kids.

An introduction to Western Australia.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 2
Friday, August 29

Hannah was home sick from school on Friday with a sore throat and stuffy nose. Lindy, feeling that we couldn’t just sit around the house all day, decided to take us all to the Western Australia Maritime Museum in Fremantle. Hannah was entertained by a little scavenger hunt the museum has for kids, and Aedan was more than happy to run around and go up and down the stairs. He has a thing for stairs.

The museum was small, but nice inside. Fremantle was apparently the largest submarine base in the southern hemisphere during World War II, and so the maritime museum has a lot of artifacts from that time, including a sub that you can tour.

We wandered around for a while, trying out all the interactive things and looking at a lot of boats. The Australia II, the boat that won Aussie its first America’s Cup back in the early 80s, is housed there. It’s a very shiny boat.

After an hour or so at the museum, it was back to the house and naptime for Aedan. My uncle came home from work early, and he and Lindy got some bad news regarding Aedan. Aedan had cancer about a year ago, and it looks like it has come back. It was both very awkward and depressing to be in the house when they got the phone call. Lindy was very upset. I can’t blame her, though. I think she’s a lot stronger than I could ever be. Hannah had a lot of heart problems as a kid, and now this. It doesn’t seem fair somehow. I don’t want to say anything more about it, though, because it’s too depressing and it’s also not really my business to be sharing.

After Aedan woke up from his nap, we all went out to Cottesloe Beach. A strong wind was blowing in, and there were tons of surfers, windsurfers and parasurfers in the water as we drove along.

To get down to the beach, we took a cobblestone path through some scrub brush, passing some stone artwork along the way. One piece was a large sundial that actually worked; I thought it was pretty cool.

We got down to the beach, and Aedan went toddling off into the sand. Along with stairs, he also really likes sand. I walked out to the end of the jetty on my own to take some photos. The sun was setting, and the whole scene was pretty impressive. I will certainly say that Australia has some beautiful beaches.





But with the wind and chilly sea spray buffeting me on the jetty, I didn’t stay long. I walked back down to the beach, where it was apparent Lindy and Hannah were just about ready to go.

It was “cold” by their standards. Granted, the wind was pretty chilly. But it had to have been in the mid-50s, and that’s certainly nice for “winter” as far as I’m concerned. But I suppose the longer you live there, the colder that temperature would start to feel.


We made our way back to the car and back into Fremantle for dinner at Song Tam, a Vietnamese restaurant. I’ve never eaten Vietnamese food before, but it was pretty good; similar to Chinese, really. I got some lemon chicken that was amazing. We didn’t stay too long, however, because Hannah wasn’t feeling well and Aedan was also getting slightly cranky.

We made our way back to the house just in time for bedtime. I could tell everyone was exhausted from the day, but I’m grateful that Jerry and Lindy took the time and effort to show me a little more of Australia. Overall, it was a really nice evening.

Meeting the fam.

In the Merry Old Land of OZ
Western Australia, Day 1
Thursday, August 28

In my uncle’s house, they’re lucky if they get to sleep in until 7. Aedan hasn’t quite mastered sleeping all the way through the night yet, and he’s always up and raring to go bright and early. Since I was on the floor of the lounge right next to the kitchen, it was inevitable that I, too, would be woken with the rest of the house.

Either Aedan didn’t notice me or was uninterested, however, because he never bothered me. I stayed lying on my mattress until the house cleared out a little before 9 – Uncle Jerry was on his way to work, and Lindy and Aedan were off to drop Hannah off at school. Once they’d all gone, I showered and got myself ready for whatever the day would bring.

I officially met Aedan (my uncle’s first child) later that morning as I was eating some toast and he came tottering inside from playing in the sandbox, sand tipping out of his little orange Crocs with every step he took. I usually detest Crocs on anyone, but the little guy can somehow pull them off.

Aedan was very wary of me at first. “He’s just starting to get into his shy stage,” Lindy told me as she picked him up. Aedan kept stealing glances at me over his mom’s shoulder, dribbling drool and snot down her back as he did. He was just getting over a cold, and is not yet 2. So snot and drool are not out of the ordinary.

Lindy had to go into Fremantle, the closest town to where they live, for an appointment, and invited me along. She dropped me off in the town center and gave me an hour and a half to wander around on my own. The day was sunny and warm, and a light breeze was blowing in off the Indian Ocean as I padded down the many streets of Fremantle.

I made my way down to the waterfront where the fishing boats were moored and walked along the shore. Fremantle is apparently a pretty historic town, and I came upon a lot of plaques and signs as I went denoting where a wharf or bath house had once stood. I found myself slightly overdressed for the warm sun, and so eventually made my way back into town in search of a Coke and some shade.

I met Lindy and Aedan back in the center of town around lunchtime. We found a little café and ordered delicious chicken and avocado flatbread sandwiches. Aedan was happy to munch on some bread in the booth next to Lindy. He was a little more confident by then, and grinned at me from across the table. He’s a cute little thing.

But also a bit of a terror. He decided it would be neat to try and tip over the table. He nearly succeeded, too. I managed to catch it before it went over, but I couldn’t stop the large glass bottle of water from falling to the tile floor and smashing into about a hundred pieces. I think Aedan was pretty pleased with himself as he watched the café staff clean it up, as most little kids probably would be. Thankfully, no one got hurt or wet, and it ended up just being sort of funny.

We headed back to the house afterward, as it was past Aedan’s naptime. I took advantage of the sunny afternoon and patio furniture and read my book outdoors for a while. Tiddles the cat, however, was quite adamant about sitting on my lap and sticking her butt in my book. Nice cat.

Lindy ran to pick up Hannah from school, along with Hannah’s friend Phineas. I can’t imagine naming my kid Phineas, however this kid really did look like a “Finn.” He and Hannah ran around for the afternoon, Aedan joining in once he woke up from his nap. They have a trampoline in the backyard (one of those one’s that’s closed in so no one can fall out), and they spent quite a bit of time on there.

Aedan, I learned, can’t quite talk yet. He says the usual “Mom” (or “Maaaaa!” when he’s really distressed) and “Dad,” but, for anything else, he just says “More?” I imagine it would get quite frustrating trying to figure out what exactly he wanted “More” of.

Lindy piled all of us into the car to run to the fresh foods market to pick up some fruits and vegetables for dinner. Hannah and Finn ran around the store barefooted as Aedan munched on a strawberry in the cart Lindy was pushing. For some reason, though, this did not seem to phase anyone in the store.

Dinner was a lamb roast and fresh steamed veggies and was delicious. It’s been so long since I had a home cooked meal!

After dinner it was time for baths and bed. Before-bed rituals at the house usually include Lindy reading to Hannah (currently they’re working on the fourth Harry Potter book), and Jerry entertaining Aedan with YouTube videos. The little guy LOVES the computer. And cell phones. He has somehow figured out how to change things like wallpapers and ringtones on phones. I think he’ll end up some kind of tech wizard at the rate he’s going!

Once the kids were in bed, Lindy, my uncle and I watched a bit of TV before turning in ourselves. I got the feeling they were worried that I wasn’t enjoying my time with them. But, on the contrary, getting a chance to relax, getting a good meal, and just be around family was very enjoyable. Perhaps not very exciting (I apologize if this bored you), but enjoyable.