Hi there all,
Yes, this post is a couple of days late - but we have been having some real adventures and time has not been on my side this week for blogging.  So, as I type this tonight, I can see the full moon through the crack in the top of the window above my bed and the frogs in the dam outside are calling "pobblebonk" to each other.  We are staying in the Margaret River area in a caravan park that is part of a working cattle farm so we are in a peaceful rural place with no one around us.  This is because everyone else is in vans and we are the only camper trailer here so we got the whole camping area to ourselves.  Blissfull.  Like being in a Nat park but with facilities!  The window is only open a crack at the top as it is very chilly here at night.  We have been having overnight temps of 4 degrees which is cold when one is living under canvas.  We have a powered site and our little $20 blow heater from Coles has been the most appreciated piece of equipment this week.  Looks like we will be in organised camp sites from here on in to be able to access power overnight to keep warm enough to sleep.  The tent itself is very cosy and as I type Elsy is cavorting around in her summer nightie - how she manges to do this in such a small space is beyond me!!

Our current view - note replacement UHF aerial after breaking our old one (Dolly) on the Gibb River Road This one is called Bolly ( she dances around like a Bollywood dancer)

We left Kalbarri at the start of this week and headed down the coast to Geraldton.  On the way we saw a pink lake.  I have to admit to being astonished - the water really was bright pink.  We took a photo with my pink grapefruit Bundy soft drink (I only had a half a bottle of this left at this point and it is the equivalent to everyone else's 5pm tipple.  Photo below.

This is the pink lake.  It is really pink.  Surprising that is hasn't been renamed Barbie Lake.

  Geraldton had a wonderful museum that housed relics from the Batavia and the girls were enthralled with the whole story of the ship, the mutiny and the wreck.  The day was gone after that.  Overnight we almost got blown away with the wind.  It was shocking.  The tent doesn't move an inch but the wind was incredible.  Hard to pack up and eat breakfast in such weather and we were pleased to be back into our car capsule and ready to move on.  After lunch we arrived at the Nambung National Park.  We went in to see the Pinnacles.  The look on Rachel's face when she saw them was priceless.  She was clearly overawed by the sight of them.  Once again, we spent a long time in the centre where the story and theory of how and when they formed was spelt out for tourists to read.  Both girls full of questions and very interested in how it all came to be.  They have a track that you can drive around but you can't take your van/trailer which meant we had to unhitch and leave our home in the carpark.  Mal was not impressed by this and the girls got the giggles listening to his mutterings about having to leave the trailer behind.  Apparently, the track is too rough for trailers - this just added to Mal's ire as our trailer has done and can go anywhere.  We unhitched and went for the drive.  After re hitching on a slope in the wind ( and out of Coke rations) we moved on out of the park.  We had intended to stop overnight in Cervantes but the wind was just awful - more mutterings from Mal about diesel consumption in the head and cross winds and how his figures were blown out of the water - so we decided to pedal for Perth city.

Pinnacles in Nambung Nat Park

  We were going to stay in Scarborough but the wind was driving us crazy so as Mal drove, I checked out the map for the most inland caravan park in Perth - found one in Swan Valley and rang them to book in.  Arrived there after 6pm in the dark - our latest stop time yet - and had our trailer parked, unhitched and set up in 15 minutes as all the vanners watched from inside the surrounding vans - little chinks of light are a dead giveaway.  I was impressed at our team work and went to bed that night feeling very smug.  Until I realised we were under the international flight path to the south and the domestic flight path to the north.  I can now sleep through anything.

The next couple of days were spent exploring Perth and feeling very happy that we were out of the wind and had lovely sunny days.  We got the train to the CBD, visited the mint, bought books for the girls to read, sourced some binoculars and spend bulk time in the museum.  The car was serviced here too and the flare that has been gaff taped since Katherine was fixed for a mere $20 - just needed new clips. New brakes and a big service later the bill was fairly nasty but great to know that it is all in good condition and absolutely nothing wrong with it.  I feel like sending a happy snap to Toyota Darwin to show them my new bargain priced $20 flare - they just offered us a new one at $500 plus painting to match the car.  We visited Kings Park and loved seeing all the wildflowers that are out at the moment.
The end of the week wasn't quite as smooth sailing as the rest of the week - we really wanted to take the girls on a Dolphin Watching cruise so we checked out the trusty internet and found that at Bunbury there is a Dolphin Discovery Centre with Eco cruises.  A couple of problems - one, they only ran on Sat and Sun, and they cost a fortune.  We re arranged our travel plans and booked one for Sunday morning.  We figured it was now or never.  We drove to Bunbury on Saturday after being in Kings Park all morning and stayed overnight.  We packed up on Sunday morning early and made our way to the Dolphin Discovery Centre.  What an experience that was.  From the minute we arrived there was a very attentive volunteer worker at our elbow to lead us through the centre and tell us all about dolphins.  When one drew breath, another volunteer would swoop in and lead us off in another direction and tell us something else - only to be interrupted by another volunteer who would correct them and offer completely contrasting information.  Well, after many weeks on the road and being very comfortable with just each other's company we were shrivelling just a tad with all this attention.  Mal was shooting me looks and muttering something about wierdos and I was keeping a tight reign on the girls while trying to look interested and stop giggling with Mal.  This might sound easy to you, but it was pretty tough, I can tell you.  I tried the "Where are the bathrooms" line and was personally accompanied to the door of the outhouse.  The girls and I scurried inside and sat on the seat in the toilet block and had a whispered conversation about what might or might not be wrong with all these people.  On the exit, you guessed it, they were waiting to escort us to the boat ramp for our cruise.  I thought the boat ride might be safer but no, the only sane person on the boat was the boat driver who apparently was on his second day.  No guesses for why they can't keep boat drivers.  Anyway,, off we went into the sea with our volunteer dolphin expert and her informative commentary (!) and for 2 and a half hours we cruised around and saw a total of 0 dolphins - yep,, you read right, 0 dolphins.  Just for the record, it was the guides first cruise in 7 years that they hadn't been able to see a single dolphin.  We were all totally thrilled with this outcome - not.  Mal and I decided that the dolphins have finally got jack of being chased around the bay by volunteer dolphin experts and have moved away to Bussleton.  We were entertained by our  host on the way back to the mooring point by her insightful chat about how we had been entertained on this eco cruise as we had seen not one, but two cormorants bobbing about on the water.  So, a lot of money later, we departed less than impressed and won't be recommending this outfit to anyone who is heading to WA on holidays.  We headed on down the road to the Margaret River area and found this wonderful camp site with a very normal receptionist and a stunning outlook across green paddocks with frogs that sing in the evening and we have slowly recovered from this frightening experience!  I think they must all have training at the Mr Bean Academy for volunteers.

This week has been superb so far but that is for the blog at the end of this week coming!

The good, the bad and the ugly.  The good was the WA museum and the gold pour at the Mint, the bad would have to be the (No) Dolphin Cruise and that leaves the ugly - this week's winner is Babette!
We have chased Brownie and Babette down the coast this week past in their big heavy van and have passed them many times.  They just keep driving, we stop and see things and drive as well!  Anyway, I usually get a big wave from Babette as we pass (Brownie has his eyes firmly on the road in front of him) and I know her by sight quite well.  I was in the bathroom at Perth in the van park and who should walk in but Babette - I have never seen her in the flesh, only through 2 car windows - but I knew it was her straight up.  She is about 65 years old and very well tanned.  She is a blonde and the morning I saw her, she was wearing skin tight jeans and an orange singlet t shirt with diamontes on the front that said Totally Sexy.  I said hello - since I am such a polite and friendly person - and she said "Good Morgen" back to me.  I went for my shower with new knowledge that Babette and Brownie must be German.  I couldn't wait to tell Mal this new bit of information for the Brownie and Babette file.  When I came out from the shower, she was at the basin.  She turned to face me and gave me a magnificent smile - all gums - as she was cleaning her false teeth!!!!  Not German at all, just didn't have her teeth in.  Later on that day, she greeted me again with a very clear Aussie hello.  I decided that I prefer Babette through 2 sets of glass windows and look forward to seeing her again  - maybe on the Nullarbor.
Quote of the week - Eloise was heard to say in her loudest stage whisper in the very echoing hall of the WA museum when I suggested we go for a loo stop - "Oh Mummy, I am sick of drop toilets. Can't we go home and use our flushing toilet".  Much laughter from all those around us and squeals of delight when I took her into the bathroom and she saw the flushing toilets.  Hmmm - maybe we need to ease up on the National Parks for a while.
Dream Stealers - lots and lots this week.  Don't go to the Margaret River - it is too cold and it rains every day there.  Haven't had a drop of rain yet and we are quite warm enough for now.  I doesn't matter where you pull up at night - once your eyes are closed, it just doesn't matter where you are. This statement is spoken by a true vanner with no camping experience whatsoever.  The good thing is that we won't be seeing much of him since he camps in places we don't. So far, the tally is very much in our favour and goes to show that when you want to do something, it's best just to give it a go and if you have to turn around and abandon your ideas at least you've had a try and you aren't left wondering.

There is gold in them there hills! (Just need to find it...)

On that philisophical note, I will sign off till next week.  We are all well and still having a great time.
Love and empty gourmet cheese wrappers,
Jane