Visit to Perth to see Amanda and Nick

We had a great time on the cruise but we were really looking forward to spending some time with Amanda and Nick in the sunny city of Perth. One of the first things we did was head out to Rottnest island to go Scuba diving. The trip out on the 65 foot cruiser the Sea Lion was rockin' at times but everyone managed to hang on to their breakfast and even smile for the camera.

Rottnest got its name because the early settlers thought there were huge rats on the island and Ratsnest later became Rottnest or Rotto as the locals call it. They were in fact not rats but marsupials called Quakers that are only found on this island. Here is a picture I got from another blog.

Here is a short video of Amanda and Nick underwater.

The water was a little cool at 70 deg F and the surge, especially in the morning, kept you moving back and forth whether you wanted to or not. We saw a number of interesting stuff including a couple of spiny lobsters hiding under a rock shelf that I would have loved to bring back for supper but no fishing was allowed.

Since Amanda and Nick had to spend some time in class (at least that is what they told us... Maybe I should double check with the Admissions Office) Jude and I went on a road trip to an area called the Margaret River Wine region. On one side is the ocean, beaches and surfers and on the other is hundreds of wineries and breweries as well. It is a big tourist area and internationally known for fine wines. After a quick stop at the tourist info building we decided that the Watershed Winery would be a perfect place to stop for lunch and of course some wine tasting.

The view from the cafe terrace stretched across the tidy rows of vines to a small lake below. The sun was shining, the food was great and we toasted to another eventful day on our adventures. I tried some local beer with lunch and then we both enjoyed some great wine tasting afterwards.

On Sunday we decided to spend the day at the beach so we all headed off to Cottesloe to enjoy the sun, sand and surf. There is an annual event held there called "Sea Art" where a number of artists are encouraged to utilize their creative talents and place large sculptures on and around the beach. They range from recycled tire Emus, large scrabble tiles, a drain plug, kangaroo road kill, stairs to nowhere and a clear globe floating offshore with a gold ball inside it. Here are a couple of examples to show you what they looked like. The first one is called "Crab in the Works" and it looks like a giant wrist watch.

The next one is called "Life Savers" and of course it is located right next to the Aussie Lifeguard station.

It was a clear, sunny and hot day so we went snorkeling off the shore over a reef to cool off. Nick kept diving down and finding stuff caught in potholes in the reef including a ring, sunglasses, four leaf clover pendant and even a rusted usb drive.

We also spotted several giant sea slugs but I thought that I would spare you from seeing pictures of those (Li I can forward those to you personally for your collection)! One strange thing about the beaches in Perth is that while you are splashing around in the water, you can see these helicopters patrolling back and forth above the beach. When Jude found out that they were there to try and spot the big sharks before they try to move in for a snack she decided that staying high and dry on the beach would be just fine for her!

Towards the end of the day we drove over to Scarborough beach to find a place to have dinner and a few drinks. As we came up to the beach we could see a huge line of cars heading the other way and banners and grandstands set up all along the waterfront. The Aussie lifesaving championships are held in March on Scarborough beach and they had just finished the competitions for the day. All these beaches face west so they have the most gorgeous sunsets you can imagine, almost every day.

We settled down for some pub food (fish and chips) and a couple of pints in Peter's by the Sea and watched the sun set behind the Cook's pines. On the way home we ran right into the beach patrol ride program. In Australia you can get charged with "Drink Driving" (note it's not Drunk Driving) with only 0.05 and the roadside breathalyser is mandatory. After blowing into the machine there was a delay during which I was really starting to worry but then he said I was only at 1/3 of the limit and was ok to drive. What a relief, I don't know what we would have done if things had turned out differently.
Now it's time to say goodbye to the kids and head off to Melbourne. Although Australia seems like a perfect fit, Jude threatened that she will come back and make their lives miserable if they don't return so we should see them home in June.