Australia here we come!

3/8/12

It was an exploring day today so we hit the highway and drove to Mandura. Our first stop, after having a quick drive around town, was the Abingdon Miniature Village. It is set on a couple of acres and has miniature English cottages, farm houses, railway stations with trains running, manor houses, golf courses and hamlets set in picturesque gardens. They have a tea room, a putt putt golf course, picnic area and a great hedge maze. We spent quite a bit of time in the maze before eventually finding our way out by accident. We also had Devonshire Tea with scones, jam and cream. What a great place!

We left Mandura and drove to Rockingham which is a lovely seaside town. It is home to RAN Naval Base at Garden Island where all our submarines are based. During the second world war 'Z' Force commandos trained on Garden Island and we visited the memorial jetty commemorated to them. We also found the Catalpa Rescue Memorial at Rockingham. In 1876 seven Irish political prisoners (Feniens) were rescued by their leader, John O'Rielly, who had escaped from Fremantle Gaol some years earlier. With support O'Rielly hired an American whaler ship to sail to Rockingham. The seven prisoners escaped and sailed back to America on the whaler 'Catalpa'.

We drove to Cape Peron lookout, which was a major lookout post to protect Garden Island Naval Base during the war. There is even a large concrete bunker visible on the top of a high sand dune. After a very enjoyable day we took the coastal highway home.

4/8/12

Today was another catch up day for me. I dropped the girls off at the free bus and they went into town for some shopping and to have lunch at a fish and chip shop. I drove to BCF and filled a gas bottle then refuelled the Prado and came home to attack the computer diary again. The girls arrived back at the caravan park about 2.20pm exhausted from window shopping and overeating.