The distance between Adelaide and Perth is about 1,500 miles — equal to the distance between Maine and Miami. So, of course one flies. Australia is slightly bigger than mainland U.S., but with only 24 million people there is lots of space between the towns and cities, and many more sheep and cattle and kangaroos than people. So it seems so much larger. I will say that it’s lovely to see so little traffic on the roads (outside of the cities), and such good roads. So, on Sunday I flew from Adelaide to Perth, arriving in a pretty tremendous thunder and lightning storm. We had to change runways since a medical emergency plane needed to get in before us, and then we sat on the ground for awhile because of lightning in the area. We deplaned directly onto the tarmac. I tried really hard to figure out how to get into the CBD on local bus or train transports, but it was Sunday, and the signage wasn’t good, so I took a cab. Not in keeping with my efforts to “travel differently”, but once in awhile you gotta give in.
The time difference from Adelaide was 2 1/2 hours (once again, who came up with that 30 minutes idea?), so like with NY/LA, there was a bit of jet lag, but I found a funky burger place called The Local Shack near the hotel, one of the few open spots, and enjoyed a very juicy, loaded burger with sweet potato fries. The waiter was from the Lakes District in England who had come to Australia to work just because… he needs to go home sometime soon as his work visa expires, but plans on returning. Ah these youth with itchy feet and big ideas and low maintenance needs and expectations…
When I was arranging to come to Perth, I wanted to see more of Western Australia than just the city, so as I did in Melbourne and Adelaide, I booked a tour to take me out to other well-known spots. with a particular interest in Margaret River — known for gorgeous beaches and wines. So, I found a 4 day/3 night trip that looked pretty good, and had a departure on the right date, so “click”, I was booked. Here’s what I didn’t spend too much time thinking about: the distance from Perth to the first spot — Albany (415 km) — and whether this was a big group, or a small group — which would indicate the type of vehicle. And here’s what I learned — those are exactly the two things that I should be considering!
I’ve said often (especially to Lizzie) “if I ever get to a point where I’m on a bus tour with loads of people….” Well, Lizzie, that time may have come. I’m on a bus (which they nicely call a “coach”, but is really a bus.) A nice bus, but a bus nonetheless. There are about 36 people on the tour. Most are quite a bit older than I am. Many are from England or other parts of Australia. And while everyone is very pleasant and the other two single (English) ladies have adopted me so I have some friends, it wasn’t exactly what I thought I was in for. I am being positive and going the flow, but I simply have a difficult time sitting for so long. I’ve also often said that the reason I like active tours — walking or cycling or hiking — is because it’s slow touring without windows. I much prefer the “no windows” approach and need to be active. I think that the itinerary the next few days has a bit more off the bus than today did, so i may be premature in my judgment, and I am seeing a bit of Western Australia!
We had two stops today: one for a really lovely lunch at a winery, which included some wine tasting, near Mt. Barker. The other was at the National ANZAC Center, in the Albany Heritage Park, which surrounds the summits of Mount Clarence and Mount Adelaide. While I learned quite a bit about the ANZAC contribution to WWI in the Melbourne Museum, this Center is dedicated to the story of the 40,000 Australians and New Zealanders, along with 13,000 horses that left King George Sound, where the large safe harbor could accommodate the many ships. The First Convoy left from Albany in November, 1914 for the battlegrounds of WWI. Only a third of the men who left returned, and only 1 Australian horse, Sandy, (whose hoof has been enshrined in silver), and 4 horses returned from NZ.
After the War, soldiers, army nurses, cameleers contributed one day’s pay to commission a monument to the fallen on the banks of Port Said in Egypt. The statue, featuring two mounted soldiers, one each, called the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial was toppled in 1956 during the Suez Crisis by a crowd who pulled it from its base and smashed it beyond repair. When peace returned the damaged memorial and plinth were shipped to Australia and a new statue based on the original was created and unveiled on Mt. Clarence in 1964.
It’s been a long day, and there’s still dinner to be had with my new friends…
And tomorrow is another day.
