Australian Country Towns – Travels with Ali

~ Driving Adventures – Perth to Sydney {Glenelg, South Australia and Kaniva, Victoria} ~

So technically, I didn’t drive from Perth, but flew to Adelaide to meet Anthony who did drive! Also while I’m being upfront here I didn’t do any of the driving, I did a lot of sleeping though. If sleeping was an olympic sport, I would definitely be up for a gold medal.

I arrived shortly before Anthony and checked into the Stamford Grand in Glenelg. We’ve stayed here before, a few years ago and it was a welcome return. I was fortunate enough to be upgraded to a fantastically large room overlooking the ocean.

Glenelg, South Australia

After I had checked in I went for a walk along the promenade and down the pier. There were quite a few people around considering it was a Tuesday afternoon in winter.

Anthony arrived shortly before sunset and we walked to the marina where there are many restaurants. We chose a tapas place and had an excellent dinner.

After a good night’s rest and a buffet breakfast we set off on our long drive over to St. Kilda in Victoria. It would take approximately 8 hours and 30 minutes, plenty of sleeping time.

Serviceton, Victoria

Anthony is already in Victoria and I’m still in South Australia – “you snooze, you lose”.

We had hoped to have a coffee break here but sadly the cafe had closed it’s doors for good.

One of the great things about driving these long distances is that you get to see all the small country towns. Some aren’t the best, but there are some wonderful surprises along the way. An example is Kaniva, Victoria where we stopped for lunch.

Kaniva, Victoria

I did enjoy the sheep art trail along the road. I looked up the meaning of why there are so many sheep. I found it was to encourage visitors to look closer at the town. There are 46 sheep in all, we definitely didn’t have the time to find them all.
Grazing sheep are still very much part of a sustainable agricultural future for this area. They help improve both soil health and plant biodiversity. Source: Kaniva.org

We bought sandwiches and ate at one of the picnic tables, enjoying the winter sun.

Then we were off again to arrive in Melbourne in time for dinner at Laurence and Maddy’s.

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Australian Country Towns – Capel, Western Australia

I’ve noticed on the last few occasions travelling through these small country towns that the Councils have been doing their best to spruce them up and bring them back to life. The efforts have been so worthwhile making these small towns worth a stop or even a night’s stay.

We recently stopped at Capel for a coffee break on our way back from Dunsborough and we had a lovely walk up and down the high street, reading signs, looking at murals and enjoying a coffee in a quirky cafe.

The Capel area was originally inhabited by the Wardandi Noongar people. It was then established as a town in 1897. Historically Capel was a farming area, mostly dairy and beef. Nowadays it is very popular for hobby farms, including alpacas.

There was a real sense of community in this small town with lots going on and there was not a leaf out of place.

Capel Library

Once upon a time in a town called Capel,
I looked through the branches and guest what I saw,
Hidden deep in the Tuart Forest there was a Eucalyptus
Under the bridge by the river there lived a …pultenaea skinneri (Skinner’s Pea)

**A place to sit and while away a few moments** **and taking a rest from toiling in the fields**

We didn’t dare venture inside, imagining a butcher with a meat cleaver dripping in blood and a rifle under his arm.

Artist – Erin Rafferty

Stepping back in time!

Mosaic Mural with phrases from the local primary school children

**St. John’s Chapel, Higgins Bell Tower and Church Door**

Mother Horse and Foal sculptures outside the vets

I imagine this event would be well attended and everyone knowing each other. It would be like one big party, such fun.

Well that’s all folks and I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk along Capel High Street with me. There was so much more to see but not enough time. I will definitely be stopping here again.

I’m linking this post to PPAC hosted by Marsha and Jo’s Monday Walk.

On the trail of Art, Westonia, Western Australia

On our way back to Perth from Kalgoorlie we made a quick stop at Westonia. Just a tiny town off the main highway with a population of under 300. This was a cute little place and I loved the way the people have made the most of the history there.

Established in 1911 by Alfred Weston after the discovery of gold was found in the area. By 1917 there was a population of 2,000. Westonia has won Tidy Towns twice in the last twenty years.

There is a caravan park, a good place for an overnight stay for the “Grey Nomads” travelling around Australia in their camper vans and caravans. Also there is a small gift shop/cafe and Post Office/Supermarket/Cafe.

A very well kept street, so neat and tidy

Where the old Fire and Ambulance Stations once stood

We hoped to have lunch here but unfortunately they were just closing, but the Post Mistress was there delivering their mail and she very kindly offered to make us some rolls at the Post Office. Country town hospitality at its best.

Individual images of the artwork at the entrance to Westonia

I’ve used this post to link up with Cee’s Photographing Public Art as I thought it fell quite well under this category!

Thanks for visiting Westonia with me!

On the trail of Historic Towns, Western Australia – Toodyay and Northam

We decided to do a three day trip just recently to visit some country towns in Western Australia. These towns were once thriving communities, established at the beginning of the twentieth century by early white settlers. Nowadays these towns rely on the historical landmarks to attract visitors.

Our first stop was to see the silo art which is located just outside of Northam. These incredible paintings were done by artists Phlegm and Hence. Try as I might I cannot find much about Phlegm, only that their paintings are all over the world. Hense is Alex Brewer, an American artist, originating in Atlanta, Georgia.

It is wonderful to see these grey drab buildings being brought to life and there are now many dotted around Australia.

After this we had a quick stop in Toodyay, with a population of approximately 1,500. Before European settlers came to these towns they were populated by the Noongar people.

Toodyay

Population – 1,500. Established in 1836.

Built in 1864 and last renovated in 2018

Katrine

Next on out trail was a stop at Katrine, a tiny village just outside of Northam where I spotted a church.

Northam

We finally got to Northam around 4.30 pm and checked into the Farmers Home Hotel. This is a 150 year old newly renovated building which has 16 rooms. It is a magnificent building, the only downside being no decent restaurant. The Dome coffee house is situated in the building and offers guests a dinner menu. I can’t say we were impressed with the menu.
However we did have a fabulous room and in the distance you could see the Avon River. We managed a quick walk along the banks of the river before heading back to the bar.

Sculptures made of old agricultural machinery parts

The next day we checked out and began the long drive to Kalgoorlie, this would take around 6 hours including stops. My dear hubby loves a good long drive so this was perfect for him.

I will be featuring more historical towns in my next post. I hope you can make the journey with me!