Dunsborough Days with The Divas, Western Australia

My friends and I had a fantastic three days away for a girls’ long weekend down in Dunsborough, in the South West of WA. The drive from Perth takes approximately 3 hours. It was something we had been meaning to do for a long time, finding the right time for the four of us wasn’t easy.

We rented a beautiful four bedroom house very close to the beach. The most essential thing on our list was a bedroom each! The house was two story with a balcony overlooking the ocean. It had a wonderful deck to sit and have our happy hour each evening.

The Divas

Some friendly and not so friendly friends

We had a planned itinerary for every day visiting local restaurants and wineries, shopping of course and walking, basically eating and drinking for three days. Evenings were spent playing cards and board games.
It was our first time away together and we all got along famously and intend to do it again sometime soon.

One evening we drove over to Yallingup to catch the sunset which is not visible from Dunsborough.

Dunsborough is the perfect place for families with its sandy beaches and calm shallow water. All types of houses to rent and there are many resorts along the beach.

Reviews of the restaurants and wineries will follow soon

Wildflowers in the Wheatbelt

We decided to get away again for a couple of days to go up North to see the wildflowers, or what was left of them! Our destination was Dalwallinu which is just over three hours from Perth. Anthony wanted to take a less than direct route so we travelled up the coast to Cervantes where we picked up the Indian Ocean Road. This road is dotted with huge white sand dunes along the way, and you can see glimpses of the miles and miles of the West Australian coast. Taking this route did put some extra miles on the clock but we were in no hurry.

We stopped for a bite to eat and stretch our legs at Nilgen Lookout.

We stopped once more in Badgingarra for me to take photos of the endless green wheat and bright yellow rape fields.

Badgingarra Nature Reserve

Endless wheat fields everywhere you look, with grain bins edging the fields

Arriving at the Dalwallinu Wheat Motel around 5 pm, we checked in and then went for a walk into “town”. This takes around ten minutes from start to finish. It only consists of one main street for shops with houses around the back of the main street. There is a bakery, cafe and tavern. We had a quick drink in the tavern and headed back to the motel for dinner. The motel has a fairly large restaurant and the menu boasts Asian and Australian food. Not too bad for a small wheatbelt town.

There were many couples like us out for an evening stroll and then back to the motel for dinner.

Dalwallinu

Nearly every country town in WA has old and rusting farm machinery on display, at least it’s put to good use!

Having a pre-dinner drink at the local.

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The next morning we ate breakfast in our room and then had a walk to the bakery to pick up our lunch. The bakery was doing a roaring trade as everyone else had the same idea!

Our first stop of the day was Xantippe! I was super excited as I thought great, my X place for my A to Z travels. Disappointment soon set in, there’s nothing in Xantippe except a large concrete water tank which we missed anyway and by the time we had travelled so far down a dirt track we gave up. Not such a great start.

There are maps of the wildflower trails which take you around a loop, but I also wanted to get off the beaten track to look at some other “attractions” that were listed. From Xantippe we drove back over to Wubin and then up to Perenjori.

The Old Covent, established in 1923. In 1933 it became a Catholic girls boarding school. It was never a covent!

Some of the many wonderful flowers along the way

Our next stop was Buntine Rocks. There is a large granite rock here that gives amazing views from the top. I surprised myself and managed to climb to the top!

Along the drive the railway line cuts back and forth between the road, we only saw one train. There are no level crossings, you just have to look both ways before you cross!

Some of the places on the map don’t have anything there at all except a few rusty farm machines, like Maya. It was once a thriving community with an estimated population of 140 in the late 1930s to 1940s. It had a post office, a store and a school plus a cricket and football team and tennis courts. But times change and people move on.

We finally reached Perenjori late afternoon and I asked my dear hubby if he was getting tired of all the driving, but he said no it was good to let the car stretch its legs.

We then headed up to a placed called Camel Soak. This was a man made watering hole for the men and their camels to have a drink in the 1900’s whilst building the rabbit proof fence

The road leading here is full of pot holes and ridges in the dry earth, then once you park the car it’s a bit of a walk and climb, but we both thought it was worth seeing.

Backtracking then to Perenjori to see the famous wreath flowers that are a national treasure of WA.

These flowers are also way off the beaten track and even when you park the car, you do have to hunt for them.

Our last stop of the day before heading back to Dalwallinu

Weekday Sunsets in Swanbourne, WA

Last week we went for a short walk along the promenade from Cottesloe to Swanbourne. There had been a few bush fires that week, the result of “controlled burns”. These are also known as hazard reduction burning. However, even these can get out of control and cause a haziness to spread across vast areas. The smoke can be smelt from miles away.

I took a photo of the sunset that day and you can see how hazy the sky is.

It was quite chilly but that doesn’t stop people trying to catch a wave or a fish!

🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️ 🌅 🌊 🎣 🏊‍♀️

My A to Z Travel Challenge D is for Da Nang, Dalwallinu and Denmark

Da Nang, Vietnam

Da Nang, a coastal city in Central Vietnam is a place we’ve visited a few times as it’s relatively easy to fly to from Perth. Also the airport is very near the coast, which means you can be on the beach by lunchtime! The coastline stretches for 30 kilometres and has many resorts lining the road. Our first stay here was in a hotel not on the beach but across a very busy road and it seemed that we had chosen a spot very popular with the locals. When we went over for our first swim there was hardly an empty spot in the sea!

Da Nang is halfway between Ho Chi Minh City in the South and Hanoi in the North. It’s a good place to spend a few days before heading off to either Hue a few hours North or Hoi An in the South. In fact most hotels in Da Nang offer a shuttle service to Hoi An.

We caught a taxi to the Novotel in the city and took some photos overlooking this busy city, in contrast to the stunning peaceful coastline.

Da Nang is definitely a place I will be visiting again.

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Dalwallinu, Western Australia

We visited Dalwallinu on a wildflower road trip in September a few years back. It is located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, around 250 km from Perth. Dalwallinu is the first town on the wildflower tour. Every year the wildflowers start appearing anytime from June in the North and sweeping south to finish in November. We stayed one night in Dalwallinu and another in Moriwa. The flowers are incredible and appear all over the roadside and grow in the harshest of conditions.

Perth to Dalwallinu

Enjoying happy hour in the delightful surrounds of our accommodation with smoke billowing from a bonfire in an upturned oil barrel!

We had to keep stopping along our drive because there were so many beautiful views.

The circular flowers are known as Christmas wreaths and seem to flourish in these sandy conditions.

If you ever visit Australia during these months this is certainly a tour worth doing, but be sure to book accommodation early as there are very few motels or hotels along the way and they get booked up very quickly.

💐🌷🌸 🌺 🌻 🥀💐🌷🌸 🌺 🌻 🌼 🥀

Denmark, Western Australia

Finishing with another place in Western Australia, this time way down south. Denmark is over 400 km from Perth, too far for a day trip but great for a weekend or mid week break. We have travelled to Denmark a few times in the time we have lived in Australia. There are wonderful wineries to visit and it’s a good place to visit Walpole where the Valley of the Tree Tops walk is located.

It was named Denmark after a naval surgeon, Alexander Denmark in 1829. Before this it was called Leeuwin’s Land after the Dutch East Indiaman, Leeuwin. This was back in 1622. Any sailing ship in the 1600’s was called a Dutch East Indiaman.

There are so many rental properties in Denmark it’s hard to know what to choose. We booked a cute little house in the middle of the forest.

As you can see by the photos we went in the middle of winter, but we had a cosy fire in the house we rented.

Some of the birds that came to the balcony every morning waiting to be fed.

Some from our morning walk. Hubby contemplating another 25 years with me 😆
And that’s not our house, just a ramshackle shed in the middle of the woods.

Wrapped up warm against the chilly weather!

And D is done!

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A review of Hyatt Centric, North Point, Hong Kong – formerly Hotel Vic

This is the second time we have stayed in this hotel but first time for a review by me! It was in December so there was a great Christmassy feel to the hotel.
Hyatt Centric is located in North Point on Hong Kong Island. North Point is becoming more popular as a place to stay. We like it here because it’s not as busy as Central or Kowloon. Everywhere is easily accessible from here, the MTR and a ferry terminal are within five minutes walking distance. There is also a tram line nearby.

The hotel is split into two towers, East and West. The west tower has the restaurants situated in it, the Cruise Bar on 23rd floor, The Farmhouse cafe on the 2nd floor and a coffee shop. In the east tower there are the rooftop infinity pool and fitness centre. There is an open air area on the 23rd floor for drinks and nibbles with fantastic views of the Hong Kong skyline. I would say this hotel is a good four star hotel, if you consider the Marriot, Grand Hyatt and The Icon are five stars.

The rooms are fairly spacious for Hong Kong hotels and all have floor to ceiling windows with views across the harbour.

The lobby is airy and spacious and checking in and out is a breeze with friendly and helpful staff.

The first three floors are taken up with shops. Designer shoes and jewellery and all the high end cosmetics.

There is a lovely waterfront promenade just outside the hotel where you can see the local people doing their exercises and tai chi.

North Point is the hub for many Chinese and Asian restaurants.

The views from the room across the harbour

The bathroom is on the small side but everything is well appointed and they have thought of everything! Even a great make-up mirror.

The amenities drawer

The lobby and surrounding areas of the hotel

The Farmhouse Cafe

We had a buffet breakfast here every day. There is a fantastic hot food section where eggs are cooked as you like. Also fresh fruit, cereals, all kinds of bread, cold meats and cheeses are served.

Magnificent Ginger Bread House in the Coffee shop

Up on the 23rd floor there is a roof top bar with open seating area, plus Cruise restaurant which has a diverse Asian menu. It’s a great place to start your evening, overlooking the harbour with a cocktail.

Some of the dishes on offer at Cruise Restaurant

Sweet and sour Pork
and
Snapper in Banana Leaves

The rooftop infinity pool

It’s always nice to stay in a hotel with a pool especially in the summer in Hong Kong. There aren’t that many hotels with decent outside pools, so this is a bonus! Well, unless you can afford the high end five star hotels of course.

We will definitely be using this hotel again during our travels to Hong Kong

Day tripping around Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

I think the best way to see anywhere new is to go on an organised excursion. I did just that when I visited Fuerteventura with the excellent Pie de Caracol tours, with driver and guide Luca. It was a long day from 9.00 am until 8pm so we really packed a whole lot in. Normally it’s not so long but because one of the major roads was closed because of a bike race, Luca had to devise some other way to drive around the island.

We started at Corralejo and drove down to La Oliva, bypassing the capital Puerto del Rosario due to road closure, to Betancuria, Ajuy, Costa Calma and back to Corralejo with so many stops along the way. Luca was so informative and had a wealth of knowledge about the island.

Amazingly we saw a rainbow, a miracle when you think there is hardly any rain on this island.

Some of the hundreds of terraces that you see dotted around the island.

Our first stop was the Colonel’s House in La Oliva. There is not much historical information that exists about the house but it is believed to have been built in 1740, for Colonel Melchor de Cabrera Bethencour.

One of the old structures surrounding the house

A few minutes walk away was the old church of Our Lady of Candelaria, where you could wander inside and have a look at the beautiful ceiling. It dates back to the 16th Century and its dark tower is made of volcanic stone.

On the journey towards our next stop of Betancuria we stopped at the famous lookout, where the Morro Velosa warriors are located. Even though this island is quite barren when the sun shines the colours on the volcanoes are amazing.

This tiny house is the one you can see in the far distance in the above photo My canon powershot did a fantastic job

Onwards then to Betancuria, an old colonial and picturesque village once the capital of this island. Founded in 1404 this was once a fertile valley due to the fresh water streams nearby, sadly these have long since dried up and the only plants that grow are aloe vera and agave.

BETANCURIA

After a quick bite in Betancuria we headed over to Ajuy, an old fishing village on the West coast. This is where we had lunch and then a cliff top walk along to the caves below.

AJUY

Blue rowing boat just perched on the black sand

Ajuy village overlooking the black sand beach

COSTA CALMA

The furthest south we drove was to Costa Calma, a resort area with a natural lagoon. The lagoon fills up in the afternoon creating a shallow area for paddling in contrast to the wild sea beyond.

Standing in the lagoon looking out towards the Jandia Natural Park

Driving back we stopped at a windmill, salt flats and sand dunes. There is so much to see and do on Fuerteventura but I’m pretty sure we came close to seeing nearly everything with the wonderful tour from Piedecaracol.com.

Lastly some more from my gallery