Wordless Wednesday
Lakeside Views
Tag: Western Australia
💃🏻 Dancing in Dunsborough on a Zumba Retreat 💃🏻 Days One and Two
I’m just back from a wonderful five nights in Dunsborough, Western Australia where I took part in a five night stay Zumba Retreat. It was organised by our three lovely Zumba instructors over four days. There were over 40 ladies in all who participated! I certainly didn’t know all of them but with all the events happening have come away with many new friends. My friend Lisa booked us a three bedroom house in a complex very close to many of the other ladies. It was within walking distance to the beach and the small local town, a winner on all fronts.
My room 
Kitchen, Dining, Living Room
And so it begins!
Day One
Of course it started with a Zumba class at 9.15 am for just over an hour, ready for a nap already. Back to the house for showers and then off to Clancys Fish Pub for lunch and a shopping session after.
Dunsborough is full of quirky shops selling all kinds of gifts, designer clothes and things you generally don’t need but just have to have. We ended up going home with multiple bags each.
In the afternoon there was a tango lesson, which I baled on, I wanted to preserve energy for the cocktail party later that evening. As you can imagine this was a noisy gathering, so many cocktails and wild dancing.
Day Two
Not too early a start today, a zumba class at 9.15 followed by a morning tea. More zumba at 10.30 – 11.30 am. I am definitely feeling it by now and ready for a rest. Lisa, Rose and I had a quick lunch at our house and decided to go for a drive to a winery and restaurant.
I spotted this big boy from the car as we were driving away, I love seeing kangaroos in the wild
More Zumba at 3 to 5.15 pm but also missed that! Opting instead for a walk along the beach.
Another big party tonight, well two actually! First a welcome party for the newcomers and a goodby party for the other ladies who were departing.
Our first party involved so many games designed to get to know one other. So much fun and plenty of food and wine and of course more dancing. Luckily the other party was within walking distance and was in full swing by the time we arrived, more dancing and drinking. Ready for my bed.
So far so good, I was actually hoping to lose a few kilos! I doubt that will be happening with all the morning teas, lunches, party food, wine and cocktails. I think it will be going the other way.
A Night out in the City
I thought it was high time we went out for dinner in the city, so yesterday I booked a restaurant that we’ve been to before but not for a while. Normally we tend to just visit our local as we know what we’re getting and always enjoy it! But time for a change. We only live 15 minutes away so it’s not a hassle.
When we arrived our hostess showed us to our table upstairs. I didn’t even know this place had an upstairs let alone a roof top area. We had a lovely table with an outside heater, although one arm got very warm while the other froze! I wondered being right at the top how the service would be. Well no worries there because we didn’t have to wait long at all. The service at this restaurant is first class and the atmosphere was wonderful.
OUR FOOD
Here we have Garlic Potato Gems, Caramelised Pork Satay Dip with Puffed Rice Crackers, Crispy Fried Chicken, Shredded Duck with Rolled Turmeric Wafer and Jumbo Tiger Prawns in Black Pepper Butter.
The menu had a few sections, Eats, Small Plates and Large Plates. We went for a few small plates, before I got too carried away the waitress stopped me and said that’s enough!
I think Perth must be one of the few cities left in Australia where the hospitality industry is booming. I hope before too long that the other capital cities begin to thrive again soon.
PS: I posted some photos on Facebook and Instagram but cut off Hubby’s head! I sure got lots of comments about that.
Posted as part of Six Word Saturday hosted by Debbie at Travel with Intent.
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.
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.
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!
👻The Golden Ghost Town of Gwalia, Leonara, WA 👻
On our recent trip exploring country towns of Western Australia, we were recommended a visit to Gwalia in Leonara. Around a 2 ½ hour drive from Kalgoorlie, maybe a bit more with a stop on the way. It was well worth the drive to see this fascinating ghost town. We had a beautiful day for our visit after yesterday’s grey and gloomy day. At the bottom of this post there is a short history.
We first went up the museum to have a look around at the top and to view the mine and managers’ buildings. The husband of the lady running the gift shop and information centre is the restorer of all the buildings.
A view of the town from the road 
A mural painted by the artist Roderick Sprigg in 2018 who grew up in Gwalia. He actually painted the corrugated effect as well.
The mine at present
Old engine boiler
Hoover House 
Verandah of Hoover House
Hoover House is now a bed and breakfast and also serves Devonshire teas on the verandah
The Ghost Town
The miners and their families tried to make the best with what little they had. It must have been boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter. These are some of the homes below of the outside and inside.
The Pink House 
Patroni’s guesthouse – while some miners had their own homes many were single men who boarded here. Families often ate their meals here if they had no kitchen facilities.
An entertainment room, the piano looks in need of an urgent tune up and repair
The State Hotel built in 1903 and once I imagine a grand old building. It was built to give the town a licensed premise and to lessen the “sly-grog” trade.
Short History of Gwalia
In 1896 a gold reef was discovered by prospectors. It was originally named Sons of Gwalia which signifies the Welsh heritage of the investors.
In 1897 110 miners were employed at the mine and in 1898 Herbert Hoover (the 31st president of the USA) was appointed as mine manager, working for only six months here.
By 1901 – 1903 the goldmine is thriving and surpassing its predicted production. By now 884 people live here and a school opens. Also a tram service established between Gwalia and Leonara.
1914-1918 many men leave to enlist in WW1.
1919 – it is now the deepest mine in Australia.
1921 – 1929 – A fire destroys the power station and mill and reconstruction works commence. Herbert Hoover becomes President of the USA (1929).
1939 – 1945 – WW2. The Italian miners employed at the time were interred and the mine is now operating at a loss.
1963 – On the 28th December the mine closes, there was a mass exodus of most of the people, abandoning their homes and many belongings.
1964 – The population drops from 1,200 to 40.
1983 – The mine was reopened and is still a going concern today.
Gwalia Mine – For more information
Thanks so much for reading and travelling with me to this unique place. I hope you have enjoyed the photos and history!
Meelup Farmhouse, Eagle Bay with the Divas
Another day, another lunch for the divas’ weekend in Dunsborough. This time it was at the picturesque Meelup Farmhouse. What a super place this is.
Before even getting to the entrance there is so much to see, so remember to arrive a bit early to have a look around.
Lizzie the cow was hiding when we were there, but here’s one from the Meelup website I cheekily stole!
As soon as we sat down we were given the drinks list, but on looking around it seemed everyone was drinking the same thing. So we didn’t even have to look and ordered four “we’ll have what they’re having” – Ginger gin passionfruit mojitos”.
An airy and light dining room with a fabulously decorated ceiling.
House made sweet potato flat bread, roasted beets, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, avocado, beetroot hummus + kale 
Fresh Farmhouse salad, merlot vinaigrette 
Woodfired Atlantic salmon, roast fennel, honey + dijon dressing 
Salt + pepper squid, Farmhouse grown chilli, shallot
Above are some of the dishes we shared and we also had Chicken liver pate topped with cherries and chargrilled Yallingup wood fired sourdough, which was melt in your mouth delicious!
After this another cocktail was called for! We shared two between four – Getting Figgy – Gin, Fig, lemon, Fig jam and a classic Pina Colada. These two seemed to have much more alcohol than the mojito.
A few more snaps around Meelup
Meelup Farm also offers picnic hampers which you can eat in the extensive gardens under shady trees, away from the noise of the restaurant.
Everything about this place was superb, food, service with a smile and wonderful location. It’s definitely on my “go back to” list.
Last but not least a photo of Mila, the resident labrador. We were told when we sat down that we weren’t allowed to feed her, she was on a diet! I don’t think everyone got the message.
Click on the link for more details
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
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.
Morning Coffee 
Evening Wine
Pelican and Seagulls 
Evening fishing
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.
looking out over the Indian Ocean 
Banksia flower 
Banksia flower
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.
An old rusty Holden
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!
Just checking! 
Okay, all clear
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
Caves House, Yallingup, WA For An Overnight Stay
After saying goodbye in Pemberton to our friends Cheryl and Vaughan we drove onto Yallingup for our overnight stay at Caves House. Although we had previously had dinner here we had never stayed. Spending the night is always something I have wanted to do. The inside of Caves House is wonderfully well kept and has some fabulous artwork on the walls. Not only that but there are lovely art deco ornaments decorating tables and fireplaces. The ceilings are adorned with many kinds of light fittings all unusual in their own way.
Reception and Lobby Area
The Wyadup Room
A cosy lounge to relax, mixing the old and new. Where you can sit and enjoy a cocktail or nightcap in front of the roaring fire.
Indijup Room
A casual dining room for larger parties with an open fire, with art deco ornaments on top of the fireplace. A beautiful stained glass parrot light decorates the ceiling.
The Nigligi Room
A wonderful black and white tiled dining room with a 1950’s feel complete with photos of Marilyn Monroe on the walls. Open for breakfast and lunch.
The Yallingup Room
A beautiful dining room decorated with white cane chairs and modern summer themed art on the walls. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We had dinner at the hotel and had to eat in the lobby area as the Yallingup Room was fully booked. Food is ordered at the counter at the front where there is a casual/sports bar. It is pub food with a variation, as in Curry/Pasta/Fish of the day or otherwise steaks, pizzas and burgers.
Breakfast used to be a buffet but with the outbreak of Covid 19 it is just off the menu.
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Accommodation
We stayed in a Heritage Double room complete with small sitting room and an amazing bathroom. The bed even had a dual fitted electric blanket, great for me who likes a warm bed and hubby who likes it cold!
Coming down for breakfast after a very good night’s sleep
Before setting off back to Perth we had a walk down to Yallingup Beach through the gardens of Caves House.
Changing into his walking shoes sitting in the “boot” of his car
Caves House is a great place to hold a wedding or any kind of reception because of the large rooms for entertaining. Also if you have a special birthday or anniversary. I enjoyed my stay there, it has a friendly and relaxed atmosphere and is within walking distance to a beautiful beach. All in all a five star stay.
An apt quote for me and hubby, he loves roads and I love to travel!
Perth to Porongurup – 3 Day Road Trip
Last week we had a mini midweek break with our good friends and drove from Perth to Porongurup for two nights followed by a night in Yallingup. The drive takes around 4 hours and 30 minutes. On the way down we stopped at a small town called Williams that sits practically on the Albany Highway. We had a bite to eat in the small cafe there and a quick wander through the woodshed after. Of course we felt we ought to buy something to bolster the economy. Hubby bought a very smart Merino wool sweater and for me a Merino cardigan.
As we gradually drove further away from Perth the sky was darkening and we could see heavy rain clouds ahead, the weather was not looking good for our first night.
We also stopped at a winery in Mount Barker to pick up some wine from the cellar door to have with dinner that night. Plataganet Wines is actually named after the English Royal House, although it doesn’t date back that far! Inside there is a fantastic framed Plataganet family tree.
Making sure he likes it 
Finally arriving around 4.30pm in Porongurup we checked in and went straight to our cottage. Our friends Cheryl and Vaughan were already there having beat us by at least an hour!
By this time it was very bleak! Cold, wet and windy. There are no restaurants in Porongurup, although there is a bar and restaurant at the place we were staying, Karribank Cottages, but sadly didn’t open until Friday. So a BBQ it was on the verandah of our cottage. We had brought with us all sorts of goodies, plus a few bottles of wine and no-one had to drive anywhere.
Our cottage 
Lamb chops and steaks 
One of the empties!
The morning after the night before I woke up with a bit of a headache! Then Anthony tells me that he’s forgotten one of his medications, which is ironic as when we left Perth he said “do you remember the last time we went away and I forgot one of my meds and we had to phone the chemist in Perth and find one locally to have the script faxed”. “Well you won’t do that again in a hurry”, I said. Sure enough we did exactly that! We drove to Mount Barker to find a chemist and arrange for the script to be faxed, so while we were waiting we had breakfast and a wander around.
Things didn’t seem to be going plan at all. We couldn’t find any wineries open with a restaurant and it was still raining. So we decided on a drive to Albany and have lunch there then try to get to the Porongurups in the afternoon.
Albany
Albany is the oldest colonial settlement in Western Australia and is home to the old whaling station. A convoy of more than 40 ships, with 30,000 troops and nearly 8000 horses from both Australia and New Zealand, sailed from Albany on November 1 1914. There are so many historical buildings and churches in Albany dating back to the 1800s.
Albany Town Hall 
Scots Church – 1892 
St. John’s Anglican Church
The famous Liberte Restaurant and Bar in Albany. First built in 1909 in a style reminiscent of an English mansion. It has been bought and sold a number of times over the last century and is now a restaurant/bar serving Asian fusion food.
We had lunch at a place called Garrison, no surprise that this was located where the army was stationed up on the hill. It has beautiful views overlooking King George Sound. Here we had a fabulous lunch with great service.
Fried Jerusalem Artichokes with feta cheese 
Iberico Pork Pinchos 
Seafood Mix Linguine 
Duck Confit
Happy to see they didn’t feature Pie of the Day on the menu!
We had a short walk around through the old barracks and buildings.
Porungurup National Park
One of the reasons for our drive to Porungurup was to walk on the granite skywalk, I really hadn’t done enough research to know this was beyond my capabilities. Firstly we had left it too late to do anything more than just have a look around at ground level and secondly it was at least an hour’s walk and a “scramble over rocks” to get just to the first level. Well at least we had a look around and saw troops of kangaroos.
A little attempt at walking 😂 
I was warned not to get closer as you never know with wild kangaroos whether they will take a swipe at you or not!
The photos below are ones I have taken from Pinterest just to show everyone how fantastic it would have been!
Another “stay in the cottage” dinner with more wine that night as there is really nowhere to eat within a reasonable driving distance. We had stopped off at a supermarket on the way back to stock up with cold meats, pate and cheese.
The next day we checked out at 10 am and had breakfast at the very cute Porongurup Tea Rooms just at the bottom of the road and then headed to Pemberton with a stop at Lake Muir and then Manjimup for lunch. At Pemberton we said goodbye to Cheryl and Vaughan and drove onto Yallingup for our overnight stay at Caves Hotel.
Lake Muir
Pemberton
Pemberton, the home of the Gloucester Tree. Something I had never heard of before until Cheryl mentioned it. It is the world’s second tallest fire-lookout tree and stands 58 metres high. There are rungs all the way up if you feel inclined to climb it. At the top there is a steel and aluminium cabin and viewing gallery.
And then it was onto Yallingup for our overnight stay at Caves House.
