Driving South for the winter

The time has come to depart our luxurious home from home and head South. Birds fly, Aborigines walk, but we, being lazy white people, drive. There are two routes to get down South from Perth (no expense spared with roads round here!). The highway - mile after mile of straight quick road, or the coast road - mile after mile of not so straight road. We chose the coastal route. It was prettier (apart from the bits that were industrial, retail or as ugly as hell on a bad day) and we had all day to meander down to Gracetown. With Inga in the driving seat, Rachael making sure teddy didn't get over excited or out of control in the back, and yours truly in charge of the non-existent map, we were all set for the open road. We waved goodbye to the others (who were taking the quick route) and set off into the great unknown. Okay, known to Rachael and I, but not to Inga; this was her adventure with us along for the ride. The coast road isn't that spectacular but you do get a glimpse of life for the average Aussie. The drive was uneventful (in terms of accidents, close misses, road rage or hitting kangeroos) and we arrived in Busselton, a pretty town on the coast with a massive long pier. We stopped for lunch and to be tourists for a while. The pier stretches out over a km into the bay and, if you cross an old lady's palm with pieces of strange runic paper, she allows you to walk up to the end. Once you get there, a young lady demands more runic paper if you want to descend below the waves and look at fishes. We chose not to and I'll swear she was trying to give us the evil eye as we hung about looking scruffy and taking pics. There were some people fishing at the end and they'd caught a squid - such a weird looking creature. It lay basking in the sun and the attention of passer-by's wondering why it couldn't breathe and not knowing that is was destined for the supper table. Yum. We strolled back in the wind, managing to stay out of the water - no barrier on one side and it's not that wide a pier - and continued on our way. We got lost. Well, not so much lost, as missed the turning to Gracetown due to a lack of signage. Inga executed a nifty handbrake turn (something Hyundai deny their cars are capable of) and we retraced our steps. We drove into Gracetown - which is beautiful - and found the house. It was still perched high up on the hill, so erosion hadn't got to it quite yet. I'll end with pictures of Inga and Rachael on the pier; you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the fantastic views. Love the hair, Rach. You look just like a coconut that's escaped from a carnival sideshow!