I'M GOING THAT WAY!!: December 2010

Bunbury Beach

A three hour coach journey south of Scarborough took me down the west coast to Bunbury. No ordinary coach journey for me. I found myself on a luxury coach with tea and coffee, free wifi and movies. I missed the hawkers of SE Asia though, I could have done with some cheap pineapple. Australia seems to be a great country but sometimes it just feels a bit too sedate after the madness of SE Asia and I’ve found myself missing the chaos. Still I could probably create some chaos of my own. Although I can see why people strive to live here, for young families it’s a great way of life and the standard of living is very high. The recession hasn’t reached this far. However the country does seem to have the same social problems as ours maybe just on a lesser scale because the population is so sparse. Bunbury is situated on the south west corner and apparently is home to lots of friendly dolphins. It is also one of only 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. I don’t know what that means exactly but it sounds good in the leaflet! Surrounded on three sides by water Bunbury is a charming city, very small with a population of only 35,000, it’s very quaint and old fashioned in a lot of ways. Arriving on a Wednesday caused problems. When I asked where the nearest shop was there was a big sigh from the hostel receptionist. She said “Is it Wednesday?” I agreed it was. “Oh dear” she said “Wednesday, Wednesday, everything shuts early on a Wednesday” My fault, I was a bit silly thinking the shops would be open after 6 pm after all! It’s also very strange to see the Christmas lights and trees decorated when it’s 30 degrees outside.

I have met up again with Ben who has been staying here since we arrived in Australia. It’s nice to see him and he certainly seems to seems to have settled into the way of life and looks happy and healthy. Bunbury is a great place to cycle with endless shared pavements and I have taken advantage of the cheap hostel rates for my first bike ride in Australia. The sunsets again are amazing and the beach is even better than Scarborough. White sand, virtually deserted bar the odd dog walker and clear water. It makes for a very picturesque scene. I have spotted my first kangaroos other than in the zoo and I think they were wild. Well they certainly looked pretty angry to me! Oh and my nose is peeling and bright red, quite an attractive look if I say so myself.

After a visit to Perth zoo which was very enjoyable especially the gibbons it was time to say goodbye to Roberta and to Perth. It’s been an interesting city if somewhat bland and well ordered but well worth seeing. Roberta is on her way to Melbourne and the comparative luxury of hotels whilst I am still in hostel land and have headed up the coast to Scarborough Beach. Luckily my choice of hostel for my first night alone in almost 8 months has proved very successful. Located right on the Indian ocean the hostel is clean, cheap with friendly staff and full of guests who are more interested in surfing than fighting, unlike the previous place. The beach itself is magnificent. I arrived on a windy day and the swells of the surf were great to see. I watched in awe at the skills of the kite and wind surfers, just as they watched in awe as they saw me running later! I think it was awe! Sunset was particularly spectacular. I choose Scarborough Beach as I have fond memories of living at our Scarborough and it’s uncanny how alike the two places are. Both are situated on a sea/ocean, they have exactly the same street names, both have a Peasholm Park and both have constant sunshine, oh no that’s just this Scarborough! As a bonus it is also a lot cheaper here than Perth and I have found some nice chilled white wine at last. On the downside every odd ball, there’s no PC way of saying that, seems to realise I’m in town and insists on talking to me. My avoidance skills are getting better and better though.