The Yorkshire Dales

Posted on September 8, 2018 by

The Yorkshire Dales landscape is ever changing; from lush farmland paddocks bound in dry stone walls and hedges to the treeless windswept dales and heather morelands. Absolutely beautiful!





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Our drive took us to the pretty market town of Hawes, home of the well known Wensleydale cheese.

We of course visited their Creamery and Cheese Shop to sample some of their mouth-watering selections.

When we visited Hawes, the weekly sheep sales were nearing the end and most of the lots had been sold. Speaking to a local chap he told us that the upcoming market next week would see around 65,000 sheep sold over a few days – their biggest for the year. He said that all accommodation is booked out completely in the area and the town thrives on the markets.

We stopped at several other towns to have a look around.
Kettlewell, Leyburn, Reeth, Asygarth and Richmond.


This unique landscape will be forever etched in our minds…..absolutely amazing countryside.

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Kirkby Stephen

Posted on September 7, 2018 by

After overnighting in Dubai we flew into Manchester, picked up our hire car and drove to Augill Castle in Kirkby Stephen, our accommodation for the first week of our holiday. The castle is between the The Lakes District and The Yorkshire Dales and in an ideal location for setting out to explore the areas.

Built around 1840 by a local family it was a grand house of the time. It has had its share of colourful owners including Dr Abercrombie, surgeon to Queen Victoria, and it is reported that she once stayed here on her way to Balmoral.

The current owners purchased the property in 1997 and set about a major rebuilding project which took them 15 years to complete. It has since been run as a B&B and small wedding venue.

Kirkby Stephen is a traditional market town and is ideally located in the beautiful Upper Eden valley of Cumbria. Surrounded by pastoral rural scenery and wild uplands there are breathtaking views in every direction and it is part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The town has a great variety of shops, restaurants and pubs to satisfy their visitors. It has been a great place to base ourselves for the first week of our holiday.



Posted in Margaret River, UK | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Big Seas

Posted on July 28, 2018 by

Although we live about 10km from the coast “as the crow flies”, this morning the sound of the waves crashing into the coast could be heard from here. The forecast of 20ft waves hitting the coast was spot on. From the lookout at Gracetown the waves don’t seem too big, but trust me they were enormous.


The weather was pretty good to the south but to the north the conditions were changing.

Although it looked really messy out at sea, crazy big wave surfers have been towed out about 2.5 km by jet ski’s and are surfing the huge waves. We spoke to an experienced local surfer who was watching from the lookout and he said they were probably the biggest waves he had seen down here – certainly bigger than the forecast was saying. I think he said they were ‘raw’ – or would that be ‘roar’!

I zoomed as much as I could with my camera and found the jet ski’s out there but could not see the surfers. You will spot the jet ski’s on the left of the photo below.

Up at Moses Rock where you can get down onto the beach the power of the crashing waves made you very aware of the dangers of such wintery conditions.

The usual array of flotsam and jetsam could be spotted on the beach and the sandhills are being held together with succulent greenery.

I don’t image too many surfers would be brave enough to get on their boards in such conditions.

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Winter has arrived

Posted on June 18, 2018 by

We have had some really awful weather here over the past few weeks so we decided to go for a Sunday drive, as the sun was finally out, to see if there was any noticable wind damage in the area. And there was, as you can see from the photos. Large branches, and in some cases, trees have fallen on roads and fences.

The vines have all but lost their leaves now.

Lambs were enjoying the midday sunshine.

An inlet down on the south coast was the perfect place for a picnic.

The forest really is peaceful and beautiful.

Saturday morning we had a heavy fog, followed by a few hours of sunshine and then the clouds started rolling in again. More rain on the way!

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We are not really complaining though as the rain has already filled our 25,000 ltr rain water tank, so we will have plenty of lovely drinking water for the rest of the year.

Posted in Cowaramup, Margaret River, Western Australia | Tagged | 6 Comments

Looking West!

Posted on May 19, 2018 by

The winter weather is still no where to be seen here in WA so this morning we headed over to the beach for a look.

We walked a short distance on the Cape to Cape trail and took in the views of the beautiful Indian Ocean. The water was a gorgeous colour with gentle waves breaking near the shore.

Surfers always find the spot where the waves get a little larger.

Fishing boats bobbed in the water.

We are very lucky to be able to enjoy such a spectacular coastline.

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Dardanup – what a surprise!

Posted on May 17, 2018 by

Dardanup is just up the road (only 95 km away) and yet we never stop to have a look around. It is close to Bunbury, which we pass through every time we go to Perth, but it’s just one of those things …. always rushing to get up to Perth and back home again.

With a few spare days on our hands, we decided to take the caravan out and spent three days in and around Dardanup, staying at a farm stay caravan park. Taralea Farm, who grow macadamia and limes and run a small flock of Sams, was a great base to enjoy the area.

On one of the days we enjoyed lunch at Ferguson Falls Winery in the nearby Ferguson Valley. The weather here at the moment is unseasonably warm so it was a lovely day to take in the beautiful scenery in the valley.

But the highlight of the trip was our visit to Heritage Park in Dardanup West. It must be the best kept secret in WA; if you enjoy our pioneering past. A fabulous display of restored machinery and collectibles is presented in over 7000 m2 of undercover display buildings. Collections include tractors, farm machinery, traction engines, sawmills and trucks, most restored and in working order, along with military displays, a working print shop, gemstones….and the list goes on. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area.


If your interested in further info the links are:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taralea-Farm-Stay/1533170180322764
http://www.fergusonfalls.com.au
http://www.dardanupheritagepark.com.au

 

Posted in Caravanning, Cowaramup, Margaret River | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Bee Hotels

Posted on April 1, 2018 by

After some research on ways to attract bees to the garden and vege patch, we decided that one fun idea was to build a bee hotel out in the backyard.

Bee hotels are designed to attract a variety of bee species into the garden by using a selection of wood and hole sizes.

Here is our masterpiece!

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We currently have bees buzzing in the autunm blooms and hope to attract them all year around.

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Auckland – the City of Sails

Posted on March 20, 2018 by

Once again we passed beautiful countryside on our way to Auckland, NZ’s largest city.

This scene reminded us of our Tuscan adventure.

On the way we stopped in Cambridge to catchup with friends Lesley & Ian. Lesley is my lovely friend Jill’s sister and she has lived in NZ for about 35 years. The girls cousin Dayle was also visiting from WA.

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Auckland has been a bit of a eye-opener for us. Perhaps it is the location we have chosen to stay in; right near the Sky Tower and Casino. Rubbish is littering the area and construction sites are untidy. The area also has a lot of homeless sleeping in the street, a social issue which is being addressed.

Having said that, we have been on a bus tour and the inner suburban areas are very classy and expensive, perhaps adding to their social problems.

Auckland is know as the “City of Sails” and reportedly has the highest boat ownership rates per head of capita in the world. It also has a huge traffic problem with the city also reportedly being up there as having a very high percentage of motor vehicles per head of capita.

We dined up on the 52nd floor of the Sky Tower in the revolving restaurant. WOW! The views and the food were equally fabulous.


The rain cleared this afternoon so we took the ferry over to Devenport on the opposite side of the harbour for a stroll along the gorgeous streets and the views back to Auckland from Mt Victoria were impressive in the sunshine. And of course, the food was great.

Posted in Cowaramup, Margaret River, New Zealand | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Lake Taupo

Posted on March 17, 2018 by

Travelling from Napier to Taupo we crossed the Kaweka Mountain Range which is 1,724 m (5,656 ft) high and at times we seemed to be in the clouds. Along the way we stopped for morning tea at this lovely spot.

Lake Taupo is New Zealand’s largest lake; almost 200 km around its perimeter. Hugely popular year round with both New Zealenders and international visitors, the lake is pretty even on a cold cloudy day.

I have to say a visit to Lava Glass in Taupo was a highlight for me. I absolutely love handblown glass and their creations are amazingly beautiful and their style very different. No photos were allowed in the gallery but it was allowed in the garden where over 500 glass sculptures are set in a private setting. Lyndon Over and his team have tested their skills in many of the very large pieces. I hope you enjoy seeing just some of the photos I took.

Make sure you visit Lava Glass if you get to Lake Taupo to enjoy the beautiful garden.

Posted in Cowaramup, Margaret River, New Zealand | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Hawkes Bay

Posted on March 15, 2018 by

The drive to the Hawkes Bay region across the mountains was again spectacular. Unfortunately it is impossible to stop on these mountainous roads to take photos so most of these were taken from the car window.

We are staying in the grounds of Mission Estate Winery in Taradale, near Napier.

The food at their restaurant was exceptional.

The Farmhouse is a lovely cottage, very well appointed, and since we arrived the weather has been great.

Napier is an Art Deco city and has some excellent buildings of the era. A large cruise ship was in port when we visited so the town was buzzing with tourists. The Esplanade is lined with flower gardens and colonnades.


If you are coming to the area we would certainly recommend the accommodation. Check them out at http://www.missionestate.co.nz/

Posted in Cowaramup, Margaret River, New Zealand | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Bay of Plenty

Posted on March 13, 2018 by

We arrived in Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty in the afternoon as Cyclone Hola was dumping rain on the area. The one activity that everyone had recommended was the walk up Mount Maunganui to enjoy the view. This is what we could see on the way over to the mount and then the view as the clouds rolled in …. needless-to-say we did not get out of the car.

The cyclone passed overnight without effecting us and we were on the road the next day to Rotorua to visit the Wai-O-Tapu geothermal volcanic area. The walk took us past colourful springs, rising steam, hissing vents and craters and plopping mud – the wonders of nature!

The country side is very picturesque. Sheltered behind the tall hedges are acres of kiwifruit and avocado, corn fields are everywhere and the cattle and sheep are happily grazing high up on the green fields.



Posted in Cowaramup, Margaret River, New Zealand | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Coromandel Peninsula

Posted on March 11, 2018 by

Driving south through Auckland was crazy, even though it was a Saturday. The city looked beautiful as we passed by but the traffic was terrible, we were at a snails pace from Warkworth 58 km north of Auckland to Quarry Street exit 36 km to the south. Not sure what the problem was but it took us a couple of hours to cross the city.

Once we hit The Coromandel Peninsula the scenery changed completely. Following the coast north the narrow road is under repair from a high tide surge a few months ago which caused significant damage. Further along the drive takes you high up over part of the peninsula before coming back down to the coast.

Not sure if these power lines are ‘live’ but seems strange they were in the water along the coast.

We arrived at our lovely accommodation, Aotea Bed & Breakfast then dined at the delightful Pepper Tree Restaurant. The area is renowned for its seafood so we enjoyed Tuna Carpaccio followed by Local Fish with Prawn & Pea Risotto. Yummy!

Hot Water Beach is on the east of the Coromandel Peninsula is truely a hot water experience.  Beachgoers dig themselves down to the hot springs on the beach and then relax in the hot water source….we tested the heat in one of the holes and were surprised at just how hot the water was in some places.  Almost scalding in one area but relaxingly warm a few feet away.  Very popular pastime all year around. As the tide was coming in the stinging blue jellyfish were washing up just waiting for the unexpecting tourists.

Our final stop was at the lovely Rapaura Watergardens. Set in a 60 acre private estate the garden meanders through native bush, water lily ponds and a rainforest walk leading to a small waterfall. Relaxing way to finish our visit to the Coromandel Peninsula.

Cyclone update from WeatherWatch NZ:
“As of 8:30pm Sunday Hola still had sustained winds of near 100km/h and gusts to 130km/h. This makes it Category 2 strength. By midnight tonight winds are estimated to be around 80km/h with gusts to 100km/h. The centre should be a few hundred kilometres north of Northland by midnight tonight with the storm tracking from the north west to the south east.”

It looks like the worst of the cyclone will be just to the east of the North Island so think we will only get some strong winds and quite a lot of rain…fingers crossed!!

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NZ’s Bay of Islands

Posted on March 9, 2018 by

After overnighting in Auckland the drive north to the Bay of Islands in ever changing weather conditions was interesting!  One minute it was pouring down and the next it was quite pleasant. We did manage to get a couple of lovely scenic photos in-between showers.

We stayed two nights in the Bay of Islands but unfortunately didn’t get a chance to head out and see the best of the scenery. Nevertheless it was a lovely stay and we enjoyed a drive up to Mount Bledisloe Lookout and a ferry trip over to Russell on the other side of the bay.

From our accommodation we had a pleasant view across the bay.


The views from Mount Bledisloe gave us a glimpse of the beautiful coastline.

The historical township of Russell, on the opposite side of the inlet, is one of the oldest settlements in NZ.  Originally a whaling and major trading port it has many buildings pre-dating 1850.

Back down the coast in Whangarei the 26 metre high Whangarei Falls, on the Hatea River, cascade down and when we visited it was drizzling with rain but quite warm. The loop walk offered great views from either side of the waterfall and down at the lower level where mist cooled the area.

About 5 minutes away in the AH Reed Memorial Park 500-year-old Kauri forest trees are best seen from the canopy boardwalk through the forest. Here we also saw the Silver fern, a national symbol of NZ, and it was obviously a description for the underside of the leaves.

We are leaving here tomorrow and heading down to the south east of the North Island to the Coromandel Coast. Watching the weather we note that there is a cyclone coming toward the North Island which may arrive on Monday. Latest images from WeatherWatch.nz below show the current system and expected path of Cyclone Hola.  We will let you know what happens.

…………..Current set up as of Friday AM…………………..Latest tracking show NZ in path….

Posted in Cowaramup, Margaret River, New Zealand | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

A day to celebrate

Posted on October 29, 2017 by

Lunch today was fantastic. We celebrated Jim’s 65th birthday at Flutes Restaurant in the grounds of Brookland Valley Winery.

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The gardens are lovely.

And the food and wine were very good with service to match.

Plenty of sunshine today so hopefully the weather is starting to turn and the warmer days are on their way.

Posted in Cowaramup, Margaret River, Western Australia, Wineries | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Fonty’s, Fruits, Truffles & more

Posted on October 16, 2017 by

We are now staying at Fonty’s Pool just out of Manjimup, a significant fruit growing region of Western Australia. Everywhere we drive orchards can be seen growing apples, pears, stone fruits, cherries and berries. The area around Manjimup and Pemberton has the largest avocado farm in the Southern Hemisphere, an enormous strawberry farm supplying 40 percent of Coles’ Australian market and the wine industry is proving the area has the perfect climatic requirements for growing grapes.

Fonty’s Pool was itself once an orchard. The farm was established by Archimedes (Archie) Fontanini, who migrated from Giangugnana in the Provence of Lucca, Italy, in the early 1900’s. Over the years Archie dammed the creek to create a swimming pool for this family and friends to enjoy over the summer months. Archie’s descendants still farm the land around the Pool, but today Fonty’s Pool is privately owned and run as a caravan park and swimming pool for locals to visit. The grounds are beautifully maintained and it is a very popular stopover for caravaners and campers.

Whilst we were in the area we decided we couldn’t go past a lunch at The Truffle and Wine Co. We both enjoyed the Mushroom and Mascarpone Black Truffle Risotto accompanied with freshly baked Baguette and Truffle Butter and a bottle of Fume Sauvignon Blanc Semillon. Very nice indeed. The farm is the largest truffière in the Southern Hemisphere and was established in 1997. Their first truffles were harvested in 2003 and today supply their Black Winter Truffles to distributors around the world.

A river cruise 12km down the Donnelly River to the Southern Ocean provided us with a look at how the area is recovering after the bush fire back in 2011. Many of the fallen trees are still visible along the banks but the regrowth recovery has bought back wildlife to the area – both on land and the water birds as well.

The region, known as the Southern Forests, is home to the giant Karri trees. The nearby Diamond Tree (52 metres), The Dave Evans Dicentennial Tree (75 metres) and the Gloucester Tree (52 Metres) are all climbable trees that over the years have been used a fire lookouts. Each has a platform in the upper canopy which was used by fire fighters to locate smoke and flames. Today they are open for visitors to climb – if you have a head for heights.

Posted in Caravanning, Cowaramup, Margaret River, Wineries | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Albany Highlights

Posted on October 13, 2017 by

We have been visiting Albany for a few days and are surprised at how much it has changed since our last visit about 10 years ago. From a tourists point of view it has changed for the better – with the ANZAC Centre showcasing the historical significance of Albany during WW1 and the amazing structural engineering of the platform at The Gap.

Albany has some interesting sights in and around the city. Here is just a quick look at our time here. The beautiful harbour, the lovely old buildings and gardens, Dog Rock and The Amity are all tourist highlights.

Dog Rock

Old Strawberry Farm was established in 1827 and is thought to be the first farm established in Western Australia when Europeans arrived in Albany’s King George Sound. The main building and gardens have been beautifully maintained.

The Gap offers an amazing view of the Southern Ocean from the overhanging platform 40 metres above the surging ocean below. The structural engineering of the suspended platform means visitors can walk out over the ocean and feel the energy of the water below. The Natural Bridge is nearby and highlights the power of the surging seas in eroding the rocks to create the bridge.

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The National ANZAC Centre was opened in 2014 to commemorate the departure of 41,000 men and women from the Albany harbour bound for Europe and the Great War. They centre has visual displays but is also offers state of the art technogy to guide you through the centre.

The views around King George Sound are very pretty.

It was nice to be back and the weather wasn’t too bad either.

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The Granite Skywalk

Posted on October 11, 2017 by

The Granite Skywalk in the Porongurup National Park, north of Albany, proved to be a pretty tough walk today. Although only 570 metres in elevation the walk is not for the faint hearted. The 2.2km walk is uphill all the way…climbing over rocks, through crevices, up a section that only has pegs/handles in the rocks to pull yourself up to scramble over the rocky formations and then up a ladder to finally get to the skywalk…it was hard work! Fortunately is was a lovely cool day but unfortunately the 360 degree views were a little hazy as you will see in the photo’s.

We passed karri, jarrah and red gum trees and the wildflowers were still flowering.

On the way home we stopped at Monderup Street Reserve in Mt Barker to see these lovely orchids and wildflowers.

It is a great time to be in the south of Western Australia.

Posted in Caravanning, Cowaramup, Margaret River, Wildflowers | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Bremer Bay

Posted on October 7, 2017 by

We are in Bremer Bay and I decided to go on a wildflower tour out at Tozer’s Bush Camp, a 700 acre property of natural beauty.

Wildflowers are one thing we always have a “stop the car” moment for. While I quickly rush out and take the photo, Jim patiently sits in the car gazing off into the horizon – again.

The tour is guided by Jeni, a botanist, who was very knowledgeable and such a delightful person.  We spent two hours in the morning, then had our lunch, followed by another two and a half hours enjoying the beauty of the Aussie bush.  We had to contend with intermittent showers and it was quite windy so taking photos was a challenge.

At this time of year the orchids are nearly done but we did manage to find some lovely specimens. Jeni had us out looking for any new sightings that could be added to their next tour.

The diversity of flowers was astounding. Here are just a few for you to see.

I would certainly recommend the tour to anyone in the area when the wildflowers are putting on their display.

 

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Lake Towerrinning

Posted on October 5, 2017 by

It has been a while since our last caravan trip (actually it was over to Melbourne for the Footy Grand Final at the end of September in 2015) so we were very pleased to be on the road again.

Although we only have 3 weeks to get out and enjoy our break from the garden we are making the most of the somewhat unpredictable weather at the moment.  We have packed our books, a couple of DVD’s we have had for a while but not yet watched and I have my sewing to be going on with.

Our first stop was Lake Towerrinning, a semi-freshwater lake north-west of Kojonup.  The first day was fine and 29 deg. C when we set up but the forecast is not great for the next couple of days.

The Lakeside Camping Ground is on the south side of the 256 hectare lake which is on a working farm.  It has powered and unpowered sites, toilets and showers but no drinking water for campers.   Is very popular with water skiing, kayaking and the sandy beaches make it a family friendly inland swimming destination.  It is school holidays here so it was quite busy with ski boats thundering past with kids on skis, tubes and knee boards, all screaming with excitement.  I would imagine it is a little quieter outside of holidays and weekends.

Next we are off to Bremer Bay for about 5 days.  Hopefully we get some reasonably good weather down there.

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Our First Produce

Posted on September 25, 2017 by

After months of waiting to pick some of our produce we have finally started to reap the rewards of growing our own veges.  There have been a few challenges along the way; the snails loved our new seedlings, the parrots will try anything and weevils are munching the leaves on our fruit trees.

But, we are now eating our carrots and potatoes and today we made our first batch of beetroot relish.

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We are eagerly awaiting the snow peas, onions, garlic, blueberries, raspberries and tomatoes to grow and ripen.  The herb garden is also starting to show signs of growth as the days get a little warmer.

New shoots have started to appear on our small shrubs and some are even displaying their first flowers.