Town and Country

Last summer we had a chance to go to an outdoor movie in a wooded grove of the University of Western Australia (that was in March; their summer). This time of year is cooler, so no movies,
but we did still walk around the campus and came upon this amazing reflection pool. The architecture makes it look like we're in ancient times! Many of the buildings are listed in the Australian National Register, and the campus is home to over 55 species of birds. Greg likes to imagine what it would have been like to go to uni here rather than at UofM... for sure the sound of laughing kookaburras around the grounds would have created a different atmosphere!

Another visit to King's Park, where there are always some sort of flowers blooming. These are Bird's of Paradise, which are also grown in Canada. The gardens at the Park try to showcase flowers that are native to WA, but also feature those that will provide visual appeal all year round, with lots of succulents, including cacti. I'm not sure where these ones are originally from.



Greg and I went on a little road tour up north a couple of hours, stopping and seeing different sites along the way. The mandarin orange groves were still producing fruit, which was really pretty to see, but the other fruit trees were still sleeping. We also got to see an unbelievably huge 'road train', essentially one truck pulling 2-3 trailers behind. We later came across a truck pulling what looked like machine destined for the mines in the Kimberleys - the truck was wider then the entire road. One of the tires on the thing being transported was bigger than our car! We were relieved to get past it...

We were headed for the town of New Norcia, a community that had been established by Spanish monks back in the 1800's. They still operate the town in a similar fashion, with sheep, olive oil production, a mill, a famous bakery, and their own port wine.


We spent the afternoon walking around the town. We walked through a field full of bleating sheep; they can make quite a noise! At one point we got off track and strayed into unchartered territory, and this was where we discovered the viscious dive-bombing abilities of the magpies. We didn't even know they were attacking until they were practically on top of us, swooping at our heads! Apparently this is common, and if needed, a bucket worn on the head with eyes painted on the back may be good enough protection! RIGHT! The locals have mentioned that it is not uncommon for people to go to the hospital with beaks stuck in their heads. So there we were, retreating through this farmers field waving sticks in the air, me looking forward, and Greg watching our backs. The whole reason we lost our way was because the creek had washed over the footbridge, and so we ended up having to take off our shoes and wade across. It was a bit cold, but nothing to it! At least the crocs are further north.