The land of Oz

Here are a couple more pictures from our overdue vacation to Australia. They were both taken on our last day there in a gorgeous botanical garden. I would say that we have returned to the real world...but living in Bali probably isn't your idea of the "real world"!

Fremantle

This is the town of Fremantle. It is the oldest harbor in western Australia. It was settled primarily by British convicts, who might have looked something like this:


Many of the original buildings are still standing.

The main street looks so much like "Mayberry", don't you think?

Many of the old anchors are still around...and they are huge!


Isn't this little cafe perfect?

I couldn't resist a hot cocoa! Delicious!

Rottnest Island

We took a boat out to Rottnest Island, off the coast of western Australia. It was named by the Dutch who arrived on a ship and determined that the island was uninhabitable since it was infested by rats, hence the name "Rot" (rat) Nest Island. It turns out that the rats that scared them off were actually miniature kangaroos called "Quokas". To this day there are no cars on the island so we biked around and were delighted to meet the furry little inhabitants that were hopping around!

No Whining!

We visited the wine country and visited vineyards. We are so amazed at the wildlife. It makes us feel like kids again in the playground of Australia!

The Scenic Route

We rented a car and got out of the city to explore western Australia. Here are some snapshots from the journey.

The Wild Side

We took a road trip this week in a car we rented and were delighted to see wild Kangaroos everywhere! The first three we saw were dead on the side of the road so it seems that the Kangaroo is to Australia what the white tailed deer is to North America. These kinds of signs are on all the roads.

For a closer look at the local wildlife, we visited a wildlife park where we met lots of animals but our favorites were this wombat

this turkey

this cute little duck

a tasmanian devil

a koala

which is Jody's favorite animal

and lots of kangaroos





Anyone want me to bring you a small kangaroo? They are adorable!

The Land Down Under

We are really enjoying our time in the city of Perth. Here is a picture of the skyline from a park we visited.

One of our favorite things to do is people watch. I cannot quit smiling. This place makes me so happy. Here is one of the city's more unusual residents.

The trees everywhere are filled with gorgeous wild parrots and cockatoos.



Jody enjoys terrorizing them.