Tuesday, 23 March.

Update on leaving Perth. Arrived at the Perth Airport about 1830 hrs, after sitting out one of the worst electrical storms that I can remember. The Qantas terminal had to be evacuated as a result of the amount of rain that had come through the roof and caused the ceiling to collapse over the arrival carosal. A number of flights were cancelled, fortunately we were able to leave only 35 minutes late.

Bye for now.

Col

Monday, 22 March. Started out late today. Visit to Aquarium. For a privately owned set up it is fantastic. Able to take heaps of photos, from leafy sea dragons to large sting rays and sharks. A very pleasant 2 - 3 hours spent. Travelled north up the coast and ogled at the multi million dollar mansions along the way. Makes the Gold Coast look miserable in comparison.

Home to pack the bags and rest before heading to the airport and back to Brissie on the Red-Eye flight. Should be back by about 0500 hr 23rd.

Will be on the road again on 10 April.

Bye for now.

Col & Helen.

Sunday, 21 March. Zanders Cafe at Scarborough Beach for breakfast today. Could not eat it all. Headed to Fremantle, or Fre'o as those who have been there call it. What an area, beaches every where, massive container ships in port and the odd million dollar boat/yacht, both on the water and at the mariner. Found a market which appears to be a permanent fixture, crowded to the gunnels (that sea talk) but not much worth buying. Had a quick look at the maritime museum and headed back to Perth. The rest of the day was spent recovering from yesterday. Need to do some last minute shopping and the the packing begins to head back to Brisvegas tomorrow night.

Saturday, 20 March. Lazy start to the day. Drove to Scarborough Beach and was amazed at the beauty of the area. Met up with Russell & Karen from Redcliffe. Afternoon saw us heading towards the Gravity Centre. It helps if you know where you are going as we ended up in Gingin (WA not QLD). After some telephone direction we finally made it to the Gravity Centre. We only missed it by about 20 kilometers. Interesting place, if not a little strange. The highlight of the centre is a 45 metre tall tower built on an angle. After climbing the 13 stories to the top, no there is no lift just stairs, and dropping water filled balloons to see how they erupt upon impact, we headed back to Perth via the correct route and spent the next few hours wandering around Kings Park. I still think we have yet to see It all. Magnificent view of the city by day and by night. Finally made it back to our accommodation around 2130 hrs.

Friday, 19 March. Early start to the day. Checked out the light house overlooking Bunbury. Great views of the area. Headed down to the beach to great the visiting dolphins. Only two turned up, mother and calf. Not a great deal of action, however, we did get to see them close up. Headed to Harvey where we went to the cheese factory. Tried some cheeses, purchases some chilli bri. A most delightful little number with a light bite at the end. Spent time at the Harvey information centre which had a display of May Gibbs (Snugglepot & Cuddlepie author) who it is said drew inspiration for her stories from her time living in the area. A self guided tour of the Sterling House replica, lunch then up to the Harvey Dam, a bit disappointing. From Harvey to Mandurah to visit with some cousins that I have never met before. Great afternoon catching up then on to Scarborough to meet with David and Rochelle. They have kindly allowed us to stay at there house whilst they are in NZ.

Thursday, 18 March. Wedding Anniversary number 32. On the road again, this time we are headed for Bunbury on the west coast. From Manjimup to Bridgetown. Not a long drive but very scenic. Checked out the 'King Tree' just outside Manjimup, not the largest karri tree but still impressive. Set in the centre of a stand of karris, the king karri is 2.6 metres in diameter and 45 metres tall. It is over 500 years old and there is not a branch for about the first 30 metres from the ground up. From Manjimup to historic Bridgetown. Even though it has a very old bridge in the centre of town, it was named after one of the river boats that serviced the area. Whilst there we were required to do the mandatory visit to the "Cidery" where we got to sample their various types of apple cider. Had lunch at the cidery to allow the effects of the cider to wear of then on to Bunbury via Greenbushes, Balingup, Donnybrook and Boyanup. It is amazing just how many Ulyssians we meet whenever we stop some where. Bunbury is no different. Visit to the Information Centre, ulyssians, local shopping centre, ulyssians, booking into motel, more bloody ulyssians. We are everywhere.

Wednesday, 17 March. St Patricks day. Started today with a last look at Albany (for now). A ship in port so the craft markets were on. Checked out the jewelery on sale then its on our way. First stop was at Williams Bay. What a fantastic area. Large granite boulders in the ocean creating a sheltered harbour with beautiful turquoise blue sea. Onward towards Jassi Uggs, the boot factory, however, the toffee factory caused a short detour. The boot factory saw Helen get her long awaited pair of Uggs. Moving on through Walpole and onward to Manjimup for the night. A quaint little town renowned for its history in supplying the world with Karri wood. Lots of history in the surrounding forests.

Tuesday, 16 March. Big day today. Headed to Porongurup. A quaint little village with not much there, surrounded by numerous wineries and the Porongurup Mountains behind the village. To the north were the Sterling Ranges. Found ourselves a quaint little boutique winery, Dukes Winery and Gallery, where we sampled some fine vintage and of course had to purchase their lovely Autumn Riesling to have with dinner tonight. From Porongurup to Mt Barker to sample, what they claim to be the number one pie in Australia. Must say they were pretty dam good. Its the most kidney I have ever found in a steak and kidney pie anywhere. Mt Barker to Denmark via Muirs Highway. A short break in Denmark then headed to Comfort Cove. A beautiful little beach with easy access and a great place to camp. Lots of photos taken during the day. Back to base camp for a drink and a good lie down.
Tomorrow we depart Albany for places further afield. Maybe Pemberton to overnight and then who knows where to from there. Until tomorrow night it's bye for now.

Monday 15 March. Visit to the Brig Amity (Sailing Ship) the first ship to bring settlers to Albany. Designed to take a crew of about eight with stores, It arrived in what is now called Albany, with 61 people on board, live stock and produce and tools to start building a township. Not my idea of a fun journey. We then ventured out to the Salmon Holes, Natural Bridge and the Gap. What fabulous scenery. Back in towards the wind farm to view the fire devistation caused by the motorcycle accident. Further info at hand: The rider crashed trying to avoid one of the locals that had HOPPED out in front of him, good old skippy. On into town for lunch at the Strawberry Farm, the first farm in the area.

The afternoon was spent walking town and doing some window shopping. A few small purchases were made, then home for a Nanna/Grampa nap befor dinner.

Sunday, 14 March. The AGM is over. Wow how fast this week has gone. We attended the AGM site and found that 2 thirds of the campers had already packed up and left. Guess they're anxious to tackle the Nullarbor and get home. Drove out to the Marron Farm/Bird Park, however, we were subsequently disappointed by both the quality of the food and the area as a whole. We travelled on to Two Peoples Bay and Little Beach. A Lovely spot spoilt only by the inclement weather. Would like to return here in the future and spend time relaxing at the bay.

This afternoon we attended at the Emu Point Marina to have lunch at the Squid Shack. Some of the best Squid I have every eaten. The inclement weather drove us back to the cabin for the afternoon then out to Latte and Sue's unit for diner.

Saturday 13 March. Parade day today. What a parade, almost 2000 bikes through Albany, the towns folk turned out in their droves to see the parade. An amazing specticle. The afternoon saw us at another meeting, this time it was the main AGM with a new national committee was elected. As we exited the meeting we were engulfed in smoke and lite soot from a bush fire started after a Ulysses club member had an accident and his bike (NOT a gold wing) ruptured it's fuel tank and burst into flames. Turned out to be so serious that they had to evacuate houses and close roads. By the way the rider busted his shoulder and cracked a few ribs but will survive to ride again.
Saturday night we attended the AGM dinner and as we settled in to a sumptous meal the heavens opened up to one of the fiercest storms I've seen in a long time.

Friday 12 March. Quiet day today. Late start, headed to the AGM site for a quick catch up with friends. 12 o'clock headed for the extra AGM. It is just amazing how much dribble goes on there. Found out that the 2013 AGM has been awarded to the Frazer Coast (Maraborough, QLD). Just enough time after the meeting to get ready to attend a wedding of some friends from Alice Springs. Home by 10 pm to end the day.

Thursday 11 March. Quiet start to the day. Visit to Princess Royal Fortress. This Fortress was the protector of the Western Sate with the use of two six inch guns placed in concealment, dug into the hillside of Mt Adelaide. It also overlooks the harbour where all the troop ships gathered prior to departing for Galipolli. It was later used as a US naval submarine base.

Our next stop was the ANZAC memorial atop Mt Clarance. This is also the location of a lookout point giving 360 degree views of Albany and surrounding areas. From Mt Clarance we moved to Emu Point which has the whitest sandy beach I have ever seen. Whilst there we meet up with a couple of Queenslanders on holiday from Mackay. After exchanging pleasantries for half an hour or so, we headed to the AGM site to listen to a fabulous musician, Gerry something, who had at one stage played with Santana. A great night then home for the evening.

Wednesday 10th March 2010.

Early start today. Picked up Paul (Latte) and Sue (Skinny Latte) about 0800 hr and headed to Denmark Info Centre. Provided us with some great tourist info. Headed to the Swiss chocklate factory. Beautiful chocklates even though they were a tad expensive. Most of them were about $2.50 a piece. Headed to Old Kent River Winery for a lunch of fresh maron (WA's version of our Yabbies but much bigger). Proceeded to the tree top walk in the valley of giants. One of three tree top gantry walks in the world. We have now completed two of them, one to go. Some massive trees not only in height but also in girth. From there we travelled to Pt D'Entrecasteaux via some very bad dirt roads in the D'Entrecasteaux NationalPark. The trip was well worth the effort, some striking and very rugged limestone coastline beaten and worn away by the harsh winds and ocean. Mother nature is one hell of a sculture. After taking a number of photos, we headed back to Albany, this time via the black top. Quiet night in tonight.

Tuesday 9th. Visit to the AGM site chasing further merchandise. What a shock, all jackets and caps sold out. Managed to buy a Penrith AGM shirt. Tooke the free bus to the sandalwood factory at Mt Romance. A real eye opener. They create the largest quantity of sandalwood oil in the southern hemisphere and the operation is almost totally polution free.

The afternoon saw us back at the AGM site where we met with other Northern Gateway branch members who had ridden from Brisbane. Our evening meal was at a branch get to gether where we ate, drank and told each other stories/lies abot what we had been up to.

Monday 8th March. Today stated with a visit to the wind farm located just outside of Albany. The wind turbines are massive, and noisy, with the bades being an incredible 35 metres in length.

We then travelled further around the bay to Whale World. A great museum dedicated to those brave men that went chasing sperm whales in the most adverse of conditions.

Ulysses AGM Albany

We have finally started our long awaited trip leaving Brisbane yesterday (6 March) and flying to Perth for the Ulysses AGM in Albany.

The Perth weather was great, 27 degrees, and the drive down to Albany unevantfull. The roads are the best I have seen in a long while.

Arrived in Albany about 1730 hr and settled into our accomodation.

Early night in readiness for a big day to come.

Bye for now.

Col & Helen