In the beginning....

Well here we are getting to know the van, learning about amps and volts so that it all keeps working.  Having deviated from our original journey by 2500 kilometres so that the leaks in the new Winnebago could be fixed, we're glad we did as today we're sitting in pouring rain in Busselton, in south-west WA. Sydney was a large detour and the Barrier Highway through Broken Hill was rather boring but there were highlights at the underground hotel in White Cliffs and the jail in Silverton where the hair dryer in the men's cell looked like an instrument of torture!  We limped across the border of SA to WA having grossly underestimated the amount of diesel the van needed to drive into the prevailing wind.  Some tense, silent moments as we watched the warning light on the dashboard and hoped it would stay on until Border Town where the diesel was $2.09 per litre but we didn't care!
We had also done a big boil up of veggies prior to the border so that we wouldn't lose them all.  We saw one poor man having to upend his bed to ensure nothing was under it.. We just had to open up our bathroom and fridge-for stowaways and veggies!

Life in the south-west corner in WA is brilliant. Magnificent beaches, lovely weather- most of the time- great cycling tracks and very good wine though I think Tassie can hold its own with the best of them!  Pick of the camp sites: Emu Bay at Albany, Coalmine Beach near Walpole, Hamelin Bay at Cape Leeuwin National Park and the campsite nearest town at Busselton where we've just stayed for a week as everything is closeby.

Pick of activities: climbing the Gloucester tree at Pemberton is fun but not for the faint-hearted as there are only iron stakes sticking out of the tree-nothing to catch you if you fall or freeze!  The karri trees in the area are amazing in size, strength and straightness! Riding the cycle tracks at Walpole, Emu Bay and Busselton, going on a Bush Tucker wine tour, browsing the fabulous book stores in Busselton, going to the underwater observatory at Busselton, visiting the whale museum near Albany and climbing the lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin, made all the more pertinent as it was the time when the search for the Malaysian Airline was taking place.

The night life in Busselton is not riveting but the Vasse Hotel is always pumping though we ate there on Monday and I felt rather sick for a few days.  Fortunately it passed as we then saw on the news that there are four cases of Hep A in Busselton!  On that note I'll stop!