Fri 31st Dec

Today we headed off to the Apple Park in Donnybrook, about 1.5 hours drive from Wagin.

It's a large playground which is entry free.

Apple Park

Apple Park



Cilla & Olivia on a slide



Olivia



Sophie & olivia at the Apple Park

The girls had a great time and we got to see a bit of the countryside.

29th, 30th Dec

Couple of quiet days, part time babysitting and quiet stroll through Wagin on the Wednesday checking out some of the older buildings.

Thursday was a quiet morning with Chrissi & girls and when James finished work we all went to the Wagin Historical Village.

This proved to be a most enjoyable experience with lots of old photos, farm machinery and buildings from the Wagin area.

Cilla thought that apart from Sovereign Hill, this was the best setup she had seen.

28th Dec

After a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs & baked beans it was back to Wave Rock to check out the wildlife park, Toy Soldier exhibit and lace collection.

part of toy soldier exhibit

Chrissi & girls at Wave Rock

white kangaroos

This little wildlife park has the largest collection of white kangaroos I have ever seen there were at least seven in the one enclosure.

Once we had checked out every thing it was time to load up and head back to Wagin.

26th and 27th Dec

26th Dec...

Day of recuperation.
Kids played with new toys and then it was time for a nap for every one.


27th Dec....

Today we headed off to Hyden to check out Wave Rock.
First stop was Kulin where we took a break for the girls ( SandO ) to stretch their legs and have a play on some play equipment in the main street.
Then it was off to Hyden via the Tin Horse Highway, a stretch of road from Kulin to the local race track, where the landowners & local businesses have erected various horse related exhibits on the side of the road to amuse travellers. Some are really well done, to see more check the album on my Face book.




After a quick roadside stop for lunch it was off to Hyden and Wave Rock.




Arrived safely. checked out Mulka's Cave, the Humps and Wave Rock before heading back to Hyden to check in to the Hyden Hotel for dinner and overnight accommodation.

Christmas Day

It's Christmas day, a day dedicated to the little kids, so what better start than the presents under the tree.

The rest of the day was spent trying out the new toys, pony rides and of course lunch.

As is usual in our family, dinner was a continuation of lunch with everyone just topping up.

The girls then finished a long and exciting day with a Gelli bath which was very strange but Sophie obviously enjoyed.

23rd & 24th Dec

23rd...

Today was a day dedicated to quality time with the grand daughters as Chrissi & James both had to work.

24th Dec...

Another relaxing day with trip to the Ram park to check out Bart, the giant ram and give the girls a little play time.

Wed 22nd Dec

Up early to pack up for our next move to Wagin.

Decided to go via Fremantle and do a couple of the tours of the Fremantle Prison.

Grabbed a quick lunch to eat on the road and then off to Wagin, arriving without any problems around 4:30.

Tuesday 21st Dec

Day of R&R.

Looked after SandO for a little while so Chrissi & James could get organised. Cilla took girls on the inflatable pillow.

Once they had left to go back to Wagin, we headed off to the shopping centre for some last minute purchases, a quick lunch and back to resort.

Rest of afternoon spent doing nothing, even managed a short Nanna nap.

That evening it was back to Sorrento Quay for dinner at Bella Fonte and back for an early night.

Monday 20th Dec

The great fishing charter begins....

Pressing on regardless we headed off to Hilarys Boat Harbour and boarded the ship.

There would be no jigging for Samson fish this trip as apparently this season the Samsons hadn't been told they were supposed to be here by now and so bottom fishing was the go.

Unfortunately the weather did not improve, Cilla suffered her first case of seasickness and spent a large portion of the day throwing up. Several others, myself included were very close to joining her.

After about seven hours of almost gale force winds, extremely high seas and rain we returned to shore to Cilla's great relief.

Tally for the day was about 8 fish for the boat, no great sizes were found.

So I can add this to my list of failed fishing charters, I think I will stick to doing my own fishing trips in the future.

After returning to the resort for a shower and brief rest it was back to Sorrento Quay for fish & chips from Sharky's Restaurant and home to bed.

Tomorrow is planned to be a day of rest & recuperation, Chrissi, James and SandO will be heading back to Wagin and we will be joining them the day after.

Sun 19th Dec

Chrissi, James and girls arrived, after organising accommodation it was off to the zoo.

Even though it was a great day, I was a little disappointed with the Perth Zoo, a lot of the enclosures were undergoing renovation and a lot of the animals were hiding either at the back of compounds or in the case of Orangutans at the top of climbing structures.

Sat 18th Dec

Managed to stay in bed until 5.30, then breakfast before packing the car and heading for town via the freeway. Managed to get to the ferry terminal with only 1 slight hiccup, got stuck in an exit lane before we wanted to but found our way through the streets of the city centre. Thank goodness for sat nav & google earth.

It seems that the Balmy Army are in town for the cricket, they have established their headquarters in a pub at Barracks Square with the unusual name of The Lucky Shag.

Had time for a short walk in the cbd and took some happy snaps of the Bell Tower before boarding for the cruise to Fremantle.

A most enjoyable trip followed, seeing lots of big boats and mansions, including what is apparently the most expensive mansion in Aust at a cool $57 million. Then it was on board the tram for a quick tour of Fremantle.

After the Fremantle tour it was back on the ship for the trip back to Perth including a most enjoyable lunch.

Off the boat and into a double decker bus to check out the sights of Perth.

Finally back on to the freeway to get us back to base around 5:00 to finish off another long but enjoyable day.

Well, that's it for today, tomorrow Chrissi, James & SandO arrive from Wagin and a trip to Perth Zoo is planned, so check back for the next chapter.