Jurien Bay

Tomorrow we celebrate the Queen’s birthday. It isn’t actually the Queen’s birthday. Her birthday is April 21st. And in fact, the rest of Australia celebrates her birthday in June. There are some things I don’t question, particularly if it means I get a day off work.

We decided to take advantage of the extra day and go camping for a night. No fishing boat or serious camping gear – just a tent, dog, bathers, books and a bottle of wine. Jurien Bay was our destination - 2.5 hours north of Perth on what they call the turquoise coast. The town itself is nothing more than the basics – groceries, liquor, hardware, fuel, and about half a dozen places to eat. I didn’t notice any hotels but there are a handful of chalets, condos, and homes to rent and of course camping. Thanks to a scattering of islands, this area is a popular spot to fish and shelter yourself from what can be a windy west coast.

It was lunch by the time we rolled into town yesterday. After pitching our tent we went for a drive just south of town and found a two kilometer off-road track leading to the beach. Here we parked our car on the beach, set-up our chairs, listened to the AFL Grand Final, and read. For three hours our only beach mates included a group of boys tearing down the beach on motorbikes and a seagull that tormented Bronson, providing us some entertainment. In the end the seagull won because Bronson ate something (a dead fish most likely) that made him violently ill for the next three hours. I’m glad no one else was around to witness his suffering.

This morning we packed up early and headed twenty minutes up the road to Lesueur National Park. Lesueur contains 900 different species of Flora, 10% of what is found in WA. Remember that WA is a very big place so some people may find this to be a very big deal. We drove the 18km track through the park and watched kangaroos jump through the bush land. Before our slow and scenic drive back down to Perth we stopped off at Grigson lookout for a final view of the vast bush land, shallow salt lakes, white sand dunes, turquoise ocean and the islands that lay on the horizon.

As we drove we passed a vast field of lavender flowers and hundreds of balga trees jutting out of the shallow grasslands. Balga is the Aboriginal word for black boy so these trees are also sometimes called black boys. Its long narrow body and bushy head remind me of another tree that lives in another arid land thousands of miles away – the Joshua tree in America’s southwest.

One of my favorite things about this region are the white sand dunes – sometimes grouped together in rolling hills like a scene out of a star wars movie and at other times sitting in solitude – rising out of the stubby green bush like clean white bed linens hanging in the sun amongst a backdrop of crisp green grass. It was a particularly windy today as we drove down the two-lane highway back to Perth. You could see the white sands swiftly blowing from the peaks out into the bright blue sky. At a glance, I could have been in Colorado, watching the wind whip the snow off the mountain peaks, on one of those days where a clear blue sky follows a day of heavy snow and everything is white and new. And just like Colorado, two hours later I was miles away from the peaceful peaks and back in the city.

sandy cape

 sandy cape

 salt lakes

 track to the beach

 alone on the beach

 salt lakes, sand dunes and ocean

 lavender flowers

 "black boys"

can you spot the roo at Lesueur?

joy riding

Dear Oprah

I understand you’re heading Down Under and bringing 300 of your biggest fans.

Your announcement, which unfolded as we slept, hit Australia’s shores Tuesday morning with a bang so loud one can only assume it reached the vast dusty spaces of this desolate island country. Your impending visit is providing hope for a struggling tourism industry and also providing a few giggles over your Aussie pronunciations – don’t worry, I get it too.

We have yet to hear the full list of destinations that you and your guests will visit, but I can only presume you will remain predominately in the eastern portion of the country. I understand. Most overseas visitors with only a week or two to spare will visit Sydney, Melbourne, the Great Barrier Reef and possibly the Gold Coast, Ayres Rock, the Great Ocean Road, or even the Hunter Valley or Barossa Valley wine regions.

While Australia boasts some beautiful cities (the Sydney Harbour is unrivalled), the real highlight is its dramatic landscapes, quiet isolation, and the ancient history of the indigenous culture. It’s the opportunity to connect with nature and with landscapes, flora, and fauna found nowhere else on the planet, that make this country so special.

Since your Ultimate Australian Adventure may not head west, I wanted to share with you now, some of the wonderful things that Western Australia (WA) has to offer. The state of Western Australia covers 2.5 million square kilometers, or 1/3 of the continent - that’s about four times the size of Texas. Now consider that WA is home to only 2.2 million people (smaller than the city of Chicago), 1.7 million of which live in the Perth metropolitan area, making Perth one of the most isolated cities in the world.

The wide open spaces of WA are home to the Margaret River wine region in the southwest. Here you can indulge in local wines and olives, surf some of the world’s best waves, explore ancient caves, and watch Humpback Whales play in the Indian Ocean. Not far from here you’ll find the largest truffle producer in the Southern Hemisphere. All this makes the southwest of Australia a foodies delight.

Now head north up the coast past Perth, the sunniest capital city in Australia and home to the most beautiful city beaches, and continue along hundreds of kilometers of open road (trying not to hit any kangaroos along the way) and you’ll come across the Ningaloo Reef, a 260km fringing reef, one of the largest in the world. Hopefully, you enjoy camping because accommodations are sparse. Days are spent sunning on white sands, exploring the reef, swimming with Whale Sharks or catching your next meal.

Continue heading northwest along the coast and you’ll come to Broome, the pearling capital of the world. In the same region you’ll also find one of the largest diamond mines in the world, the Argyle Diamond mine, home to the rare pink diamond. Australia’s northwest is not only home to precious jewels, but also some amazing scenery including towering waterfalls, glorious gorges, and the beehive like sandstone domes called the Bungle Bungles. This region is everything you’d expect of the Australian outback.

I’ve only touched upon a few of WA’s unique assets. From what I hear, Tourism WA is fighting hard for WA to get a look in when you visit in December. And rightly so. We have much to offer but are often overlooked because, well, we’re so far away and have so few people. But, you like to root for the little guy, right? Oh, and don’t use the word “root” when you get here. I’ll explain later.

Please know, I’d make a wonderful host. After all, I am a former Chi-town lady. I understand the effect that endless sunshine and white sand beaches can have on a women plucked out of a frigid Chicago winter. Well, you know where to find me.

Virtual Seasons

It’s about that time - the time of year that a subtle twinge of homesickness creeps in. The changing seasons always bring out a bit of longing – even more so than holidays, because each new season brings a temporary yet reoccurring shift in lifestyle - with its own unique bundle of memories and a holiday is one portion of that bundle.

But it’s this particular time of year that gets me the most – the beginning of fall back home. Summer is by far my favorite season no matter where I am, but fall elicits more memories than any other time of year. Fall includes my two favorite holidays (Halloween and Thanksgiving), my birthday, a new school year, and a dramatic shift in the landscape – one that I do not get in Perth. Even when it’s fall in Perth, it’s not fall, but autumn - as I’ve rudely been reminded in the past.

Thanks to modern technology, the beginning of fall has been shoved in my face, and no where worse than on facebook. Here I’m confronted with status updates cheering on the beginning of the football season, comments on final lake house trips and changing leaves, and back to school photos. Please stop. I don’t want to know about the first sighting of Halloween candy or opening day of the ski season.

Adding to my sadness is the fact that this month I’m missing the wedding of one of my dearest friends and come November the birth of my brother’s first child. With weddings and babies come online gift registries. Even Pottery Barn with its textured fall patterns and pumpkin spiced candles is teasing me. Damn you Pottery Barn! And you too Crate and Barrel!

But, don’t play a sad song for me quite yet. Any day now I’ll be basking in the heat of the West Australian sun and turning circles in the waves of the Indian Ocean. However, when the candy corn does hit the shelves, please don’t forget to send me a bag.

Politics. Aussie style.

Just like a politician, I’m breaking my promise. On June 27th I talked about the political coup that saw Julia Gillard replace Kevin Rudd as Australia’s Prime Minister, resulting in Australia’s first female Prime Minister. At this time I promised that I would never again mention politics. But the events that have taken place between then and now are just too good not to share.

On July 17th, only three weeks after becoming Prime Minister, Julia Gillard called a federal election for August 21st. Elections are held at least every three years and with the last election being held in November 2007 and the PM holding the power to call an election, Ms. Gillard took advantage while still riding strong on the wave of capitalizing on the former PM’s pitfalls. This announcement was followed by five weeks of non-stop campaigning between the two major parties – Labor (left) and Liberal (right), because at the end of the day, the people vote for the party and not the candidate. Although you wouldn’t know it. And remember, the party has the right to change their leader and thus influence who sits as Prime Minister.

Voting is compulsory in Australia so on Saturday, August 21st Shane went into the local elementary school and voted as I sat in the car reading the paper and sipping my coffee. That night we sat at a friend’s house and watched the results roll in. In order to be deemed the winner, at least 76 out of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives must be won. As it turned out, each party won 72 seats resulting in a hung parliament, leaving the final decision in the hands of the one Greens seat and five Independents. The Greens party, as one may assume in this day and age, primarily represent environmental issues.

Over the past two weeks the Labor and Liberal parties wheeled and dealed with the six men who had the power to get their party to 76 seats. Yesterday agreements were made and Labor remains on top with 76 seats vs. Liberal’s 74 seats.

Now in the aftermath no one really appears happy – not surprising. An argument circling the media is that the Liberal party actually won more individual votes. The top issues? Refugees, climate change, a super profits tax on mining companies, housing affordability, and infrastructure. But the issue that apparently sealed the deal was a $43 billion dollar national broadband network. Life, liberty, justice, and high speed internet for all.