Planet Ruby Starrs

This post is way overdue... in my jet lagged... senior moments... whatever I forgot to post it and as it is written I am posting it several weeks after the event!!!! Well - we are home from the southern hemisphere safe and dry... its taken some readjustment ha ha - but the weather has picked up and while the tan faded really quick its good to be home.   The holiday feels a distant dream now but we are about to sort the extensive snaps - a lot of rock - sea - sand and various random other things... flowers,birds, endless bush.... a different world to where we are now!! I'm finding it hard to sum up the trip - it was so varied and the highlights were also quite different - the dolphins at Shelley beach took my breath away - as did in a completely different way - the snorkeling - both amazing experiences.  The land based wildlife - especially the kangaroos at Kalbarri were special and some of the views were just so vast and fabulous.....  We stayed in some brilliant cam...

We have had quite a few exciting days not exciting as in wild or reckless adventures but we have found some very nice places to camp.  We came across Lake Indoon as a recommendation from The Visitor Centre.  I cannot praise visitor centres and libraries enough - they are the backbone of every small town we have visited.  The chap at the visitor centre said Lake Indoon is quite pleasant and he was not fibbing..  it was extremley pleasant... only one other camper... masses of space, trees, bushes a lot of evidence of kangas, (although we didn't actually see any), a few scattered Emus and an Osprey hovering directly above us at one point almost close enough to touch. It was a peaceful place the odd rattle of the wind turbine adding a slightly spooky atmoshpere once the sun went down.  We sat out quite late drinking wine, echidna spotting but the echidnas continue to be elusive... still a very magical place. (All this for approx £5.36 per ni...

The awesome scenery just continues and we haven't even hit the real mountains yet!!!  We have camped in a couple of fab campsites - very spacious, and all with green tree surrounded private pitches, camp fires - which are currently banned due to the forest fires etc and picnic tables.   Last night we were joined by several chipmunks doing entertaining jumps around the place, the night before I thought we had been visited by a bear but I reckon it was just a pesky chipmunk who had eaten the kitchen roll in the trunk of the car!  (note native speak there)anyway it reminded us to be more careful next time it might just be a bear.   It seems a lot of people are not careful and in fact quite the opposite leading to difficult decision and dead bears. these bears will be shot :-( This marvellous mountainous landscape lends itself to amazing waterfalls, I visited Shannon Falls near Squamish which was impressive and then we went to Brandywine falls a bit further up...