Traveling in a Fried Out Kombi

Time to debut the most belated travel blog ever – I ran into WordPress difficulties while down under which were never resolved until now.  Still, it’s never too late to pull out all the Australian stereotypes and stereotropes (is that a word?) plus this trip was such a big deal for us that I’m going to make it, belatedly, happen.  Just the second time in Australia for Abby and our first together since 2016.  The title of each of the posts on this trip will be from an Australian song – Some of you will have recognized the first line from Men at Work’s classic “Down Under”, one of Australia’s unofficial national anthems.  A “Kombi” is Aussie slang for a modified VW Bus, typically with surfboards stowed on top, heading out to a wilderness beach.  Sadly, our mode on this trip will, rather, be a small SUV followed by an Airbnb.   Funnily enough, this song keeps popping up in cafes, supermarkets and taverns during our trip.  My naivety, I guess, in expecting that it would only be a thing for ex-pat or travelling Aussies.

Quite a lot of my family emigrated to Australia from Ireland and the UK so that’s a good reason to make the trip, even though it’s a heck of a long haul and we’re traveling in the slightly, but not much, better than economy class:  15 hours into a turbulent Delta flight you second guess your travel options.   Sydney airport is on the ball this time though, so it’s a breeze through immigration and customs, and then onto the Northern Beaches Shuttle heading to Narabeen where my sister Ann lives.  The North Shore is a bunch of well to do hilly suburbs with greenery and good beach access, so it’s a great place to make a soft landing and catch up with family, including Ann’s Son Barry and his wife Alison.  However, we’re only here for a couple of nights before heading onto Perth in Western Australia but we’re coming back to Sydney later in the trip.

Western Australia is huge and remote:  It’ll be a 5-hour flight from Sydney to Perth covering 2,050 miles and, coming on top of our long haul from the States, it’s a low blow.  If you’re faced with the option of Jetstar vs Virgin Australia for a domestic Aussie flight, definitely go with the latter as Jetstar has even Ryanair and EasyJet beaten for tiny seats and minimum legroom.  For those of you not overly familiar with Oz geography, once you get past Adelaide heading West, you’re into the Nullabor Plain and, in general, the great Western desert, which are the definition of arid and empty.  Yeah, I know there is some flora and fauna out there but try breaking down in your car on national route A1 and deal with the consequences.  Our destination, Perth and the Southwest near the Coast, are in a temperate bubble but, East and North of that you migrate into endless hard country on the way up until you get to the sub-tropical North End 2,000 miles away.  We had romantic dreams of trekking in the wilderness of the Kimberly, East of Broome, but the harsh reality of that country and the time and gear required to safely navigate it, ruled that out.  So, Perth and the SW it will be.

Perth is slated as the most remote city in the world and is closer to Bali than it is to Sydney, so it doesn’t often figure in the average East Coast Aussie’s holiday plans.  This location means a large SE Asian population, and many visitors from Japan and China, giving it a different vibe than for example, Sydney.   We chose to stay in Fremantle, a satellite town to Perth, as the former is directly on the Coast, whereas Perth is on the large estuary of the Swan River.  Fremantle is smaller, mostly walkable, has a historic center and easy access to the Rottnest Island ferry, which is on our to do list.   Perth has a great public transportation system and we’re able to take a train from the airport, transfer in Perth central and take a second train directly to Fremantle and walk from there to our Airbnb.

As in 2016, arriving in Australia we’re struck by the unique flora and fauna, pretty much all is different from home.   The cockatoos and the lorikeets get your attention right away and Google lens gets a workout identifying the unusual shrubs, trees and flowers.  Perth and the extreme SW of WA are even more unique than Australia in general due to their isolation by ocean and desert, plus the geological history of the disintegration of the proto-mega continent Gondwanaland.  There are 6,000 plant species that only grow there, and 350 bird species native to the SW, so this area is a paradise for botanists or birders.

Although we’re all over the shop with the double whammy of time changes there is no peace for the wicked so, the day after arrival in Fremantle, we’re up early walking to the 7am ferry to Rottnest Island.  “Rotto” is a stronghold of the painfully cute marsupial, the Quokka which, although diminutive, has no predators.  (Mainland Straya is plagued by feral foxes and cats which prey on the native birds and marsupials).

It’s only 40 minutes on the ferry but there’s still time for several whale sightings as they make their way North in the Springtime from Antarctica to the Tropics.  Once on Rotto we are attacked by the relentless Quokkas who are intent on relieving us of our sausage rolls.  Not surprisingly, the quokkas near the ferry landing have become a little too familiar with the tourists and their snacks.  We escape the carnage by heading into the nearby hills on foot for a solitary hike through the mostly saltwater lakes of the NE of the island.  Stay on the path though, as there are serious numbers of shy, but highly venomous, snakes like the dugite in the brush and I manage to nearly stand on one.

Afterwards, we catch up with the hop on/off bus to make it out to the West End of the island for amazing coastal views.  Rotto is almost completely surrounded by reef and those dark blue areas contrast with the vivid light blue of the pristine water.

The water is still too cool for the casual tourist, but the snorkeling is a major draw in the summer.  Speaking of which, judging by the number of visitors on a breezy spring weekday and the number of boat moorings in the bays, Rotto will be completely overrun on a hot summer weekend.  So, get the earliest ferry during the week and do what you want to do before the tours groups arrive.

We have one day to take a look at Central Perth, but are handicapped by the blustery, wet weather, so no Kings Botanic Park for us.  As in the case of all the big Aussie cities we’ve visited, Perth seems just fine, well put together and maintained, good transportation and no sketchy vibes.  The Northbridge neighborhood is loaded with Asian restaurants, and we have a good pho/laksa soup lunch before hitting up the WA Museum, recently completely redone, which does a good job with the geological, biological and sociological history of the region.  Having said that, visiting a pleasant, functional city is not our top priority when traveling to the ends of the earth, so the rest of our time in WA we’ll be in countryside or bush experiencing what we can’t at home.

Speaking of which, we’re chasing down the kangaroos – In 2016 we spent much time in the Northern Territory, both in Darwin and in the Red Center, but our marsupial count was very low.  This time we’re not taking any chances, so Yanchep National Park is our next target, where we know there are a number of resident Roos in a relatively small area.  Yanchep delivers as they’re just languidly hanging out in the brush and the cleared grass areas.  We’re able to get close to a male and female couple with a joey still in the pouch.  The joey looks like (s)he should’ve been kicked out long ago as he’s big enough to browse the grass from the pouch and his legs are poking out way beyond his head.  I’ll spare the details on the male kangaroo’s wedding tackle, except to say its recognizable but ”unique”.

For our last full day in Fremantle, we drive from the coastal plain up to the Perth Hills area.  Aside from the panoramic views, the main attractions are the bougie country towns, overrun on sunny weekends, the wineries and the other upmarket agricultural products. We’re certainly down with the wine tasting, but we’re saving that up for Margaret River so, meanwhile, I’m having good luck with the local craft beers, and I appreciate that not every beer is an IPA, as can happen at home.  If you didn’t know, Australia is not cheap these days and it’s only the almighty US dollar and the no tipping culture that’s keeping costs roughly in line with the US West Coast (which is also expensive globally speaking, these days).

Time to leave the Perth area and head on down to the Margaret River region, but not before visiting the grave of Bon Scott in Perth Cemetery.  The voice of early AC/DC, Bon was born in Scotland before moving to Australia, ending up in Fremantle.  His family is still there, and they ensure that any memorials remain understated, though he does get his own, modest memorial gate.  However, we managed to walk right past his gravestone and spent 40 minutes wandering around the grand cemetery grounds before the groundskeeper put us right.  Back at the grave, when you slow down and take a look, there is a plaque and gifts left by fans, a commemorative bench and masses of beautiful roses.  It’s a pleasant setting for the most visited grave in Australia.  Plus, Bon has a statue on the plaza at Fremantle harbor, and we drop by to pay our respects before heading directly out for the 3-hour drive South to Margaret River.

I wonder if we’ll ever have the chance to return to Perth, and Western Australia for that matter; it’s a fine place but it’s so far from the Australian Eastern cities, and the US and Europe for that matter, that it seems a long shot.   Anyhoo, we’re lucky bastards to be here in the first place, so onward to Margaret River.