In real time (22 January) we are bunkered down and in survival mode. Perth is experiencing its second seasonal heatwave since we arrived here at the Kingsway park. Whilst our site does offer both morning and late afternoon shade, we are blasted daily for the three hours just after mid-day. And on those rare days when the afternoon sea breeze does not hoot in, things do get hot. Whilst we have been finding it a tad uncomfortable of late to say the least, poor old Max nearly expires when things become too warm. Our air conditioner has been working overtime for the past few days and on present forecasts will continue to do so for the next three before the daytime maximum drops to the low 30's.
The Black Panther is very clever at sniffing out the coolest spots in the van, but is spending a great deal of time on his back baring his tummy fur to the air conditioned draughts.
Even his late afternoon behaviour, when he normally loves to prowl around outside, has been unusually subdued. A lounge in a chair in the annex taking in the breeze through the doorway has been about his limit. Liz favours a cooling libation whilst on external cat duty!
In a way this had been good lesson for us. Many Western Australians we have met since our arrival have been quick to caution against travelling too far north too early. Hot, hot, hot has been the cry. I for one was a little sceptical initially.....it can't be that hot. Yes it is! To my supreme annoyance, I now find very hot weather more than a little draining....we are currently in the throes of revisiting our plans for the next two months or so. A return to Bussellton is under active consideration (if we can get in).
At least we have had the cricket to entertain us whilst our heads have been down although our TV reception had become marginal, particularly when it is blowing from the east (which is almost daily at this time of the year). Liz finally came up with the idea of trying our portable aerial at the rear of the van. An inability to access Channel 2 in particular drove me to try anything. We don't watch much, but it is extraordinarily frustrating when the picture and sound of a much desired programme is constantly racked by static and a loss of picture. The girl is a genius....we now have restored fine viewing on channels 2,7, and 9. Goodness knows, too much forced internal living might even drive me to watch the tennis in between books and my continuing culinary experimentation!
At least we have had the cricket to entertain us whilst our heads have been down although our TV reception had become marginal, particularly when it is blowing from the east (which is almost daily at this time of the year). Liz finally came up with the idea of trying our portable aerial at the rear of the van. An inability to access Channel 2 in particular drove me to try anything. We don't watch much, but it is extraordinarily frustrating when the picture and sound of a much desired programme is constantly racked by static and a loss of picture. The girl is a genius....we now have restored fine viewing on channels 2,7, and 9. Goodness knows, too much forced internal living might even drive me to watch the tennis in between books and my continuing culinary experimentation!
But enough of our domestic challenges.....back to the beach. Mullaloo is the home beach of my recently departed and long time friend Mike Bates, who had been a member of the Mullaloo SLSC almost from the time he and his lovely wife Linda moved to Perth from Sydney many years ago.
As I have noted previously, most of the Perth metropolitan beach front is protected by a line of sand hills and linear coastal parks which form a buffer between the sea and the encroaching suburbs. Whilst this can render a drive along the so called 'scenic routes' something which provides very little by way of ocean views, these protective strips are home to some excellent walking and cycling tracks.
Mullaloo hosts such a track on which we took some much needed post Xmas exercise as well as taking a good look around. Mind you, this was familiar territory for me as a result of previous visits with Linda and Mike, but it was good to be back here hoofing along with all the others on foot and two wheels.
As I have noted previously, most of the Perth metropolitan beach front is protected by a line of sand hills and linear coastal parks which form a buffer between the sea and the encroaching suburbs. Whilst this can render a drive along the so called 'scenic routes' something which provides very little by way of ocean views, these protective strips are home to some excellent walking and cycling tracks.
Mullaloo hosts such a track on which we took some much needed post Xmas exercise as well as taking a good look around. Mind you, this was familiar territory for me as a result of previous visits with Linda and Mike, but it was good to be back here hoofing along with all the others on foot and two wheels.
Well made car parks abound as do toilet and other facilities. The good citizens of Perth are certainly encouraged by the provided infrastructure to make full use of their beach assets and from what we have seen, they do.
The waters of the Indian Ocean are reached via one of the many access tracks cut through the sand hills most of which extend from the 'esplanade' roadway, across the walking track and on to the beach.
At this point I have to make it clear that one sticks to these tracks....religiously! Any thought of a short-cut through the scrub is actively discouraged, and is not practised. This has nothing to do with responsible citizenship. It is all about personal well-being and physical safety.
The sign says it all folks, and I am here to tell you it works for me. My dislike (read terror) of snakes and large lizards is the stuff of bush legend and considerable amusement to my friends (I had an encounter as a youngster in Port Lincoln which remains negatively and indelibly imprinted on my psyche).
The snakes in question are Dugites. These highly venomous slitherers, which are common only to the south-west of Australia, can grow to a length of two metres and love a sandy environment. Fortunately they are of a particularly shy and retiring disposition and will make every effort to avoid human contact, except, as the blurb warns, during the mating season of September-October, when apparently the males become quite aggressive. (sounds a bit like Hindley Street at 0300 hours on a Saturday night!) The other good thing about these snakes (that sounds a bit like a contradiction in terms to me) is that they have a very small head, and despite the extraordinary toxicity of their venom, their delivery ability is limited. Very few people have actually died of a Dugite bite, but a nip from one of these scaly locals can seriously challenge a victim's 'joie de vivre' for some hours!
I have become an expert at holding assiduously to the centre of these tracks and on the basis of the old wives' tale that it is the second in line who will be bitten if a snake is disturbed, all thoughts of chivalry leave my head on one of these sorties......I lead, attempting to justify my behaviour with the very flimsy logic that I'll act as scout to warn the trailing co-pilot of any pending danger. To date I don't think she has been fooled. I've certainly not be hailed as her hero! Ingrate.
Our jaunt northwards along the track from the main Mullaloo car park eventually took us to a lookout perched high on the top of the headland which separates the northern end of the Mullaloo beach from the next stretch of sand.
Here the full sweep of the Mullaloo beach comes into view to the south and provides a very clear idea of how the buffer zone separates the beach from the housing,
whilst to the north we could see along the coast past Burns Beach to the jutting protective wall of the Ocean Reef boat harbour.
This was the limit of our walk for today, and from here we made the return trip long the roadway for a change of scenery. And if one keeps one's eye open there is always something of interest to be seen, especially if possessed of your correspondent's penchant for the different and odd.
As we were toddling along remarking as we often do here in Perth about the apparent obsession of the locals to build and live in large homes (most with almost no surrounding land....probably a good thing where water for gardens is so scarce, but it does make for very boring 'legoland' suburbs) I spotted the gate to this esplanade edifice.
A closer look required? Happy to oblige. Now much as I am also a fan of 'Dr Who', I'm not sure I would go to the extent of incorporating a depiction of the good Doctor's transport, 'The Tardis', in the front gate design of my $1 million (at least) home. Nothing incongruous about this oddity, much, and you've guessed it....it did make my day. What a devoted fan...I nearly pressed the door bell but I was afraid of disturbing a resident Dalek!
After this sci-fi encounter in the 'burbs' we made our way back to the coastal track and on towards the Mullaloo Surf Club, the roof of which can be seen here over the top of the dunes. Bike racks are commonplace along the track, some of which are of standard design such as these, whilst others
are far more creative as we discovered at this rather formal entrance to a beach pathway at the northern end of Mullaloo park.
The waters of the Indian Ocean are reached via one of the many access tracks cut through the sand hills most of which extend from the 'esplanade' roadway, across the walking track and on to the beach.
At this point I have to make it clear that one sticks to these tracks....religiously! Any thought of a short-cut through the scrub is actively discouraged, and is not practised. This has nothing to do with responsible citizenship. It is all about personal well-being and physical safety.
The sign says it all folks, and I am here to tell you it works for me. My dislike (read terror) of snakes and large lizards is the stuff of bush legend and considerable amusement to my friends (I had an encounter as a youngster in Port Lincoln which remains negatively and indelibly imprinted on my psyche).
The snakes in question are Dugites. These highly venomous slitherers, which are common only to the south-west of Australia, can grow to a length of two metres and love a sandy environment. Fortunately they are of a particularly shy and retiring disposition and will make every effort to avoid human contact, except, as the blurb warns, during the mating season of September-October, when apparently the males become quite aggressive. (sounds a bit like Hindley Street at 0300 hours on a Saturday night!) The other good thing about these snakes (that sounds a bit like a contradiction in terms to me) is that they have a very small head, and despite the extraordinary toxicity of their venom, their delivery ability is limited. Very few people have actually died of a Dugite bite, but a nip from one of these scaly locals can seriously challenge a victim's 'joie de vivre' for some hours!
I have become an expert at holding assiduously to the centre of these tracks and on the basis of the old wives' tale that it is the second in line who will be bitten if a snake is disturbed, all thoughts of chivalry leave my head on one of these sorties......I lead, attempting to justify my behaviour with the very flimsy logic that I'll act as scout to warn the trailing co-pilot of any pending danger. To date I don't think she has been fooled. I've certainly not be hailed as her hero! Ingrate.
Our jaunt northwards along the track from the main Mullaloo car park eventually took us to a lookout perched high on the top of the headland which separates the northern end of the Mullaloo beach from the next stretch of sand.
Here the full sweep of the Mullaloo beach comes into view to the south and provides a very clear idea of how the buffer zone separates the beach from the housing,
whilst to the north we could see along the coast past Burns Beach to the jutting protective wall of the Ocean Reef boat harbour.
This was the limit of our walk for today, and from here we made the return trip long the roadway for a change of scenery. And if one keeps one's eye open there is always something of interest to be seen, especially if possessed of your correspondent's penchant for the different and odd.
As we were toddling along remarking as we often do here in Perth about the apparent obsession of the locals to build and live in large homes (most with almost no surrounding land....probably a good thing where water for gardens is so scarce, but it does make for very boring 'legoland' suburbs) I spotted the gate to this esplanade edifice.
A closer look required? Happy to oblige. Now much as I am also a fan of 'Dr Who', I'm not sure I would go to the extent of incorporating a depiction of the good Doctor's transport, 'The Tardis', in the front gate design of my $1 million (at least) home. Nothing incongruous about this oddity, much, and you've guessed it....it did make my day. What a devoted fan...I nearly pressed the door bell but I was afraid of disturbing a resident Dalek!
After this sci-fi encounter in the 'burbs' we made our way back to the coastal track and on towards the Mullaloo Surf Club, the roof of which can be seen here over the top of the dunes. Bike racks are commonplace along the track, some of which are of standard design such as these, whilst others
are far more creative as we discovered at this rather formal entrance to a beach pathway at the northern end of Mullaloo park.
The large and well equipped social area of this clubhouse provides wonderful views out over the ocean and was the venue, after Mike's funeral (March 2013), of one of the best wakes I've ever attended. Vale Mike...we do miss you old mate.
But more of that in my next offering.
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