Coffee, cake and a large kangaroo

When I checked-in for my flight at Heathrow, I was pleased to discover that I could keep my scooter, and my independence, to the Departure Gate before needing to swap to one of their wheelchairs. How fabulous! What a good start to my holiday. And when I arrived in Perth, my scooter was waiting for me. Even better. 

Alison and David met me at the airport and we drove to where they live in Rockingham, about 40 minutes’ south of Perth. Although it was late and I had just got off a long flight, Alison and I talked for ages catching up over a cup of tea. David left us to it and went to bed.

Not up to much the next morning, we took a gentle drive along the coastal road, around Safety Bay and Shoalwater, ending at Rockingham Beach. According to the mini-guide I had picked up at the airport, Shoalwater has the most beautiful beaches in Western Australia (WA).

We stopped in a sea-view café for coffee and cake, the beginning of a trend I continued my holiday. We tried to spot dolphins but they weren’t playing today.

We had more coffee and cake in King’s Park, and soaked up the views across Perth. The city skyscrapers to the left with park and tree tops between you and them. The view across the Swan River and valley as it spreads south. I love how the skyscrapers stop all of a sudden and then there’s nothing. Perth is one of the most remote cities in the world.

Another day, my ears popped as we drove up to Serpentine Dam it is so high in the hills outside Perth. Passing a yellow “kangaroos for the next 9km” sign, I made David stop so I could take a photo. “These tourist are strange,” he teased. As we moved on, a large kangaroo leaped out of the trees ahead on the right, bounced once in the middle of the road and disappeared into the trees on the other side.