Western Australia 2014: Day 1 - [[Mandurah + Dolphine Quay + Busselton]]

The Land of Oz aka Australia was awesome! We travelled to the Western part of Oz which was closer to nature than man-made landscapes. Obsolutely what we were looking for- to get farrrrr farrrr away from all the high-rises! Weather in October was slightly colder down south but just right up north and in Perth. :)

We had a slow start to our trip. Arriving at 5.45am, all zombified, we had to endure the really slow service around Perth airport which was pretty much "lok kok". It was all waiting, waiting and waiting- from the collection of luggage, queuing for exit and settling for the car rental. By the time we set off to our friend's house, it was already 7.15am!

First stop was made to LT's house which was 20 minutes ride from the airport. It's great to have friend's staying around Oz! We got to have a piping hot home-made cuppa to warm, have a warm shower, some catch up session and a personal "tour guide" (aka LT's Gf: Yilin) to bring us to the local supermarket to stock up on snacks and drinks before setting out to our first destination:  Mandurah.

--Good to know --
Water is crazily expensive in & around South west Oz. 3L bottle costed us 20SGD at the airport. Hence remember to stock up on water at the supermarket as a carton of 12 bottles costed a mere 8AUD.
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Mandurah is an hour drive outskirt of Perth. Road trip was pretty straightforward as it was a straight road down the Kwinana Highway. Not much of a scenery except for the blue cloudy sky, bushes along side the highway and lots of electrical towers.

While the guys navigated the way, I (the queen) sit back and relax with Tim Tam as my companion! The limited edition by A.Zumbo was OMFG yummylicious!!!!!!!!!!! The Salted caramel was hands-down good! All five pieces were gone in a split second after I tempted Mr Kwek into eating them!

After some merry-go-round turns (road signs are easy to miss and a wrong turn leads to no return! just kidding, just a longer road back to the original point...) we finally made it to Dolphine Quay which was down Mandura Road.

The sight that greeted us was magnificent! Serenity & peacefulness from the gentle breeze and calm sea embraced us. We wondered around for awhile, admiring the clear skies & sea water before settling down at a fish and chip joint, named Sharky's, for Lunch.

Atmosphere and food at Dolphine Quay totally fit to the description of "keep calm and Nom Nom Nom!"

Food was awesomely fresh!

The fish meat was sweet and chunky with minimal batter yet still has a crunch to it. Carborana came with loads of ham & chicken bites. Very filling for three pax!

After lunch, we headed over to the beach and it was beautiful! We were there at the right place, right time-Sunny yet breezy. I took off my pumps, which was quickly filled with the soft sand, and walked into the gentle waves. Chilly as it was, I felt it was a pleasant experience dipping my feets into the sea water! I had fun running & strolling around while the guy stood aroud "sun tanning".

Major love for this little stop over at Mandura!

Slightly after 2PM, we settled off to Busselton, a two hours drive from Mandura. The first hour into the trip, I was sleeping away like a pig! Only to be awoken by the guys when they took five at a pitstop. I was on the next driving shift and all the sleeping helped!

WE MADE IT TO BUSSELTON!!

haa... It's been freaking four years since I last droved and oh boy~ how nerve racking it was to be driving for the first time in four years in a foreign country!

We had made our reservation for a two nights stay at Baudins B&B. Baudins is located along the streets which is run by a lovely couple, Greg & Linda, who owns two houses and can host up to eight guest rooms per day!

Baudins is highly recommended for stays in Busselton. The room, although simple, was clean and has all the needed basic amenities. The couple was both very kind and generous with excellent hospitality. Both of them were of great help in recommending places to have our meals and places to go in Margaret River.

We headed out to Vasse Bar & Kitchen for a sumptuous dinner of pizza and fish & chip! Portion was well... BIG! we were unable to finish the food despite it being really delicious.

After the fulfillinf dinner, we headed back to Baudins for the night and oh boy, we were so tired that lights was out by 9pm!

The Land of Oz 2014 Day 2- [[ Bussselton Jetty + Canel Rocks + Cape Naturaliste

The Land of Oz 2014 Day 3- [[Whale watching + Maragret River]]

Land if Oz 2014 Day 4 part 1 - [[ Augusta: Lake cave + Jewel cave]]

The Land of Oz 2014 Day 4 Part 2-[[ Cape Leeuwin + Mammoth Cave]]

The Land of Oz 2014 Day 5 [[Skydiving with Southern Sky Divers]]

The Land of Oz 2014 Day 6 [[Pinnacles + Lancelin Sand Dune]]

The Land of Oz 2014 Day 7 [[ Caversham Wildlife Park]]