Wednesday 9th March
The cause of the noises and bangs on the outside of MM that scared the living daylights out of us last night become obvious when we open the curtains this morning and discover that the motorhome next to us has been parked almost on top of MM. Looks like one of the noises was when they drove into their own table and chairs and the other was when they stretched their power cable across the back of MM to plug in. Of course the reason they had to stretch their power cable is because they are parked the WRONG WAY.
New section – Caravanning and camping etiquette 101
1: If a site is clearly marked – park your vehicle clearly in it. This does not mean parking with your wheels on the line and your door opening into the next door neighbours site.
1a) a clue to site boundaries is if the sites are different coloured bitumen with a white line down the middle
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| Note: Black bitumen, brown bitumen, white line down the middle How hard can it be? |
2: Do not bang on other peoples vehicles while plugging in your power cable.
2a) If you have to stretch your power cable across the next door site (see rule 1) to plug it in, it's a clue that you have parked incorrectly
2b) a second clue is if everybody else's vehicle is facing the other way
It turns out that the couple are English, Londoners, and on only the second day in the van. I am sure that they will realise that they are parked the wrong way and turn around later. It is incredibly obvious, given that they have to ask me to stand up out of my chair to get out of their van.
Oh, they are going out for the day, they will obviously do it when they get back.
Meanwhile a quiet day for Steve & Di. Walked down to the local greengrocer and bakery and then just pottered around and recharged the batteries. (Steve & Di's not the AAs for the camera)
Our London friends return from their Winery tours and immediately ….
go and visit friends. So much for recognising the obvious.
Later in the evening Steve is about to mention something when the wife returns from the amenities block wearing just a towel.
Caravanning and camping etiquette 101
3: If you are attractive and walk around wrapped in just a towel, feel free to ignore Rules 1 & 2. They are not so much rules as guidelines.
Thursday 10th March
Disappointingly our London friends left this morning, although to be honest we did have to eat breakfast inside MM today as they were saying goodbye to their friends while standing around our table and chairs.
After they left we did get to chat to the couple behind us and managed to bond while having a bitch about the dearly departed Londoners. Turns out that they decided that since they were already halfway to the amenities block by being in our site they were crawling through the dividing fence and through Jo & Phil's annexe to get the rest of the way – while Jo & Phil were sitting having their dinner.
Caravanning and camping etiquette 101
4: Don't not take shortcuts through other peoples annexes to get to the loo. Particularly when the occupants are there.
Bonus was that we got to get to know Phil & Jo better. A young couple from Tweed area taking a six month break and doing the tour. Not sure if that makes it a Gap Half Year or half a Gap Year. They are travelling in a Troopy camper.
Editor's Note: A Troopy camper is a converted Toyota Landcruiser Troop Carrier with pop top roof, bed and kitchenette.
Live the Dream Phil & Jo, Live the dream.
Another quiet day around MM, talked to Jimmy, on the phone, who we will be staying with in Bunbury and organised catching up.
Chatted to El on Skype and resisted the temptation to watch NCIS as we are down to 2 episodes!
Friday 11th March
All on schedule to leave this morning and then got talking to a guy setting up next to us (setting up the correct way, on his own site) and all of a sudden it's quarter past ten and time to leave.
Having got the tip from Phil and Jo this morning that Yallingup gets crowded we decided to drive down there and checked MM in for the four days after we leave Jimmy's. Park looks reasonable and the location is just sensational, just across the car park from yet another beautiful (surf) beach.
Next stop was Busselton where we did a quick recce of the Jetty. The jetty has been cropping up a lot in caravan magazines and tourist guides as a must see. The longest jetty in the Southern Hemisphere at 1.8km's there is a tour and underwater observatory. But we will have to wait for the tour because today's are all booked out.
A quick trip up the road and we arrived in Bunbury to be greeted by my mate Jimmy. Jimmy has been living in Bunbury for about 5 years now and by the end of the weekend we could see why. Tonight it was time to catch up, drink a few wines, eat some good food and revel in the loooxury of being in a house. More than one room, all of which were bigger than MM.
Saturday 12th March
After the delights of a shower without having to wear thongs it was off on our personal guided tour of Bunbury. As I said, it quickly became apparent why Jimmy has stayed so long. The town has grown quite a bit since he arrived but still has a great character and feel to it.
We even managed a bit of exercise with a climb to the top of the observation tower
and walk around estuary on the boardwalk
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| Bunbury's version of the dog paddle |
All finished off with a convivial, home cooked (by the lovely Maree) dinner and wines.
Living in a house does have some merits after all.
Sunday 13th March
Jimmy and Steve started the day with a walk through the sand dunes to the beach taking in the fresh sea air and the beautiful, but deserted, sand.
In what could well be overkill on selling the delights of Bunbury we spent the afternoon at a cafe overlooking the harbour, listening to live music drinking great coffe and drinking some wonderful Margaret River wine. Don't think we will be seeing Jimmy move back to Melbourne anytime soon.
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| One of Bunbury's tallest buildings - Affectionately known as the milk carton |
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