Very short post just to update you that we made it out of Perth and on to Melbourne. The flight was a measly three and a half hours, and our first with Quantas. The journey was very easy and made very comfortable by the airline staff. We met a couple from Yorkshire on the flight, who were on a very similar trip to our own and were heading for the races too. Flying internally in Aus is very easy and we were in a taxi heading for Melbourne city centre very quickly.

Ma & Pa were waiting for us in the Mecure hotel. Poor Ma had a bit a rough trip and they looked a bit worse for ware after their 24 hour journey. Pa’s pal Stephen had organised dinner around the corner. We were joined by a number of his pals who all made for great company. The great racing minds at the table all combined to pick eight horses for a boxed quintella (first four home) for the Cup. 200 bucks a head were parted with by all and the guarantee of riches was assured. Ma & Pa will give a Melbourne Cup summary in the next post.

What a sleep. I usually sleep well but eight hours and I am stirring. Last night I was out for thirteen hours straight, and when Ash woke me I felt like I’d bearly slept. Got some brekkie and felt a million dollars. Looking at the Sunday paper I started to get an idea of just how big the Melbourne Cup is over here. I think it was mentioned on nearly every page, from fashion to a cut-out sweep page. The itinerary was less packed today but equally as appealing. We set sail just before twelve for the local wine region, Swan Valley.

I had thought it would be a distance to travel, but within 20 mins we were in the middle of the region. We stopped for our first tasting in Riverbank, which despite the name is not beside the river. We tried a couple of whites and a couple of reds. All were quite nice but nothing special. The good part is that you don’t have to pay for the tastings, some places do charge a nominal fee but only to keep the scroungers away. Next up came Sandalford wines. This place was very fancy with a grand entrance and long driveway. They are famous for holding concerts in the vinyard. They have Alicia Keys coming up soon! The wines here were fantastic, especially the Shiraz. We found out that there is apparently one place in Dublin you can get them but I have to email someone to find out where. 

After a brief stop in a local chocolate factory it was time for some grub. Off to Lamont’s for lunch. We sat out on a terrace area, and ate from the tapas style menu. Food and wine were both delicious, top marks went to the tempura fish. Got a tip for great wedges too, smoked paprika salt. Once we’d finished off the long, lazy meal it was off to a local ice cream factory for dessert.

Another fab day in paradise. Deirdre and Steve have been amazing hosts, and the girls are fabulous kids. Off to Melbourne in the morning!

It’s official, myself and Ash can’t sleep on planes. Luckily Singapore to Perth was our last overnight flight. The immigration and customs in Aus are very intimidating, friendly but if you were sneaking anything in you’d better be good at hiding it. We landed at around half seven after a bumpy flight but feeling good to have finally gotten to Austrailia. Ash’s cousin Deirdre was there to meet us with her twin daughters Megan & Shauna. She had a full itinerary ready for us and with only two days in Perth we were well up for it.

After dropping the bags off at Deirdre’s house and getting a bit for brekkie, we headed for King’s Park. This is an incredible place, perched up on a hill, you get amazing views of the city. Our timing of the visit was fortunate, not only did we have great weather, but the Red Bull Air Races were on this weekend in Perth too! We could see the setup of the course down in the bay. Soon there were exhibition aircraft flying around to build the atmosphere, doing loop the loops and leaving smoke trails. We all jumped out of our skins when an F16 arrived. The noise of that thing!! It did lots of flybys and sharp turns. When it got close to the crowds the noise was deafening. After that we headed down to the shore to get a closer view of the Air Races. The races planes are so maneuverable, they twist and turn like they are on rails.

Back home to Nedlands for lunch Aussie style, BBQ bacon, mushroom and eggs. What a life, sitting out in the sun, eating a fry from the barbeque. Off then to meet another of Ash’s cousins and an aunt whom she had never met before, both called Eileen. It was amazing for Ash to meet someone so closely related for the first time. Her husband Jim is a lovely man too, an old Dub with plenty of stories to tell and a love of a gamble. He just missed out on the trifecta in the fourth at Ascot (Perth) when we there, we all had to shout at the telly.

We’d been on the go for nearly 40 hours at this stage and strength was waning. We took in the late sun and surf with a drink at Cottesloe beach. Again what an idyllic place, the weather, the lifestyle, if only it wasn’t so far away. Dinner next and we headed on to a great place in Freemantle, the liveliest area in Perth for nightlife. By the end of dinner, the only thing on our mind was bed. Sleep, glorious sleep!!