The Margret River

The Margret River

Day 1

On Thursday morning we left at 9:00am and drove down to the Margret River 3 hours away from Perth and we were definitely excited.  We stopped halfway there and had a Hot Chocolate and a bite to eat from a very nice cafe then continuing on to the hotel we were staying at called Margret's Forest.  As soon as we arrived we went on the lawn and played frisbee, went for a walk and visited 4 wineries.  The Voyager Estate, Leeuwin Estate and Stella Bella.  We also visited a berry farm, all of which we played hide and go seek and tasted samples (grape juice).  

Day 2

The Caves

The next day we went to the Jewel Caves which is where I learnt about Sedimentary Rocks which is part of my Science assignment along with exploring the caves natural wonders and some small horrors (bones mostly).

Facts

-      The Jewel Caves were found in 1957

-       The cave is known for it’s limestone stalactites and stalagmites

-        It received the name “Jewel Cave” because there are crystals that form on rocks which look like jewels which was unique to that kind of cave

-       The water in the caves is very dense because as it goes through the forest floor it picks up the calcium in the limestone and then very slowly comes through the cave roof and forms the stalactites and stalagmites in the cave

-       There are many holes in the cave roof, which sometimes cause animals to fall down the hole and into the cave.  Some Kangaroo, Possum and Tasmanian Tiger skeletons have been discovered inside the cave

-      The first people who discovered the cave used those holes to lower themselves into the cave as an easier way of getting in

      Other Activities

      

      Chocolate Heaven on the way home as well.

      

Perth Day 2

A Summary of the Day

We were up and ready at 7:00am this morning excited about the coming events that we were going to do.  We were going down the famous Perth Swan River for the day and visit a town called Fremantle where we walked around and visited the Maritime Museum where I learnt about ship wreaks near the Swan River entrance.  Fremantle also has a very big port (much bigger than the Port of Napier) that was used by the Dutch as a spice trade route back in the 1800's.  We traveled back to Perth at 3:45pm from a great day be a tourist.

The Maritime Museum

The museum is holds a ship wreck of the Batavia, a transport vessel in the late 1800's.  It was on the route to Batavia to drop off the final bricks to make a castle but obviously they didn't arrive.  The hull of the Batavia was found at the bottom of the Indian Ocean and took almost 1 year to excavate.  Some supplies were also recovered and archaeologists were put to use to find out how they were made and where they came from.

The Port of Fremantle

The port was made when James Stirling (the man who founded Perth) first arrived in the late 1800's with his crew.  Many ships come in and out each year and on average 32 containers are loaded on and off different ships every hour.  The international terminal in the port was made in 1970 and was used by approximately 32.000 people that year but now most of those people come in through the international airport in Perth.  

Other Activities

The Chocolate Escape

We stopped at a Spanish chocolate cafe where they served the most divine Hot CHOCOLATE served with churros which we dunked in dark and milk chocolate.

Lunch at Little Creatures

Dad enjoyed the brewery sipping on locally brewed beer.  I had the biggest steak sandwich in the world and it tasted delicious.

Perth Day 1

Perth Day 1

When we woke up this morning we were ready to do anything we were going to do.  We had milo for breakfast and at 10:00am we set off on our days journey around Perth to discover what Perth is really about.  The landscape of Perth is mainly flat but where we are staying is the only place it is hilly.

The first thing we did was drive to the city centre and started walking towards the Perth Mint.  The Perth Mint is the place where workers transfer gold, iron, silver and copper into blocks that are then sent off to other places around the world or kept as souvenirs for tours or other purposes.  While we were there we watched a very interesting show which included a worker turning liquid gold into a block of gold in minutes.  Unfortunately I was not allowed to take any photos due to security reasons.  

Facts about turning Liquid Gold into A Gold Block

1. The furnace is heated at 1,300C to keep the liquid gold in it's liquid form, even though gold only needs to be heated at 1,074C to be liquid it is kept that high so when it out of the furnace it doesn't turn to solid gold instantly.  

2. The workers back in the late 1800's when the mine first opened used to wear leather vests to cover the front of their bodies, they also wore leather gloves to protect themselves from the burning heat of the liquid gold.  Some workers chose not to wear the gear because they thought it was faster to work.

3. A very interesting fact about the olden day workers is that they rolled the end of their jeans up in case any gold fell into the rolled up parts of their pants which could give them more money by the end of the day.  

I can't wait until tomorrow when we go on some more adventures. 

We Arrived in Perth

Hi Everybody!

At 10:00am on Sunday morning we finally packed our bags, put them in the car and drove all the way to Napier Airport to take a flight to Auckland and then continue on to Perth, Australia.  I arrived ready and terribly excited when all of a sudden I saw Will Holden who was on the same flight as me going to Auckland to stay with one of his cousins.

The plane to Auckland was slow but at the same time exciting for we knew that we were one step closer to reaching Perth.  As we arrived in the Terminal building in Auckland we walked along to the International terminal and got on our 9 hour plane flight to Perth.  (At least there were screens on the back of the seats).

We were greeted by our friends who had just recently moved to Australia 6 months ago and they escorted us to their house where we settled in and crashed on the bed for the night.  We were relieved to finally get to Perth after a days travelling but at the same time excited to wonder what we were going to gat up to the next day.

Five facts about Perth:
1. There are 1.74 million people in Perth
2. It is the largest city in Western Australia (WA)
3. Perth is known as the city of light because Perth's residents lit up their houses as John Glenn the Australian astronaut  flew over o them on February 7 1962
4. Perth is the 4th most popular city in Australia
5. Perth was founded on 12 June 1829 by Captain James Stirling

Us on the Plane to Auckland

The Tension is Building

The tension is building as the night comes and dawn is coming.  At 11:00am we will be taking off towards Auckland and then making our way to Perth, our first stop on this epic journey around the world.  Everyone is excited and can't wait to get out of NZ.  I'll keep you all up to date when I'm up in the air.

Ready Steady Go

Countdown

24 hours until takeoff!  Follow my blog to find out all about our adventures as we circumnavigate the globe.