The Land of Oz- Adelaide and the West Side

It was an Oz fest at the WACA as Australia won the test series against India in dramatic style

The beautiful Rawlinson house at Mandurah

My friend Chloe

I left Melbourne by bus for the overnight journey to Adelaide, the capital of south Australia. A cosmopolitan city, surrounded by the Mount Lofty ranges, Adelaide is a city of learning with four separate universities. Like Melbourne, it is famous for its food and wine culture.The well known wine growing areas of McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley are on the doorstep. Wine florishes here due to the Mediterranean climate, shiraz being a favoured grape. 
I had a wander around the city on arrival, trams florished and the grid system present in many Australian cities made it easy to navigate. I stayed the night in a suburb on the beach, Glenelg, situated on the sandy white shore of Holdfast Bay. This was the original mainland settlement of south Australia (1836) and its centre, Mosely Square, is the home of the Adelaide Jazz Festival.
I stayed in a wonderful hostel (The Glenelg Beach Hostel) in a beautiful old building (see picture).The beach was stunning and coastal paths made exploring the area an easy one.

The Glenelg Beach Hostel

From Adelaide, my next destination was Perth, Western Australia. Known as the most remote city in the world, my 3 hour flight from Adelaide gave me an idea of this. From the air, the area looked reddish/ brown and arid.
My friend Chelsea met me at the airport and took me back to where I would be based, at the house of my friend Chloe's parents in Mandurah, about 80km south of Perth. It's location is stunning, right on the beach and overlooking the Indian Ocean. The house itself is a beautiful beach house (built by Chloe's dad) with the most amazing balcony from which to soak up the stunning view of the ocean. I had to pinch myself that this would be home for the next week!

I walked on the beach every day (sometimes 3 times) with Momo

Perth is a modern city with a feel of the small town about it. It is an outdoors city with an awesome climate. The Swan river flows through the city and its Kings Park are two locations where people walk, cycle and jog. The white sandy beaches in this part of Australia are known as some of the best in the world and surfing and kite surfing are part of the culture here. It was quite windy many days so when the swell was good, the surfers were out. Always great to watch.

The balcony at Chloe's house. I spent a lot of time here!

My time in the Perth area was designed to catch up with friends. I took the opportunity to get to know Chloe's family and have some relaxation time too. It was the perfect place for it. I spent days just walking the dog on the beach and chilling out in Chloe's lovely home. Jim's parents had a bbq on the first weekend and I spent the day in Perth catching up with friends Lucy and Sam (who I met in Laos). I also found time to spend another day at the cricket, this time at Perth's home of cricket, the WACA!
 I also had luch with Chelsea at her parents beautiful home and had a weekend in the gorgeous port town of Fremantle with its alternative vibe.
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in WA and would like to thank all my friends here for their kindness and generosity.
 Next stop: return to Melbs then Sydney.

Chelsea in her garden

Lucy and I in Kings Park