Back ‘Down Under’ to Perfect Perth!

BACK DOWN UNDER TO PERFECT PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

OUR AMAZING TRIP DOWN UNDER

The Barkers on tour- Awesome Australia!  

So it’s our third night in Oz & I’m sat writing this after an amazing & very ‘Aussie’ kind of day.

After a couple of chilled days at our accommodation for the duration of our stay in Australia (our fab friends beautiful home) and down at the local beach, today we went to see the Koalas & Kangaroos and had a BBQ for tea, how Aussie is that?!!!! 

Max has been looking forward to seeing the Kangas & Koalas since we booked the trip so he’s had a fantastic day. The weather is absolutely glorious and after such awful weather at home it’s been divine to be out in the fresh air & sunshine! Happy days!

We can’t hire our own car until Tuesday as it’s Easter bank holiday weekend so, tomorrow we’re having a chilled day going out for lunch & to the cinema later on, then we get our hire car on Tuesday morning so we’ll be off to explore the beautiful city of Perth. I’m just loving having some time completely away from work & with my fabulous family! So happy!

Beaches, sunshine, Perth city, shopping, water parks, Kings Park, cocktails, good food & family! The past few days have been just amazing and I’ve really switched off from work and just loving relaxing and exploring Western Australia with Tony, Isabelle & Max.

We got our car & had a fabulous day at Adventure World Water Park on Tuesday which the kids absolutely loved. The weather is just wonderful here and to spend the whole time outdoors is fabulous. Being able to sit out for our breakfast & evening meal every day is one of the highlights of any holiday and washed down with one or two rose wines of course!!! Well I am on holiday!!!!!

On Wednesday we had a beautiful day at Kings Park which is a stunning park just on the outskirts of Perth City with fabulous views of the city centre. We then went into the city for lunch at the ‘up & coming trendy’ area of Elizabeth Quays! A quick visit to Scarborough beach for a drink & ice cream for the kids on the way home was a lovely end to the day. 

Thursday our lovely friends Jaquie & Steve and their daughter Gemma took Isabelle & I to the fabulous Joondalup mall for a shopping day Aussie style whilst Tony & Max played Golf. Isabelle enjoyed spending her birthday money that her Nanna had given her in AUS dollars.

Fremantle is a beautiful place around half an hour from where we are staying so today (Friday) we got up early and the four of us are spending the day there. What a stunning place it is and very ‘old Australia’ with the fishing ports & beautiful coastline. I’m currently lying on the very stunning Cottesloe beach watching Tony & Max splashing through the huge waves in the Indian Ocean with Isabelle sunbathing, desperate to get a tan! I’ve had worse Friday’s!! Blogging on the beach is most definitely something I could get used to! The sky has been the clearest blue without a cloud in sight every single day & waking up to weather like this just puts you in such a good mood straight away. Perth is definitely the sunshine state and I love it more each day. 

It’s now Saturday and we’ve had a relaxing day in the area of Canning Vale where we are staying, a bit of retail therapy at another of the many huge Malls then out to a fabulous seafood restaurant, Clancy’s, for dinner this evening situated on the stunning City Beach. 

Well the meal was delicious with the freshest of fish and a wonderful choice of sea food to choose from! On the way home we stopped off at the beautiful Kings Park again to see the stunning views & lights over the city at night.

Gosh it’s already Tuesday, the time is flying by now sadly. Anyway, Sunday was Tony’s birthday and so we all spent the day in the lovely town of Mandurah. A pretty harbour area with lots of cafes, ice cream parlours & souvenir shops. Tony & I then went to the fabulous Crown Hotel and casino for a few cocktails in the evening and a flutter on the roulette table as the kids stayed at home with our friends just for a couple of hours. This amazing 6 star hotel has recently been completely renovated and is an amazing place boasting a huge casino, fabulous hotel suites, a theatre and some of Perths top restaurants. The glamour and buzz of this impressive place in not dissimilar to a Las Vegas hotel & casino. We had a fabulous night! 

Monday was another glorious day which we spent at Hilary’s Boat Harbour in Greater Perth. Also known as Sorrento Quay, Hilary’s is a wonderful tourist destination and is a maze of restaurants, cafes, beautiful shops, a small beach and delightful harbour area with a playground for the kids. What a gorgeous day!

So now we have just two days left in this gorgeous place and today we’re headed for Rockingham. An area 45 minutes South of Perth, this area overlooks white, sandy beaches and offers families plenty of places for picnics and playground areas. All the beaches we’ve visited in Perth really are idyllic with beautiful water, the softest white sand and none of them have been even slightly crowded. With sunshine and the clearest of blue skies it really has been ‘perfect Perth’ for us!

I’m now sat with a heavy heart flying from Perth to the Uk via Dubai but sadly with no stop over this time. I’m reflecting back over the last almost 3 wonderful weeks and appreciating not just where we’ve been and what we’ve done, but also the quality time I’ve had with Tony, Isabelle & Max and just how precious it is. I’ve got a knot of anxiety in my stomach knowing that in one more day I’ll be back at work and the crazy, business of my life will resume. If this trip has taught me anything it’s that a few changes seriously have to be made to get a better work/life balance as work was completely taking over before. I love to work & I work hard at what I do which is important to me but there’s nothing more important than quality time with family. But, for now, whilst I’m 42 thousand feet in the air I’m just going to think of all the wonderful memories we’ve made and look forward to making many many more. 

 

Adios until the next time Australia, you’ve been amazing!