I arrived in Perth at last - delay due to snow in Paris meant that the connecting flight from Singapore was long gone when I got there so I found a convenient bench and began my life as an airport bag lady while I waited. Since I couldn't find anyone sufficiently interested to record my annoyance/discomfort/resignation, (including the airline - details supplied on request) I'll leave you to imagine the scene.
I was immediately into the swing of things with the One Tribe sonic experience, Christiane's yoga class and a visit to the Buddist Monastery at Janna Grove where we had lunch while the birds waited for their share.
We enjoyed Christiane's cooking and the Indian night with authentic music supplied by the very talented One Tribe ensemble was a great hit
Neil and I left Perth for Sydney where we were going to the air show at Illawarra then on to the very southernmost point of the south coast - Bermagui.
We stayed at Bimbimbi House in Violet Cottage, a residence that hasn't quite lost it's association with it's previous incarnation as a cattle shed. We never did get used to that sloping floor but it was a beautiful, peaceful place to stay.
It was a lovely spot, high above but overlooking the river. Bimbimbi means 'many birds' and it lived up to it's name in every way.
We came across three fishermen in Bermagui who had caught this lot near the river mouth in 4 hours.
Pelicans can smell fish a mile away
After leaving Bermagui we made for Cooma, where Neil's friend, Mike Apps, runs the airfield. We were amazed how green everything looked. After 15 years without significant rainfall the downpours have started. We took a ride on the heritage train line, run as usual by a group of enthusuastic amateurs.
From Cooma we took the scenic route across the Snowy Mountains to Yackandandah.
