Roadtrip ll.. Balingup and Mumballup..

 

Many of the small country towns in WA have names that would fit comfortably into a Harry Potter situation :) Several of the towns we drove through were along the Bibbulmun Track bringing back memories for P who walked the whole 1000 km track from Kalamunda to Albany 12 years ago. Here's the story I mentioned yesterday, when we arrived in Balingup, such a pretty town with its tree lined streets and white picket fences.. we were chatting to the lady who worked in the visitor centre, she looked at P and said 'you've walked the track haven't you' P responded 'yes, but it was 12 years ago'. She said 'well I've been here 20 years and I never forget a face'. We did have a laugh, was it the nose or the ears that were so memorable :)

This was such a bizarre sight below that we had to pull off the road to take a shot.. wasn't sure if they were real post boxes or a quirky country Aussie artwork, could have been either :) We blinked and missed Mumballup, population 85, but couldn't miss the most essential of public buildings the Mumby Pub, Harry Potter right :) It was Saturday and the beer garden at the back of the pub was kicking off, hopefully the bike riders were drinking sensibly 😉 On to Margaret River.. happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Roadtrip.. 1100km in two days.. that dam mural!

 

Leaving at 6.30am on Saturday morning we set off for Margaret River, 277km south of Perth.. after traveling 500km we arrived in Margaret River around 4.30. The first detour to add on the extra kms was to Collie, see trip on map HERE (hope the link works). More specifically we went to the Wellington Dam to see the 8000 sq foot mural painted on the dam wall by world renowned Australian visual artist and photographer extraordinaire GuidoVan Helten. A wonderful 2 minute video HERE that I would love you to watch, the artist 'always uses paint to blend in with natural environment'.

It is my personal opinion that really big things are appreciated much better seen in real life and this is big, described as the largest dam mural in the world :) I was cursing myself for not including my half fish-eye lens, it would have been perfect to capture the full curve of the dam seen a little clearer here from the lookout point. Van Helten has painted huge murals all around the world from Iowa to Jordan, from Finland to Spain and Italy, if you look HERE you might recognise his work in your city. A funny story and on to the next town tomorrow, happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. big catch up today..

Visit Sami to see more Monday Murals from around the world..

Roadtrip..

 

We're heading off for the weekend to Margaret River 277km south of Perth. It's been a long time since we have visited the Margaret River region, known world wide for its surfing breaks and the wine produced in this area. Along the way we are going to make a detour to the Wellington Dam near Collie.. then head to Augusta and Pemberton. There is something special that I want to take pics of in each of these spots, looking forward to showing them to you. Happy weekend, take care and stay safe..

Soccer by the sea..

 

Last shots from the Brazilian Beach Carnival.. promise :) I so enjoyed watching youngsters of all ages enjoying a game of soccer, or as it is known in Brazil, football. While the adults were toe tapping hip swaying to the music the kids were having a brilliant time burning off energy beside the azure blue of the Indian Ocean. Down near the sea on Scarborough Beach they were a long way from where we were sitting in the upper level of the outdoor amphitheater, took these shots using my 12-200 lens, not super clear but I loved the energy and enthusiasm :) Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

Leader of the band..

 Later in the afternoon at the  Brazilian Beach Carnival, waiting in what we thought the perfect spot for the parade, we heard the joyous rhythmic beat of the Banda Ziriguidum and Sambozzy drums long before we saw them. Oh, and about that perfect spot, it was.. until the human factor kicked in, I'm 5ft 2in, no match for a 6 footer :) Still I did manage a few shots and...

... as the dancers and musicians shimmied on by it was our cue to head home even knowing that the entertainment was going on well into the evening, five hours of foot tapping was long enough for my sad hamstring :) Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

Samba, samba, samba..

 

It's all about the dance. I can't even imagine walking in those heels never mind dancing, the ladies are fantastic! Scarborough Beach was alive with the sound of the samba beat at the Brazilian Beach Carnival on Saturday, wish you could have been there..

You can't have a Brazilian Beach Carnival without a Mexican wave right.. said Aimee throwing her arms enthusiastically into the air 'oh yay, I love a good Mexican wave' 😊 Few more shots of the parade still to come hope you aren't Brazilian'd out :) Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

SambOzzy..

 

So much colourful, exuberant fun.. the Brazilian Beach Carnival was all that and more. As the host of the show pointed out this is probably one of the only countries in the world that could hold an event like this at the moment. Although we are Covid free there are still many everyday things we do to ensure it stays that way, including, as here, checking in with the Covid Safe app, takes less than a minute! The music and dancing by SambOzzy was exhilarating, I don't think there was one person sitting still, by the time we left I was pretty keen to join a samba group.. I think I just heard my physio faint :) I took 486 pics, so there will be more.. don't worry, not 486 more :) Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..