Our Australian Adventure: Lake Monger & Sunset Coast

Lake Monger is lake quite close to Perth City that has a healthy population of water birds especially the Black Swans. The birds here rather tame as they are are used to human presence and feeding.

The Black Swans were very friendly and will approach you willingly.

The Eurasian Coots were just as tame as the swans...

The lake, as in most places in Western Australia, had a picturesque setting.

Sunset Coast is a 22 km stretch of pristine coastline and is a popular tourist destination. It is located about 5 minutes away from the house. We made a couple of visits there to soaked in the view and the atmosphere.

The view is simply breathtaking. Don't believe me? Just ask Fish...

We had long photo sessions here...

He ain't heavy...He's my hubby...

She ain't heavy...She's my baby...

Surf's up dude...

Don't hurt yourself, ok?

We also visited two nearby boat harbours, the smaller Ocean Reef...

And the huge Hilarys...

Our Australian Adventure: Yanchep National Park

Our first major excursion here in Western Australia was a visit to Yanchep National Park. The park is about 20 km north from the house. Along the way to our destination, we had a real good look of the great Australian bush. We were also lucky enough to bump into a flock of Long-billed Black-cockatoos foraging on some low bushes next to the road.

We stopped again for another bird further along the road. This time, it was the national bird of Australia - the Laughing Kookaburra. It received our due respect and admiration.

Upon our arrival, we could see Grey Kangaroos foraging just next to the car park. Everyone got real excited as this is one of the most iconic animals that people associate with Australia. These kangaroos are wild specimens that have grown accustomed to human presence within the borders of the park. Even a van filled with noisy and excited Malaysians did seem to bother them at all...

Don't scare the 'roos away, ok? We're not done shooting yet...

After the kangaroos, we made our way to the Crystal Cave as the guided tour was about to begin. The tour was quite interesting and being inside the cave was a memorable experience for all of us.

The tall guy on the right was our guide. Sorry mate, I can't recall your name...

What's everyone lookin' at?...Let me through...I want to see also...

Our next stop was the park's Koala Bear refuge. It is an open pen where visitors get to see Koalas in their natural environment at close proximity.

These adorable fellows was a real hit with our group - especially with young Megan...

Everybody wants a photograph with the Koalas...

Here is Choy, leaving his mark in Western Australia. When you got to go, you got to go...

We also spend quite sometime along the shores a lake near the Visitor's Center. It had a view to kill for.

With such a stunning landscape, most of us immediately posed for the camera.

What are we looking at?

A pair of adorable Maned Ducks...

This duck really attracted our attention. Some members of our group commented that the piece of loose skin hanging under this male Musk Duck's throat looks quite similar to a certain part of a man's anatomy. Use your imagination...

The feeling of being at one with nature and to beckon the call of the wild can have an effect on people. More on some than others. Right, Alex?

I rest my case...

We ended our visit to this interesting National Park by having a hearty lunch at the deli next to the Visitor's Center.

Our Australian Adventure: Arrival & Home

After all the anticipation and waiting, we finally found our way to Perth, Western Australia.

We started from the Penang Airport at 9 pm on the 6th of August 2009, transit at the KL Airport at around midnight and reached our destination at around 5 am the next day. As soon as we stepped out of the airport, we were greeted by the near-freezing winter morning of Western Australia. We made our way to Trafalgar Retreat, a holiday home that we will call home for the next 5 days - as soon as Kee and Choy figured out how to release the hand brake of the Kia Grand Carnival that we will rented as our mode of transport throughout the stay.

And eventually they did. With the help of a map, the GPS and a little luck, we managed to find our way "home". Trafalgar Retreat is located near Joondalup which is about 30 km north of Perth City. It is a lovely bungalow house that comes complete with a swimming pool and a cozy backyard with BBQ facilities.

It was a beautiful neighbourhood. The neighbours were quite friendly, it was rather peaceful and quiet here and it is located near the coast.

Everyone settled in quite well. The house came complete with all the necessary facilities and utensils. The rooms were comfortable and clean. There was a huge heater in the living room (thank God for that) and a complete kitchen.

After breakfast, everyone decided to take a rest after the tiring journey. Everyone except Choy. Lake Joondalup is about 10 minutes drive from our house and it is a good birding site. The temptation of doing some birding and bird photography in a foreign land is just too great for him to resist. He had a quite a hard time trying to juggle his time between the birds and us (especially since his wife is also here with us) but eventually he managed to.

And we couldn't really blame him because Australia is filled with striking and beautiful birds like this Galah...

And these Rainbow Lorikeets (no rewards for guessing how it got its name)...

The cost of living in Australia is reasonably high and with the current exchange rate, we were really feeling the pinch. There is one thing we simply cannot save money on was food. Everyone needs to eat. Throughout our stay, we tried quite a variety of food. Occasionally, we will buy food back to the house...

But most of time, we had our meal outside...

Australia here we go!

Two more days to go. We are tying up all the loose ends so that we can enjoy our vacation in peace. Anyway, this is what we send out to all our clients and suppliers informing them of our company trip...