Busselton....Culture Shock

Well another week has gone by and I'm still living "The good life" more swimming,sun baking.reading,bike riding and generally having a good time.
Last night i went out for dinner and then to see a play put on by the local theatre company with Yvonne and Hugh and had a great time. The play was fantastic and very funny which i found a pleasant surprise as i hadn't been expecting much being such a small town.
At interval they put on free tea and coffee and afterwards the cast all stood at the front doors to shake hands with everyone as they leave which i thought was a nice touch.
I had my first dinner party in the bus during the week,or in the annex rather,I was rather pleased with my table decoration which i had decorated with some flowers that were growing nearby and i even managed to make a tablecloth from a bit of calico i had packed just in case and it did the job nicely.
Pity the food wasn't up to my normal standard.....

Busselton...Whats in a name?

Im still here in Busselton and still having a great time.

I discovered that my newly made friend's name is Yvonne and not Annette like i thought,whoops! luckily I found out before i called her by it,I had met a few people in the one day which i think led to my confusion as to who was who or thats my excuse anyway, So now i assume the other lady who's name i couldn't remember must have been Annette....I think.

Anyway on Saturday Yvonne and i went to the psychic fair that was on in town and had a browse, i didn't end up having a reading as i hadn't thought to bring cash and they didn't take eftpos so my future will have to wait.

 Saturday night i went out for dinner with Yvonne and her husband and another couple and had a nice meal and a few laughs.

They have a farmers market every second Sunday in the park over the road so went and got the weeks supply of eggs and vegies and then headed to the beach for a couple of hours.

Ive decided a caravan park would make for an entertaining setting for a soapy as there is always something happening and people coming and going,people with interesting stories and some sad cases.

For eg, There is a couple who have been staying here with their two little dogs and the lady only has one leg but she manages to get around ok as she has an electric bike with a little trailer attached on the back which she puts the dogs in and takes them for a ride.I actually ran in to her and her husband when i was out riding my bike the other day and they were about 4km from home and they had been for a ride right along the foreshore and had taken the dogs for a swim and then theres this other poor fellow who's a sad sight as his so skinny and frail and his legs are like sticks,I had seen him a few times sitting on a seat out the front of the toilet block on his own and i felt sorry for him so i went and spoke to him and asked him how he was...BIG MISTAKE! i then had to listen to him for the next 10 minutes while he described how he had been vomiting and had diarrhoea and how couldn't eat anything except for oranges and bananas and how he had something wrong with his feet and was having trouble walking so as i was backing away i said i would bring him some bananas to eat and if he would like i would go and do some shopping for him the next  day which i did,He then asked me if i wanted to go get a coffee with him later which was really sweet but Hell no! so now I'm trying to avoid running into him and when i see him i just wave and say hi "Barry" as i rush by looking very busy.

I do remember his name however......

Busselton....Busy life

At last! I had my first haircuts yesterday,in fact i ended up doing 3 and at $15 a haircut (Standard caravan park rate I'm told) I'm feeling really rich.
I was starting to worry that i wasn't going to get any business as i had put my sign in the bus window advertising haircuts and dvd hire about a week ago and i hadn't had any response,I was starting to think people may have been looking at my own hair slicked back and think Mmmm no, but it was suggested for me to put the sign on the outside as the windows are tinted and it may make the sign hard to see, it seemed to do the trick because before you know it i was getting business.Glad to know it wasn't my own hair putting them off.
Not only was i busy doing haircuts but my social life was busy also as i had two social engagements on.
I was invited for drinks with Annette and Hugh who are a lovely couple from Mandura and were great to talk to as they know WA really well and could tell me of a lot of great places to visit, then after that i went out for dinner with another lady(Name forgotten already) who's travelling on her own also and is a real hoot,we just went up the road to one of the local Hotels for dinner which was really nice. so it ended up being a very busy and enjoyable day.

Today I had to move to a different site again which is still a nice site and only a little further along from where i was but i think it might be effecting my burgeoning hairdressing business as i didn't have one client, I think the angle I'm on makes my sign not quite as visible to the passers by.
I may have to get an A frame sign to put out Mmmm.

Busselton...The good life

This is the life! My week has consisted of Swimming,Sun baking,Bike riding,Walking,Exploring,Reading,Chatting and eating. Not a bad way to spend my time.
I am enjoying Busselton that much i have extended my stay until the end of Easter and it solves the problem of finding somewhere to stay thats not booked out.I have also decided to try and find some casual work seems i will be here for awhile as i don't want to become too lazy.
I had to move camp sites this week because the site i was on had already been booked as the park is full of grey nomads who make the pilgrimage annually and book the same site year after year.
Some are so old and frail i wonder how they manage.
I think i will have to move again in a couple of days which is a shame as i like the spot where i am now,I have more shade and I'm closer to the amenity block which makes for a very social spot as there is always a steady stream of nomads shuffling their way backwards and forwards to the loo,It also means i will have to reset up again and as i have added to my annex it may take a while.

Yesterday I went for a walk out on the Busselton jetty which is 1.8 km long. apparently it used to be 2km until they had a fire and part of it burnt down.There is also a souvenir shop and the souvenirs would have to be some of the best i have ever seen,They mostly have a beachy or nautical theme not your regular tacky stuff but things that are useful and tasteful.If i had a home i would have been tempted to buy a few things.
I plan on going back and doing the tour to the underground observatory as its meant to be amazing.

                                                       View from jetty towards beach

                                              This is just over the road from the caravan park

Busselton.....Caravan park heaven.

Finally a caravan park close to the beach,close to the town and pet friendly,I am in holiday heaven.
Busselton is fabulous and is right on Geographe Bay so the water is lovely and clear and the sand is white and just across the road from where the park is.
Busselton is also home to a Heritage listed jetty which is 1.8 km long. You can do tours and they have an underwater observatory at the end of the jetty so you can see all the fish and coral etc. And did i mention it is also just across the road from the caravan park.
Meg had her first swim yesterday and she was so cute,She was a bit nervous so i had to hang on to her but secretly i think she enjoyed it.
The water is really warm and the weather is about 30 degrees with not a cloud in the sky so i think i will be spending quite a bit of time at the beach.
At this stage i have booked in for a week but i think i may stay even longer.
I have rigged up an annex of sorts using shade cloth and a bit of calico i had and its fab,It gives me a great shaded area to sit out side and also gives some privacy.
I have put my whiteboard up advertising haircuts and dvd hire for the first time so hopefully i get some business.
I must go as its time for a swim...............

                Beach over the road from the park and the Busselton Jetty in the background

                                                                My u beaut annex

Dunsborough

Spent Four days in Dunsborough as it was the only place i could get accommodation because of the long weekend.
The park was massive and full of permanent vans which is a real eyesore (God help me if i end up living in one) but they had an area which was a big open paddock so i set up there as i had it all to myself and was enjoying the peace........That is until all the weekenders arrived and we were all squashed in like ants.
There were hundreds of people everywhere but i survived and actually had a nice time.

In Dunsborough they have bike paths everywhere so one day i rode my bike to town which was about 2 km away and had a wander around and had a latte and read the paper and then road back.It was good to have a little slice of Melbourne life and the shopping area of Dunsborough is really pretty,some of the shops have funny names such as the Big Pig pizza restaurant and "Stemnation" florist.
Next destination Busselton.

Margaret River: To Dunsborough

Spent two nights in Margaret River which is a beautiful spot and just my sort of town: i.e. Spas,Great Food,Great cafes and Restaurants, Fresh produce, Beautiful accommodation and great little shopping precinct, Oh, and wine wine and more wine.It has it all. I brought a bottle of locally made Olive Oil from a shop which sells quite a few different ones and they have a tasting table so of course i tried them all.
I would like to have stayed longer but its a long weekend this weekend in WA and the parks here don't allow dogs on long weekends so i had to move along.
I found a park in Dunsborough (which is about 165km from perth) that would allow dogs and wasn't booked out for the weekend thank goodness as a lot were when i rang.
It was only a short drive so i called in along the way to some of the towns to have a look and they are all beautiful.First stop was Prevelly which is where the fires were recently and so much is burnt all the way up to the sand dunes which looks amazing.

                                                     Sand dunes right near the beach

In the photo above is the local church which was still standing unaffected while everything around it is burnt. A miracle or devine intervention?????
After Prevelley i stopped at Yallingup which is stunning. Each town just keeps getting better than the last.
I thought Augusta was the playground for the wealthy from Perth but i think it might be Yallingup as the homes are beautiful architectural masterpieces.One house for example was a half circle.
The beach here was also beautiful so i decided to spend an hour or so touching up the tan and having a swim before continuing to Dunsborough.
A bit of trivia someone told me was all the towns that have an "up" on the end of their name mean there is water there.