We kicked our day kicked off with a bit of a barney about what it was we were trying to achieve with our final hours here in Perth. Not bad, considering that we weren’t initially scheduled to be stopping here anyway. Apart from taking ‘The Beast’ out and giving it a run to check everything is back in perfect working order again, our plans were sketchy.

I had suggested heading to Kings Park, the expansive botanical gardens on the outskirts of Perth, where we could have a look around, with the dogs tagging along. Bec on the other hand suggested we travel ¾ of an hour south to the beachside town of Rockingham. Her theory was that ‘The Beast’ would get a good run on the way there, while the dogs could have a good run on the beach when we got there. This is where our spat started, as Becs whistle in the wind attitude to planning had precluded her from finding out what else there is to do in Rockingham, something I would have liked to know before we headed down. For all I knew, there could have been a beach and nothing else. This is not how I roll.

In the end, I acceded to the Rockingham idea, if for nothing else than to give the dogs a run along the beach. Stuck in Perth as we have been, it’s been a little difficult to find anywhere to give the dogs a decent walk. So off we trundled, getting ‘The Beast’ up to speed and letting it stretch its legs, as we whizzed along the road to Rockingham.

As a result of taking ‘The Beast’ out again, you’ll notice that photos of me will start appearing again. Whilst many might say wearing an Akubra at anytime is farcical, it seemed utterly so, even to me, while scooting about in a bright green city centric hatch back. So I have kept my ugly, unhatted head away from the camera for the last few days.

There I am, hat and all, on the beach at Rockingham.

Once at Rockingham, we stopped at the dog friendly section of the beach, which we found to be akin to a canine highway, all manner of four legged critters running up, down and all around. This would have been fine, if Alvin and Bethany were better socialised than they are. They have been relatively well behaved for the whole trip, but surrounded by so many possible play mates, they chose today to act up, yelping excitedly and straining embarrassingly at their leashes. So much for driving for close to an hour, to give the dogs a good run on the beautiful beach. It was all over almost before it even started. They were soon relegated to the back of ‘The Beast’, while Bec and I went to discover what other delights Rockingham had on offer for us.

We drove up and down the beach front esplanade, eventually finding a vacant car parking space. Even today, a weekday, it was extremely busy. All of the restaurants, cafes and other boutique eateries were bustling with the lunchtime rush and we soon found ourselves joining the throng. It wasn’t for lunch that we ended up stopping, but rather just for a milkshake, which we slowly sipped on as we sat at a table on the sidewalk, enjoying the sun. Such is the weather today, I even needed to break a pair of shorts out of storage again, as the mercury rose back up above the mid twenties. Oh, if only that could last.

The foreshore.

Our shakes finished in a flurry of loud slurps, we crossed the road and promenaded along the scenic foreshore, leading us back to ‘The Beast’. We then had to decide what to do next, as with the walk along the beach cut drastically short, we still had the rest of the afternoon to fill in with activities. It was decided then, that we would head in the direction of Fremantle to check out the wares of a few of the local antique shops. There are three congregated together within a few hundred metres of each other.

It may have been a bad decision to go looking at antiques, because before we knew it, we were trying to work out how much it would cost us to ship a container load of furniture back home. We didn’t actually end up buying anything, but there were several pieces that we would have seriously considered if not for the hassle of getting them home, not to mention the added trouble of finding somewhere to put them when we get home.

With the antique window shopping not eating up as much time as we had envisioned, we delved back into the centre of Freemantle, where we found another of our favourite shops had succumbed to the financial climate. As the only other place we were planning to frequent in Fremantle, we decided against stopping. Instead, my original plan of taking in the sights of Kings Park got an airing and we both ended up getting our own way anyhow.

Driving into the park, we headed for the section that showcased different fauna from all over Australia. From here, as well as being able to take in sweeping panoramic views of the Perth skyline, we could meander along the flowing paths surrounded by all manner of plants, from delicate little wildflowers from different regions of Western Australia, to towering Karri trees.

With the dogs following along, they were on their best behaviour now. Whether that was because there were no other dogs about to get their attention, or because they were to afraid of being enslaved in the back of ‘The Beast’ again, I don’t know.

On their best behaviour.

With the dogs finally getting a decent workout, it was then time for me to work up a sweat. Well, maybe not a sweat as such, but it was still a long clamber up the steps of the DNA Tower. A lofty lookout sits atop two spiraling staircases, designed to replicate the appearance of a strand of DNA. While Bec kept her two feet on terra firma, I climbed to the top to take in the 360^o views of the gardens and Perth.

Beauty and The Beast, from atop the DNA Tower.

With time now getting away from us, it was back to the caravan we headed. We still have a roast to cook for dinner as well as commencing our packing up duties in preparedness for our departure tomorrow morning.

Naturally, things didn’t quite proceed as smoothly as that. You would all be well aware of the issues we had at the start of the trip with our fridge refusing to keep things cool enough. Well, wouldn’t you know it, the fridge is again marching to the sound of its own drum, now working extremely well. So well in fact, that it is freezing everything, meaning that the lovely roll of pork that we had been drooling about on our way back to the van was still a solidly frozen nugget. On the plus side, at least now we don’t have to cook, nor clean up, although it did mean venturing out again, to find somewhere to eat. A local, franchised pasta restaurant did the trick nicely, providing a delicious, cheap and quick dinner.

Lastly tonight, with ‘The Beast’ starting to rack up a few more kilometres today, it’s as good a time as any to remind you that the kilometre challenge is still on. If you’re wondering, we did about 250Km around Perth in ‘Kermit’. I can tell you that, because those kilometres won’t be included in our final tally. It is only the kilometres that we accrue in ‘The Beast’ that will be counted. Check out the current list of entries here: The Tally So Far, then get on to e-mailing me some more entries. Someone has got to win it, so you might as well be in with a chance.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.