For the weekend, Ben and Rory took Curtis and myself down to their cabin in Dunsborough, which is just south of Margaret River. Ben and Rory are twins who took a semester abroad to Calgary. It is a three hour drive south of Perth. Callum and Justin both did exchanges to Calgary as well. The only non-exchange kid was James who runs a surf company in Perth that the twins have known since they were little.
We left on Thursday and took the scenic drive to their place. We saw the true "outback" which separates Perth from the next couple of towns. It a lot of red, little trees, apparently random bushes, cows, sheep, and the odd camel. There is a camel farm between Busselton and Dunsborough which is the weirdest thing in my opinion. Speeding is a significant fine for anything over 5km the posted speed limit. No one speeds as such. It is a different style of driving. The drive back home is comparable to Calgary - Red Deer and it took longer than driving to Edmonton. The car was packed with surfboards on the roof and seven of us in the Jeep. Me being the only girl.
The boys place in Dunsborough is a 6 acre parcel of land that is the quintessential Australian outback house. I personally found it a piece of heaven. You could see the stars uninterrupted by the city lights and could hear the crickets and kangaroos jumping. Kangaroos are nocturnal animals and run wild everywhere. You are most likely to hit one in your car at night - all SUVs and trucks have "kanga bumpers" on the front.
The first night was an early bed time - 5 am wake up for brekky. Breakfast consisted of Wheatabix and milk. No surfer drinks coffee - this just about killed me. The first surfing area we hit was about an hour and a half drive further south to Boranup Beach. It is famous for its swells and 8 km white sand beach. You drive through the outback and then 4 by 4 down a hill over rocks and boulders to get to it. Stunning view of the ocean and swells at the top. A climb down another hill with all the boards and lunch stuff was an interesting feat. I got quite good at getting up and standing by the end of the morning. The waves got too big for my liking - 6 to 10 feet, so I took a position sun tanning while the boys enjoyed surfing.
The boys ate all of the prepacked lunch stuff and were still hungry, so we headed to Margaret River town for a quick lunch. It reminds me of Banff but with a surf feel to it. It was quaint and cute. I would recommend going to the Fudge Factory if you are ever down that way.
The arvo was spent at Smiths Beach with better waves for all. I surfed again for a bit but got too exhausted. I fell asleep on the beach and got so burnt I turned purple. Walked around the beach and found a beached whale carcass. It was horrific to see but slightly neat to see the bone structure and skin still intact.
The sunset was spent on Yallingup Reef. The view was amazing and the sunset was bright red and orange. Spectacular. The hunt for kangas happened after sunset around the area. I really wanted to see a wild kangaroo. They are just as awesome as I thought they would be. I have a few pictures to email everyone with kangaroos and such.
The night was spent staring at the stars and a bright full moon with great discussion of surfing, Australia, and everything in between.
Day two was another early ass wake up at 430 this time. We were on the beach and surfing before sunrise. I don't understand this lifestyle until the heat hits 40C by 10am. I got super burnt again and napped the entire ride home to the house. The house was quiet with everyone napping due to the extreme heat. The arvo was spent again on Smiths Beach but further down. I decided to walk part of the Coast to Coast trail cause I could not be surfing in the conditions. It was an interesting walk up and down the coast line.
Day three was another early wake up at 5 am again. The boys surfed while I read the Economist on the beach. I can't do that early of a morning - not a good enough surfer and not a morning person. Once the boys were tuckered out, we headed back to Perth. Perth was sweltering hot again - 38C outside and about 41C inside.
The boys really made the experience awesome and something that most people do not get to see or do.
AFN
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