John Forrest National Park and Mundaring Weir!

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John Forrest National Park

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On Monday, Darrell and I took a trip to Mundaring via the John Forrest National Park. This area isn't too far from where we are living temporarily, situated in the hills surrounding Perth. When we reached the summit, we were able to take a look-out across the bush, towards the city itself. The views were stunning, and I was able to see for the first time, just how vast this tiny part of Western Australia is.

The bush itself is strangely beautiful, although in the blistering temperatures, it is difficult to appreciate it, in its full glory. Staying outside for longer than just a few minutes, does take it out of you. I was of course dosed up on factor 50 sunscreen, but even then, it is dangerous being outside for too long.

It is also snake and spider season, to my absolute dread, so walking through the bush can be hazardous, and I am learning pretty quickly where and where not to go. The news reports are constantly reminding us just how big the spiders are going to be this year, and if I wasn't paranoid already, I certainly am now. That said, I haven't seen any yet, although unlike the last two occasions I was in Australia, I am not going out of my way to find them.

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Mundaring Weir

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After the John Forrest National Park, we drove to the pretty town of Mundaring. This looked very much like a traditional small American town, the similarity was truly stark. Stood in the high street, I felt like I was in the deep south of The States. This was an area unlike Perth and the suburbs. Mundaring is rural, and as one drives through this town, one is struck by the colonial houses, large open plains and outback living. In many respects, it also looked very 'English' and wouldn't have looked out of place in the Hampshire countryside, where I grew up as a boy. Surprisingly for me, I liked it; the laid back atmosphere, appealed to my current state of mind and I could quite easily see myself living here.

There is of course a major downside to living in the bush; the wildlife is very different to back home. Mundaring may well have conjured up images of the countryside back home, but in reality it is nothing but. Someone once said to me, 'the trouble with Australia, is everything is trying to kill you.' Well, that's the feeling I get, especially when I am away from the city centre. I am literally looking over my shoulder, everywhere I go, just to make sure there is nothing lurking in the shadows.

In all honesty, I am probably being too careful; once I have been here for long enough, I'm sure my unsettled mind will calm down, and I will live happily, side by side with whatever is out there. For now, I am just making myself aware of my surroundings and getting used to the foreign nature of this land. I long for the day, spiders and snakes never cross my mind again, for now that's a way off yet.

The next stop, before we made our way home, was Mundaring Weir. This striking monument to Australia's water shortage was pretty impressive, although certainly not as big as I imagined. As we drove up to the dam, I was struck by the huge pipes littering the forested landscape. Darrell told me they were used, to transport water to Kalgoorlie, 700 km away. This mid-Australian gold mining town is where Darrell was born and has little to no water of its own, so Perth pipes this basic human requirement to the community, at great expense.

The weir itself provides a great vantage point for the outstanding views across the region and with the sun beating down, it did feel distinctly cooler. It was good spending time relaxing in a part of WA I haven't been too before. These aren't the spectacular views we experienced in Croatia and Thailand, but they are still markedly different from the UK and provide an insight into a part of the World I hope to call home; only time will tell if that happens or not. At the moment, I am happy to keep exploring and enjoying the biggest state in Western Australia. In a few months I may well have no spare time on my hands; it's guess work as to what happens in the future, but at least we have each other, no matter what happens down the line.

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