Where are John and Kara?: Perth update, Western Australia

Hanging out in the sand at Coogee Beach
with Mila and the family

The weather in Western Australia is hot, like really hot. It’s so hot and sticky that you sweat constantly, you sweat in the joints between your fingers, you sweat from the tip of your nose, you sweat when you sleep and you live almost permanently in damp clothes. It is so hot that your plastic jandals (flip flops) can and will melt instantly into the ground if you stand about. It’s so hot that cold showers aren’t cold and if you momentarily leave groceries in the car they half bake in minutes, so your better off just covering everything in salt at the supermarket so it ready to eat when you get home. It's hot, and it feels like it's getting hotter!

Perth is, the hottest place we have ever been too- its consistently hot and dry, in the morning, in the afternoon, even at night. There's just no reprieve and the fan in our room only seems to push the hot air around.

Brown Jelly fish in Swan River

But the hardy local people survive, flourish even. Life carries on; people still go out shopping, they go to the beach, they eat out at night and they take their kids to play group in the middle of the day. Western Australian’s are tough, blasé and proud to be different.

So when us 'foreigners' aren’t lying on the floor, the fan on full blast and sucking on glasses of ice, we try to get out and about exploring.

Some nights are cool enough to sweat our way around the block at sunset, little niece Mila quite happily in tow. Usually we walk just to Munja park and the field behind the house which could very possibly have snakes! But we haven't seen any yet!

One of our favorite walks is along the Swan river waterfront. There's always lots to see along the way, from people jogging to the massive hoards of unattractive brown and white jellyfish in the river. They just float by skimming the top of the water like crinkled paper bags. Black and white birds stand on the rotting wharf pillars with their wings outstretched drying in the warm evening air.

Calm blue waters, Congee beach

We've visited the beach for a dip with the family at John Graham recreation reserve in the Woodman point National Park several times but usually it's way to hot to stay long. The park is quite different from those in New Zealand with trees well away from the beach, leaving absolutely no shade!

On our last adventure, we all raced across the hot white sand and into the water. It was nice, clear and calm, not many people were swimming and we thought that was fantastic, more beach for us! It wasn't until we got out the stinging and itching started! All the splashing around and we had never even seen the little jellyfish, or as locals call them 'stingers'.

Taking a walk, Congee beach

Huge Pelicans on the Wharf

Every Thursday, John has the opportunity to take a new (electric) work car home for an overnight test drive so we have made the most of those nights, driving round in the latest Toyotas, with a trip to the beach by Fremantle or we like to drive into the city centre. The small city centre always seems to be busy and is a mixing pot of ethnicities-which means plenty of new foods to try.

An afternoon in Fremantle

Many people made Australia their home after World War Two and to this day have maintained many of their country traditions leaving us with a smorgasbord of sushi trains, Yugoslavian sausage shops and Italian pasta houses.

Although the city is small compared to is eastern counterparts, home to over two million, there is a flourishing underground bar scene. The more simple exterior the better, often found down secluded lanes.

One of our favourite nights in the city was at the Hawaiian themed tiki bar! We were there on Mai Tai night… and had an absolute ball!

Outdoor beer gardens

Giant Mai Tai night, Tiki Bar

Not a cloud in the sky, WACA grounds

Several Sundays ago, when it was a glorious blue sky day but a crazy 39 degrees we ventured out to a one day test series cricket match at the WACA Stadium grounds. It was a one time thing though, we won’t be doing that again.

It was so hot and the uncovered stadium offered no shelter. By 2pm we were so uncomfortable that couldn't even breathe let alone watch the end of the game.

In addition to visiting local parks Kara has also been whipping up a storm in the kitchen, actively engaging in some baking- enthused by the kitchen factory shop down the road and an upcoming second birthday party. At Kmart she picked up a giant cupcake tin and that's been the basis of the last chocolate creations. The trouble is, the fondant melts before it reaches the cake because it's just to darn hot!