Kaes and I are so thankful to have family able to join us over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Being away from home can make you miss family more than you know. Luckily, Mom and Mawmaw came to spend the holidays with us and it was such a beautiful time of year for them to visit. I was grateful they were able to come and see where we live and the beautiful scenery around Perth.
The week started off with walking along the trails through King's Park. We walked the Lotterywest Federation Walkway that is elevated 170 feet in the air and boasts exhilarating views of the Swan and Canning Rivers, local indigenous culture and the diversity of Western Australian flora.
A few visits to Mosman Beach, also known to be a local dog beach to take Jaek and Chloe to see some fellow friends. The water was crystal blue and the sand white as snow. They love trips to the beach and with all the running and swimming, are exhausted by the end of the day.
Swan Valley is also another popular spot to show tourists when they come to visit Perth. It is about 30 mins northeast of the city and known for the Caversham Wildlife Park and Swan Valley wine region. Mawmaw was so excited to see some "real" kangaroos and loved they they came right up to her and she could even feed them. After Caversham, we had a nice lunch at Cape Lavender in Swan Valley.
Christmas morning we opened presents and had a full feast for lunch. Jaek and Chloe love Christmas morning and are thrilled to see what Santa brought them!
December is summertime and quite hot in Perth, so we decided to take a trip out to Rottnest (Rotto) Island to spend the day. Rotto is an island off the west coast and takes about 30 min by boat to get there. The island is absolutely breathtaking with beautiful clear water and pristine beaches.
A Quokka {marsupial found only on Rotto and a few other places in the world}
To wrap up the last few days in Perth, we took a day trip to Margaret River which is a wine region south about 3 hours. Wine tasting is always a must when visiting Margaret River, along with the trying to catch a glimpse of the native kangaroos. For lunch we stopped into Providore known for its fresh herb and vegetable garden grown right outside the restaurant. I love to sample all of their delectable jellies, sauces, and chutneys. Their spices are so fragrant and I always end up bringing a few packets home with me! We then decided to head further south down to Augusta where the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse looks out between where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.
I can't explain enough how memorable it was to have not only my Mother, but my 85-year old grandmother come to see where we live. I hope she had a wonderful time visiting Australia and enjoying the land down under!
