Hansomat: Sep 15, 2019

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Winter 2019 - OZ 4 Bunbury and Gnomesville

2019 - OZ 4 Bunbury and Gnomesville

After our Mint visit in Perth it was time we started our car journey. We drove about 2 hours south along Highway 2 to the city of Bunbury. We only drove about 2 hours (since we spent the morning at the Mint) after we left Perth and told ourselves to not drive late into the day. We are now on the road and we have some basic guidelines. There is no rush getting on the way each day. We wake up, have breakfast and then drive. If we like a place we stay for a full day or so. We do not drive AFTER 4 pm or close to it. We do not have destinations. We stop at whatever we find along the way. Yes, we take side trips if the ‘attraction’ is kind of ‘off’ the path and we just ‘doodle’ along. We have time.

The Crooked Carrot Cafe

While the temperatures are hot, the car has A/C, so it’s not bad. We get gas when the tank shows half full. We carry water, we carry some food. We are in the car after all.

This is not a race, this is an ‘exploration’, we try to find what is along the roads but we have no clue as to what is really out there.

Tea Cups Indicate the Washrooms

Case in point is our first Lunch Stop at the Crooked Carrot. We found this place by accident.

This is Australia; there are many ‘quirky’ places. Once you dig in to these places you will find some ‘strange’ stuff. Like the bathrooms signs. Carol was directed to the ladies washroom by the girl telling her: “Find the tea cups”. Not as easy as it sounds! What do they mean when they say… find the tea cup? Having time makes one look around and finds surprises everywhere.

Downtown Bunbury

But Bunbury is our first real stop because? It just fits our time schedule. No special reason to stop here.

Yet, as it turned out, it is a nice town. We stayed 2 nights.

I made reservation for a hotel on the internet, I mostly used Hotels.com. Whenever we can ‘guesstimate’ where we would end up for the day, I made a reservation on line. Yet there were many days when we just made a town, drove around, found a hotel and moved in for the night. We did NOT always follow a strict schedule and our reservations were made only if it became evident that we had no better choice than to think ahead.

Motorcycle Parking

We were kind of ‘drifters’ finding what was along the way, along the roads.

Carol is very good in reading brochures, finding spots, having a sense of what is good.

So now let’s start our journey not day by day, but from attraction to attraction. You’ll see, it’s quite a bunch of experiences and is actually very varied.

Outstanding Sunset Across From Our Hotel

When we arrived in Bunbury we just aimed for the hotel we booked on line and kind of ‘crashed’. We ate something near the nondescript hotel but then had the most amazing after dinner walk. The sunset that evening was outstanding. It is hard to put it into pictures, but since the hotel we booked was right near the Ocean we had a wonderful view of the clouds, the dipping sun and even the wind aided us in feeling extremely comfortable. Balmy air swirled around us and other evening walkers were about. It was the ‘golden hour’, the best time of day.

Beach Walkers

Our hotel had no breakfast, so we went to town to find a breakfast place. Easy enough with a car; our breakfast place was near the Information Center, near the old train station. So we ate well and then, as serendipity wanted us to do, visited the official office of the Town’s Info Center.

We just walked in; Carol wanted to find some brochures about the area around us. The ladies behind the counter were very friendly and we started chatting. Remember, we have time!

Clifton Motel

During our chat we found out that there is a town called Gnomesville, which we have to visit. We found out that we can also have a tour with Troy tomorrow, an Aboriginal Native, who can serve as our guide. We found out we can get a better rate at ‘another’ hotel in town if we want to stay an extra day. We found out a lot of small stuff but that is why we are here. We take what is along the roads.

This Way to Gnomesville

Gnomesville: about 30 minutes out of Bunbury is a town inhabited by gnomes. Gnomes from all over the earth come here to spend a few years or even their whole lives. Those gnomes are very small, as you can see by this one that we found in the middle of an old, felled tree stump. This stump of a 350-year old Jarrah Tree measured 40 meters high (131 feet) and 7.2 meters 23 feet, 7 inches).

350 Year Old Jarrah Tree With a Tiny Gnome Burrowed Into the Centre

Those gnomes live all over, but somehow they are much more concentrated in Gnomesville. I guess they like being crowded, being gawked at by tourists.

One Tiny Corner of Gnomesville

Now, I know it is hard to believe that there is a town called Gnomesville, but as you can see… I’ve been there and brought home pictures to prove it. Ask Carol… she took all those pictures… and I have lots more if you still doubt us. There is a town called Gnomesville in Australia, you can actually Google it if you are a doubting Thomas. Our pictures, though, should be proof enough.