Bunbury - Start of a WA Holiday

WA, is short for Western Australia, in case your are wondering. WA is the largest state of all the states and territories of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. For a Wikipedia view of Western Australia, click here.

It was October last year when we went to WA. This trip is not the first time for Margaret, but it was my first ever to this part of Australia. It is also the first time I will meet with Margaret's childhood friend SL and her husband LL. Their son is getting married later in the week. Being October, it is spring here at Down Under, that time of the year when the wild flowers for which WA is known for, is at its best, in full bloom.

We touch down at Perth, the capital city and met up with SL and LL who then whilst us off to a place call Bunbury, an easy two hours of driving south from Perth.

Bunbury is the third largest city in WA after Perth and Mandurah. It is a port city and is situated 175 kilometres south of Perth, in the heart of the Geographe Region of Western Australia.

We arrived at Bunbury just in time for lunch but it took us awhile to get our bearing right before we found our hotel; Mantra Bunbury Hotel. The interesting thing about the hotel is that part of the hotel is made up of four grain silos built in 1937 that have now been transformed into residential apartments.

Ocean Grove - 'Treasure' Warehouse

Ocean Grove is a coastal town and beach resort fronting the Bass Strait, 19km south-east of Geelong. It is the next largest town after Geelong on The Bellarine Peninsula, located between Point Lonsdale and just a bridge over to Barwon Heads, its twin coastal town.

Ocean Grove offers a wide selection of shopping facilities; supermarkets, restaurants, cafes and speciality shops. However, most people come here for the surf beaches which front the Bass Strait. There are also walking tracks that offer a good view of the Bass Strait, along the beach.

What drew our attention however was not so much Ocean Grove shopping strip but of a Chinese and Japanese Furniture warehouse advertised in one of the local papers, for tourist.

KYO
26 Smithton Grove
Ocean Grove VIC 3226

Even though it is advertised as a Chinese and Japanese furniture warehouse, there are also Indian, Moroccan and South American products, including clothing, bags and jewelleries. It became a place for us to spend a couple of hours browsing the aisles of this massive warehouse.

It looks like a treasure house of antiques and collectable with bits and pieces of articles, ornaments and paintings that might interest, even surprise you. There are things for the indoor living space and even more for the outdoor garden.

I could not imagine why anyone would want some of the things that were on display but there are things there that do appeal to my sense of aesthetic appeal. However those that I do like don't come cheap.

Guess there is some truth about the old saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure".

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Point Lonsdale - The Beach and Lighthouse

Point Lonsdale is just a short drive from Bowen Heads. It is a very small seaside township that overlooks The Rip - the notorious entrance to Port Phillip Bay.

The Rip is where the ocean and the bay waters meet, some would say collide, through an outlet about a kilometre wide. Beside The Rip, the other attraction of Point Lonsdale is its prominent landmark, the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse, built in 1902 and is situated at the tip of Point Lonsdale.

There are many walking trails along the foreshore to explore, even a cave with an interesting story about an escaped convict, William Buckley aka 'Wild White Man', who lived 32 years with the local aborigines in the cave under the lighthouse.

The photo above is a view of the lighthouse from the beach. Notice the gun embankment, one of many in the area that was once used to guard the entrance to the bay.

The walk along the beach is probably the best way to enjoy the place, especially if it is a nice cool breezy day.

There is also a pier that extends into The Rip and is a favourite fishing spot for angler. You could even catch a shark from this very pier and here's a link of the catch in Feb 2010 and the one prior to this was in March 2008. Not a frequent happening. Still, just when you thought that the beach was safe. Swimmers beware!

Surprisingly, I did not have lots of photos of this place. I will have to do another posting of Point Lonsdale some other time.

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In Christ Alone - Keith and Kristyn Getty - with Lyrics

Romans 6:14 (NLT)
14 Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God's grace.

Ephesians 2:20 (NLT)
20 We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

John 4:10 (NLT)
10 Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."

John 15:26 (NLT)
26 "But I will send you the Counselor--the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me.