MARGARET RIVER TO ROCKINGHAM-8 MARCH 2008

I got both the Australian and a 6:30 breakfast in Margaret River which somewhat compensated for its Gold Coast(the same sort of clientel) feel. The aim then was to get within an easy morning's drive of Perth and spend a couple of nights unwinding by the sea.
The day was perfect and I made stops in Bunbury and Busselton, the modernity of which surprised me compared with my last visit in the early 80s. Mandurah was to be the stopping point but I hadn't counted on their crab festival and the huge crowds blocking the streets and diverting traffic-so I made a last dash to find a camp spot near Point Peron which Rae had recommended as a beauty spot and fortunately talked my way into an RSL caravan park for two nights, on the water front, close to the Stirling naval base.
VIEW ACROSS BAY FROM RSL CAMP SITE

This was an inspired choice-the folks were friendly, intrigued with my swag and seeing me typing emails in the night, under the light on the barbecue awning, with the backdrop of twinkling chemical plant lights across the bay.
The beach front location allowed me to walk and wade from the camp along some surprisingly fine strands and food at the Rockingham foreshore restaurants was more than acceptable. This was a good way to prepare to enter the big city and my first major destination.
POINT PERON BEACHES



Really enjoyed arriving before parking meters had activated in Fremantle, which is by far Perth's best asset.Had breakfast at an Italian restaurant on the main drag. Food great but again service bizarre. Had to get my own coffee at a separate counter and whilst there a waitress cleared my table and threw my newspapers away. I was not best pleased and said so.
The entry to Perth was uneventful-sunny, bright and almost clinically clean, it hadn't changed since Sandra and I visited almost two years ago.I had read a Financial Review magazine article that spoke of its mining driven wealth but also revealed a dark underside of social deprivation and youth suicide-but no sign of this that day.

MADE IT TO PERTH-MONDAY 10TH MARCH 2008
It was relatively easy to get to Peter's place at Padbury,via the coastal highway, despite intending to use the more direct freeway but I fell victim to Perth's errant traffic and street signage.I was greeted most warmly by Peter and his wife Srey and we immediately began to relieve the car of its unreasonable burden. As Peter is by profession an aircraft engineer-he soon fixed my loose bike brake cable and so removed one excuse for avoiding exercise.

So ended the great Nullarbor trek-some 5000 kilometres in eleven days.