Heading to Margaret River

We packed up from the Duke Inn and set off for Margaret River - a long drive of about 4 hours made worse by the GPS sending us into a new development where the old road had closed. In the end we resorted to going to a Mc Cafe for a tea/coffee and asking a construction crew for instructions, and after a while got back on track. You know when you are on track when the GPS lady says "Continue straight ahead for 102km"
We were upgraded from a room to a unit with a lounge. Not many places open for dinner on a Monday Night but we found a good Italian place. Woolworths supermarket is in the next block so we could stock up on breakfast items.

But Wait There's more!

Well this is a bucket List item, so the BLOG is bound to be long!

We had to go up  much higher than usual to get the currents but soon we were on our way with rich agricultural land below us. The basket rotates continuously and slowly so I very quickly lost my bearings. Everyone was talking and pointing and snapping photos as the landscape changed below us.

Later on we all seemed to settle down, and we glided with great serenity over the green wheat fields and pasture and the lime/yellow canola fields, some native scrub and farm buildings. We all became still and quiet as we floated through the silvery sky.

Dawn on horizon.

Our truly capable aeronaut Donna Tasker. She works in Myanmar as a balloon operator during the hot season in Perth when it is not favourable for ballooning.

Then came the urgency of finding a landing spot. As soon as we started to descend we went off course and soon Donna had to settle for a track near a farm shed. She used the vents to allow the balloon to descend.

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I was extremely worried as I took this next shot that I was going to drop my camera over the edge! See the black cords - they are the only safety equipment on board! When we landed we braced our bottoms against the divider in the basket and held onto these cords. But Donna was so precise that the scuff mark on the ground when we landed was only about a foot long.

"Around the world in 11 days!" The news over here was filled with the achievment of a Russian Balloon adventurer. He left from the same airfield as I did - Northam - and passed over it on his return but was unable to make a safe landing here - of course his balloon was much bigger than ours. It had a capsule of Helium surrounding the hot air part which was necessary to help with navigating.

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After we had our champagne breakfast we drove to the hangar to see the small yellow capsule which he had lived in. The silver balloon had been cut up for souvenirs. His son - who spoke for him on TV - came to speak to Donna and Leon. The dehydration and severe cold had taken a toll on his Dad and he was recuperating slowly.

Duncan's view

What an untimely month away in hospital battling the poisons of Cholangitis - interrupting my story of the Hot air balloon ride!

Starting to inflate

Duncan decided that he did not need to join me on the flight, but he was lucky enough to be able to join Leon on the pursuit vehicle. To start with the balloon was filled with cold air and then they turned the burners on and the balloon started to right itself. We all climbed on board - I was starting to worry that the truck was going to lift as well.

This was the greatest feeling when we hovered just a few feet off the ground!

And then we gradually moved with the air currents over the airport and away into the country. We had to go higher than usual which meant we were up in the air for about an hour and a half rather than the usual 45mins! Donna didn't want to land on any crops but we just could not manoeuvre to a landing place so she had to put it down on a track - very high precision.

After landing on the track, Donna turned the burners on just enough to let the balloon be positioned on the trailer. I think Duncan was supposed to be helping now - but he was under such strict instructions to take the photos I think he took the correct option!

With the vents now open the balloon started to deflate and we all rallied around to help pack it up and head on back to Northam with Up Up and Away and 99 Red Balloons playing loudly on the stereo.

Up Up and away

I was not at all worried about the balloon ride, but very anxious that our alarms wouldn't work and we would miss the flight. However given that the Duke is a very old hotel the snoring of the man in the next room, the dogs, the trains and assorted roosters kept me awake until just before the five o'clock alarm.

It was still very dark when we arrived at Northam Airfield, but the hangar cat made us very welcome. The weather was so calm that we were able to leave from the airport rather than having to drive to a launch site.

As dawn started to break we had our safety briefings and had to help to get the balloon inflated with cold air and then the burners were turned on and the balloon started to be upright. Duncan took photos of this so they will be in the next BLOG We had a strict order to board according to weight. For some reason I was last.

By now the balloon was levitating just off the ground. It was just like a miracle! Then our pilot Donna turned the burners on and we rose straight up. It was so calm we just hung in the sky without moving. Thrilling!

Duncan down by the pursuit vehicle

All the little planes lined up at Northam Airfield.

Looking away to the horizon

You've got to take a selfie!

WOW!

The landscape below.

Mindarie again

After visiting the Mint we headed home along the coastal route and stopped at the Mindarie Marina for a cider, chips and chorizo and a bit of a joke session. Back home for a delicious roast dinner followed by soft chewy Japanese chocolate.

Still no sunset!

Todd shows us some of his nuggets  and his small pinpointer and large metal detectors.

We can highly recommend the accommodation here. Because of the curved building many of the units have been specially made as in our curved toilet!

And very comfortable sleeping quarters!

With beautiful views to the North....

and the West

I wondered if it was the fact that Todd was so recently back from Malaysia that we had spicy noodles for breakfast with our eggs - but later found our hotel in Perth offered the same.

Farewell pose.

Then we set off to the Mindarie Rental company to collect our little car  - A Hyundai I20. We set our GPS and headed off to Northam. Aussies change  their speed zones as often as they change their Prime Minister and the GPS rings a bell every time the zone changes or you are over the speed limit (often)

The Rental Car. Barkers Hill Pie shop had a vast ride of motorcyclists having their lunch so we had soup and toast at the bar next door.

It was plane sailing until we got to Northam, but we soon found our rather oldfashioned hotel, and familiarsed ourselves with the route to the airfield. Northam is basically closed for Sunday.We had dinner at the hotel which allows me to study the local Northam-ites. Young ones a bit bogan, older ones quite old fashioned.

Mint condition

Since the weather is a bit dodgy we decide to visit The Mint. Todd is a keen prospector and is always keen to see what other nuggets have been found. On our way driving into Perth there is a break in the clouds and we see the huge silver balloon of the Russian who is very close to circumnavigation of the world - leaving from Northam where we are headed tomorrow. 

Depiction outside the mint of lucky prospectors

Apparently some of the prospectors used to ride into the desert with there tools and their tent strapped on!!

I looked at some of the jewellry but it was extremely expensive. Then we watch a short video, and find our weight in gold: This is Duncan's.

These are the medals minted here for the Olympic games in 2000. I minted a medal for myself in a stamping machine.

Pouring the gold

Finally we saw a demonstation of taking the gold which they had melted down in a crucible and then poured into a mould to form a gold ingot with 4 different charactistic markings on it.

Plunging the ingot in liquid to cool it

And Voila! a gold bar (which they will melt again tomorrow)

Mindarie

Todd and Andrea's house is beautiful - even if it is still in the renovation stage

Andrea opens the door

Mindarie is up the coast from Perth - and yes this is the Indian Ocean!

This is the start of the Mindarie Marina. We see people fishing at the end of it often. And apparently there are a lot of dolphins - but we didn't see any.

This coast is known as the Sunset Coast, but sadly it clouds over too much for a good sunset.

Andrea has a great Clarice Cliff dinner set. What about those pink salad servers, Jackie??

Todd has flown in from KL Malaysia overnight where he manages drilling on oil/gas rigs. After a hearty breakfast  we take the dogs for a walk past the marina and then round onto the beach walkway. Fortunately it is not the season for snakes! It is spitting slightly and looks quite overcast.

There are osprey on the coast and they have built structures for them to nest in - but they prefer to nest on decorative features down by the Marina.

Henri is in the blue, Daisy is in the fluoro yellow. They are Papillion.