Seeing out 2008...

Last minute plans took us camping down south to Hamelin Bay, about 40 km's south of Margaret River. We have absolutely no camping gear whatsoever, but the friends we were meeting had a spare tent, so we thought 'why not?' We found out Monday night, so just threw stuff in the car on Tuesday morning and started the three and a half hour journey. On arrival, we put up our tent and headed into Augusta to the local tavern. The gardens were on slopes, so George and Tilly had great fun rolling down them and we over looked the river. The setting was beautiful. We headed back to camp with fish and chips, then decided to go for a early evening swim keeping a careful eye out for sharks, as dusk is prime time shark bait!

George was up early on New Year's Eve and on the beach by 7am! It was a bit chilly but soon heated up. Dave and Tilly met us on the beach for a morning stroll, then headed back to camp for a cooked breakfast. We decided to head to Cape Leeuwin lighthouse, this is the point at which the Southern and Indian Ocean meet. Wes and Dave climbed to the top, whilst the rest of us had coffee and scones. We made a move back to the tavern and then back to camp, down the beach for a wander. We were paddling in the water with sting rays, it was so surreal. Clare cooked a curry for dinner and it was off to the beach again to watch the sun set on 2008. We bought our chairs, camp light, music, esky full of beer and bubbly, then us girls went for a dip, remembering to bring the bubbly in with us. There were some very drunken antics as the sun set on the year. The kids were shattered so we took them back to the tents, George slept very well considering it was his first time camping. The rest of us saw the New Year in and made it to bed about 3am. As we only had the pitch til New Year's Day, we had to pack up camp, take down tents in the roasting hot sun with hangovers...but it was worth it! We started the drive back home, stopping to see Bunker Bay, a gorgeous beach. It was a long drive home, but we were so pleased we went. Many of you are aware of the tough start we have had to our new life in Oz and can only hope 2009 brings us many more nights like New Year's Eve.