Dumb Animals & Lame Landscapes

I’m only kidding. Western Australian landscapes are spectacular, so are the wacky animals that are abundant in the bush. 

Traveling around the Ningaloo area requires a lot of driving, on two lane roads through the bush. 

The first animals we saw were a pair of Emus. They are like ostriches, except smaller and still just as funny looking. Poor giant birds, they just can’t get their ugly butts airborne.

The Emu on the right became upset and squawked at our vehicle. 

Kangaroos are everywhere! On an hour-long drive to our hotel, we saw 123 kangaroos (seriously!). We almost hit roughly ten. One lucky driver ahead of us bagged himself a “roo”; we only saw the bloody aftermath smeared across the pavement. 

We found a content kangaroo staring at us and munching on grass. It hopped away soon after. I like to imagine they make a sound when they bounce, like “BOING, BOING.” 

No joke, but I saw two large kangaroos in a clearing; they were on their hind legs, violently boxing each other. I bet they were fighting over lucrative grazing rights of the bush. 

We also spotted a suicidal echidna (spiky ball) standing in the middle of the road. They are very rare to see in the wild. They are one of the few mammals that lay eggs.

See this average shot of where a creek meets the ocean at sunset. 

Also, brilliant rock colorations that meet the wide creek. 

iPhone Games

I downloaded Flight Control on my dad’s iPhone to practice my plane landing skills. My top score so far is 213.

I've been playing so much I see planes crashing when I close my eyes.

I also got a free game called UnblockMe. Nathan and Dad are in competition for top scores on how quickly they can release the red block. At the moment, the protégé (Nathan) is in the lead.

Ningaloo

We woke up just above the crack of dawn to catch a 7:40am flight to Exmouth. It’s an hours flight North of Perth. The town has a military communication base, but the Ningaloo area is known for spectacular reefs and fishing. The red dot is were the resort is.

Don’t forget, it’s winter down under. So it’s a tropical winter in Ningaloo. The weather is unpredictable. It was sunny when we arrived, but there was a fierce storm the next day. Overcast days are gorgeous at the beach.


We are staying in a beautiful resort with a lily pond and sweet tasting swimming pool. I accidentally tasted the pool water, it tasted like a sugar ocean instead of chlorine. Odd.

There was also a massive spider near the pool. We fed it a moth, an ant with wings and a beetle. The spider was quick to bite and stun the bugs and then wrap it up for a future snack. It’s been confirmed ...I do not have arachnophobia.

I’m so impressed with how my little camera keep getting brilliant close up shots. Thanks lily flower, for being such a patient subject.

While Nathan and my dad went out on a tour to swim with whale sharks (more about this epic barfing event later), my mom & I went on an adventure.

We saw the beach where the turtles come to lay their eggs, and when hatched the baby turtles (cute attack!) scuttle for their lives back to the ocean. According to this sign, the temperature of the sand determines the sex of the turtle. Girl turtles are hot!

The tropical bush landscape is littered by giant mounds, I can only assume were created by ants or termites. The mounds were about 10 ft tall and must’ve taken the little bugs years to create. The shape is similar to Dr. Suess’ characters, the creatures with the stars on their bellies.

Food products

Hungry for Salt & Vinegar chips? How about a Lift?

There are a few Australian foods that I never see in the U.S. I don’t particularly like to eat these products, but am fascinated when I see them on the shelf.


Lift is a strong lemon & lime soda. It’s ok, but it burns the throat as it goes down. Fanta is great because of the catchy commercial jingle. ìFanta, fanta, wanta fanta!î Nathan said he went to a Fanta party and the only mixer was the orange soda. They made drinks with Fanta and gin, vodka, you name it. Nathan woke up with a hangover and a rash from yellow or red dye.

My main deterrent for living in Australia is the cheese selection. There must be more than Tasty and Colby cheese. I’ve never found a good cheddar or pepper jack.

Ever tried salt & vinegar chips? Gross!

I’ve never been curious enough to try burger rings. I don’t even know what their made of.

Ah, Lamingtons! These are a yummy treat. I like them when they are bite size cakes. A little sprinkle of coconut will make anything delicious.

Smartites in Australia are a shell covered chocolate candy. Once, I was offered a smartie thinking it was the U.S. kind,.. and was disappointed.

Vegemite and Nutella, Aussie pantry staples! Toast up some white bread and start spreading.

Steak & [insert flavor] pies are a typical lunch or snack. I see people take a sauce (ketchup) bottle and squirt it inside the pie. It’s quite an attractive package, having a meal in self-contained pie form. I prefer quiches.

I lived on Iced Coffee in High School. You can’t screw up milk, sugar & caffeine. Local bakeries and delis dedicate an entire refrigerator to their coffee flavored milk.

I’ve made myself hungry-—I'm off to breakfast.