Originally Posted by NickyC

From memory, Teza lives in Australind (or nearby).

Originally Posted by Dmorgan07

Glad to hear your mum is doing ok. How is your son?
Ive had my first experiences of public healthcare (and I thought it was ok actually) these last few weeks as I've got kidney stones. Managed to pass a few myself but I've got to have an op to remove a big one.
I've been hardly working because my hours have been cut so it's all worked out in the end. Although I'm really in the mindset of save your sick days for when you are well if you know what I mean 😂

Originally Posted by spouse of scouse

Thanks My son's doing pretty well, he's regained nearly all leg/foot function and is at about 80% with his hand. We have everything crossed that he doesn't have any more flares for a long time.

Ouch, kidney stones are excruciating, you poor thing. I think our public health system is superb for immediately necessary care, both Mum and my son used the public health system and their treatment was outstanding. Very best of luck with your surgery, you won't know yourself when you're pain free again

Originally Posted by Beoz

I wouldn't have thought isolation of little ones would be a problem had I not seen the issues myself. Oddly he didn't lose a thing in the first term, 5 weeks out of school, 3 days back and he's lost 2 hats, a jumper, lunchbox, and headphones. They are just the visible effects.

Originally Posted by Pollyana

Back to normal then
I remember my sister spending time after each school day checking the jumpers of other children walking past to try and track down the ones her kids should have, and return the offending ones!

Originally Posted by spouse of scouse

Thanks for those very welcome suggestions carcajou. We visit Albany quite often as we have a friend who lives there, he has a waterfront house in Bayonet Head with a big deck out the front, you can see Emu Point from there. We've spent many happy nights on that deck, drinking local wine and arguing about politics

But even though we go often the only things I've seen/experienced on your list is Little Beach (one of the best beaches ever!), Bannister roadhouse and a pie in Mt Barker (yum!). So we'll definitely be visiting some of the places you've mentioned

Originally Posted by carcajou

You have written about your visits before, I guess I just assumed you had been around the South Coast.

If you haven't, you probably should head to William Bay National Park, just west of Denmark. Then continue on to the Tree Top Walk and the Giant Tingles at Nornalup (just east of Walpole). The Tree Top Walk is pricey but worth doing once. In Walpole, Walpole-Nornalup National Park has a nice (short) scenic drive by Coalmine Beach that loops and goes along the channel connecting the two inlets. I think the drive is only about 5km. There is another scenic drive behind the town called the Hill Top Scenic Drive which also takes in Circular Pool.

Peaceful Bay (halfway between Denmark and Walpole) is sheltered and dolphins come into the shallows, sometimes close enough to beg the beach fishermen for scraps. The fish and chips shop there is one of the best in the state. The owners have a deep-sea boat and catch everything themselves.

I agree about Little Beach. My top 5 in the state are:

1 - Little Beach
2 - the Greens Pool / Elephant Rocks combo (William Bay NP)
3 - Lucky Bay (Esperance)
4 - Cape Arid (Esperance)
5 - Cable Beach (Broome)

Originally Posted by carcajou

The Bannister Roadhouse (the one with the green verandah), has an on-site bakery and does its own croissants and breads each morning.

If you are going to beaches, for something a bit different, head east of Albany, instead of west towards Denmark. Little Beach, Nanarup, Betty's Beach, Waychinicup Inlet. If you are game, head all the way out to Point Ann at Fitzgerald River NP (the western end of the park) which functions as a whale nursery in winter. Sightings almost guaranteed. If you want to spend the night out that way you can stay at Bremer Bay - not my favourite place but most people swear by it. Half the farmers in the Wheatbelt have weekenders there. The other half have them at Peaceful Bay.

For wineries I think it is better to focus on the Porongurups than Denmark. Denmark is lovely but it seems some of the establishments around Scotsdale Road have been declining in quality in recent years. The Rieslings and Pinot Noirs in the Porongurups are especially good and several of the wineries there do really nice lunches. The pie shop in Mt Barker is one of the best in the state and there is a winery near there that does a very good tawny. Sorry I don't think site rules allow me to name businesses in the open forum.

The restaurant scene in Albany has improved leaps and bounds in recent years.

On the way back to Perth, consider going up Chester Pass Road, and then cutting across on Stirling Ranges Road (unsealed but 2wd), it's about a 40 km drive through the mountains that puts you out near Cranbrook. You can go the 4km from Cranbrook to the Albany Hwy but instead take the Great Southern Highway up to the Dome in Katanning which is in the restored mill building, there is an app where you point your phone anywhere in the building and it shows you what the spot you are pointing the phone at, looked like 100 years ago. Tambellup also has a nice walk along the Gordon River, usually with a lot of black swans in it. Continue up to Dryandra Woodland just past Narrogin and do one or two of the short walks there. You can stay at one of the DPaW cabins at Dryandra that were built by the Lions Club, they are ensuited, and do the DPaW nighttime marsupial tour (sightings virtually guaranteed). Problem is there are no good restaurants or pubs for dinner around there. Anyways from Dryandra it's about 2 hours back to Perth, either continuing up the Great Southern Hwy to the Brookton Hwy and entering Perth through the Perth Hills, or returning to Narrogin, cutting across the 30 km to Williams and back up the Albany Hwy.

If you haven't been to the new lookout platform at The Gap yet it's worth doing.

I don't live on the South Coast, I just know the regions very well.

Still Game, what do you think, what would you add or challenge?

Originally Posted by the troubadour

Being an ex Albanyite,quite long removed, but visit there most years, although a three year absence since last visit, I think you know the region better than me, or at least more up to date. The restaurant scene has changed incredibly over the years. Since the harbourside developments, with the Entertainment Centre, to which I've made special visits just to attend performances, along with the eating establishment on the lovely harbour, (how nice is sitting outside on a barmy evening watching the sunset over Princess Royal Harbour) or outside the old Royal George again with harbour views (as Dylans for breakfast) A big change, believe me, from days past when only the Earl of Spencer offered a degree of decorum and something called atmosphere. (still frequent when there) Any further developments you have sampled in more recent times?

I believe the Premier is being refurbished in York Street after being burnt down. There appears a lot of promise here and will bring badly needed life back to the main drag. It will cater on completion for 600 punters, I believe. With that and the new Hilton Hotel soon to open down on the harbourside things are indeed looking up. Just need a buyer for The Esplanade site at Middleton Beach now. A beautiful beach, with a dreadful loss since the demolition of the former hotel, itself only constructed some fourteen years before its demise.

A great part of the country to be sure.

Originally Posted by Amazulu

Agree with all of those apart from Cable Beach, which I haven't been to - and want to add Madfish Bay which is a few kms east of Greens Pool. Love it. We also really like Kilcarnup beach near Margaret River. It's accessed by a few kms of fairly easy 4wd track and It's mainly used by locals. It can get busy though at times as it's one of the few beaches around there that you can drive on

Originally Posted by spouse of scouse

The people who think international flights should be permanently scrapped might need to come up with an idea to replace the almost 6 billion dollars that international tourists spend in Queensland per year, plus the 200,000 jobs that rely on tourism!

“International visitors spent a record $5.9 billion last year which is great news for Queensland’s tourism industry and more than 200,000 workers who rely on this sector for a living”
Queensland’s tourism market share continues to grow - The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory

Originally Posted by Charismatic

Extrapolating that premise, is tourism going to assume financial responsibility for the subsequent lost economic activity if a tourist carries Coronavirus into Australia? I welcome risk as long as it's fully insured, unfortunately I think you'd struggle to insure that risk.
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Originally Posted by Still Game

We used to live in Bayonet Head, fantastic outlook across the water and the ocean breezes are fabulous.

Also sorry to hear pollyanna also. It's hard when plans change and out of your control. I hope things will 'right' themselves. Great news about your Super. I am totally clueless! Trying to learn more!

Originally Posted by Pollyana