Albany and… Melbourne?!

We left Esperance headed towards Albany, and discovered that Louise (Duncan’s sister) was having a big birthday party for her 50^th afterall. When we first planned this trip, we discussed budgeting enough money for a disaster (ooh… like a new engine?!) and the fact that if we needed to fly home for any reason at any time, we could. Lexie has always said she wants to fly back sometime around her birthday. Angus doesn’t seem too keen to leave Bertha, but this was the PERFECT time for Dunc to fly back. So while Duncan drove the bus, I “drove” the iPhone, looking into flights and accommodation for the rest of us. By the time we got to our free camp at Fitzgerald, we were all sorted! 

I booked Bertha into a Big 4 that is not really big rig friendly, but is by far the best spot for a stranded family to stay! We have the beach, a pool, a spa and fantastic games rooms so the children have been entertaining themselves without the need to go anywhere else. Which is just as well, as Dunc took the car to Perth for his flight!

So the children and I have had a lovely and restful few days in Albany. The Big 4 we are at is in Middleton Beach, which is 3.5km from the town centre of Albany. According to Google, that’s a 50minute walk. According to my children, it’s a 1.5 hour whinge. The prospect of a taxi ride home helped. We walked in on Saturday to the Vancouver Arts Centre street market where we were promised penny-farthing bicycles and delicious food. They were not wrong! We had a wonderful time wandering around town, and finished our visit at the supermarket where we had to stock up on butter and sugar.

Dunc had a ball, catching up with both family and friends. He got to: stay with his mummy and spend some quality time with her, surprise all THREE of his siblings at the party, pop in to surprise a couple of other friends, cuddle new baby Hamish, do a bit of vital shopping in familiar stores, help out with the Puffing Billy “Great Train Race” like he has every previous year, and go out for a wonderful family dinner as one last quiet celebration of Lou’s birthday. Though knowing his family, it very probably was not quiet!

While Dunc was busy in Melbourne, Lexie spent TWO whole days baking a cake. Not just any cake. She baked the best rainbow cake ever! There was lots of mathematics involved - two recipes, divided into 6 bowls, by weight, minus the weight of the mixing bowl, don’t forget the weight of the little bowl has to be removed. There was lots of ingredients used, lots of washing up on my part, lots of nibbling of offcuts on all of our parts and one masterpiece produced.

We’ve been feeding the neighbours ever since!