TRAVELABROOD

ROTTNEST ISLAND WESTERN AUSTRALIA We have frequented Rottnest (Rotto) for the 20 odd years we have lived in Perth. Just 20km from Fremantle (30 mins by boat), it is a must for a day trip, long weekend or extended break. As Willem de Vlamingh wrote in his journal when he landed on the Island in 1696: "I had great pleasure in admiring this island, which is very attractive, and where it seems to me that nature has denied nothing to make it pleasurable beyond all islands I have ever seen, being very well provided for man's well-being, with timber, stone, and lime for building him houses, only lacking ploughmen to fill these fine plains. There is plentiful salt, and the coast is full of fish. Birds make themselves heard with pleasant song in these scented groves. So I believe that of the many people who seek to make themselves happy, there are many who would scorn the fortunes of our country for the choice of this one here, which would seem a paradise on earth"...

PORONGRUP RANGE WESTERN AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2017 It's been cold and wet in Perth, year 12 final exams are looming for our eldest, so we decided to make a tree change for a long weekend and visit the Porongrups. Located 360km southeast of Perth, 40km from Albany and 15kms from Mount Barker, the trip from Perth took us approximately five hours down the Albany Highway (with a couple of stops along the way). We booked an AirBNB - Woodlands Retreat - for the weekend. It was everything we could have asked for; a cosy two bedroom with ensuites, laundry, kitchen, fireplace, and a fabulous spa room with glorious views of the huge granite formations which make up the Porongrup Range. An entirely unique property. The Porongrup Range was formed with Gondwana and is recognised in the National Heritage List. Giant karri trees and open jarrah forests cloak the granite mountain range, which houses a magnitude of fauna and flora. Taking advantage of the breakthrough fine we...