January 27th, A Tour with Steven...

Getting close to Kangaroos in Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park

Tom and Steven looking on

We woke up the day after Australia Day with the kids inflicted by a minor gastro bug. By the afternoon they were feeling better and we were off on a special tour with Steven, a close friend of the Tippings, that possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of Western Australia.

Our first stop was Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park (a cemetery) where the kids were able to walk right up to wild kangaroos and almost touch them. It was very exciting! They like to munch on the flowers people leave for their loved ones - we saw a fair amount of fake flowers...
Steve then took us up north a bit to the end of the Freeway to see the incredible amount of development that is taking place in Perth right now. They have a shortage of teachers right now - no problems getting a job here. Some of the spouses of the other exchange teachers that we have met got jobs right on the spot with only a phone interview!
We had fantastic Vietnamese food at a restaurant in Northbridge, Perth's eclectic cultural and entertainment hub.

A mob of Kangaroos

Northbridge - Cultural Hub

We ended the evening enjoying a glass of delicious Rose wine Charles Melton Winery from the Barossa Valley - Yum! Thank you, Steven, for a lovely afternoon and evening. We are looking forward to the next tour!