Hi Ffion
Happy Christmas ad I'm delighted to hear you got so many prezzies (and all that luvveryly loot.)
Yes, the wildlife in WA is really amazing and the sea - being the Indian Ocean - is like a warm bath all year round. The water in swimming pools and the freshwater lakes all around Perth is actually cooler and more refreshing than the sea, I've always found.
There are lots of lakes actually in Perth where you could learn to water-ski (if you haven't already.) Once you've learnt the basics, the next step is to pester Mike till he buys a ski-boat. They can be used on Waroona Dam for definite because I've skied there. You load up the car with eskies etc (insulated picnic boxes though Aussie Eskies are huge compared to the ones you can get here) and tow the boat behind.
Be careful of the beaches when it is really seriously hot, because the sand can and will burn the soles of your feet unless you are careful and that hurts. If you are fair-skinned, you might need to get Sharon to buy you some rashies. There are like tee-shirts, long or short sleeved, but they prevent UV rays from reaching and burning your skin. You can get them in surf shops, which is where you can also get the water-resistant, very high-factor sunblock lotion which is also needed in WA.
Mata rays are incredible. The glide along just barely rippling hte tips of their wings. Some of them are pretty tame and will play with you. If you just keep fairly still the rays will sometimes come and nuzzle around you for a look-see. They are as curious about you as you are about them.
I haven't swum with whale sharks though I would love to. Technically theyare fish because they lay eggs. However they are completely harmless and have the same temperament as dolphins.
Outside of the Reef at Ningaloo, the really mental can organise diving trips to go and see Great White Sharks (Jaws) close up at certain times of the year. The divers are sheltered in very, very strong cages suspended under water, then the boat crew overhead chuck huge lumps of meat, dripping with blood, into the water to attract the Great Whites. You have to have a proper PADI scuba-diving licence in order to do this, though. I get enough of a thrill watching somebody else doing it on the telly to be honest!
To swim with the rays, the whale sharks or on the coral, however, all you need is a snorkel. The coral is beautiful. Fantastic plants and millions of tiny, brightly-coloured tropical fish which look like jewels flitting around with the sun making them sparkle because the coral is only a couple of feet below the surface in places.
If you'd like to go sailing (ie with sails) that is very easily arranged too and is rear-round in WA. Ditto windsurfing (a great way to tan both sides at the sametime and you fall in often enough to stay cool!)
Plus, if you get Sharon & Mike to help to talk to the Parents of your best friends, it might well be possible to arrange for one of your friends to visit you in WA at Christmas one year, when you will be on your long summer holiday. We lived in Malysia when I was a child. My sister and I were at boarding school ithe UK She & I used to fly back & forth to Malaysia on our own 3 times a year, travelling as Unaccompanied Minors. There is no sweat to it at all. (Airlines spoil UMs - they bring titbits from First Class for you etc.)
Any friend who goes to visit you in WA will turn GREEN with envy, however, which won't be a pretty sight......
Don't listen to any nonsense about bugs in the loos. It is all complete nonsense. There are some big spiders in WA (Huntsman spiders) but they are ompletely harmless and they eat flies, which are far more of a pain than the spiders which just mind their own business in between eating flies. What self-respecting spider would live in a loo when it can live in a peaceful and private cobweb instead?
I've been camping in WA right up from Perth to the far North of WA and back, sleeping on lilos on the ground in horrid, tiny little tents that you have to crawl in an out of. I've never seen a single creepy-crawly to worry about and camping under the stars with just a fire going nearby all night is where you will find the snakes etc if you are stupid enough to go looking for them. However, if you leave the wildlife alone, it will leave you alone too so just don't worry about it.
If you can get Mike to take you trekking & camping in WA, you can take the dogs with you, by the way and they'll love it. All those new sights, sounds and smells make it Dog Paradise and I'm not kidding!
Hang on to your new boots, by the way. One day you might go snow-skiing in the Snowy Mountains in NSW. If so, you'll need the boots for the Apres-ski in the resort.
Cheers
Gill :)
12yr olds need help <3 ?
