Hi, everyone!
On my days off work this week, I went hiking at Lesmurdie Falls and went snorkeling at Mettam’s Pool.
Lesmurdie Falls
I found out about Lesmurdie Falls by looking up “attractions” on GoogleMaps. I made a list of a number of places that were nearby and accessible by bus. Sure enough, Lesmurdie was one of them!
Lesmurdie Falls was perhaps my favorite hiking spot since arriving in Perth. I certainly have a soft spot for waterfalls – I’m sure that may have had something to do with it. I find them very meditative.
Kory joined me for the hike. He is not much of a hiker, but he seemed to enjoy himself. Along the way, we saw a kangaroo crossing sign, which I’d not seen before, and we even had a little rodent run in front of us on the trail. It ran by so quickly that it was a blur, but a few moments later we saw another small creature that I’m pretty sure was the same. A bandicoot! Did anyone ever play Crash Bandicoot?
The bandicoot didn’t seem phased by us at all. I snapped a few pictures and videos, and cursed myself for not bringing my nice camera along for the hike. Still, the bandicoot was foraging for food, and got quite close to us. It was so cute!
We continued on the trail and made it to the falls. There are a number of trails to go on at Lesmurdie National Park. I want to return there at some point to hike for a bit longer. For this one, we did the Head of the Falls and down to the Foot of the Falls. Kory thought he saw a snake, and later we saw a skink from a distance. Some of the trails freak me out because they’re so narrow and “bush”-y. I just know one of these days I’m going to run into a snake!
Similarly to Kalamunda National Park, you can see the city of Perth from a distance which was pretty cool.
I loved the views and the terrain of Lesmurdie and will definitely be returning at some point!
Mettam’s Pool
The following day, it was finally warm enough for me to go snorkeling… or so I thought.
Kory, James, and I drove to Mettam’s Pool and set up our beach towels in the shade. The water looked beautiful and I was so excited to finally be snorkeling! We made it there around 10am.
After applying their sunscreen, Kory and James started eating slices of watermelon… and SKINKS started mobbing us. It definitely gave me a scare, because skinks look like a mix between a snake and a lizard. There were five of them at one point, surrounding us. James started feeding them watermelon, and one of them even crawled up his leg. And up his shorts!!! They didn’t harm him, though.
I was eager to get my snorkeling in, so once my sunscreen set in, I stepped into the ocean. It didn’t feel that cold, but not as warm as I would have preferred. I decided to submerge my body in the water before I could doubt myself. The water instantly chilled me. When I go snorkeling in water that is too cold for my body, my breathing gets very rapid and almost panicked. I was able to get control of it after a number of breaths.
But… to my great displeasure, the water was super murky and I couldn’t see much of anything! I saw a cute little fish, but there was no clarity at all. Sediments of sand really clouded my vision. I do NOT like to snorkel in murky water – especially in the ocean. I know shark attacks are “rare,” but I want to at least be able to see what’s coming at me.
There was another snorkeler at Mettam’s Pool. I commented that it was murky and she said it gets clearer the further out you go. I asked if she’d join me, because generally, I like to have a snorkeling buddy, but she said she had to head back to go to work. Lol @ snorkeling before you start your work day – I love that! I tried to venture a little further on my own, but the murkiness just really bothered me and my body was starting to feel cold. I headed back to the sand to warm up and I’m glad I did because my body wouldn’t stop shaking for probably fifteen minutes. If it isn’t warm enough outside for the sun to bake the water droplets off my skin, I will shiver and shake for a LONG time.
So, while Mettam’s Pool was beautiful… I will have to wait a while longer to go snorkeling. I think next time, I’ll go earlier in the day as well. The earlier you go, the clearer the water typically is. But boy, do I hate waking up early haha. Soon enough! The temperature has still been pretty consistently in the 60s and low 70s… which is great for everyday weather, just not for snorkeling. But before I know it, it’s going to be getting HOT!
Reflections
I am still liking Perth a lot. It’s so lovely to walk to work every day along the Swan River and look for dolphins along the way. I can’t believe people live here and get to see kangaroos, dolphins, kookaburras, etc. all the time. For me, this is a holiday, but for others… these animals are sort of like squirrels and deer to them haha.
I’ve been playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild in my downtime which is AMAZING. Kory bought a Switch and his friend let us borrow Zelda. I’ve been wanting to play forever, and it has not disappointed!
I also recently learned some news that was mildly devastating. Remember when I mentioned my Work and Holiday Visa can only be granted to people 30 and under? I had thought there was no age limit on a second and third year visa, but I was wrong. You have to be 30 or under for both the second and third year visas! I had wanted to do my 88 days of regional work so that I could perhaps come back to Australia for another year down the road. Alas, I’ll be turning 31 next month and don’t have the regional work under my belt…
Instead, I ended up applying for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa. That is 30 and under as well, but since I’m 30 right now, I was able to apply. I’m not sure if I’m going to end up going to New Zealand or not, but I want to have the option and I have a year from now to enter New Zealand before the visa activates. Even if I’m 31, the visa is already granted. We’ll see what happens! The visa was only $20 USD, so I figured why not? Keep my options open, before they all start closing as I turn 31 haha.
I also wanted to share that I have been coined a nickname out here by my Australian friends… They call me “Chicago,” which I love. Embodying my city, baby! Gotta represent.
Another thing I’ve noticed recently is… uniforms! When walking past schools, I often see kids wearing uniforms. Upon talking with Kory about it, I learned that students in both public and private schools are required to wear uniforms. I relate it to my high school experience and think… wow, was I lucky to wear whatever the hell I wanted. Neon green bell bottoms, 6-inch Marilyn Manson platform boots, rainbow hair. Haha.
Magpie swooping season is almost upon us. I had shared in my first post a picture of a magpie. During certain times of the year, they swoop at people and actually peck at them relentlessly. It hurts, from what I hear! Kory was telling me that the postman’s little scooter-cart thing has a ceiling on it to protect them from the swooping magpies hahaha. The magpies will follow you, too!
Some Australian phrases below…
Softies = soft drinks/soda
Schoolies/leavers = a celebration for students near the end of their school year
Singlet = undershirt
Jumper = sweater/cardigan
Art of the Week
It was Kory’s birthday recently, so I drew him the drawing below. I’m digging the geometric shapes! I hope you like them, too.
That’s all for now! Sending you all my love. I’m not sure I’ll be going on too many adventures next week, because I am working a lot… but we’ll see! I am going on a road trip with my friend Jason from November 4th through 7th, so if I don’t do anything before then, I’ll definitely be sharing that with you all!
P.S. Sorry for the crappy quality images this week. I have to email them from my phone to my email, and if I try to send bulk images at once, I generally have to do lower quality. I’ll do multiple batches at a higher quality next time.