Everyone should stroll down Avenue Q at least once!

If you're in Perth at the moment don't miss the hilarious musical Avenue Q! Check out my interview with star of the show Michala Banas at www.sunsetmag.com.au

Off to see Jersey Boys

If you are in Melbourne make sure you go and see Jersey Boys!! A fabulous show and a truly fantastic night out.

JERSEY BOYS, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 2006 that takes you up the charts, and across the country.

JERSEY BOYS is the story of how four boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi – THE FOUR SEASONS – wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide – all before they were thirty.JERSEY BOYS features their hit songs “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Rag Doll”, “Oh What a Night” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, among others.

Check out www.jerseyboysaustralia.com.au for more info

No gold-digging for me; I take diamonds! We may be off the gold standard someday. ~Mae West

Not if Kalgoorlie has anything to do with it!

I loved Kalgoorlie.... the super pit was CRAZY - it is just so big. Poor landscape, flora and fauna.... that said - I'm wearing gold earrings as I type this. The town is so cute though. Beautiful old heritage buildings and lots of cafes and restaurants. Its only 3 hours from Perth as well! Lots of money to be made there for those willing to venture west. The only disappointing part was the infamous brothel. There were cardboard cutouts in the windows where the girls were supposed to be!!

Lots of big things

Australia has become known for its love of big things and the drive to WA didn't disappoint!!

From Ceduna we headed off for another very loooong day of driving.
We stopped the night this time at a town called Norseman. According to www.totaltravel.com.au - Norseman was discovered in 1894 by Laurie Sinclair. Sinclair named the site after his horse, Norseman, who pawed the ground uncovering a gold nugget. This led to the discovery of one of the richest quartz reefs ever mined in Australia. Situated at the junction of Highway 1 and Highway 94, Norseman has the Nullarbor and Adelaide to the east, Perth to the West, Kalgoorlie Boulder to the north and Esperance to the south.The town is surrounded by beautiful, dense eucalypt bushland, with ancient rock outcrops and large salt lakes nearby. Enjoy the breathtaking views from Beacon Hill, feast on a barbeque at Dundas Rocks, or view the historical collection.The salt lakes are presently completely dry!! We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw them. I think the town has suffered greatly from drought.... its beautifully designed and has the potential to be lovely, but many houses stand empty which is such a shame!

Driving driving driving

We met lots of lovely and interesting characters on our way across the Nullabor. I thought it would be just that - a big bore - but it was anything but!!! We saw the emus, kangaroos and wombats (ok some were dead but we still saw them!) and whales! I didnt know that you can see the ocean from the Nullabor?? And its the most beautiful turquoise water that melts into a deeper blue.

The Nullarbor Plain is the stretch of land between Norseman in Western Australia and Ceduna in South Australia. The Highway which travels over this land is called the Eyre Highway,named after John Eyre who was the first European to make the east-west crossing. The journey took 5 months and took the life of his partner John Baxter.

The total distance by road betweeen Perth and Adelaide is 2700 km and The Nullarbor crossing part of the trip is almost half the total distance. The longest distance between fuel stops is 200km.

The road was fully sealed in 1976 and is a relatively easy but veryyyyy long drive. Lots to see on the way though!

Between Border Village and Nullarbor Roadhouse you can take advantage of 6 or more lookouts along the way to view the famous Bunda Cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain. Southern Right Whales can be seen here in their winter nursery grounds - between May and October. Nullarbor Roadhouse has fuel, food, accomodation and souvenirs and is an acces point to view the Southern Right Whales. I also bought a great book here that was written by one of the original owners of the roadhouse. It's a great read and written as she must have spoken in that real ol' Aussie twang.

We stopped the night at Ceduna - a potentially pretty town. The Aboriginal word "Chedoona" means to a place to 'sit down and rest' I'm told and for the traveler crossing the Nullarbor, Ceduna is a welcome overnight rest stop. It has a great new pub on the water in the main strip and a beautiful jetty in which to watch the sunset. It can be dangerous though- I suspect the locals have too much time and booze on their hands.