Margaret River, South Western Australia

Ok. I know. It's been a while. But it's also been a while since I've moved around, and typically I've been telling you about things after I've done them. I arrived in Margaret River on January 4th, and I am still here. It'll be 2 1/2 months total when I leave. After arriving in town, I set about finding myself a place to live and a job. What I found was a nice 3-bedroom house to share with 2 guys (Michael -a local & Raphael -from France), and a job picking grapes in some of the many vineyards surrounding town.

All in all it has been a good time here in 'Margs.' I've made some friends, and it has certainly been nice to stick around in one place for a while and have my own room and get to know an area well. I needed a break from packing my bags and moving every 3 days after doing just that for just over 4 months. I had a few things I wanted to see and do here in South-Western Australia, and have just about checked them all off my list. I've been wine tasting, I've visited some of the caves in the area, I spent a few days in Perth, I completed my Advanced Scuba Diver course, I walked in the Valley of the Giants (giant tingle trees), and yes; I tried surfing last weekend - I failed miserably, but I tried. Sorry - no pictures..... This weekend I am heading to Denmark to go horseriding with my friends who live there.

Picking Grapes isn't bad. It's not all that lucrative, but it's been outdoors and the days start early so you still have time to see and do things when you finish work. I've also been working in the office of the agency who hired me part-time. That's made the hours a little better, and I've been working close to full weeks. I certainly haven't decided to leave my 'old' life in Canada to pick grapes forever. Ha.

Thanks to all of you for your letters and e-mails.

Cheers,

Sarah.