On the 26th of January, 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet landed at Camp Cove, Port Jackson. "Rightio lads," Phillip said, "this looks much better than Botany Bay. Let's set up camp!"
And so Australia was colonised.
Each year on January the 26th, Aussies come together to celebrate the founding of our nation and the fact that we get a day off work to sit around the barbie, drinking and playing back yard cricket.
Perth holds the biggest Australia Day celebrations in the nation. People gather in the tens of thousands on the banks of the Swan for a day long festivity including concerts, air shows, entertainers and drinking, accumulating in a huge fireworks display.
This is to be avoided at all costs.
I gathered with my family on the shore of Lake Leschenaultia in Chidlow for a picnic lunch, as far away as humanly possibe from the fiasco in the city. We had a great time, the kids went swimming, Mum and I walked around the lake and I took a few pics that I'm going to attempt to share with you.
This is my two neices playing in the lake
This is the view of the lake from our picnic area
I took Darcie and Chiara (my neices) for a walk and we came across the bobtail sunning himself on the path. The girls were very excited to have met him!
This is a pic I took from the other side of the lake
This is what the bushland around where I live looks like. Pretty huh?
This is an absolutely awful photo of me but since I haven't posted one yet, I thought I should
Anyway, so there you have it. I had a great time, fun was had by all and we avoided the havoc of a big public celebration.
2 comments:
It sounds like you all had a good time there! It certainly looks like a pretty area. All you need are a few crocodiles in the lake to add "local colour".
It looks a lot like the sort of trees and grass we get on the barrier islands here (although we don't get cute lizards like that; the closest I've seen to those in the US are gila monsters in the Southwest). We also don't get many good-lookin' women like the one in that last photo! Aussie girls do seem to have a certain something about them. Maybe it's time I left Maryland. . .
You know you'd always be welcome, Acci! :)
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