So here we are, stranded in Busselton while a guy in a local garage is tinkering around with our naked lady who stopped functioning for us yesterday. We managed to break down right on the edge of australia, at the end of the road to Cape Naturaliste. I suppose it was a nice spot to spend a couple of hours, but it did mean that once the car had been started by the RAC man from cornwall we had to drive for 30 mins with no lights in the dark countryside, which was quite interesting. We made it back in to the town safe and sound, before being towed to a garage today. Not sure what the outcome is yet. We need to contact the garage in an hour or so to see how long we are going to be off the road. In the meantime we have watched the first session of the cricket in the pub - not looking too great again so far!!

Since our last journal entry we have gradually made our way south as the fires were still raging inland from coral bay. At coral bay we left behind our new friend peter the danish born crocodile dundee, who has been prospecting in the outback for the last 2 years living on a diet of crocodiles and snakes - brilliant!! He had a good collection of gold and precious stones to sell when he gets back to perth this week. Next stops were at 'the blowholes' - large jets of vertical water that get forced through holes in rocks by the crashing ocean waves; and the world famous leaning tree of Greenough. Next day we made our way to lancelin for some sand surfing on the massive sand dunes. Put off by a huge storm and a torrent of horizontal-blowing sand we instead had some fish and chips and watched some crazy windsurfers braving the winds. It was windy.

On our way towards perth the following day we stopped at yanchep national park and saw some koala bears. Campbell says they spend more time sleeping than Sam! In perth we sorted out a few odds and ends before heading south again through freemantle and along the coast. First stop (on the day the north end went top of the league!) was preston beach, preston. Come on you whites! However as there were no facilties here we stayed the night nearby in Falcon. Before the van broke down yesterday we managed to take in the thromolites (similar to the previously photographed stromolites, but different. They still look like a collection of small rocks though!); and walk the length of the 1.86km busselton jetty - the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere no less. 1.5 km along the jetty it decided to go really cold, windy and rain a lot - much like a stroll along southport pier, except that you could see the sea. We also made it to cape naturaliste national park with its amazing rugged coastal scenery. It is here that you are supposed to be able to view migrating right, humpback and blue whales. However we saw as much of the whales as we did of animals at the singapore night safari - none.

Fingers crossed the van will be fixed now so that we can carry on round the coast. If not then we are in busselton for the weekend, which is packed at the moment with iron men and women for the iron man contest on sunday!