The Wombat Press: The real meaning of the word 'chalet'

I have never been to Switzerland but here in Australia, if a place advertises itself as a 'chalet' it basically means camping with a roof. Yes, it's true that chalets generally have flooring as well but it doesn't matter because in my experience the general cleanliness of the place (or severe lack thereof) means most of them also have a dirt floor in effect. The redeeming quality of the place we stayed in this weekend is that they allowed dogs to stay in the cabins (a rarity here in Aus). Here is a photo of our little rammed-earth beauty, Chalet #6 in the Waddi Grove Bush Retreat.

I didn't take any photos of the inside. We tried to spend as little time in there as possible. We knew it was going to be interesting when, while handing over the keys, the proprietor explained that you 'have to turn on the hot water in the bathroom sink to get hot water while you shower...we don't know why'. And by 'hot water' they meant tepid at best. Somehow all of this shouldn't have been surprising because at the front desk was a wooden placard that read "Smoking increases efficiency and calms the nerves" or something wacky like that.

The rest of our trip up north, however, was great. Here are some photos.

Yandin Breakaway Wildflower Walk

If you're looking at that photo and exclaiming to yourself - que? Where are ze wildflowers!? Well then you're in the same boat we were last year at this time. We've learned a bit since last year, when we went on a wildflower trip in the spring of the year, expecting to see fields and forests carpeted with rainbow-bursts of blooms (a la Holland or something). In Western Australia, the wildflowers are still spectacular but you have to pay just a bit more attention, and actually get out of your car because they are all quite teeny - like this little purple orchid:

Next up on our list was Nambung National Park to see the Pinnacles. The Pinnacles are limestone formations. Apparently geologists still have various pet theories over exactly how they were formed but everyone seems to agree that the raw material for the formations came from ancient marine life - seashells and the like, broken down into lime-rich sands which were then blown around to form dunes. And that's about all the tolerance I have for the geology of the joint...here are some photos we took while there.

On the way home we stopped off in the seaside hamlet of Lancelin, whose main claims to fame are its 14 shipwrecks and its status as 'international windsurfing mecca'. Both of which are clearly attributable to the fact that it's always blowing an absolute gale. However, the place is picturesque with its white sand beach and turquoise water.