Day 91. Perth

A day on the water.

Marty so generously went to the Navy base and picked up his boat, and brought it back to the house to take us out for a leisurely day in the canals at Mandurah. With morning tea packed, and all the kids in their life jackets, we set out in the most beautiful weather and calm waters to see some of the biggest and most luxurious houses I have ever seen.

We were lucky enough to even see a mother dolphin and her baby surfing on our bow wave; the kids were so excited. We then decided to pull in at Mandurah to use their public toilets, and took a quick stroll through the foreshore markets. We got a kebab to go, and all had lunch on the boat. On the way back we were lucky enough to come across a white sea eagle feasting in a tree right on the waters edge on a large fish he had just caught.

The kids had a sleep in the car on the way back, as they were totally tuckered out. Robyn, mum and I then made some salads for our BBQ dinner we were having tonight with Shane coming home. Marty made his world famous salt and pepper squid, it was the best I've ever had.

With Shane and Geoff  back and my old flat mate Dave and his girlfriend Nah over, it was a great night. Everyone was keen to catch up with mum, and say goodbye to us.

Geoff, Bec, and Scarlett!

posted by Bec

A lucky escape...

Geoff and I were up at the crack of dawn again to head back to Barbagello for the final day of racing here in Western Australia. There were numerous other race categories, but there were two races on the days program for the V8 Supercars and we couldn't wait. It took a little longer than usual to get out the door, as I had to pack my bags as Geoff was going to drive me straight back down to Bec and Scarlett (and Nanna) down south in Waikiki after the final race.

Upon arriving at the race track, we headed back to the Kelly Racing teams pits to catch up with Elysia - the teams PR manager. She soon spotted me, and called me over. The Kelly Racing Team has been very interested in our personal dramas back in Brisbane, as well as our trip around Australia. We talked about our trip, and compared notes on where to go, and what to visit. Rick and Elysia have recently bought a Winnebago Motorhome and plan on doing a number of trips when the V8 racing calender permits.

Craig Lowndes signing Geoff''s car

While I was talking to the guys and girls at Kelly Racing, Geoff spotted Graig Lowndes and immediately chased him down for the last signature he was after for the weekend. Not bad considering we had only arrived at the venue 40 minutes prior. great work Geoff!

Geoff introduced me to Tim, a work colleague and part time senior security manager who happened to be at the race venue. With a little persuasion, Tim soon had a full paddock passes, grandstand passes, and access to the corporate boxes. What a champion! We decided to stick with the Grandstand adjacent to the pits and starting line, as this seemed to give the best view, so we settled down for the day and waited patiently for the action to begin! Little did we know that we had just picked prime seats for the carnage that was soon to follow!

Race 1 was just starting, and I was taking photo's etc as usual, but for same reason I decided to do some video footage for this race. The cars we gunning it, and I just noticed through the corner of my eye that one car had stalled on the starting grid. BAM! Before I knew what was happening, the was an almighty explosion as the car was 'shunted' by a car from behind travelling at more than 140km. The fuel cell erupted and the fire was frightening. Even from where we sat, the heat was intense. I wont go into all the details, as I'm sure most of you have seen the carnage already on the news, but to think both drivers walked away from the cars is a miracle. Carl Reindler has burns to his face and hands, and I believe Steve Owen was suffering internal pains when they were taken to hospital. It is reported that when the two cars hit, the drivers experienced a G-force of more than 22G's. Amazing Stuff! Please watch my little video, as I think it says it all...

Carl Reindler's melted mess of a commodore

The rest of the race day seemed to just melded into one big blob, as honestly my thoughts were with the two drivers and their families. I believe there are no long lasting serious injuries though, so hopefully they both come out of it alright.




Steve Owen's badly damaged commodore

 

After the days extreme events, we drove down to Waikiki where we were having a BBQ dinner at Marty and Robyn's, before Geoff had to leave and return home to get ready for work early the next morning.

After dinner, Bec surprised Geoff with an impromptu birthday cake as he celebrates his birthday next Wednesday! Happy Birthday mate!



Scarlett assisting Geoff with blowing out his candle



posted by Shane