Getting sand between my toes

We're currently living in the city of Mandurah (population 84,000), on the west coast of Australia. It's shown on the map  below in blue; a long narrow stretch of land, fronting the Indian ocean to the west, and a channel, inlet, bay, islands, and an estuary to the east.

Without exception, those who we've spoken to who live here are proud of their city; one man told us you've struck gold when you find Mandurah. Like most places though, it is not utopia, and has its share of challenges. There are many homes for sale here and the real estate market is slow. Many of the homes are empty - some from people moving away, but many others because they're merely summer homes, or summer rental properties. Mandurah is a vacation destination.

With all that coastline, it has more than its fair share of beaches. 

With so many beaches, many are quite deserted. You can easily find a spot for quiet time here.

Looking in the opposite direction from the previous photo, you'll see that areas of the coastline have homes that front the ocean. These homes range from quite modest, to not-so-modest, and everything in between.

Along popular beaches you'll find these gas barbecues for free public use. A nice perk; one we haven't seen anywhere else.

Some beaches are a little more rugged, but still beautiful.

All of these beaches are part of Mandurah, and we haven't see any that have been crowded. Keep in mind too, these photos were all taken in the last week before kids go back to school. It's strange for us to see back-to-school sales in the stores at the end of January.

On the map shown earlier, to the right of the entrance to the channel, there's ongoing development for commercial restaurants and stores, permanent housing, vacation rentals, and moorings for boats.

Photo courtesy of our new friend, Tony

That area is also the home of Dolphin Quay, one of the many spots along the west coast where you're likely to see dolphins swimming.

Alongside Dolphin Quay, going into the channel, is Mandjar Bay. Although there are places to moor, this is mainly an areas of restaurants, along with walking areas.

The one side of the bay, where you see sand in this photo, the retaining wall became unstable. The rebuilding work is expected to be finished soon, and people will again be able to walk along that area.

You can also take boat tours from here, which we plan to do before we move on.

Each Saturday there's a market along the waterfront, including entertainment for children. They had miniature pony rides, which I've seen in places before, but this was a first for me to see camel rides. I don't think I've ever been that close to a camel before. Apparently they're not that rare here in Australia, especially in the outback.

I have always lived near water, and prefer to be near the ocean whenever possible. I can certainly get my fill of it here, hence the sand between my toes!