Oz Opera La traviata Blog Series: Week 7, Perth and Western Australia

The West Meets Oz...


This week I have finally traversed to the West, after only seeing a small portion of it over the years.  I have gone from Alice Springs, where a daily strong cuppa at cafe Soma proved an enduring pleasure, to Perth, where we enjoyed a 2-day layover (while Wazza and the truck did the behemoth 4,000km journey from Alice to Geraldton).  Here we welcomed a chance to check out the Perth Concert Hall for our performance there next week.

Thankfully, fast Wi-Fi across the road proved useful for downloading the next episode of True Blood, ready for the longish bus trips to Geraldton, Moora, Mandurah, and then down south to our last gigs.  Hours on a bus can get me antsy, but some sketching, watching movies on my iPad and laughs with my 'Tour Wife' makes the long trips easy!

Competition is heating up for the ‘Best Tea Lady’ prize (the person that provides the best interval drinks and snacks on a show night) and I am hoping that the 'Tom and Tom’ team have clinched it with a nautical themed cocktail party in Geraldton! Well... Smoked oyster blinis (cooked on the hotplate of a hotel iron) and home-made lemon lime and bitters on silver trays with jolly sea shanties playing in the background (homage to Batavia) was a good effort, don't you think? If you want to see more, I am being auctioned at the Opera Australia Gala to cook with our own Tanja Binggeli, with the Chorus Master as major domo (and entertainment) at someone's home! All goes to a good cause...


A highlight this leg has been staying with the Benedictine Monks in New Norcia, chanting daily and wandering the grounds, viewing the beautiful Spanish inspired architecture. Lunch with the monks was so interesting, as was sitting down to chat about their work over the many years in this community.  A ‘thank you’ of a rousing Brindisi in the cloister was well received, and we felt refreshed by this beautiful place... plus we got to stock up on the best olive oil in the country!


Western Australia is proving a paradise as we wind down our tour, and the smiles on our faces reflect what a great tour this has been.


Til next week peeps

Tom (of the good ship 'Trav')