Busselton, Western Australia

Busselton is in Western Australia and is a smaller town with a loooooong jetty which is its biggest claim to fame. While many others took tours an hour or more inland to some wine areas, we chose to stay in town to view the mile-long jetty and its treasures.

There is excitement in this face...

The jetty and train:
Just over a mile long, the jetty extends over the protected waters of Geographe Bay (not a typo). Some
resources say that it is the longest wooden-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. Originally built for
the lumber industry, in April 1978, a cyclone wiped out part of it. It took years and years to garner
money for repair, but now a solar-powered Jetty Train takes you across the ocean. You can ride the
train or walk the distance along with fisherman carrying long rods and snaring their catch and
welcoming. Along the jetty are at least two open sinks with places to wash and filet the catches right
there. Black stains on the jetty indicate that the squid catches are frequent.

At the end of the jetty is the Underwater Observatory or hands-on aquarium, one of only six operating
Underwater Observatories in the world. About 300 species of marine life live and swim in this
established area using the jetty pilons as anchors and forming a stunning coral reef-scape.
Because it was Sunday, couples and families happily hiked the length with flippers and goggles and
swimming paraphernalia tucked into bags or tied to backpacks. There were numerous walkways down
to the water with a small dock for belongings. We enjoyed hearing the splashes and the anticipation.
Unfortunately when we got to the end of the jetty the aquarium portion had over an hour wait before
we could go down for our 15 minute viewing (pricey at a dollar a minute). We decided it was not that
critical for us to see and started walking back.

This is where our whole adventure changed. Jen was reading a plaque while stepping over one of the
rails. Her foot caught and she took a hard fall, her face landing straight on the rail and jamming both
arms when they miraculously came up in front of her to try and cushion the fall. A bloodied bridge of
her nose and a forehead abrasion were the outward results. We sat on the jetty for a while as she took
stock. We managed to get back to the tender with multiple stops along the way to sit and rest.

Back on the cruise ship, pain started to grow as the adrenaline fell. Sore knee. Both arms very painful
especially at the elbows. Jen rested and got some make-up help to hide the damage. Church was
scheduled for 6:00 and you all know who is leading it. With her unable to move her left arm we took
advantage of the offer from a bridge couple who are a nurse and a physical therapist and had them do a
check. They helped Jen decide to get it checked and most likely x-rayed at the ship’s medical center. Of
course Jen led the worship service. People who didn’t know about the accident had no idea she was
suffering. After the service she spent the next 2 hours getting the x-rays of her elbow which revealed a
break in her elbow. She made it to dinner with about ten minutes to spare with a half cast immobilizing
the elbow. Jerry had left earlier as they were trying to figure out what to do once they found the break
and couldn’t find what they wanted to immobilize the elbow. They asked Jen to check in at 8:30 in the
morning and they would have us taken to a specialist for further assessment.

Life takes quick and unexpected turns…