Alright so you’ve booked a trip to Black Diamond Lake down near Collie, but feel like making a weekend of it. Of course, you can’t camp at Black Diamond, but did you know there’s an equally adorable little swimming hole just around the corner, where you can also camp?

No, we’re not talking about Stockton Lake (although we will soon enough), we’re talking about its very romantic little neighbour, Honeymoon Pool. So grab that special someone, and read on below.

What Is It:

Honeymoon Pool is a popular little picnic, camping and swimming spot in the Wellington National Park. It’s one of a few in the area, including Black Diamond Lake and Stockton Lake.

It’s a tranquil, shady little spot just off the beaten track, perfect for a day’s picnicking by the water, or night or two of chilled bush camping.

Where Is It:

The Honeymoon Pool campground is situated on the banks of the Collie River about half-an-hour west of Collie and two hours south of Perth.

If you’re coming from Perth it’s straight down the Forrest Hwy, before a left turn onto Raymon Rd onto Coalfields Hwy. From there head down Welling Dam Rd before veering off onto River Rd and follow the signs!

What To Do:

It’s just close enough for a day trip from Perth, but why not pack the tent and spend the night? It’s a small camp ground (20 spots), so bookings are essential, and the camp grounds are nice and sparse – a couple of gas barbies, picnic tables and toilets and that’s about it.

The tranquil waters at Honeymoon Pool are perfect to cool off in, or you can launch your canoe/kayak and do a bit of exploring under the shady peppermint trees that line the water’s edge.

In the bushland surrounding there are also some great walking and cycling trails, and if you’re a 4WDing fan, there’s a few trails in the surrounding areas you can hit up.

What Not To Do:

Head down expecting to camp without booking first! It can get pretty popular, especially in the warmer months, so make sure you book ahead (It’s $15 per adult per night, although cheaper for concession card holders and kids).

There are fire pits on the camp grounds, but especially during summer make sure you check ahead with regards to fire bans.

As we said, it can get pretty busy and it’s not the biggest swimming hole going around, so make sure you play nice and be mindful of letting everyone enjoy the serenity.

Anything else?

There’s plenty of beautiful inland lakes and walking trails in the area, so don’t be afraid to do a little exploring and see what you can find.

Check in with the rangers with regards to water quality in the area too, as it can get hazardous at different times of the year. Of course you can always just play it safe and keep your head above water.

If you are facing drug charges, you should contact drug lawyers Perth in Western Australia to assist you with the case. In Western Australia, possession, use, manufacture, cultivation and supplying illicit drugs is illegal. The penalty for the crime may vary depending on the exact crime committed. If you are convicted of any drug offence, you will get a criminal record and this can cause difficulties for you when looking for a job and visas for overseas travel. When small quantities of a drug are detected, police can issue a drug diversion notice or cannabis intervention requirement.

Cannabis intervention requirement (CIR) scheme

The use and possession of cannabis are illegal. However, if someone is caught by the police in possession of a smoking implement that has traces of cannabis or 10 grams or less of cannabis for personal use, the police may issue a CIR to the person.

You can solve a CIR by doing a cannabis intervention session within 28 days of getting the CIR by a police officer. You can hire the best drug lawyers Perth in Western Australia if you fail to attend the CIS and get prosecuted. The CIR scheme applies to anyone who is 15 years old and over.

Diversion support programs

There is a wide range of alcohol and mental health diversion programs provided by the mental health commission. These programs give support opportunities for people who are apprehended by the police, have alcohol interlock condition on their driving license or are appearing in court.

You don’t have to be charged with drug crimes for you to consult drug lawyers Perth in Western Australia. You can consult your drug lawyer to get advice about drug laws so that you can always be on the right side of the law. However, people make mistakes and end up using, producing or selling drugs. A lawyer can also help you in such a situation as well.

While summer in Perth obviously means BEACH, it’s also a ripper time of the year to learn to surf. The big winter swells are long gone, and with them the icy cold water – replaced with sun, sand and of course, you!

Summer’s gentle (see: tiny) swells are perfect for beginners to get out there and hang ten. Not surprisingly, Perth has a bunch of a great surf schools around the joint to suit people of all ages and skill sets.

Scarborough Beach Surf School

Self-proclaimed as the oldest surf school on the planet (and who are we to argue?), Scarborough Beach Surf School has been ripping it up since 1986. So it’s fair to say they know their way around a green room. They operate small classes (only 4-6 people/instructor) for longer (2.5 hours instead of 1.5), all at very descent prices. And they offer a heap of different levels depending on where you’re at.

Go Surf Perth

Another company operating down at Scarborough, you’ll find the Go Surf team at Brighton Beach in summer, and Leighton Beach in winter. They also cover all the bases, along with private 1-on-1 lessons, and even corporate or birthday party packages. And if you’re looking to shake the kids off for a few hours over the holidays, they offer multi-day school holiday courses too.

Surfing WA Surf School

Another mainstay of the Perth surf school scene, this one’s an arm of the state’s surfing governing body, so you know it’s legit. Operating off Trigg Beach for over three decades, the organisation has 7 full-time staff and over 20 coaches. Kids, teens and adults are all catered for, with a maximum of 8 students per class. Classes run at 7am and 9am every Saturday/Sunday.

Big Wave Surfing School

Despite their name, Big Wave Surfing School are actually more focused on the little ones, specialising in kids and families. Operating at Secret Harbour, the family owned and operated school is all about getting your kids cool, calm and confident in the ocean. They offer a comprehensive variety of levels to suit groms of all ages, along with courses of different lengths to save $$.

Aloha Surfhouse

And finally, if you’re a little wary of the ocean or cold weather, why not hit up Aloha Surfhouse in Joondalup? Their indoor wave breaks every day of the year, and has a variety of different settings to suit all levels. You can also bodyboard, check out their adventure climbing wall, or organise a little wave party with your friends.

First, full disclosure: the author and I follow each other on BookLikes and have occasionally commented on each other's posts. When she announced that Clockwork Gold would briefly be free, I snatched it up, because steampunk romance appeals to me. (This was a year or so ago – it's no longer free, but it is cheap.)

Rebecca Jones is a dirigible pilot with a rock solid reputation among the miners and prospectors in the Goldfields of Western Australia. Because they trust her enough not to shoot her down as a potential spy, she's able to go where many other dirigible pilots can't. However, she knows it'll take more than just her word to deal with the corruption in Kalgoorlie. She needs proof, but the arrival of Nathan Burton, Special Agent to the Crown, makes the situation more complicated than she expected.

I downloaded this because of its description and because it was free – I didn't even bother to read the excerpt. Which I'm mentioning because one particular detail took me by surprise: Rebecca and Nathan are estranged foster siblings. I'm not a fan of “siblings but not really” romance. It tends to hit my personal squick buttons. Nathan first joined the Tanner household when he was 14 and Rebecca was 11 (I think), so they weren't very young children, and it was clear that Nathan never thought of Rebecca as his younger sister. Unfortunately, I didn't get quite as clear a feeling from Rebecca, and so the speed with which she went from seeing Nathan as a family member (?) she'd once wronged to seeing him as a handsome man who was attracted to her and who she was attracted to in turn didn't work for me.

That said, I liked them as individuals. They both had a strong sense of justice, although Rebecca was more straightforward and naive in her methods for achieving it than Nathan was. I was horrified when I realized how she was planning to get the proof she needed, although thankfully she'd planned things out better than I feared (but still). It also helped that the villain was overconfident.

All in all, not bad, despite my “OMG they're foster siblings” moment. The Western Australian setting was a nice departure from steampunk romance's usual London or somewhere in America. I do wish there had been more of an opportunity to see Rebecca's mechanical creations in action, though, rather than just read about the aftermath of them going off.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Summary: Desperate to get away from her family's expectations of success in love and in work, Dr Beth Harding leaves Sydney behind and takes a locum job at Iron Junction – a mining town in the distant Pilbara. With the mine growing at a rapid pace, the town full of contractors and tensions running high, Beth is convinced she’s made a huge mistake until she meets Will, a man who shares her dreams and could make the difference between going home and staying on.

For Will Walker, being born into cattle farming was never the life he wanted. He’s traded a broad-brim for a hard hat and headed down the mines. Iron Junction seems like just another gig in the long road that’s taking him even further from home. But in the lonely fly-in, fly-out life, he never counted on meeting Beth ...

But when Beth and Will discover that the choices they make will have far-reaching consequences neither could ever have imagined, they have a decision to make. Will they be brave enough to risk loving each other despite everything that stands in their way?

Title: Iron Junction
Series: Standalone but characters interlock
Author: Charlotte Nash
Publisher: Hatchette Australia
Released: 25th March 2014
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Format: eGalley
Source: via Publisher on NetGalley - thank you

I had the pleasure of attending a book signing showcasing Charlotte Nash and I have to say, what a beautifully down to earth amazing woman. Ms Nash is extremely talented and is such a busy lady, but still has time to visit with book lovers and share her stories. After meeting Ms Nash, I understood her book even more and realise how much knowledge this woman has; how she manages to use personal experiences to add heart and soul into her books. And of course I loved Iron Junction even without reading Ryders Ridge.

Dr Elizabeth Harding is on the run. Not telling her family that she left her fiancé and moved across the country, Beth is trying to discover what she truly wants in life. Beth has never really fit in with her younger sisters and with a Mother that doesn’t treat her with respect, she want be a disappointment.

Beth is a locum doctor out in the mining country of Western Australia. It is certainly a different environment for her, but she does love a challenge. Being a lover of photography, she headed out to find the picturesque outback. Too excited to realise what she did, Beth ended up with a flat battery in her vehicle and darkness creeping in. With the heat and the walking, Beth is quickly becoming dehydrated and heads for the highway.

Enter Will Walker, also a runaway, Will works around the mines as an engineer. Will is hiding a deep dark secret and cannot face his family either. He’s been transferred to Iron Junction and isn’t really that happy the change. Driving down the highway, he sees something moving along the side of the road in the dark. Will pulls over and finds it’s a woman.

Beth and Will are instantly attracted to each other, but reckon they are not good for each other. They fight their attraction, but without knowing anybody else in town tend to drift towards each other.

Something seems to be going on at the mine, there are more casualties than usual and the morale isn’t great either. Will keeps getting his questions knocked back, can he discover what is going on?

The more time they spend together, the more their attraction grows, but with their own secrets, it’s hard to give in to temptation. Beth’s contract is coming to a close, will she find another locum position or is it time to face her family and tell the truth?

What will happen with Will? Will he discover what is going on at the mine? What are their secrets that’s holding them back? Can they ever get it together and start a relationship?

With emergencies, natural disasters and secrets, Iron Junction has everything for a breath-taking romance. Intrigue, mystery, betrayal, following your heart and dreams and enjoying life is contained within this fantastic Australian outback rural romance. I highly recommend this fabulous author and cannot wait to read Ryders Ridge and find out what’s next.

5 FANTASTIC OUTBACK HEARTS

About the Author

Charlotte Nash knows first-hand what she is writing about, having seen the Pilbara from the air, through the windscreen of a four-wheel-drive, from the top of the mining plant, and from remote operations, all while working as an engineer and investigator. She was born in England and grew up in the Redland Shire of Brisbane with a love for horses and heavy machinery, later studying both engineering and medicine. She subsequently worked for the CSIRO and for private industry, visiting mine sites and ports across Australia. These days, she is a technical writer and fiction author, and teaches creative writing at the University of Queensland. RYDERS RIDGE was her first novel.