I’ve still got a number of posts to write up about our Alaskan trip in 2018, which I’ll gradually do over the next few weeks or so.
It’s nice to have the memories as overseas travel for us Down Under will not be on the horizon for some considerable time to come.
However with regional travel restrictions now eased within Western Australia we recently took the opportunity to have a few days break down in the south west region of WA. It’s a charming part of the world, which I have blogged about before and have now collated all previous posts together here.
Our first stop was in Bunbury to catch up with my cousin and her husband. We headed up the pretty Ferguson Valley nearby to Green Door Wines where we enjoyed a pleasant lunch sampling their wines accompanied by delicious tasting platters.
On the way home we had a little detour. Tucked away by a little stream but well signposted you can find the quaint and rather kitsch settlement of Gnomesville.
Some years ago locals began setting gnomes in the clearing by a local roundabout and the settlement grew into a considerable tourist attraction. I’d seen the gnomes a few years back and our granddaughters went with our daughter and some friends in the last school holidays. Monsieur, however, felt he had missed out so we humoured him by driving by and stopping for a quick tour.
Despite many gnomes being washed away in the Great Gnomesville Flood of 2018, the settlement has been rebuilt and today the gnomes are once again thriving!
Copyright © 2020 Rosemary Thomas Le Chic En Rose. All rights reserved
Le Chic En Rose 
Erm, people take a special trip to see garden gnomes … ???
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Apparently they do!! We were already in the area so we have an excuse! I think kids enjoy it as it’s a bit like an enchanted fairy den and also people bring gnomes to join the colony! 🙂 🙂
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Extraordinary!
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🙂
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That’s an awful lot of gnomes!
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Yes quite! Gomesville has taken on a life of its own! It does bring tourists to the area, which is about 2 hours south of Perth. The Ferguson Valley is very pretty with wineries and restaurants plus the Wellington Dam up the road, which is also an interesting place to visit to.
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Gnomesville is quite funny and certainly put a smile on my face. Glad you are able to do short breaks now. (Suzanne)
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It’s definitely an amusing place Suzanne especially for the grown ups! Kids love it of course 🙂 Nice to put a smile on people’s faces especially at present. Yes it was lovely to be able to do this short trip – we spent 4 nights away and I have some more posts coming up. Hope you’re keeping well 🙂
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