Margaret River Area, WA

Sun 14 Oct – We left Emu Point and Albany and drove west along the South Western Highway following the coast on a windy road. At Walpole we stopped for lunch overlooking the inlet with the skies very dark but no rain. We left the coast and turned off to the Mt Frankland National Park where we stopped at the Fernhook Falls camping area. The camp was nearly full and we got the last site. There was a short walk down to a large tea coloured pool and along the riverbank to a series of small waterfalls. They would be much more spectacular with more water going over them. We took pity on a couple of ladies that arrived late and shared our large site with them.

Mon 15 Oct – Breakfast outside before heading on thru the Great Southern Forest. These are huge very straight Karri trees, a type of gum. Apart from the trees the country reminds us of the West Coast of NZ, especially with the tea coloured streams, ferns and lush bush. Just after the timber town of Pemberton we entered the Beedelup National Park and stopped at the oddly named Snottygobble camp. There was no one there and no one came in! Might it be the name? There was a nice walk thru the bush to Goblin Swamp with dark water and strange knotted trees. It had been cool all day so back at our camp we lit a camp fire and sat outside for a couple of hours.

Tues 16 Oct – Just a short drive S.W. to the coast at Augusta, a pretty fishing/tourist town on the most S.W. part of Aussie. The camp was great and we got a lovely site overlooking the Blackwood River at its mouth. This is the start of the area known as Margaret River. There was a nice walkway along the river back into the town where we got some useful information about this area. It was a lovely suny afternoon and we sat and read watching the ibis and pelicans on the river. We will stay here tomorrow and hopefully ride our bikes to the lighthouse.

Wed 17 Oct – A beautiful morning as we set off on the bikes for a 9km ride to the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. This is where the  Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. The lighthouse, built in 1895, is the tallest in Australia. We climbed the 175 steps to the top for great views. Back at “Andy” we relaxed in the lovely sunshine, had haircuts and walked around the bay for fish (bronze whaler shark) and chips at sunset. Delicious!

Thurs 18 Oct -  It started to rain in the night and the day was wet and cold. We shopped at Augusta before we drove to the Jewel Caves. The tour was great as we had two tour guides and only Val and I on the tour. We have visited many caves in lots of countries but these would have to be one of the best we have seen. The rain continued as we drove along the coast and camped in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. We were in a forest of karri gums with wild white lilies all around us.

Fri 19 Oct – There is a 4 day mountain bike event happening between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste called the Cape to Cape. Today as we left our camp the riders were using a track near the access road so we stopped and watched them come thru. Another short drive to another camp in this National Park at Conto. The day was cool but when the sun came out it warmed up. In the afternoon we walked to the cliff tops near the camp.

Sat 20 Oct – Cool and windy this morning as we drove to the beach at Prevelly. Even the best beach does not look great in this weather. On to the town of Margaret River and we had trouble getting a camp site as the Cape to Cape race was overnighting here. We got the last site in town. We walked into the town which is very touristy, and along a track beside the Margaret River.

Sun 21 Oct – We drove along the coast to Yallingup, a beachside town. This was wine country with many vineyards. The grapes seemed to be growing in very lush ground unlike the arid conditions of NZ vineyards. There is a lot of limestone around which may suit the grapes. The wind was cold and the surf was pounding in. We did a 6.5km walk up the hills around the town returning via the coastal track with great views. 

Mon 22 Oct – We drove across the last bit of this coastline at Cape Naturaliste to the much more sheltered NW beaches at Dunsborough and followed along this coastline thru Busselton and on to Bunbury. We have had a worn bush on a suspension damper for a while and have an appointment to get it investigated. The guy who had arranged the appointment had filled us with fear as he thought the part would be hard to find and difficult to fit. Fortunately the owner (Eddy) took one look at it and said it would be “too easy”, just get a cup of coffee and come back in an hour. On our return “Andy” was all fixed ($121) and ready to go. We checked into a camp in Bunbury and walked along the waterfront passed the restaurants and bars, up Marlston Hill and its observation tower and into the shopping area. Bunbury is  lovely city (pop 31,000) set on a bay with sheltered beaches and inland waterways.  Although the weather for our Margaret River part of our trip has not been the greatest, we have really enjoyed it and can see that it must be a beautiful holiday destination in the summer. The WA wild flowers have been a real bonus.