Esperance received its current name in 1792 when the Recherche and Espérance sailed through the archipelago and into the bay to shelter from a storm. Our caravan park was by the beach and a bike ride into town to visit the cafes and restaurants!!! And a nice bike ride along the beach the other way. Firstly we found the tourist information centre and by chance our helpful lady was a foodie!! She also kept Mark in line- telling him to listen and not to interrupt- I loved her and we had a lot of laughs! So our first stop was a casual restaurant by the harbour where we enjoyed the likes of pork baos, beef cheek croquettes and nasi goreng to name a few on the several occasions we visisted!! Other restuarants visited included Fish Face for a nother yummy meal and the yacht club which does a dinner service on Friday nights. Felt like we were back in the big smoke!
We decided to hire a car to travel further afield in the Cape Le Grand National Park than the bikes could take us so I followed Mark and Arvi to Lucky Bay caravan park right on the beach above this gorgeous bay -Mark did complain I was travelling too close to the back of Arvi but my excuse was that I didn't want anyone else to get bewteen us!. We had booked 5 nights here very early on in our excel spreadsheet days. It is the one you may have seen on advertisements for visiting WA- the dazzling white sand, stunning blue water and kangaroos on the beach. The day we arrived despite a bit of wind we were able to sit on the chairs provided by Doc, an indigenous man who sets up nearly every day with his coffee/food van right on the sand. And the kangaroos made their appearance followed by eager tourists wanting that shot of just the sand, the water and the kangaroos!! Mark did the deed for us ie a photo as I chatted to Doc about his life and others in this area. Later we drove onto the beach in the hire car and set up or chairs for a sundowner drink and nibbles. Went to bed very happy dreaming of the days to come. Sadly woke up to grey sky, drizzly rain and a stronger wind. Oh well we thought, just the day for one of the hikes you can do from bay to bay. Which we did and enjoyed the views of the ocean while we followed the path and clambered up and over rocks. Next day was the same, so we took the car and visited all the bays in the area, walking on the beaches and any paths nearby. Woke up to miserable weather again and deciced to leave! Very disappointed that we didn't luck the weather in Lucky Bay!
So we headed off to the Stirling Range National Park which is inland on the way to Albany.
Firstly we checked with Tourist Information that the roads were open as this area had a very bad bushfire after Xmas. Very pleased to hear we could drive through the park and visit at least one of the main attractions. The drive was very sobering- the range in the background and on on either side of the roads burnt trees and scorched earth. Some regrowth which was a welcome sight. Particularly interesting were the grass trees which were sprouting a green hat - on closer inspection these looked like little broccolini florets!! These then turn into the spears of grass. I walked gingerly across the charred soil to take some photos- the smell of burning was still heavy. But it was amazing to see the signs of life returning with vigour.
Then our challenge or mine rather was to climb up to the Castle Rock Granite Skywalk, a glass see through walkway around a mountain top. The walk up was steep in parts and then the "piece de resistance" clambering over huge boulders some with steel handles that had been hammered into them- I chose to clamber under wherever possible and Mark hauled me up the others. Then a 7 metre ladder to finish and "voila" we were on the walkway looking at views far into the distance. Definitley worth it. Finished the day wine tasting at Abbey Creek Winery in Porongurup known mostly for its rieslings. A family style winery with a small cellar door overlooking the vines. Mike the owner of the winery was very knowlegeable about wines and in particular those from this region - part of the Great Southern Wine Region in WA. Our caravan park was lovely and we enjoyed our meal with a bottle of riesling from our new friend !
Started the day in similar fashion - visiting Dukes vineyard, a more upmarket cellar door with art work and scuptures from one of the onwers in an adjoining gallery. Riesling again but also cabernet savignon and shiraz. Rain was forecast so they were desperately trying to get the grapes off the vines. We had a lovely tasting and were joined by 2 ladies, a local and her friend from Albany. Arvi was parked right outside so we talked about our travels and they gave us tips for future exploring. Arvi by this time was filling up with all the bought wine! We set off again and made a slight detour to Mt Barker Bakery as this was a tip from our new wine buddies!! And so glad we did- a pie, a pastie and a cake each!! And then to Albany, but not before a nap in a small town on the way, off the road and near a recreational centre. I nap on the small couch behind the driver's seat and Mark has the bed (I'm so nice to him!!!). I hear a car pull up next to us and look out the window- it's our friends from Penong who were travelling to Albany for a wedding and were just out sightseeing!! And they caught us napping in Arvi which of course they recognised! So there went the nap!!! Lots of painted silos in this area too.
Onto Albany - our caravan park was a fair distance from the town and sight seeing areas and also very full being a long weeekned in WA. Lots of families with children who were scooting and bike riding about day and night. And staying up long past our bedtime! Albany has both a lovely old area with beautifully maintained buildings, a waterfront undergoing redevelopment and a sprawl of malls and fast-food joints.There is also a spectacular coastline, from Torndirrup National Park’s surf-pum- melled cliffs to Middleton Beach’s white sands and the calm waters of King George Sound.
We used Arvi to travel into town - more restaurant and cafes to frequent and major sites, one being the Anzac War Memorial. This is really a very interesting and moving memorial to our soldiers that left from Albany in ships to head to the war (WW1) overseas. Spent quite a few hours there with the highlight being the discovery that one of our Jewish great uncles Arthur (Abraham) Jacobs -he had taken Arthur as his anglicised name- left in one of the ships in the first convoy. He survived Gallipoli and went on to fight in Europe where he was killed. We did not know about Abraham until recently or several other of my paternal grandfather's siblings who had escaped from Poland with their parents Jacob and Hannah ending up in Adelaide. My father's middle name is Arthur as are several of his male cousins
Another day we went on a tour of the old whaling station, situated on Cheyne's beach. This was closed in 1978 which was relatively late as they were able to hunt for sperm whales when hunting humpbacks was banned. Again a very interesting although also distressing tour with a preserved whaling boat, many of the original buildings, decks where they hauled in and processed the whales, and the round tanks where the whale oil was stored (now museums and theatres) still standing. It certainly wasn't a job for the fainthearted.
We also visited the wind farm One of the largest in Australia, the turbines sit atop the escarment along the Torndirrup Peninsula ( "up" by the way means "place of "and there are lots of towns with this on their end in WA). Albany is very windy - 51 out of 52 weeks and therefore why tthe wind farm supplies 80% of Albany's electricity. In this area we also went to the Gap which is a natural cleft in the rock chanelling surf through walls of granite. Another see through viewing platform. And the Natural Bridge, a granite formation which looks just like a giant rock bridge. It is formed by the gradual wearing away of the granite rock by the Great Southern Ocean. The power of wind and ocean- amazing! Albany has oysters too and there was a shop selling these local delights near our caravan park!! Also blue swimmer crab so we had a dinner with oysters to start and blue swimmer crab linguine to follow!!
From Albany we decided to go back to Bremer Bay about 2 hours east. Here you can take boat trips out to the continental shelf to see Orcas ( killer whales). It is the largest known congregation of Orca in the southern hemisphere and is the only place in Australia you can be guaranteed to meet these apex predators. Gathering every summer, over 150 Orca and other marine predators visit the Bremer Canyon to feed on an abundance of prey from January to March every year. Initially we had disounted doing this trip when leaving Esperance due to the awful weather, but with a couple of days looking like slightly better conditions decided to back track. Mind you this meant we missed the day of 5 plus metre swells and only had deal with 4 metre plus!! I followed the advice and took 2 sea sickness pills the night before and the morning of the tour. We went out on the research boat which was a slower but more stable boat than the only other choice -a catamaran. Also had some antivomiting wafers on hand!! Once past the headland the swell was huge and no matter where I tried sitting or standing out of the weather knew I would be sea sick. So I sat outside on a storage compartment at the back of the boat in my warm clothes and a sort of rain coat, all alone watching the huge swells coming at us and the boat going up, up and over. Not only raining but the spray come over the boat and onto the 2 decks which would then empty all over me as well. The staff did come and check on me often and Mark sat for a while outside under a deck watching me ( laughing) until he got sick of getting wet! About an hour and a half later we were in calmer waters some 75 nautical miles off shore. And there they were these magnificent sleek black and white killer whales!! We learnt how to distinguish males from females by their fins and to recognise the ones named by the researchers after their white colourings/patches. Everyone is different. So many and some babies - they loved coming around the boat, surfing in our wake and going under the boat. But they are predators and will gather if a group and sit at 1000 metres deep ( their maximum) waiting for a sperm whale to come up for air,they can go down to 2000 metres. When they try to surface the orcas stop them and wait for them to drown before they go in, skin them and eat them!!!!
However it was hours of excitement following them except for the many people who we soooo seasick!! I gave one poor woman one of my 2 wafers as nothing had worked for her including an injection the staff had given. Within 15 minutes her colour returned, she stopped vomiting and manged to have some fluid. Gotta love western medicine!! We had 2 nights in the one and only caravan park and were delighted to find they had an onsite taco van serving home made tortillas amongst other yummy things.
Then back past Albany and onto Denmark, known by the Minang Noongar people as Koorabup (place of the black swan) which was established to supply timber to the early goldfields. This was a surprisingly very nice and quite sophisticated town with a gourmet deli, 2 or 3 great cafes, butcher and bakery. The caravan park was again a way out of town but within walking distance to the beach and ocean. Denmark is still part of the Great Southern Wine area, so more wineries to visit- beautiful settings in the hinterland behind Denmark's coast line. There is also the popular Boston Brewery just out of town that is open for lunch and dinner- we had a great meal there and Mark fell in love with a dark ale called Jarrah Jack. Trying to be active to counter the drinking amd eating we decided to walk up to a look out known as the Nut. Just as we started a couple came down and told us yes it was a good walk but that they had seen a dugite snake on the narrow track. It is venomous and lives in logs or undergrowth ( plenty of that on the track), grows up to 2 meters but is timid!! Well that was enough to put me off but Mark was still keen. I made him walk in front so if there was a snake he would come across it first! No snake thank goodness. There are signposts on all walks and paths warning about snakes - I kept trying to remember what is the first aid for a snake bite!! The look out was nice but even better was finding a access road which we walked down away from logs and undergrowth!
Close to Denmark and on the way to Walpole is the area known as the Valley of the Giants- named after tall trees including red, yellow and Rate’s tingles (all types of eucalypt, or gum, trees). One of these tingle trees had a girth of 24 metres and people would drive their car into the hollow tree trunk for a photo opportunity (before the days of instagram). The trees have a very shallow root system and this particular tree was "loved to death" and fell down in 1990. This prompted the development of the Tree Top Walk, where a 600 metre long ramp rises up to 40 metres from the valley floor allowing access high into the canopy of the giant tingle trees. We then took a tour looking at the trees from the forest floor - it was the guide's first tour and she was very nervous and we didn't learn much more than what was written in the pamplet! But we graciously told her she did a good job! We the took the scenic route back to the highway up and down hills with towering gums including karri, marri and jarrah on either side.
Next stop Pemberton hidden deep in the karri forests. A small town which was full of surprises. Late in the afternoon after settling Arvi into the caravan park we went for a walk down the main street (not very long) we found a cafe which on Friday morphs into a tapas bar! It wasn't too early for a drink and in we went to find there was also going to be live music and the tapas menu looked great!! Several hours and several drinks later and after talking to the people sitting next to us (locals with lots of hints on what to do ) we wandered back to Arvi and bed!! Next day up bright and early to take the Pemberton Tramway. Built between 1929 and 1933, the tram route travels through lush karri and marri forests to Warren River. But it starts in the town travelling alongside peoples' houses and back yards and twice the boom gates were lowered to stop the traffic on local roads, including the main street!! The whole tram ride took about 2 hours deep into the forest, crossing several very old wooden rail bridges!! Initially the railway was used for the logging industry which was the main source of jobs and income for the townsfolk until about At the river we were able to get out and walk around the river and a small waterfall. The highlight was the driver whose commentary was really hilarious.
We decided to hire a car to travel further afield in the Cape Le Grand National Park than the bikes could take us so I followed Mark and Arvi to Lucky Bay caravan park right on the beach above this gorgeous bay -Mark did complain I was travelling too close to the back of Arvi but my excuse was that I didn't want anyone else to get bewteen us!. We had booked 5 nights here very early on in our excel spreadsheet days. It is the one you may have seen on advertisements for visiting WA- the dazzling white sand, stunning blue water and kangaroos on the beach. The day we arrived despite a bit of wind we were able to sit on the chairs provided by Doc, an indigenous man who sets up nearly every day with his coffee/food van right on the sand. And the kangaroos made their appearance followed by eager tourists wanting that shot of just the sand, the water and the kangaroos!! Mark did the deed for us ie a photo as I chatted to Doc about his life and others in this area. Later we drove onto the beach in the hire car and set up or chairs for a sundowner drink and nibbles. Went to bed very happy dreaming of the days to come. Sadly woke up to grey sky, drizzly rain and a stronger wind. Oh well we thought, just the day for one of the hikes you can do from bay to bay. Which we did and enjoyed the views of the ocean while we followed the path and clambered up and over rocks. Next day was the same, so we took the car and visited all the bays in the area, walking on the beaches and any paths nearby. Woke up to miserable weather again and deciced to leave! Very disappointed that we didn't luck the weather in Lucky Bay!
So we headed off to the Stirling Range National Park which is inland on the way to Albany.
Firstly we checked with Tourist Information that the roads were open as this area had a very bad bushfire after Xmas. Very pleased to hear we could drive through the park and visit at least one of the main attractions. The drive was very sobering- the range in the background and on on either side of the roads burnt trees and scorched earth. Some regrowth which was a welcome sight. Particularly interesting were the grass trees which were sprouting a green hat - on closer inspection these looked like little broccolini florets!! These then turn into the spears of grass. I walked gingerly across the charred soil to take some photos- the smell of burning was still heavy. But it was amazing to see the signs of life returning with vigour.
Then our challenge or mine rather was to climb up to the Castle Rock Granite Skywalk, a glass see through walkway around a mountain top. The walk up was steep in parts and then the "piece de resistance" clambering over huge boulders some with steel handles that had been hammered into them- I chose to clamber under wherever possible and Mark hauled me up the others. Then a 7 metre ladder to finish and "voila" we were on the walkway looking at views far into the distance. Definitley worth it. Finished the day wine tasting at Abbey Creek Winery in Porongurup known mostly for its rieslings. A family style winery with a small cellar door overlooking the vines. Mike the owner of the winery was very knowlegeable about wines and in particular those from this region - part of the Great Southern Wine Region in WA. Our caravan park was lovely and we enjoyed our meal with a bottle of riesling from our new friend !
Started the day in similar fashion - visiting Dukes vineyard, a more upmarket cellar door with art work and scuptures from one of the onwers in an adjoining gallery. Riesling again but also cabernet savignon and shiraz. Rain was forecast so they were desperately trying to get the grapes off the vines. We had a lovely tasting and were joined by 2 ladies, a local and her friend from Albany. Arvi was parked right outside so we talked about our travels and they gave us tips for future exploring. Arvi by this time was filling up with all the bought wine! We set off again and made a slight detour to Mt Barker Bakery as this was a tip from our new wine buddies!! And so glad we did- a pie, a pastie and a cake each!! And then to Albany, but not before a nap in a small town on the way, off the road and near a recreational centre. I nap on the small couch behind the driver's seat and Mark has the bed (I'm so nice to him!!!). I hear a car pull up next to us and look out the window- it's our friends from Penong who were travelling to Albany for a wedding and were just out sightseeing!! And they caught us napping in Arvi which of course they recognised! So there went the nap!!! Lots of painted silos in this area too.
Onto Albany - our caravan park was a fair distance from the town and sight seeing areas and also very full being a long weeekned in WA. Lots of families with children who were scooting and bike riding about day and night. And staying up long past our bedtime! Albany has both a lovely old area with beautifully maintained buildings, a waterfront undergoing redevelopment and a sprawl of malls and fast-food joints.There is also a spectacular coastline, from Torndirrup National Park’s surf-pum- melled cliffs to Middleton Beach’s white sands and the calm waters of King George Sound.
We used Arvi to travel into town - more restaurant and cafes to frequent and major sites, one being the Anzac War Memorial. This is really a very interesting and moving memorial to our soldiers that left from Albany in ships to head to the war (WW1) overseas. Spent quite a few hours there with the highlight being the discovery that one of our Jewish great uncles Arthur (Abraham) Jacobs -he had taken Arthur as his anglicised name- left in one of the ships in the first convoy. He survived Gallipoli and went on to fight in Europe where he was killed. We did not know about Abraham until recently or several other of my paternal grandfather's siblings who had escaped from Poland with their parents Jacob and Hannah ending up in Adelaide. My father's middle name is Arthur as are several of his male cousins
Another day we went on a tour of the old whaling station, situated on Cheyne's beach. This was closed in 1978 which was relatively late as they were able to hunt for sperm whales when hunting humpbacks was banned. Again a very interesting although also distressing tour with a preserved whaling boat, many of the original buildings, decks where they hauled in and processed the whales, and the round tanks where the whale oil was stored (now museums and theatres) still standing. It certainly wasn't a job for the fainthearted.
We also visited the wind farm One of the largest in Australia, the turbines sit atop the escarment along the Torndirrup Peninsula ( "up" by the way means "place of "and there are lots of towns with this on their end in WA). Albany is very windy - 51 out of 52 weeks and therefore why tthe wind farm supplies 80% of Albany's electricity. In this area we also went to the Gap which is a natural cleft in the rock chanelling surf through walls of granite. Another see through viewing platform. And the Natural Bridge, a granite formation which looks just like a giant rock bridge. It is formed by the gradual wearing away of the granite rock by the Great Southern Ocean. The power of wind and ocean- amazing! Albany has oysters too and there was a shop selling these local delights near our caravan park!! Also blue swimmer crab so we had a dinner with oysters to start and blue swimmer crab linguine to follow!!
From Albany we decided to go back to Bremer Bay about 2 hours east. Here you can take boat trips out to the continental shelf to see Orcas ( killer whales). It is the largest known congregation of Orca in the southern hemisphere and is the only place in Australia you can be guaranteed to meet these apex predators. Gathering every summer, over 150 Orca and other marine predators visit the Bremer Canyon to feed on an abundance of prey from January to March every year. Initially we had disounted doing this trip when leaving Esperance due to the awful weather, but with a couple of days looking like slightly better conditions decided to back track. Mind you this meant we missed the day of 5 plus metre swells and only had deal with 4 metre plus!! I followed the advice and took 2 sea sickness pills the night before and the morning of the tour. We went out on the research boat which was a slower but more stable boat than the only other choice -a catamaran. Also had some antivomiting wafers on hand!! Once past the headland the swell was huge and no matter where I tried sitting or standing out of the weather knew I would be sea sick. So I sat outside on a storage compartment at the back of the boat in my warm clothes and a sort of rain coat, all alone watching the huge swells coming at us and the boat going up, up and over. Not only raining but the spray come over the boat and onto the 2 decks which would then empty all over me as well. The staff did come and check on me often and Mark sat for a while outside under a deck watching me ( laughing) until he got sick of getting wet! About an hour and a half later we were in calmer waters some 75 nautical miles off shore. And there they were these magnificent sleek black and white killer whales!! We learnt how to distinguish males from females by their fins and to recognise the ones named by the researchers after their white colourings/patches. Everyone is different. So many and some babies - they loved coming around the boat, surfing in our wake and going under the boat. But they are predators and will gather if a group and sit at 1000 metres deep ( their maximum) waiting for a sperm whale to come up for air,they can go down to 2000 metres. When they try to surface the orcas stop them and wait for them to drown before they go in, skin them and eat them!!!!
However it was hours of excitement following them except for the many people who we soooo seasick!! I gave one poor woman one of my 2 wafers as nothing had worked for her including an injection the staff had given. Within 15 minutes her colour returned, she stopped vomiting and manged to have some fluid. Gotta love western medicine!! We had 2 nights in the one and only caravan park and were delighted to find they had an onsite taco van serving home made tortillas amongst other yummy things.
Then back past Albany and onto Denmark, known by the Minang Noongar people as Koorabup (place of the black swan) which was established to supply timber to the early goldfields. This was a surprisingly very nice and quite sophisticated town with a gourmet deli, 2 or 3 great cafes, butcher and bakery. The caravan park was again a way out of town but within walking distance to the beach and ocean. Denmark is still part of the Great Southern Wine area, so more wineries to visit- beautiful settings in the hinterland behind Denmark's coast line. There is also the popular Boston Brewery just out of town that is open for lunch and dinner- we had a great meal there and Mark fell in love with a dark ale called Jarrah Jack. Trying to be active to counter the drinking amd eating we decided to walk up to a look out known as the Nut. Just as we started a couple came down and told us yes it was a good walk but that they had seen a dugite snake on the narrow track. It is venomous and lives in logs or undergrowth ( plenty of that on the track), grows up to 2 meters but is timid!! Well that was enough to put me off but Mark was still keen. I made him walk in front so if there was a snake he would come across it first! No snake thank goodness. There are signposts on all walks and paths warning about snakes - I kept trying to remember what is the first aid for a snake bite!! The look out was nice but even better was finding a access road which we walked down away from logs and undergrowth!
Close to Denmark and on the way to Walpole is the area known as the Valley of the Giants- named after tall trees including red, yellow and Rate’s tingles (all types of eucalypt, or gum, trees). One of these tingle trees had a girth of 24 metres and people would drive their car into the hollow tree trunk for a photo opportunity (before the days of instagram). The trees have a very shallow root system and this particular tree was "loved to death" and fell down in 1990. This prompted the development of the Tree Top Walk, where a 600 metre long ramp rises up to 40 metres from the valley floor allowing access high into the canopy of the giant tingle trees. We then took a tour looking at the trees from the forest floor - it was the guide's first tour and she was very nervous and we didn't learn much more than what was written in the pamplet! But we graciously told her she did a good job! We the took the scenic route back to the highway up and down hills with towering gums including karri, marri and jarrah on either side.
Next stop Pemberton hidden deep in the karri forests. A small town which was full of surprises. Late in the afternoon after settling Arvi into the caravan park we went for a walk down the main street (not very long) we found a cafe which on Friday morphs into a tapas bar! It wasn't too early for a drink and in we went to find there was also going to be live music and the tapas menu looked great!! Several hours and several drinks later and after talking to the people sitting next to us (locals with lots of hints on what to do ) we wandered back to Arvi and bed!! Next day up bright and early to take the Pemberton Tramway. Built between 1929 and 1933, the tram route travels through lush karri and marri forests to Warren River. But it starts in the town travelling alongside peoples' houses and back yards and twice the boom gates were lowered to stop the traffic on local roads, including the main street!! The whole tram ride took about 2 hours deep into the forest, crossing several very old wooden rail bridges!! Initially the railway was used for the logging industry which was the main source of jobs and income for the townsfolk until about At the river we were able to get out and walk around the river and a small waterfall. The highlight was the driver whose commentary was really hilarious.
We also found near Pemberton Jarrah Jacks brewery where Mark could stock up on his new favoutite beer!!
From the forests to the coast- Augusta the most south westerly point in Australia. It is named after the Dutch ship that passed by in 1622. The Indian and Southern Oceans meet here and it is very wild and windy especially at the top of the lighthouse! Some 360 steps up a winding staircase and once on the top you can decide which ocean to gaze at - although the "breeeze" and the coolish climate means it is a short stay before walking down again. The lighthouse is now automated but the old buildings where the early lighthouse keepers and their families lived are still standing. Very isolated, terrible weather and night time work keeping the flame alight - who would apply for that job!
We motored on to Hamelin Bay whose main attraction ( and only one that I could see) was the stingrays which like to swim very close to shore, so close that they may actually brush you as they glide past. Silly tourists want to actually touch them - they obviously don't know about Steve Irwin!! While in the area we went on a guided tour of Jewell Cave- one of the many in this area. Quite spectacular with a huge number of stalactites and stalagmites in several chambers, along with examples of flowing mineral deposits such as ‘The Frozen Waterfall’ and ‘The Organ-pipes’.
Fossilised remains of several Tasmanian Tigers or 'Thylacines' have been discovered within Jewel Cave's chambers, safely preserved more than 3000 years after the unusual marsupial became extinct on mainland Australia. Mark found a large tarantula spider for me!!
Another scenic drive to Margaret River past many beautiful wineries which we purposely did not visit as we had 10 days coming up with Brother David and his wife Ginna who is a wine consultant to explore this area!! Sadly due to Covid 19 this did not occur - more on that later. We stayed in the caravan park nearest to the famous surf break and although we could walk there, for surfing expeditions it meant driving Arvi to the car park closer to the action! Finally some half decent weather and a wave for Mark - a bombe, short for bombora which is a big peaking wave breaking over a reef way out in the ocean!! Good one Markie!! And hoped the shark magnet bracelets work! Nice walks along the beaches and could have a dip in the clear water between some reefs which stretched to shore. Funnily enough while at the surf beach packing up Arvi, ran into Mark's sister in law and nephew - the former was vising from Newcastle. They drove past and recognised Arvi and then us!! Had a nice pub dinner in town with them.
After the excitement of Margaret River, we headed north towards Yallingup stopping on the way at Canal Rocks. Here there is a tidal wash pool surrounded by rocks and if you scamble over said rocks and into the pool, you can stand at a gap in the rocks between the ocean and the pool and wait for a big wave to wash over you!! Which we did!! A bit scary and at one stage I had to gather up a child pull him onto the rock I was sitting on seeking refuge as the waves were so huge!!!
We then motored on to Dunsborough where we met up with Daniel's Uncle Bernie, and Karen his partner. We stayed not too far from them and they kindly picked us up and took us to the the Caves hotel which is very famous in these parts. Mark remembers it being more of a pub and having a beer on the balcony when he travelled to WA for holiday work one year when at Uni. It is one of those "grand old dames" like the Peace hotel in Shanghai and very popular with locals and tourists alike. This night it was pouring with rain, there was a wedding and a 30th birthday and the large outdoor space could not be used!!! We were lucky enough to nab 2 sofa seats and ate our dinner on our laps!
By this stage we were due to fly home (mid March) and made the decision that we would stay home due to all the concerns re Covid19. Our children thought we could bunker down in remote WA for months where we would be safe but lonely and miserable and possibly starving! In this time of uncertainty we wanted to be home with our familiy close by - 2 of them very close living in our house!! Luckily Nick, Mark's nephew was agreeable to us leaving Arvi in his driveway for as long as we liked ( although it is now turning into a very long time) and Mark showed him how to drive Arvi and keep everything charged. We had time to explore the beaches near Nick's house and take his rather large Alsation dog for a walk!!
So here we are mid May and until recently our lives have been in two ISO bubbles - one here and the other at Lucy's (Amelia taken out of child care until a couple of weeks ago), Lucy still on maternity leave and and everyone else working from home. In a way there has been a silver lining to COVID 19 as we have been able to help Lucy with a busy 2 year old and baby Charlie who just doesn't like sleeping!! I tell him we are a sleepling family who like spicy food and snorkelling so he has has to enjoy all these favorite things things!! And we have gotten to know him and see him develop and love it when he smiles at us!! Amelia of course just adored Nannny and Papa visiting daily and entertaining her. Nanny not so keen on craft but baking is a good activity for an hour or so - she likes to eat the dough as I put press it into biscuit shapes in the baking pan! Amelia is now back at child care which she loves and Charlie is more settled so our visits are less, freeing us up to theorectially do chores around the house!!! Strange times for everyone. But so nice to be home and with our weather still warm enough for swimming, surfing and walking along the beach it really feels like paradise! One day we may be able to retrieve Arvi!!
From the forests to the coast- Augusta the most south westerly point in Australia. It is named after the Dutch ship that passed by in 1622. The Indian and Southern Oceans meet here and it is very wild and windy especially at the top of the lighthouse! Some 360 steps up a winding staircase and once on the top you can decide which ocean to gaze at - although the "breeeze" and the coolish climate means it is a short stay before walking down again. The lighthouse is now automated but the old buildings where the early lighthouse keepers and their families lived are still standing. Very isolated, terrible weather and night time work keeping the flame alight - who would apply for that job!
We motored on to Hamelin Bay whose main attraction ( and only one that I could see) was the stingrays which like to swim very close to shore, so close that they may actually brush you as they glide past. Silly tourists want to actually touch them - they obviously don't know about Steve Irwin!! While in the area we went on a guided tour of Jewell Cave- one of the many in this area. Quite spectacular with a huge number of stalactites and stalagmites in several chambers, along with examples of flowing mineral deposits such as ‘The Frozen Waterfall’ and ‘The Organ-pipes’.
Fossilised remains of several Tasmanian Tigers or 'Thylacines' have been discovered within Jewel Cave's chambers, safely preserved more than 3000 years after the unusual marsupial became extinct on mainland Australia. Mark found a large tarantula spider for me!!
Another scenic drive to Margaret River past many beautiful wineries which we purposely did not visit as we had 10 days coming up with Brother David and his wife Ginna who is a wine consultant to explore this area!! Sadly due to Covid 19 this did not occur - more on that later. We stayed in the caravan park nearest to the famous surf break and although we could walk there, for surfing expeditions it meant driving Arvi to the car park closer to the action! Finally some half decent weather and a wave for Mark - a bombe, short for bombora which is a big peaking wave breaking over a reef way out in the ocean!! Good one Markie!! And hoped the shark magnet bracelets work! Nice walks along the beaches and could have a dip in the clear water between some reefs which stretched to shore. Funnily enough while at the surf beach packing up Arvi, ran into Mark's sister in law and nephew - the former was vising from Newcastle. They drove past and recognised Arvi and then us!! Had a nice pub dinner in town with them.
After the excitement of Margaret River, we headed north towards Yallingup stopping on the way at Canal Rocks. Here there is a tidal wash pool surrounded by rocks and if you scamble over said rocks and into the pool, you can stand at a gap in the rocks between the ocean and the pool and wait for a big wave to wash over you!! Which we did!! A bit scary and at one stage I had to gather up a child pull him onto the rock I was sitting on seeking refuge as the waves were so huge!!!
We then motored on to Dunsborough where we met up with Daniel's Uncle Bernie, and Karen his partner. We stayed not too far from them and they kindly picked us up and took us to the the Caves hotel which is very famous in these parts. Mark remembers it being more of a pub and having a beer on the balcony when he travelled to WA for holiday work one year when at Uni. It is one of those "grand old dames" like the Peace hotel in Shanghai and very popular with locals and tourists alike. This night it was pouring with rain, there was a wedding and a 30th birthday and the large outdoor space could not be used!!! We were lucky enough to nab 2 sofa seats and ate our dinner on our laps!
By this stage we were due to fly home (mid March) and made the decision that we would stay home due to all the concerns re Covid19. Our children thought we could bunker down in remote WA for months where we would be safe but lonely and miserable and possibly starving! In this time of uncertainty we wanted to be home with our familiy close by - 2 of them very close living in our house!! Luckily Nick, Mark's nephew was agreeable to us leaving Arvi in his driveway for as long as we liked ( although it is now turning into a very long time) and Mark showed him how to drive Arvi and keep everything charged. We had time to explore the beaches near Nick's house and take his rather large Alsation dog for a walk!!
So here we are mid May and until recently our lives have been in two ISO bubbles - one here and the other at Lucy's (Amelia taken out of child care until a couple of weeks ago), Lucy still on maternity leave and and everyone else working from home. In a way there has been a silver lining to COVID 19 as we have been able to help Lucy with a busy 2 year old and baby Charlie who just doesn't like sleeping!! I tell him we are a sleepling family who like spicy food and snorkelling so he has has to enjoy all these favorite things things!! And we have gotten to know him and see him develop and love it when he smiles at us!! Amelia of course just adored Nannny and Papa visiting daily and entertaining her. Nanny not so keen on craft but baking is a good activity for an hour or so - she likes to eat the dough as I put press it into biscuit shapes in the baking pan! Amelia is now back at child care which she loves and Charlie is more settled so our visits are less, freeing us up to theorectially do chores around the house!!! Strange times for everyone. But so nice to be home and with our weather still warm enough for swimming, surfing and walking along the beach it really feels like paradise! One day we may be able to retrieve Arvi!!
