Day 60 - Torbay Inlet, WA 28 March, 2024
With four days of not much to do ahead of us, we didn't have any plans for the day.
After a leisurely start to the day I broke out the fishing rod and wandered down to the inlet to try my luck. I didn't have any actual fish bait so I used a mixture of cooked chicken raw beef and corn kernels. I had a few bites, but no fish. After a while I got snagged on the remains of the old bridge, or wooden structure, so I gave it up.
Later in the morning I felt the need for some exercise and I walked out to the where the inlet meets the sea, or sometimes meets the sea. The inlet was currently closed to the sea by a sandbar about 50 metres wide.
I had to walk through shallow water to get there so I knew the water would be far too cold for swimming. A couple of 4-wheel drives were playing around on the sand dunes on the other side of the inlet.
After more relaxing and lunch, I was getting fidgety again, so I took myself off for a walk in the other direction this time. After a short distance back along the road we came in on, a sand track went off and carried on out to another point further up the inlet.
I was hoping there would be good access to the inlet for another potential fishing spot, however there was no beach and not really anywhere you could throw a line in. It was a pretty little spot all the same.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and catching up on all things internetty.
Day 61 - Torbay Inlet, WA 29 March, 2024
Our campsite at the inlet campground was partially shaded and the solar panels weren’t getting enough sunlight to keep up with our power usage, so we had no choice but to go for a drive today to recharge the batteries.
We drove towards Denmark, but first turned off onto the side road into Shelley Beach to check out the lookout above the beach. Driving into fog, we were expecting that the view may not be great. The road was mostly unsealed and in average condition, but we were in no hurry to get anywhere. Part-way up the road we had to stop at a ranger station to show our WA NP pass, and the people manning the station said that the road into Shelley Beach was corrugated, and it certainly was, however it was only a short distance to the lookout.
The views down to Shelley Beach and out to sea were stunning, and we also got some pictures of the fog in the distance that hadn’t completely lifted by then. We were tossing up whether to drive down to the beach itself for a walk along the beautiful white sand, but from our vantage point high above the beach we could see that it was heaving with vehicles and people down there, so decided against that idea.
Back out on the road we pottered into Denmark, where the first stop was the information centre, which was closed being Easter Friday, to visit the dump point and fill up with fresh water. While doing that we caught smells of pastry wafting in the air and considered getting a pie for lunch, but it was still too early, so we drove south out of town towards Ocean Beach.
The closer we got to Ocean Beach the thicker the holidaymakers became, to the extent that the first lookout we came to was inaccessible because of the large number of vehicles partially blocking the one-way road into the lookout. Carrying on along the road we pulled into the Lions Lookout, which was also busy, where we were treated to spectacular views of Ocean Beach.
We then carried on to the end of the road to Wilson Point, where another lookout provided views south out to sea with the waves crashing on the headland rocks. I put the drone up briefly to capture the great scenery.
Back in Denmark, it was pie time! The Denmark bakery has won dozens of awards for their products over a long period of time, so expectations were high. I was disappointed that my first choice of a seafood chowder was unavailable, and that I had to go with my old favourite, a pepper pie. They were good pies though, but maybe not the best we’ve ever had.
On the way out of Denmark we took the tourist drive to Inlet Point, then headed on back to Torbay Inlet Campground, where we relaxed for the rest of the day.
Sadly, though, the good internet coverage we’d been experiencing there had disappeared while we were gone, limiting our normal range of activities.
Day 62 - Torbay Inlet, WA 30 March, 2024
Our third day of trying to avoid the school holiday making crowds wasn’t really working out.
Our campsite was reasonably quiet for the first two nights, but by the end of yesterday, Good Friday, there were no vacancies and the place was heaving, putting a lot of pressure on the single toilet that was available to everyone there.
With not much else to do we set out in the morning to have a walk along the inlet to where the inlet meets the sea, or had at some point in the past.
The sandy track ran parallel with the inlet, but separated from it by dunes and bush, so we couldn’t see the inlet until we came to the end of the track, about a kilometre from the camp. When we caught our first glimpse of the inlet, we were also surprised by dozens of 4WDs, people and dogs scattered all around the edge of the inlet and the ocean waterfront.
We had to walk through the shallow water of the inlet for the last couple of hundred metres to get to the beach proper. We wandered over to the beach took some pic’s and put the drone up to take a video to show the sandbar between the ocean and the inlet.
Not wanting to walk any further along the thick, soft sand away from camp, we wandered back the way we’d come to our campsite.
The internet was still frustratingly absent, which meant entertaining ourselves by other means for the rest of the day.
Later in the afternoon I tried my hand at fishing again in the inlet. I had a few bites, but no fish once again and, more embarrassingly, some kids next to me were pulling out small fish with every second cast!
Day 63 - Torbay Inlet, WA 31 March, 2024
Once more we didn't have any plans for our last day at the inlet campground, but we did consider a bike ride towards Cosy Corner, a few kilometres west of our camp, just for something to do.
However, the day dawned cool and windy which forced us to stay inside for most of the day.
One bonus though was that the fickle internet had decided to return, giving a few more options for entertaining us.
I got fidgety late morning, and the sun had come out, so I went out on the bike further around the coast to the Kennedy Camp, where the road ended and a walk on a short track came out onto the beach not far from Cosy Corner. It was quite windy so I didn't hang around too long before returning to camp.
During the afternoon we started doing whatever packing up we could in preparation for our departure from the camp the next day, and I tried once more, unsuccessfully, to catch a fish from the inlet.
Day 64 - Torbay Inlet - Rushcutters Vineyard, Denmark, WA 01 April, 2024
This morning was our last morning at Torbay Inlet, so it was pack up time before driving the now-familiar road back into Denmark to do some chores, before carrying on with the rest of our day.
We did some shopping first, then sorted the toilet and fresh water at the information centre. Killing a bit of time before some shops opened at 10:00 A.M. we wandered around looking at some street art for a while.
With all the jobs done, and a wait until our lunch appointment at 11:00 A.M. we drove part of the scenic route out of Denmark to the Harewood State Forest where we did a short walk in the forest, amongst towering Karri trees that had been planted after logging stopped, because all the trees had been cut down, in the early 1900s.
After a quick change into more suitable attire, we drove the few kilometres to the Lake House Winery for wine tasting and lunch. The wine tasting consisted of three whites and three reds. We really liked their Riesling but, at $45 per bottle, decided we didn’t like it that much. Of the reds we liked the Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon more than the Pinot Noir.
Then it was time for lunch which was a stupendous platter overflowing with meats, cheeses, olives, chutneys, pickles, bread, biscuits and lots of other yummy stuff. Despite the huge amount of food in the platter we managed to polish it all off, before we were offered the dessert that was part of the package we'd paid. That was a step too far, but thankfully they put the dessert into a box for us to enjoy later in the day.
Not having enough energy left to do anything else, we went to our camping place for the night, the nearby Rushcutters on McLeod Vineyard that offers cheap campsites for self-contained RVs.
The majority of the campsite area was on a hill, but we managed to find a site that wasn't too angled and got as level as we could with the ramps.
With the food coma fully kicked in by then, we couldn't manage anything apart from relaxing for the rest of the day.
Day 65 - Rushcutters Vineyard, Denmark, WA 02 April, 2024
This was going to be another restful day, with nothing to do around the area without packing up and driving, so we just enjoyed the peaceful surrounds during a cool day, that wasn't inviting enough to tempt us outside much.
After brekky we went for a walk alongside the vineyards, out to the road we'd come in on, watching a neighbouring farmer feed out hay to a large flock of Merino sheep and trying to identify the honeyeater birds squawking in the trees above us.
The cold wind kept us inside for the morning, catching up with bits and pieces that life on the road hadn't allowed us to keep up with.
We ventured outside in the afternoon, but the cool wind was too unpleasant to be out there too long, which was unfortunate because the vineyards and rolling farmland provided great views from our campsite.
Day 66 - Rushcutters Vineyard - Nornalup, WA 03 April, 2024
While we didn't have far to drive for the day, we had a few touristy things planned that would keep us busy for most of the day.
First up was a drive up to the Mt Shadforth Lookout, which wasn't very impressive and we could've saved ourselves that drive.
Next up we drove back down to the coast, first to Greens Pool, where we walked out on to the beach then over the large rocks to Elephant Rocks. We were surprised to see quite a few people swimming laps in the sheltered water around the rocks, assuming that they were locals out for their daily swim Greens Pool was quite nice, but we'd seen so many beaches by that time, that they were all starting to look alike.
Elephant Rocks was more interesting, with its large rock formations, but we were unable to see the resemblance to anything elephantine. After checking out the rocks at sea level we walked up to the Elephant Rocks Lookout, to view the rocks from a height, but still couldn't see any elephants (wrong drugs obviously!).
While we were there we drove around a couple of other lookouts, Waterfall Beach and Madfish Bay, however they weren't particularly remarkable.
Our next planned stop was the Valley of the Giants but on the way there we passed the Denmark Good Food Factory, which was a bit quirky and had lots of yummy food. It was mostly contained in one building, but sold different offerings including toffee made inhouse, ice cream, cider, gin and many other products like jerky, sauces and relishes.
We explored the toffee section first, which included tastings of several toffees, chilli peanuts and chilli jerky. They were all so good we bought a mixed bag of toffees and chilli peanuts.
Although it was only about 10:30 A.M., we thought what the hell and signed up for the cider-tasting paddle that had four different ciders to try. We were warned that their ciders are dry, and not sweet at all, and they were right. The ciders were ok, but a little too dry for our tastes, so we didn't buy any.
As well as the toffee and peanuts mixed bag we also bought some chilli jerky and a jar of pickled garlic. Yummy!
With that unscheduled stop out of the way, it was on to the Valley of the Giants to do the Tree Top Walk and the Ancient Empire walk. After paying what we thought was a reasonable $15 each (with the 'old fart concession'), we started out on the Tree Top Walk. It's hard to find words to describe how majestic these wonderful trees are, some up to 400 years old.
The most majestic are the Red Tingle trees, that tower over most other trees, except perhaps some of the older Karri trees. The Red Tingle trees can be up to 20 metres circumference and are not found anywhere else on Earth. Many of the trees, that have large buttressed trunks, have large hollows near the base where insects and fire have opened up the trunks so that there is nothing in the middle of the base of the tree, just parts of trunk on each side. Apart from the Tingle and Karri trees, there were also many Karri She-Oaks, and other varieties that we couldn't identify.
Back down at ground level we wandered slowly around the Ancient Empire walk, marvelling at the giant Tingle trees and their hollowed-out buttresses, some of which we were able to walk through.
With all our touristy stuff done for the day, we drove a few kilometres to our campground for the night at the Valley of the Giants Eco Park in nearby Nornalup.
After setting up, having a late lunch, doing some laundry and having well-needed showers, we took the opportunity to chill for what was left of the day.
Day 67 - Nornalup - Mt Frankland NP, WA 04 April, 2024
The first job for the day was to visit a dump point, which meant driving out of our way to Peaceful Bay, the nearest point since the Walpole dump point was closed due to misuse.
We drove over now familiar roads to the lovely little seaside town of Peaceful Bay, did our business then carried on towards Walpole. On the way there we diverted off the main road to check out the Giant Tingle Tree.
From the carpark there was a nice, easy 1 kilometre walk through forest similar to that we’d seen the day before in the Valley of the Giants, but there was nobody else there to spoil the experience, unlike the hordes of school holidaymakers at Valley of the Giants. The Tingle and Karri trees were enormous, and we had the bonus of an escort of small wrens and other birds along the way, because of the lack of other people.
The Giant Tingle Tree was certainly very impressive, with a huge hollowed section from the ground up to the first 6 or 7 metres of its 25-metre circumference trunk. We were amazed that it was still standing, given that they have a very shallow root system, and only a small amount of trunk on either side of the hollow was touching the ground.
From there we took the scenic route into Walpole around Knoll drive, passing some very pretty inlets and bays.
In Walpole, we filled up with fresh water, visited the information centre and went to the Dept. of Biodiversity, Conservation, Parks and Wildlife Service to get a camping permit for the next two nights in Mt Frankland National Park.
Although it was still a little early, we went to the Walpole Tavern, had a drink to kill some time, then had lunch before heading out of town.
A short distance out of Walpole, on our way to Mt Frankland, we stopped at the Walpole Wilderness Discovery art installation at Swarbrick. The installation is a short loop walk that celebrates the efforts of many people, over decades, to establish the first wilderness area in WA. The artworks were a bit left-field for us, but obviously meant something to the creators, and it was a pleasant walk anyway through more mature forest.
Before heading to our camp for the night, we continued on to Mt Frankland, about 20 km past our campsite, on mostly badly corrugated roads. At Mt Frankland we did the short 200 metre to the wilderness lookout, which afforded great views of part of the wilderness area. There were some other, longer, walks we could have done, but we were all touristed out by then and, knowing it would take a while on the bad roads, headed to the Fernhook Falls campsite in Mt Frankland NP.
There were about a dozen generous-sized campsites set amongst large trees and, driving around to find the best site, we discovered that we were the only ones there – yahoo!
We got set up and sat outside relaxing enjoying the total silence apart from the sounds of the insects and birds in the background – bliss after the heavily populated areas we’d experienced recently. We’d finally gotten away from the great unwashed!
We were aware before going to Fernhook Falls that there would be no internet, which allowed us to concentrate on enjoying our beautiful surrounds. Late in the afternoon birds came in to feed above us, most likely parrots but we couldn’t quite see them, dropping large half-eaten nuts on us from the Karri She-Oak trees around our site.
We were disappointed in the early evening when another vehicle came in for the night, spoiling our solitude. Another vehicle also arrived later in the evening, but stayed far enough away from us to not bother us.
After dinner we sat outside for ages marvelling at the southern sky, which produced more stars the longer we gazed at it.
Day 68 - Mt Frankland NP, WA 05 April, 2024
Today was all about keeping away from the hordes of holidaymakers as much as possible, and this seemed to be a perfect spot for that.
We did the one short walk around the campsite in the morning, to Rowell’s Pool and Fernhook Falls, however there wasn’t enough water for the falls to be flowing.
Back at our site we made the most of our solitude and relaxed for the rest of the day.
After lunch I took the drone back to Rowell’s Pool for some practice and to capture the photogenic body of water from the air.
Day 69 - Mt Frankland NP - Pemberton, WA 06 April, 2024
Our mission today was to drive around 150 km, end up around the Northcliffe/Pemberton area, and see what there was to see on the way.
Apart from a couple of brief stops to take photos of Mata among the tall trees on the way out to the North Walpole Road, our first real stop was at the Big Tree Grove near Shannon, where there was a 300-year old Karri Tree that was 85 metres tall, towering over many other large trees in the grove.
Our next stop was in Northcliffe, first to the dump point (it's always good to get the smelly stuff out of the way first!), then to the bakery for lunch.
After lunch we visited the information centre where there is the excellent Understory Art & Nature Trail. The trail contains many art installations that tell the story of the local area, from indigenous history and culture, through to geology, flora and fauna and the people. The most striking of these art forms is the "Rising From the Ashes" series of sculptures of local people who were affected were by the catastrophic bush fires of 2015.
They were produced from charcoal and affixed into the burnt areas of trees, acknowledging
the trauma and loss associated with the fires. Each person represented was directly impacted by the fires. Overall, this would be one of the best art trails we've seen so far.
To end the days adventures, we drove another 30 km to Pemberton, where we checked into the caravan park for the night, mostly because we needed showers.
Once all the chores were done we made the most of the internet to catch up on stuff we'd missed out on for the previous couple of days.
While sitting outside in the 30 degree temperatures doing our thing, we had tiny wrens flitting around us, under our chairs and table, that have a fairly bland body colour, but have the brightest blue tail that sticks up vertically.
When checking in to the campground we bought some bird seed, hoping to see some local parrots, but the only birds that came around were ducks, and they pooped everywhere!.
Day 70 - Pemberton - Bridgetown, WA 07 April, 2024
We had a very short driving day today of only about 75 km, so we were in no hurry and took our time to leave camp.
On the way out of town, we drove past the tramways museum that had some trams located outside beside the road.
The first town we came to on our journey was Manjimup, where we stopped at the Mitre 10 to fill up an empty gas bottle, then had a look at some street art sculptures, before moving along.
A little way out of Manjimup we stopped off to see the King Jarrah tree, that had been saved from tree fellers in the early 1900s. The tree is estimated to be 500 years old, and is 45 metres tall and 2.7 metres in diameter.
Next up was our final destination for the day, Bridgetown. We went to the visitor information centre first, hoping to get a map of the heritage walking trail around the town, but the only books they had were a shiny A5-sized book that cost $3, which was way over the top for what we needed.
We winged it and wandered around the town looking at some of the heritage buildings, some dating back as far as the 1840s.
By then it was lunchtime and we just happened to be passing the Bridgetown Hotel, so there was no denying that was serendipitous!
After a nice lunch and drink we drove a short distance outside town to our camp for the next two nights, at The Olivers at Bridgetown, which was just an empty paddock at the bottom of someone's rural property, and only cost $10 per night. Another two nights closer to the end of the school holidays!
Although outside town, we had good internet to catch up on our socials and relax for the rest of the day.
We managed to stay outside most of the afternoon, and planned to stay out to do some more star gazing, but the cold wind drove us inside after dinner.
Day 71 - Bridgetown, WA 08 April, 2024
We woke to a cool morning that didn't inspire us to get up and moving at our usual early time.
There was a cold wind blowing, and the forecast included a strong wind warning for the rest of the day.
While waiting for the temperature to rise, we got the e-bikes down and dusted them off ready for an expedition into Bridgetown. We eventually decided that we'd just have to man up and get on the bikes, as the temperature wasn't going to improve much.
Leaving our campsite, there was a steep hill that the bikes struggled to get up, even on the maximum power setting, so we were considering our decision to go for a ride in this area.
Out on the next road, it was even more steep, giving us a good workout to keep the pedals moving to get to the top. From there it was mostly downhill, all the way across the bridge and down to the riverside path alongside the Blackwood River. Heading in one direction, we passed under the bridge and rode as far as we could before the path turned to coarse gravel that wasn't suitable for our small-wheeled bikes. Heading back in the other direction we stopped to read about the Old Rectory that had been built nearby in the early 1900s so that the town could have an Anglican minister.
The ride along the tree-flanked river was pleasant and mostly flat until it turned more into a sometimes steep walking trail that was more difficult to ride because of the loose surface. After deciding not to go into town, we carried on the trail that brought us back out onto the very steep hill road we'd ridden up early in our ride, and brought us out very close to our campsite.
That was all we had planned for the day, and the rest of the day was spent pottering with bits and pieces and relaxing.
Day 72 - Bridgetown, WA 09 April, 2024
After a couple of quiet days at The Olivers Campground, it was time to move on, but not very far.
Once packed up, we drove away from Bridgetown to the Wandoo State Forest for a morning walk and some fresh air, both of which had been lacking in the last couple of days.
The road into the forest was very narrow, scraping the sides of Mata in many places, and we were thankful no vehicles came from the opposite direction because there was nowhere to go to pass.
The walk through the forest was pleasant enough, but nowhere near as spectacular as we'd experienced in the last couple of weeks. The Marri, Jarrah and Wandoo trees weren't as mature as we'd been seeing recently, because it was an area that had been cleared then replanted decades ago. The highlight of the walk was a pair of Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos feeding in a tree above us, and not bothered enough by us to fly away.
Then it was back into Bridgetown where we parked up in a free 24-hour RV parking area, a short walk from the main street. The first chore was a visit to the supermarket to restock supplies, which had dwindled down to a worrying level.
It was still early, so we took a walk around the town's street art trail, which took us from one end of the main street to the other, and killed some time until lunch.
A quick stop at the bakery solved the lunch issue, which we took back to Mata to eat.
After some minor chores and showers onboard, we chilled for the rest of the day.
Day 73 - Bridgetown - Jayes Bridge, Mayanup, WA 10 April, 2024
This was our last day in Bridgetown, but we couldn't leave straight away because I was waiting on the pharmacy to get some medication delivered that I needed by Friday.
To kill some time Meg got a haircut, then we had coffee and a sticky bun at the Mulberry Tree Cafe. With nothing else to do but wait, we sat in Mata for a while until it was time to go to the pharmacy.
By the time we left town it was close to lunchtime, so we stopped in at The Cidery, just outside town, for cider tasting and lunch. We had 6 different ciders to taste while waiting on lunch, which was a squid and salmon platter. The ciders were all good, but Meg's favourite was the pear cider and mine was the ginger cider. Lunch was very tasty too, and not too much that we felt uncomfortable.
Saying goodbye to Bridgetown we headed out to Boyup Brook next and stopped at a classic car museum that I wanted to see. Boyup Brook Classic Cars is the personal collection of Bert and Angie Hayes, and Bert himself escorted us around the museum, telling us about the cars and other exhibits that he'd been collecting for 50 years. For a personal collection, it was very impressive, even more so knowing that every one of the cars is in running order and are taken out regularly by Bert and a team of volunteers.
Then it was a short drive to Jayes Bridge near Mayanup for a single night free camp beside the Blackwood River.
We sat relaxing beside the river in peaceful surroundings for the afternoon, apart from a wander around the campground to read the information boards about the local flora, fauna and history.
Day 74 - Jayes Bridge - Sues Bridge, Blackwood NP, Schroeder, WA 11 April, 2024
We woke to another coolish morning today, which didn’t inspire us to get up early.
Once we got moving, we drove through scenic countryside to Greenbushes, where we went up to the Greenbushes Mine Lookout, that gave us a commanding view of the enormous mine site, that started life as a tin mine in the late 1880s, and is now a lithium mine. There was a really cool breeze blowing up there so we didn’t hang around too long after reading the information boards.
A little way further along the road we stopped at another small town, Balingup, that seems to have an obsession with scarecrows. Dozens of them line the main drag and adorn the fronts of houses and businesses. We had a short walk along the main street to admire some of them, and to take a look at what else the town had to offer, which seemed to be mainly eating establishments and arts and crafts and second-hand shops.
Crossing off one more “up” town, we moved on to the next one, this time Nannup. Along the way we pulled into an accommodation place that was advertising fresh eggs for sale to buy half a dozen, that we weren’t able to buy in Bridgetown.
Parking up in the main street of Nannup we strolled to the bakery to buy some lunch, then went to the Lions Park to eat it and take a look at some old historical logging machinery. After availing ourselves of their dump point and fresh water in the park, it was back on the road for the last time for the day, to Sue’s Bridge in the Blackwood River NP.
We found a great campsite, not too far from the amenities, and not close to any other campers, and got setup for a two-night stay.
We knew from reviews of the campground that there was no mobile coverage, so there would be no online activities for the next couple of days.
We were supposed to phone a number to pay for the site by credit card, but with no phone coverage that wasn’t possible. We thought there might be some coverage out on the road we came in on, so we broke out the e-bikes, rode out to the main road, only to find there still wasn’t any coverage.
We spent the rest of the day enjoying our peaceful bush surrounds, watching the little birds flit around us while feeding.
Day 75 - Sues Bridge - Blackwood NP, Schroeder, WA 12 April, 2024
The morning was quite cold but, despite that, I got up a bit earlier than normal, grabbed the fishing rod and headed the short distance down to the river to catch some fish for breakfast.
I didn't really appreciate how cold it was until I was standing on the river bank in the early dawn light with no sun yet helping to warm me up.
Luckily we weren't actually relying on the catching of a fish to avoid starvation, because I didn't see any sign at all of any fish, apart from some tiny tadpole-size fish that followed the bait every time I reeled it in.
Once the sun came out we walked along the riverbank as far as the path went, which turns out wasn't very far at all, then walked back to camp, jumped on the e-bikes and rode around to the day use area, which it turns out wasn't very far at all.
Apart from another attempt at fishing after lunch, we made the most of our natural surroundings, once again sitting quietly outside watching the tiny birds move around and under our chairs, as well as the much larger Currawongs that came around looking for a food handout.
Day 76 - Sues Bridge - Molloy Island, Kudardup, WA 13 April, 2024
We had planned a very short driving day today of only 50 km.
The only activity on our schedule for the day was a tour of the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, not far from our intended destination of the Molloy Island Campground, a little way outside Augusta.
By the time we got to Cape Leeuwin, it was still quite cold, with a cool breeze blowing, as you would expect in that location, where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. We rugged up, paid for the short self-guided tour, then braved the wind to walk up to the lighthouse, reading the information boards along the way.
The view was certainly spectacular up at the lighthouse, around the coast to the east and out into the Indian Ocean. We didn't pay to go into the lighthouse, so contented ourselves with checking out all the information boards around it. One such place, down from the lighthouse looking over some rocks, there was information on where exactly the two bodies of water meet. While trying to figure where that point was, Meg spotted a large pod of dolphins cruising past the coast, heading north.
Next up we went through the Assistant Lighthouse Keeper's house, which had been turned into a museum of the history of the lighthouse, which was constructed in 1895, from local limestone. The displays that focused on the people who lived at the cape were particularly interesting.
We had timed our visit perfectly in that it was morning tea time when we were finished, so it was into the cafe for Devonshire Tea, complete with scones, jam and cream.
With nothing else planned we drove back through Augusta, via the dump point, then back out the road we'd driven in on, turning off to Molloy Island.
At the Molloy Island Campground we checked into a powered site for one night, go setup and had a short wander around our riverfront campsite checking out the best fishing spots for later in the day.
Driving in to our site, and while setting up we were pleased to see Kangaroos hanging out in the shade and parrots sitting around on poles and in the trees.
Once we'd caught up on all the boring chores I bought some bait from the camp shop, grabbed a beer and sat beside the river for a while, enjoying the beautiful scenery, trying to catch some elusive fish. Once again I went home empty-handed, but much more relaxed.
Day 77 - Molloy Island, Kudardup - Rosa Glen, Margaret River, WA 14 April, 2024
We woke to another cool morning that kept us in bed longer than normal, and when we got up there was fog along part of the river, making for a picture perfect scene.
Today was going to be another short driving day, of only around 70 km, with the first stop being Hamelin Bay, then carrying on to Margaret River.
We took the slightly longer scenic drive to Hamelin Bay, enjoying the tree-lined roads along the way.
When you have travelled around so many spectacular coastal locations, as we had on this trip, you can become a bit blasé about seeing any more. That attitude soon disappeared with our first sight of Hamelin Bay. The colour of the crystal clear water was an amazing green in the shallower water, and a deeper blue further out, with beds of kelp visible everywhere. Some anchored boats and outlying islands provided a perfect backdrop for the spectacular horseshoe-shaped bay, that stretched for what seemed like kilometres from our vantage point.
We did the easy walk up to the lookout area first, that gave us a better look at both sides of the bay and out to sea.
Back down on the beach we walked along the water's edge, centimetres from huge stingrays that were cruising slowly along the beach. Some people got close enough to touch them, which didn't seem to bother them at all. A few people were in the water capturing the rays on waterproof cameras, most in some form of wetsuit because of the cold water.
After a beautiful stroll along to one end of the beach, then back, we carried on our way into Margaret River. Unfortunately, we hadn't done our homework thoroughly enough, and didn't realise it was the week of the Margaret River Pro surfing championship. The place was heaving!
At the information centre we tried to book a half-day wine tasting tour for the afternoon, but there was no availability for the day. Onto plan B, we tried to book into a campground that we'd decided on the day before, but the result there was the same, no availability.
Unsure what to do, we were thinking about just going to one winery for lunch the following day, if we could find somewhere to stay the night.
Stocking up with some supplies, we told the shop assistant about our plight, and he recommended a campground not too far out of town, which we called and booked into for a night.
After a quick bakery lunch we drove out to the Big Valley Campsite at Rosa Glen, about 12 km out of Margaret River. When checking in we asked about wine tours and in no time flat we were booked on a full-day tour the next day, that picked up guests at the campground, and so we had to check into the camp for two nights.
The campground was a much better option than the MR camps would have been and we were pleased for the recommendation. It even had resident brightly-coloured roosters and sheep and emu feeding every afternoon.
Although there were plentiful trees around, our campsite was in full sun, which wasn't entirely ideal as it was quite a hot day.
We had plenty of chill time for the rest of the day, watching the abundance of birdlife including Ringneck Parrots and Western Rosellas.
Day 78 - Rosa Glen, Margaret River, WA 15 April, 2024
Today was all about wine, beer, spirits, liqueurs, chocolate and nougat!
We were picked up the Cheers Winery Tours minibus about 10:30 A.M. and set out for our first destination, Brown Hill Estate Winery. An older couple who were also staying at the campground boarded with us, and there was already another two ladies already aboard who were travelling together. We were all Queenslanders.
Our tour guide for the day was Lawrence, a retired professor of management, who was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the Margaret River wine industry, about wine in general and the differences between French and Australian wines, and who also had very strong opinions on bad wine and bad chocolate.
Brown Hill is an independent family-owned business where everything from growing grapes, harvesting, crushing and making the different varieties of wine is done on-site. The parents of the couple who run the business now started growing grapes in the 1990s.
Inside the large shed at Brown Hill the wife of the winemaker (the husband and wife owners) took us through a very thorough tasting session that included white, rose and red wines, explaining how the different varieties are produced from different grapes, different vine locations and different methods of crushing, winemaking and storage. I even enjoyed some of the white wines, particularly a Semillon, which we had only encountered before mixed with Sauvignon Blanc.
Next up was another winery, this time Jarvis Estate Winery, where a Swedish gentleman by the name of Ulf, one of only three people who produce all the wines on the estate, took us through another tasting session of white and red wines. Jarvis Estate is another small family-owned and operated winery and the wines were excellent. I particularly enjoyed a wine I hadn't come across before, a Cabernet Franc, that was way smoother than other Cabernet or Shiraz wines. We liked their wines so much that we bought a selection of three bottles, and also a bottle of Limoncello.
It was lunchtime by then, so it was off to the CB CO Brewery where our small group sat outside enjoying the beautiful, warm, wind-free day to eat our lunch, accompanied by an inhouse cider. The brewery also had a lake where you could go with a bucket of golf balls and an iron, and hit balls into the lake, aiming for various targets scattered around the lake. Myself and the other man on the tour, an ex golfer, shared a bucket of balls. I was a bit rusty at first but soon got into the swing of it (no pun intended), hitting the ball most of the way across the lake.
With lunch out of the way, our next stop was Bettenays Winery & Nougat, for yet another tasting session. This winery had started out only producing wine, but morphed into nougat production at some point, and I think that extra focus showed in their wines, which none of us really liked. They did have a couple of liqueurs though, a honey almond and a coffee almond liqueur that weren't too bad.
The Margaret River Chocolate Company was next up, where we just wandered around briefly looking at their wares, which we thought were too expensive to buy anything.
Our last stop for the day was The Grove Distillery, who make a huge range of beers, spirits and liqueurs, all onsite. I had a beer-tasting paddle of two beers, a stout and a hard lemonade, all very good, while Meg had a rum-based cocktail, that she also enjoyed.
With no more room left for any more food or drinks, it was back to camp to recover from the food/drink coma.
Comments