Arrived in Albany to rain!! First grey and cool afternoon we have had whilst being on the road and it came as a bit of a shock however it didn’t last long and the next day we took a drive to the National park to view the famous coastal blow holes, natural bridge and gap. We stopped for lunch at the oldest hotel in WA before a long walk along the beach to Emu point, recently voted the cleanest beach in WA.
We then headed to Pemberton and the famous wine regions via Denmark and Walpole where we stopped to walk in the ‘Tree Tops’ of the huge Karri and Tingle trees, some reaching 60m in height and 12 metres round. A walking suspension bridge passed through the tree tops (40m at the highest point) for amazing views of the tree canopy and forest floor. We stopped at Northcliffe for lunch where we clocked up 10,000km and decided to continue through Pemberton to Hamelin Bay and our first view of the Indian Ocean and sunsets over water.
Hamelin Bay provided yet another spectacular beach with the campground right on the beach under the shade of the gum trees. The old wooden jetty now provides a home to numerous types of ray and you could walk into the water and watch them swim next to you and feed them.
Our first morning we drove down to Augusta to view the Cape Llewin Lighthouse which marks the spot where the Southern ocean meets the Indian Ocean before Daisy and Tom visited the ‘Jewel Cave’ (one of many in the region) 40m underground and 500 steps to view amazing stalactites and stalagmites and many formations. Back on the beach we saw dolphins swimming 10m away from us and later returned with the girls to watch the sunset with a few cold drinks! One of our favourite places so far!
Next day we took a short drive up the coast to Margaret River, staying near the river mouth at Prevelly Beach, via a 14km off road track through Karri forest. These trees truly are magnificent giants!!! The afternoon was spent collecting cowrie shells on the beach and the girls trying to catch a fish in the many rockpools. The area suffered a bush fire before Christmas with over 40 houses destroyed.
We headed for Freemantle in Perth via Canal Rocks, Yallingup, Bussleton and Bunbury before we stumbled across a great lunch stop on the beach. The girls seem to be enjoying painting all the shells they collect and playing with them in made up ‘dens’ and continue to adapt to travelling on the road without any issue. In Freemantle we visited the old Goal, Cottesloe beach to the north and stocked up with fresh food from the many markets before booking out day to Rottnest Island.
We took the fast ferry to ‘Rotto’ the next morning and hired some bikes to explore the island. Holly had the luxury off sitting behind Tom whilst Daisy had her own bike with stabilisers. In the 38 degree heat she managed so well and must have covered a good distance via crystal clear beaches and of course past the famous Quokas which can only be described as a cross between a large rat and a small kangaroo. We cooled off in the water as we needed to and returned on the ferry, after a well-earned drink; a great day out!
We then headed to North Perth visiting friends who live at Claremont on the swan river and took a stroll down for a paddle in the River. The amazing pool and spa at the caravan park was most welcome as Perth continued to experience its hottest summer on record. Total fire bans are in place and no agricultural was to be operated in some regions due to risk of starting a bush fire.
We couldn’t visit Perth without a visit to the botanical gardens with its great views over the city and river but as the temperature touched 40 degree we headed back to the pool. Tom went for a final check up and got the all clear and whilst dealing with maintenance we took the 4wd in for a service and oil change before we set up north along the coral coast towards Broome and eventually the Northern Territory!
06.03.12
