January 2023
We spent all of December 2022 back on the east coast. It was time to reconnect with family and friends and get a real feel for whether we wanted to return to Wollongong long term. It was wonderful to see everyone. My Dad has been quite unwell so I spent as much time with the family as possible. It is so difficult watching a parent with ailing health and even more difficult when it appears the medical system just is not working to improve his well-being (but we are getting there).
We had the whole month of January to explore Margaret River and with its beaches, wineries, mountain bike trails, cafes, bush walks and natural beauty it did not disappoint. We spent more time in this area than most travelling families as it is 'expensive' and only ~150km from north to south so we did it well.
We flew back to Western Australia with our niece Sophie who was spending the rest of the school holidays with us. Firstly, we spent a night in Fremantle in a cute little chalet to belatedly celebrate Sophie's 18th birthday. Mali decided that chalet should be pronounced exactly as it is written - 'Chal' 'et' - so now we see Chalet signs everywhere. We visited the Little Creatures Brewery where we bumped into our old neighbours, Tom and Rach, from Yardie Homestead in Exmouth. The next day we explored the city including the Fremantle Markets and a visit to the Maritime Museum.
We spent a few days back in Donnybrook, with Margaret and Phil, as we had some major power issues in the caravan. Craig had spent some time trying to find the problem before we left for the east coast and hoped a new circuit breaker would do the trick but it didn't. So after another day of trouble shooting, and plenty of swearing and frustration for Craig, we found an electrician and they both narrowed down the fault to the single electric hob on the stove. It is now disconnected leaving us, frustratingly, with only 2 functioning hobs (the 2nd one that is out of action is due to the major fault found in these 'swift' ovens - causing a few vans to catch on fire. We are still waiting for the outcome).
As usual, it was not what we expected. Margaret River town itself is slightly inland and located on the banks of the Margaret River. Everywhere we stayed was situated around the town like on the end of the spokes of a wheel. It was spread out and very sparsely populated. You would think we are used to that by now, given WA is the largest state by area with only 10% of Australia's population. I am not complaining - I love the absence of crowds here, which is also why we cannot return to Wollongong. we simply love the slow lifestyle and the community connectedness that small towns deliver.
We set off for Nannup, a lovely town nestled on the banks of the Blackwood River and surrounded by Karri and Jarra forest. The night before there had been quite a big thunderstorm. We arrived in Nannup to see part of the pub roof blown off and a tree trunk that had fell on a vehicle. Later we heard that problematic fires had started near Donnybrook as a result of the heat and the lightning.
The temperature was in the high 30s so we went for a dip in Barrabup Pool - a natural swimming hole in the forest. It was a welcome break from the heat and Sophie's first foray into a deep natural pool.
Craig and I enjoyed a mountain bike ride in the morning (something we cannot normally do together) and this was my first foray back into riding after my broken ankle. It was a wonderful morning. Afterwards we explored the Blackwood River footbridge down by the river and saw the incredible height that floodwaters reached during past floods.
Heading about an hour south-west we arrived in Augusta and were given the best sandy corner site in the Flinders Bay Caravan Park. We could wander down to Granny's Pool for a snorkel or walk up the beach to see the sting rays roaming in the shallows. It was a picturesque town with beautiful surroundings.
Mali, Sophie and I snorkelled the bay and jumped off the pontoon. We also visited the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse - the tallest lighthouse on mainland Australia and situated on the most south-westerly point of Australia. This is where the Southern and the Indian Oceans meet. Augusta was a nice welcome to the Margaret River Region.
Across the opposite side of the SW point of WA is Hamelin Bay, a spectacular serene open sandy bay, famous for the abundance of sting rays. They come right up to people on the shore and many crowd around with their phones trying to capture their photos and are completely unaware of the danger of the spines on their tail.
Contos campground in Boranup forest was our next stop - literally 30 minutes up the road (yep, everything is rather close around this region). We were right in the middle of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park which is a natural strip on the coast extending 140km from Cape Leeuwin lighthouse in the south to Cape Naturaliste lighthouse in the north. That is right, the whole length of this coastline is National Park! The Ngari Capes Marine Park runs adjacent to this coastline.
The forests in this region are simply spectacular. The Karri, Marri and Jarrah trees are beautiful, some growing as high as 90 metres and endemic to this area. Whilst at Contos I spent many mornings walking along part of the Cape to Cape trail. This is a 123km walk stretching from lighthouse to lighthouse. It features spectacular coastal and forest scenery encompassing dozens of beaches, cliffs, caves and headlands.
We decided to visit one of the spectacular caves in the region - Lake Cave. This stunning crystal wonderland is situated about 70 metres deep where you can still see Karri tree roots poking out of the walls! The entrance of the cave was a giant sinkhole and inside there are dazzling crystal formations as well as a unique 'Suspended Table' perfectly reflected in the tranquil water below. The table itself weighs 2 tonnes!! They even put on a colourful light show whilst we were down there. It was amazing to be reminded that caves like this exist in so many places around the world and they are right under us. Mali and Sophie were pretty impressed.
We could not spend a month in Margaret River without visiting wineries. We visited 10 in total and managed to stock-up by stashing some lovely wines in the caravan. Craig and went out on a date and visited an impressive biodynamic winery 'Cullen Wines' and the wines were simply devine. We visited Swings and Roundabouts, Mr Barval, Madfish and Houghtons, Brookland Valley, Black Brewing Co and a few others. We met up with our precious friends, the Grozniks, and spent the day visiting the chocolate factory and a winery, of course.
Moving 20km north and we arrive at lovely Prevelly. This town is right where it happens each year for the ASP Margaret River Pro (see first picture). Beaches, beaches, beaches! We visited Gnarabup, Gas Bay and Margaret River and loved them all. I also snuck back into Margaret River for some more mountain biking on the Wooditjup trails. I managed 7 rides in this park and rate it as the best mountain bike park I have ever ridden (alongside Stromlo in Canberra). Mali came with me one day and did some of the short trails. I am not sure how much she enjoyed it but she did it and enjoyed her muffin and milkshake afterwards (I suspect that is why she came but I will take that as a win).
We packed up for the long trip 20km south east to Big Valley Campsite. There is nothing like a short trip to save on fuel costs. This place was so well run and there was a large number of females staff on this working sheep farm. Mali spent most of her time at the guinea pig shed (which was open 9-11am and 3-5pm). If we could not find her anywhere else we knew where she was - sitting on a box nursing 2-3 guinea pigs. She was in her element (she is also in love with dogs. Each time she befriends a new breed she decides she want one of those). She eventually made some friends on her last night and was roaming about like a BMX bandit with a huge grin on her face.
We had 5 nights booked here so decided to do something other than 'beaches' so drove east to Pemberton and took on the challenged 4WD adventure on the Yeagerup dunes in the D'Entrecasteaux National Park. These dunes are one of the few land-locked mobile dune systems in the world. Once we arrived we could see one car rolling backwards back down the dune and moments the next one 'fanged' it up with cheers from onlookers at the top. Trusty Yokel got us up there easy. Immediately after us another vehicle required a difficult winch out as they were close to sliding down the side of the dune into the forest. We drove along the top of the dunes and into the forest on the other side. It was beautiful. Sophie was rather excited about 4WD in the soft sand and loved the 'hoon' up the hill - not knowing if we would end up rolling back down like the other punters.
We then visited the 65 metre Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree, which you can climb the whole way up via metal pegs. These massive trees were used as fire lookouts in the 30s and 40s. A person would be stationed at the top of the tree (what an office!) during the fire season and alert the fire fighters if they saw smoke. They would climb up and down this tree each day. I hardly made it 15 pegs up before I realised I had left my stomach behind and proceeded back down to collect it. Mali was keen to climb the whole way up but we encouraged her not to do as it was simply too dangerous (...and none of the three adults were willing to supervise).
We visited Witchcliffe Eco Village (just minutes south of Margaret River township). It is set to become one of the world's first fully integrated villages to be self-sufficient in renewable energy, water and fresh produce. The vision is so impressive and the tour was so interesting - a vineyard, avocado orchard, freshwater swimming holes and dams, community hub, communal gardens and no power lines and a pub and other commercial buildings are on the plan - I was in heaven!!
Our last stay in Margaret River was a long way from Big Valley Campsite - 50km north! So we buckled up for the long journey and headed north to Yallingup. What a spectacular little beach town this was. We enjoyed exploring the area including Canal Rocks, Indijup Spa (a natural spa where the ocean waves crash over rocks and then gradually travel to the spa creating a lovely spa effect in a rocky salt water pool) and some beautiful beaches on the north side of the region.
This whole area is still influenced by the Leeuwin Current which brings tropical species to the southern ocean. I am always surprised when I see typical southern species swimming around with tropical reef fish. I spent some time looking for a leafy sea dragon at Canal Rocks, almost getting run-over by a jet ski. I am certain there was one amongst the seaweed but I could not see it - the weeds started looking like the little creatures anyway. I will continue my quest to find one of these critters in the south. Stay tuned!
We popped across to Busselton for the day so we could show Sophie the famous Busselton Jetty. We caught the train out to the end as I was determined to walk back this time - without a wheelchair. Yew!!!
Although we determined that a month in Margaret River was too long we enjoyed spending the time with our Niece Sophie. We had loads of beach time and some fun surfing days, lots of adventure, loads of music, plenty of wine and a few extra kilos (eek!!!), lots of mountain biking (yay for me), delicious fresh local produce, no long distance driving and no homeschooling (yay!!). Our last day included several wineries, several drinks and one last beach swim. Farewell Sophie and good luck at University this year!!
After almost 15 months in WA we have finally decided the east coast is in our blood and we are moving back east (slowly). I feel I need to be closer to Wollongong to see my family (especially Dad) more regularly. We are heading back through the Southern Forests and Valleys region and onwards towards Albany and Esperance.
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