Bright Lights, bright faces

Having stocked our wine cellar, it was time to leave the green and lush Margaret River region. As we passed through Yallingup and Dunsborough we made a mental note of the towns we would like to head back to one day on a 'wine holiday’.

Yallingup coastine

Arriving in Busselton, we were keen to walk the famous 2 kilometre jetty, the longest in the southern hemisphere. At the end of the jetty is a large aquarium and Dave was excited at the prospect of seeing a Sea Dragon in the wild. Alas..... we were only able to walk a mere 200 metres- the jetty was closed for repairs after a recent fire.

The 2km long jetty, Busselton

We had to be content with an ice-cream by the seaside instead.
Bunbury, were we where to stay for the evening, is a prime example of the recent WA boom. Enduring the many steep steps to the top of the Tall Tower Lookout, 360 degree views showed the contrast between the new and the original town, which seemed to have burst at the seams. Shiny new roads, houses and shops, have tripled the size of the town. Yet, all this development has been done sympathetically with the land. Even the mangroves, which are the only ones to be found this far south (the closest are 500kms north) have been looked after. A boardwalk takes you on a journey through the mangrove swamp and along the way signs provide information on the town’s history to keep you entertained.
But, the most entertaining feature of Bunbury was enjoyed the next morn- swimming with wild bottlenose dolphins. A section of the bay, known as The Lounge room, was a short boat ride away. Once there, we spotted about 20 dolphins. Having been away over the cold winter, this is the spot where boys, girls and adults come to catch up for a gossip and play from November to April.

Dolphins swimming towards us in 'The Loungeroom'

We were not allowed to swim over to them. Instead we played in the water nearby and watched as they slowly came nearer and checked us out. The dolphins preferred to circle us from about 20 metres away, but did end up venturing quite close, even swimming directly underneath us.
With our Sydney visitors only a day away, we bade farewell to our dolphin friends and edged closer to Perth. Hugging the coast we made a stop to see more thrombolites. Still just look like rocks, but it is pretty cool to have now seen 3 of the very few sites in the world where they exist.

Thrombolites

We must admit that as we entered the city of Perth the stress levels rose. Having been outback for so long now the traffic lights, motorways and volume of traffic took some getting used to- and Perth is not that big a city! But, all our stresses were soon forgotten as two familiar Sydney faces joined us for a long weekend of fun.
With only 4 days to play with Sammi and Michael (AKA Ken), Dave and I planned an itinerary and played the role of tour guides. Having arrived at 11pm the night before, followed by a few drinks, we eased into the first day with bacon and eggs followed by a saunter around Kings Park. One of the largest inner city parks in the world, Kings Park overlooks the city and Swan River.

View across to Perth from Kings Park

The many gardens, which showcase plants from around the state (including our favourite Boabs), and acres of silken green grass sooths away any stress.

Sam, Michael & Leisa at Boab Tree, Kings Park

Blessed with a warm sunny day, we were soon relaxed and feeling a real holiday ambience.
Lunch overlooking Cottesloe Beach was followed by a walk along the water’s edge at Scarborough Beach, were we felt the soothing feel of sand between the toes. With these pristine beaches mere kilometres from the city centre, we were falling more in love with Perth with each passing minute.



Michael, Sam, Leisa, Rottnest Island

Just 19 kilometres off the coast of Perth lies Rottnest Island. Pristine waters surround the island, but with the water being a little on the cold side, only the boys ventured in for a dip. Dave assured us it was worth the initial chill, with tropical fish and the world’s most southerly coral specimens. But, it was the resident land animals we were keen to find- the Quokka’s.









Friendly Quokka's, Rottnest Island

Looking like a cross between a very small wallaby and possum, we soon discovered they were everywhere, and rather friendly. Mum with a bub in her pouch even ventured into the waterside pub! ‘Rotto’ is well worth a visit- only an hour by ferry, yet an entire world away......
The port city of Fremantle, 30 minutes south of Perth, was an unexpected surprise for all. Although still very much a working port, Fremantle is a relaxed, yet stylish town. Many old restored buildings combined with fashion boutiques, cafes, buskers and waterfront eateries gives ‘Freo’ a certain charm that we have not found elsewhere. Tour Leader Dave took us on a walking tour of the town.

Sammi and Leisa atop the Round House, Fremantle

We were soon inside a tunnel which had been carved through the limestone cliffs in the early whaling days. This led us to the top of the Round House- the oldest public building in WA (and once used as a prison). From here we could gaze out to sea, but also along the waterfront to our lunch destination- the Little Creatures Brewery. As boats bobbed in the water we dined on gourmet pizza and sampled a few of the beers.

Michael and Dave, Little Creatures Brewery

Walking off lunch we checked out the Freo Festival set up in the park opposite. Then it was off to Monument Hill. The highest point in town, we had 360 degree views across to Rottnest Island and Perth.
Our last day together arrived all too soon. A stroll along the main streets of Subiaco completed the ‘Taste of Perth’ tour. With many heritage listed homes, nice shops and parks, ‘Subi’ is yet another attractive feature of Perth. We were all agreed- Perth is small but alive, pretty and dramatic, laid back, yet cutting edge- we love it!

Weird and wacky

Rain. Full bodied drops of camper cleansing rain. Aaaahhh bliss. Nothing like a rainy day, gazing out to sea as the wind whips its fury across the crest of a wave. Passing through coastal cray fishing towns we landed at Jurien Bay. A smaller town than we had presumed, but a great vantage point to discover the weird and wacky of WA.

It's raining- on our way to Jurien Bay

Stockyard Gully National Park- a natural gully once used to yard droving cattle, is home to some secret caves. A walk along the gully floor leads you 300 metres through the main cave. Armed with torches we trod the sandy floor- it was seriously pitch black inside.

Inside the Stockmans Gully Cave
Stockmans Gully, leading to the secret cave

The old limestone walls were nothing special to look at, but the sheer size of the cave, which appears out of nowhere was pretty cool. Lucky the day was rainy, as a swarm of bees have set up camp at the far entrance, but where stilled in the wet weather.
Returning home, we detoured through the ‘drive through’ Lesueur National Park. We have now seen many wildflowers along our travelling route, however the wildflowers in is park where pretty special. The park actually contains 10% of WA’s flora, including plants found nowhere else in the world.
Lesueur National Park

Sweeping valleys of shrubs and flowers are enclosed by a ring of hills and plateau’s, segregating the plants from beyond.
But it was Nambung National Park that had the wackiest feature. The Pinnacles- limestone pillars rising like gnarled fingers grasping for air out of the yellow sand dunes. Scientists are not really sure how they formed and the mystery of these thousands of structures may never be solved. We had both heard of the Pinnacles, but were shocked to see how many there were and how yellow the sand, given the surrounding white sand dunes.

The Pinnacles

The weird and wacky delights continued with a viewing of more stromatolites and their cousins- the thrombolites. Were stromatolites grow in layers, thrombolites grow in clusters. They all end up looking pretty much the same though- like lumps of rock.

Stromatolite and Thrombolite

Things are not always as they seem though- the lumps of wood lying on the road were actually Bob Tailed Skinks, there were so many of them, we were constantly dodging these slow lizards so as not to run over them. Some we had to stop to move out of the way, although they were not always agreeable to being moved off the warm road.

Bob Tailed Skink- not happy about being moved out of the way

As we head south, to the bottom of WA, we have truly left the outback behind. Although we still peer out of the window to endless countryside, it is no longer the wild Australian bush. We have now entered the ‘country’ with her man made fields, chopped trees and livestock. Our drive south, was a big one covering nearly 500 kilometres in one day. Weary and in need of a warm shower, we decided to stopover at Kojonup for the night. The brisk evening added to the Blue Mountains feel of this town, but 1970’s style buildings and plentiful sheep had us elsewhere.
Refreshed it was onto Albany. Now at the southern most point of WA, the coast is broken up into many bays with granite islands rising out of the sea. It is a spectacular coastline and was the last sight for many Australian soldiers who were to die at Gallipoli.

View across to ANZAC monument and out to sea

Albany is actually the town where the first dawn service was held in 1918, now a tradition of every ANZAC day. Mt Clarence, rising majestically above the town, was where the people of Albany gathered in 1914 to watch the convoy of ships destined for Egypt. The soldiers were then trained there before landing at Gallipoli. Now it hosts a monument to those who will never return to the harbour and a poignant spot, reflecting the ANZAC spirit.
Albany and her surrounds are full of natural beauty, including Little Beach. Finally, I had found a great beach.




Little Beach, Albany




The water was so clear and blue it looked like a jelly slowly wobbling, as the waves lapped the shore. Alas, the weather was not commensurate to my beach ideal. So, it was off to admire the coastal cliffs. With surging seas straight from Antarctica, the huge granite boulders of the coastline have been weathered into many interesting formations.

Natural bridge formation, Albany coast

A wind farm takes advantage of the weather here, the turbines towering above the mesmerising granite strewn landscape. The granite strewn Albany coastline