Caves, Waves and River Raves

Margaret River Region

January 27 to February 5, 2016 

Western Australia just keeps getting better. This is the most divine region. It has it all - a rugged coastline, idyllic bays, one of the best surf breaks in the world, fabulous wines, delicious local produce, amazing limestone caves and tall timber forests. It takes your breath away. Gasp gasp 

I'm starting with a sunset pic for two reasons: I haven't posted one for a long time and this is probably the last time I'll see a sunset across the Indian Ocean for a while. Isn't this photo with squalling seagulls beautiful? It was taken at Hamelin Bay near Augusta which is in the south of the Margaret River region.  More on this glorious bay later. 

We are delighted to be back on the road and have thrown ourselves into exploring and discovering Margaret River. We made the wee mistake of thinking WA schools went back at the same time as the eastern states and arrived in Busselton to find throngs of families still on holiday. Opps. The parks were heaving with excitable children and garrulous parents. Garry took one look and said: "Get me outa here Jen!" I had espied a bush retreat near Margaret River township in my earlier research so we hightailed it there. It was on the site of a former saw mill on the edge of a national forest and beautifully tranquil. Aaaaahhhh. Garry was very happy. 

Part of the old pine forest that is earmarked by national parks for rehabilitation.

Only the chimney remains of the old mill.

We did many forest walks. The forests of karri and jarrah have been heavily logged but national parks have taken over large swathes of the region and they are restoring them. This was an especially beautiful stand of karri trees.

But it was the spectacular coast line that really caught our attention. Hopefully the photos will tell the story. 

Smiths Beach. It has to rate as one of the most beautiful beaches in Australia.

 

Scrambling over rocks at Canal Rocks.

The alternative horizontal falls at Canal Rocks. They are almost as spectacular ... and free. 

The surf was up at Surfers Point near Prevelly due to the cyclone to the north. The old fellas and tradies were so excited. They hadn't seen waves like this for a while. Not much trade work being done around MR for a few days. 

 Busselton Jetty stretching 2km out to sea. 

We did return to Busselton to ride the cycling track to Port Geographe. Did I mention how good the cycling tracks are in WA? Really impressive. It's a great way to explore the towns and parks.

Hamelin Bay. It once had a wharf and was used to ship timber. Despite it's tranquil appearance here, it is a dangerous part of the coast when the storms blow in. At least 11 ships have made these waters their permanent resting place. 

Hamelin Bay at sunset.

Part of the wharf's remaining wooden pylons.

Hamelin Bay is also a sting ray sanctuary. They are almost tame. They know when it's safe.  

Treacherous coastlines need many lighthouses. Margaret River has several beautiful beacons.

Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse on the north-western tip of the MR region. Beautifully restored. Still working.

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse near Augusta on the south-western tip of the MR region. It is the third tallest lighthouse in Australia. The perilous passage around Cape Leeuwin ranks up there with those around Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn.

Cape Leeuwin sits on the junction between the Indian and Southern Oceans. We experienced it on an extremely calm day.

A bit wind blown outside the top of the lighthouse. 

The meeting of the oceans. 

The entire coast of Margaret River is a honeycomb of more than 200 caves carved into the limestone over the past million years. In cave years that is tiny, making the caves some of the youngest in the world. They are incredibly beautiful. I did my best with the camera but they have to be seen to be believed.

 Lake Cave. This formation is called a suspended table and is quite unique. It was formed by stalactites and stalagmites joining forces before water entered the cave. Over centuries, the water has worn away the layer of limestone beneath it so it now hangs above the lake. Amazing. 

Inside Jewel Cave, the largest show cave in Australia and the youngest in the world.  

Another incredibly fragile formation. A straw that has blocked and is expanding around the base.

After all that sightseeing Garry needed a beer ... or two. Sunday arvo at the Settlers Tavern in MR.

But there's more. Will this blog ever end? We visited several wineries but the wine tour of Voyager Estate was amazing. There were only four of us on the tour and our guide Linda was terrific. No question was too trivial, too insignificant to answer. She took us through the whole process, from the vineyards to the wine making to the cellar to the tasting room.

Voyager Estate. Our first wet day in seven months ... but then it cleared.

Cellar door in the Cape Dutch style reminiscent of South Africa.

In the Voyager Estate rose garden. The estate has seven full-time gardeners.

Any way I can break into these barrels? 

nside the cellar. Sometimes called Michael Wright's folly, it cost millions of dollars to construct. But money is no object to the Wright family. Michael's father Peter Wright was Lang Hancock's partner. Together they unearthed WA's vast mineral wealth. Voyager was Michael's passion despite being a teetotaler. He has since died and his daughter Alexandra is now in charge. 

Time to sample the produce :)))))

We left our bush retreat at Margaret River and headed 40km south to Augusta, the south-western most point of Australia. It is a quiet, picturesque little town. Our camp site looks out over the Blackwood River, with the entrance to the estuary just a few 100m away. We have voted it our second best camp spot thus far. Kununurra on the lake still comes first. 

Our view over the Blackwood River. 

Fishing heaven ... although no fish biting.

Look what I found in the book exchange. Seems appropriate reading to me.

Finally, some more photos of the stunning sunset at Hamelin Bay. Our last over the Indian Ocean. 

That's all from us right now. Toodle pip.