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Published: March 19th 2010
After losing a few more fillings, we were off on the sealed road to Yallingup - a mecca for surfer-type dudes who know it as Yals. The whole area is renowned for its powerful reef breaks, and I’m quoting directly when I say that the surf here is described by surfing supremo Nat Young as ‘epic’ and World Surfing Champ Mark Richards as ‘one of the world’s finest’. We went down to take some pictures for Paul, but sorry son, surf was definitely not up, so it was a little disappointing ... but we did think of you!! Our local map gives the names of all the surfing beaches - I wasn’t particularly taken with the ones called Gallows and Guillotine - didn’t quite like the sound of them - or the roadsigns warning how dangerous surfing was and that ‘lives are lost’.
Talking of thinking of people - we did actually get into a post office today, so Laura, you’ll be pleased to know that the DVD that I promised you, and have been carrying around with me, should be winging your way ... sorry it’s taken so long, but we didn’t want to post it from Asia.
Ever onward, we visited Dunsborough, which had the loveliest beach and Busselton, which has the longest jetty! It also had the oldest church in WA - built in 1843! Both were really pretty little places, quiet with a nice ambience. I have to admit to time spent in McDonalds to download more blog stuff and check email (I’m currently panicking because Easter is notoriously busy and we can’t get into any sites then). Andy and Claire: we couldn’t get access from the van, so actually had to go in!
The nickname for anyone from WA is ‘sandgroper’ and I can really understand why - the beaches here are absolutely endless with fantastic soft white sand. Having moved round the coast, we’re away from the more rugged surfer dude beaches and more into the gentle and peaceful beaches. All are stunningly clean and beautiful.
After the briefest stop in Bunbury, which is the largest place we’ve been. Unfortunately, it was also the most boring, so we didn’t stop long, apart from going to tourist information to get a map to enable me to find the next campsite.
This site in the Leschenault Estuary is rather special as it’s
renowned for its birds - John is in 7th heaven!
A quick stroll before dinner revealed what a fantastic place this is. As you walk down to the shore you just get the feeling you’re being watched - a brief look around reveals a number of kangaroos standing in the grass and reeds watching your every move! Birdlife down by the river is amazing, another huge flock of pelicans in the distance, together with various different herons, geese, cormorant, ducks, and gulls as I tarried along the shore. Two particularly impressive sites; firstly, two lines of Little Pied Cormorant sat on a series of posts stretching out from the bank. Second, and a line of twenty pelican gliding by, as the first one flapped its wings the rest would copy resulting in a symbiotic wave like motion!
And finally, for those who may have been wondering about place names - lots of places here end in ‘up’ which is the aboriginal for ‘place of’. I’m also fascinated by the fact that areas are broken up into shires, so today we’ve been to Shire of Busselton, Shire of Bunbury, to name a couple and we’re currently in Shire of
Collie. Sounds like something out of Middle Earth!
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Dani
non-member comment
DVDs
All arrived ok, Percy Jackson has a lot of laughing over it but Sherlock's just fine. Popped Laura's over to her ASAP so you should get a thank you soon enough. Not many good films out at the moment, Alice in Wonderland's probably on the list - much better than I thought it would be! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx