Where Two Oceans Meet

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Friday 15th – and we were rather sad to be leaving Walpole. We loved the caravan park and the area and we know there is much more to see should we ever return. The journey today was almost 300kms and, for much of that, the road wound its way through tall karri trees. The more windy roads meant slower progress but there wasn’t too much other traffic around to worry about. Signs warned of large timber lorries but we hardly saw any. We stopped for a break in Pemberton, a pleasant small town in amongst the trees, where we had a very enjoyable train trip last time we were there. The town’s income revolves largely around timber with a huge saw-mill and tourist attractions, like the train trip, detailing the history of timber production over the years. Some seats in the very pleasant park caught our eye – we couldn’t remember seeing them last time. Our destination was Margaret River where we had booked a three night stay at a Family Parks site. Our original intention was to stay only two nights but we realized we had a “Free Night” voucher from when we joined Family Parks in Melbourne. Unfortunately the voucher came with conditions, one of which was we had to book a minimum of three nights. Also, it shouldn’t normally be used over a weekend but they let us off that restriction, otherwise our voucher would have been worthless as it expires at the end of April when we will be in Perth on a Big 4 site.

We wanted to return to Margaret River to find out what all the fuss was about. Last time we stayed there we were a bit disappointed. It was a bit of a fleeting visit but what we saw didn’t appeal to us much. The Margaret River area is world famous for its wine production and that was clearly evident from the number of wineries we passed on our way into the town. It’s also famous for world class surfing beaches and that was something we intended to explore this time. After we’d settled in we did our usual thing, went looking for the information centre. It wasn’t particularly well signed but we eventually found it and, like the rest of the town, it was full of references to wineries. We like wine but are not very interested in visiting “cellar doors” for wine tasting. Fortunately, we were able to find information on other places to visit in the area so we knew our time there would be well used. The caravan park was very popular with lots of comings and goings. Our immediate next-door neighbours were a couple of Italian origin who we had met on two previous parks. He had first approached us at Norseman because he had once owned a white Terrano like PIE. We also met Terrano-man at Esperance and passed the time of day again. And now they were next door but would be moving on the following morning. It wasn’t one of the quietest parks we’ve ever been on as there were lots of youngsters in camper vans – doorslammers!! But we eventually settled down for the night and looked forward to exploring the area more fully in the morning.

On Saturday morning, having waved Terrano-man and his wife off, we made our way to Margaret River river mouth. Sarah and Darryl had told us about a special canoe trip they had been on which departed from the river mouth. So we went to see where it was and whether we thought we were up to doing it. We were early so, first, we visited Prevelly, a lookout which gave an excellent view of a world rated surfing beach. There had been a world-class event held only recently and there was still a lot of interest in the area with loads of surfers having a go where the world’s best had been a few days before. Then we found the river mouth where about 40 people of all ages were getting ready for the canoe trip. Ranging from youngsters of about 5 years to pensioners, they were all donning life jackets and making there way to the river side where a line of canoes awaited. Some minutes of safety chat followed and the next time we looked they were all in the canoes paddling off up the river. Strangely, the river doesn’t actually reach the sea. There was a beach about 50 meters across between where the river ended and the sea began. This meant that the river water was very calm like a lagoon and, presumably, only ever reaches the ocean in the event of heavy, prolonged rain – something which this part of WA hasn’t seen for a number of years. We were tempted to book up for the Monday trip but, as it was the day we were moving on to Busselton (not a long journey), we decided to wait for now and see what else was on offer.

So today we drove along the Coastal Scenic Drive towards Augusta. Again we passed several wineries and also several signs advertising various caves in the area. They all had different main features and one boasted a “lake”. We travelled on towards Augusta and were tempted to turn off towards Hamelin Bay because we were looking for somewhere to have our tea and cake and the beach sounded very inviting. When we got there we had to scale some dunes before reaching a very pleasant stretch of sand but a strong wind with drifting sand made eating cake a bit of an ordeal. We had spotted a caravan park on the way into Hamelin Bay and Graham drove through the park (whether we were allowed to or not!) and we discovered a much more pleasant location where signs clearly welcomed passing tourists – not just campers. Unfortunately, pretty though it was, and fairly sheltered, parking restrictions meant that you had to walk some way from the car park to reach a scenic point, so on we went towards Augusta where we arrived quite quickly. The first thing we noticed was that fuel prices were pretty good – better than in Margaret River – so we decided to “fill up”. We remember Augusta from our last trip and, particularly, its main feature – a lighthouse marking the point where the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean meet. We knew it had a café so we agreed to forego our tea and cake in favour of an early lunch. After a very nice meal we meandered around the grounds and took in the spectacular scenery, meeting a couple we had seen at Albany and also at the Tree Top Walk. I refrained from climbing the lighthouse which I did eight years ago but we both enjoyed the surrounding scenery and didn’t have to pay to wander the grounds.

On the way back to Margaret River I commented about visiting one of the caves. I know it’s not necessarily Graham’s cup of tea but I must have commented often enough as he insisted I choose a cave to visit so I chose the one with the lake. On arrival there was a little time to wait before a guided tour took place costing $20. Graham decided to wait in the café so I gave him some money (he rarely sees any as I control the cash!!) and he spent some time in the café with some caravan magazines and a “skinny latte”.

The cave was fascinating. The original roof of part of the cave had collapsed hundreds of years earlier leaving a ‘doline’ which was once the largest cavern of the cave. The eerie limestone walls are covered with the grotesque shapes of the old stalactites. The tour leader, Sarah, led us down the 350 steps past ancient giant Karri trees and into the dimly lit cave. We had to take great care as we descended as a couple of very low rocks had caused quite a few headaches in the past! As we got to the bottom of the steps more lights were lit and in front of us was a beautiful scene – the clear waters of the lake were very still and reflected the delicate white crystalline formations. The cave is renowned for its main formation ‘the suspended table’ which is a massive column of calcite that weighs over five tons and seems to precariously hang from the ceiling just a few centimeters above the lake.

We carefully crossed the lake on a boardwalk and took our seats at the far end where Sarah gave us more insight into the geology and history of the cave. Apparently the cave was first discovered in 1867 by Francis Bussell, the daughter of one of the early settlers in the area. However, it was another thirty years before Tim Connolly entered the cave and he was so impressed he devoted all his time and energy into making it a tourist attraction – the first tour took place by lantern in 1901. A chunk of calcite crystal was handed round and we were all amazed at how heavy it was. After watching an entertaining short light show which emphasized the many and varied shapes, we gradually made our way back up to daylight. Graham was still happily engrossed in the magazines and I had enjoyed my diversion into the cave. The Lake Cave was only a few kms from Margaret River so it didn’t take long to get back, calling in again at the river mouth and Prevelly before returning to the caravan park. We chatted to our new neighbours, a young American couple who now lived on the Gold Coast in Queensland and were in Margaret River on holiday. Then it was time to have a bit of supper and relax before turning in for the night.

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Photos

Tall karri trees lined the roads
around Pemberton

This could have been my chair once
Commemorative seats dotted round Pemberton Park

The intrepid canoeists set off
on their cave and bushtucker tour

There seemed to be some great surfing waves
but only a few brave surfers

Historic Leeuwin Lighthouse
built in 1895

Ship Ahoy!
my friend seems to think she is the cow equivalent of Long John Silver!