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Published: January 10th 2012
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29 November - 5 December 2011
We didn't realise how much we missed being on the road until we were back on the road for the south west Western Australia leg of the trip. We had been as far as Margaret River before but no further.
Wow, what an incredible, amazing and stunning part of the country. We have been blown away day after day by the beauty of the "little" south west pocket of WA. I say little in the big scheme of things but the area we covered is actually bigger than Tasmania!
When you are under tow driving along the bitumen or dirt, heading for a new desination but not actually knowing the whereabouts you will be laying your head that night, there is an overwhelming feeling of freedom and excited anticipation. It's hard to explain the exact feeling but it feels really really good!
So our first stop after fleeing the airport chaos was Belvidere Campsite located in the Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park. The signs greeting us along Buffalo Road into the campground were a little unnerving - mosquitoes carrying ross river virus plague this area. Well the mozzies were pretty
bad but it was the snakes that concerned us more! Walking to the toilet one morning, Alex nearly had a heart attack as he startled (and vice versa!) a large snake sunning itself in the grass. Half an hour later Oscar disappeared from sight and we found him at the toilets - he would have had to walk right past where the snake had been earlier to get there... Gulp! Oscar - such a free-spirited little gypsy, I guess we are lucky we haven't had any serious incidents as yet. We will have to put a leash on him in croc territory!!
As the few weeks prior to this stop had been somewhat hectic, we used this stop to unwind and slow down. We did some beach driving and set up the car awning on the beach and just frollicked for the day. The weather was perfect and the boys were having the time of their lives. We were able to have fires so we cooked our dinner on the camp fire, which is something we had really missed being in Coogee for several months.
Next stop was Conto Campground in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. This is not
far from Margaret River but we didn't do the wineries this time round. Instead, we opted for the beach (the weather was perfection at it's best!) and short drives through the bush doing some sight seeing.
The next stop was further south and heading east along the coast - Shannon National Park. We went via Augusta and walked to the lighthouse and saw the meeting of the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean. The Southern Forests of Western Australia are known around the world for their beauty and their unique species of plants and trees. Being in the thick of these forests, either on foot or in vehicle, conjures up similar feelings as being in the ancient rainforests of Tasmania. It is a moving place to find yourself and you just know in your heart that you are in some place really special. We had great weather for the most part but were also lucky enough to have some drizzle and mist which felt like an enchanted forest experience!! If only these trees could talk!
Shannon was our base while we explored Warren National Park and did a hairy beach drive all the way to the beach. This, apparently,
was no mean feat in our dear old (but bloody heavy) troopy. We conquered "The Widowmaker" which is a large sand dune reknown for "bogging" (is that a word?) vehicles. Tyre pressure down to 10p.s.i. and away we go! We made it and were pretty darn proud of the troopster. The march flies were a bit of a problem though and poor Oscy copped it again - he is always the target of the biters and stingers.. More of a problem though, were the emus on the way back to camp. They would not get off the road and we kept having to stop the car and hope they would disperse. Not so! At least they didn't bite little Occy though!
We also did the Great Forest Trees Drive, walked to The Cascades in the Gloucester National Park, went swimming in Big Brook Dam and climbed the Gloucester Tree which is the highest working fire lookout tree in the world! I climbed it as Alex isn't too keen on heights. Even for someone that has no fear of heights, it still has a slightly dizzying affect which is a bit of a concern as you scale the 153 rungs
to the platform over sixty metres high. If only there were a flying fox or slippery slide to get back down!
From Shannon, we also explored the D'Entrecasteaux National Park. Who named this place? Yes, we know the origin but surely they could have somehow simplified it? The D'Ent NP is beautiful although we were on fire alert as bushfires were ravishing the surrounding areas while we were there.
Back at camp, I was happily surprised to see showers. However, you had to work for the showers at Shannon - chop your own wood, start a small fire in the inferno oven at the bottom of the water supply and ensure it does not exceed 80 degrees celcius. Heck, a cold shower will do!...
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