Western Australia - Margaret River and the South West

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Perth - Margaret River
On Mon 25 May we arrived at the Central Bus station in Adelaide at 7.30am The journey from Coober Pedy wasn't particularly good as it was really cold, we unfortunately hit a kangaroo and narrowly missed several others! We transferred to the airport by bus to fly to Perth. The flight lasted 3.5 hours but we had to put our clocks back 1.5 hrs which is always a reminder of how big this country is! Having picked up our hire car we headed south for Margaret River. No coincidence that this is a wine growing region of WA - well this is Naylors on Tour after all! The main priority as always in Australia is to avoid driving in the dark to avoid hitting kangaroos, cows, emus ..... We eventually arrived in Margaret River at about 8pm having avoided any contact with wildlife and booked into the Grange on Farelly. Nice motel with good wifi. On Tue 26 May we drove to Mammoth cave to see the stalactites and stalagmites but due to rain there was a problem with the lighting so we carried on to Lake Cave. Lake Cave is home to the "suspended table" a spectacular crystal formation weighing several tonnes that hangs from the ceiling, almost touching the waters of the lake. It is thought that this may be the only decoration of its kind in the world. Lake Cave is the most 'actively dripping' cave in the south west, and it's the only cave on the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge that has a permanent lake. The cave is one of the deepest on the ridge, with entry access through a spectacular doline - a large hole in the earth's surface - down 300 steps and back up again! It was well worth it as the formations were pretty stunning. We returned to Mammoth Cave and as its name suggests it is big! It is the most easily accessible of all the show caves in the region, with the first chamber actually accessible by wheelchair. It is a self-guided cave, where you explore on your own while listening to an 'audio tour' through an MP3 player. You can wander at your own pace along the boardwalks and platforms, through the chambers of the cave. Mammoth Cave is also one of just a few caves in the south west which contains fossils. We saw fossil remains of long-extinct giant animals known as Australian Megafauna. Being the site of one of Australia's most important paleontological digs in the early 1900's, the cave still contains the fossil jawbone of one of these giant marsupial species embedded within the limestone wall - 50,000 years after the animal roamed the forests above!! At the end of the visit there is the option of a walk through the beautiful marri forest, with whistling birds and stunning flora. In the afternoon we drove to Busselton and had Fish and chips in Equinox. I had red spotted emperor which was amazing all washed down with a glass of local fizz! Afterwards we walked 3.6 Kms to the end of the Pier and back - and felt marginally less guilty about the fish and chip lunch! At 1,841 metres, the jetty is said to be the longest wooden structure in the southern hemisphere. From here we drove to Dunsborough with the idea of following the coast road back to Margaret River but saw very little sea as there were always bushes and trees obscuring the view! Wed 27 The next morning we were on a wine tour! We were picked up by Top Drop Tours and set off on a tour of the local vineyards and a chocolaterie. First stop Juniper, followed by Windows, Gabriel's chocolaterie lunch at Hayshed Hill, then Howard Park and finally, Stella Bella. We decided to have something to eat in the motel restaurant which turned out to be a one man operation! The restaurant is housed in an historic, local heritage building. It was built by timber magnate MC Davies as his family residence in 1885. On Thu 28 we drove south to Albany, a distance of 380 Kms including a stop at Jewel cave and Leeuwin Lighthouse . Jewel Cave is the biggest show cave in Western Australia, with three massive chambers. It is also home to one of the longest straw stalactites found in any tourist cave in the world. Leeuwin Lighthouse, 8 kilometres west of Augusta, is situated at the most south westerly tip of Australia, standing at the point where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet -. It is a famous maritime landmark and important meteorological site from which data is collected, the tower stands 39 metres high from ground level and 56 metres above sea level. It is the tallest lighthouse on mainland Australia - the tallest being in Tasmania. Its beam, which has an intensity of one million candles, shines for 26 nautical miles or 48 kilometres. We continued our journey to Albany, the oldest permanently settled town in Australia, stopping en route for a pie to sustain us over the next 370kms! We arrived 4.5 hrs later at the Sleepwell Motel! We had cheese and biscuits for dinner with one of our Margaret River purchases! Fri 29 May we had to be up early to drive to Emu Point to pick up The Kalgan Queen boat trip. The Kalgan Queen cruise has been operating for 12 years and was started by Captain Jack's father, Jonathan Jones, also known as Captain Kalgan.We arrived on the jetty in plenty of time and found the boat surrounded by Pelicans. Our Skipper for the day was Captain Jack - 26 yrs old - and someone who clearly loved the sea and seabirds. Once on board we were asked to look through the glass bottom where we saw a giant stingray foraging on the seabed - it was pretty huge! Jack also told us lots of facts about pelicans, their habits and life history - and all before we had cast off.Earlier, on the shore, we had walked past another of the area's popular wildlife - Sam, the New Zealand fur seal. Unfortunately, all there is these days is a bronze statue of Sam, senselessly killed (by an unknown person with a machete - words fail me! ) in 2006. Sam was a true local, befriended by thousands of tourists and town residents. A memorial service and a scattering of his ashes attracted a crowd of 450 people and an appeal started by Jonathan, Captain Kalgan, raised the funds for the memorial now on the shoreline. Then we were introduced to Percy the Pelican. Don't be fooled by the name, Percy is a female! The story behind this is that Jacks father, Captain Kalgan, found Percy floating in the water tangled up in fishing line, presumed dead. He got into the water to take her back to shore and found she was still alive but very poorly. After a trip to the vet and some antibiotics, they were told she would need several weeks TLC. So she moved into the bathtub and Jack, at the age of 12, named her Percy. Because of this relationship, even now she comes to the boat every morning between September and May when the Kalgan Queen operates. She stands on the side of the boat and Jack hand feeds her a daily ration of 3 fish - then she has to fend for herself as she is a wild bird. Pelicans have to swallow fish head first and it was interesting to see her rotate a fish in her pouch, deliberately given tail first before swallowing it. Percy is one of two dancing Pelicans. When Jack says "dance Percy" she circles to the left and to the right in the water. I say one of two because Percy has a daughter called Pav. She has copied her mother's behavior but can only 'dance' in one direction! Once out in Oyster Harbour, which in places is only a metre or so deep, we saw a pair of white breasted Sea Eagles which they have named Swoop and Star who also fly out to the boat to catch a fish thrown into the air - that is an amazing experience to be so close to such beautiful, highly skilled birds of prey. The Kalgan River which flows into Oyster Harbour is one of the oldest Rivers in the World. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Albany served as a gateway to the Eastern Goldfields and for many years was Western Australia’s only deep water port, making it a place of importance for shipping services between the UK and its Australian colonies. The construction of Fremantle Harbour in 1893 saw its importance as a port decline. After which Albany industries turned primarily to agriculture and timber and, later, whaling and tourism. We sailed effortlessly along the river whilst being entertained and informed by Cpt Jack about the seabirds, the river and harbour, Albany's history and the Anzacs. We learnt the origins of sayings like Top Dog and Getting the Sack and listened to poems which Jack and his father have written. After passing honeymoon island we moored up and were collected by the vineyard Montgomery Hills for a wine tasting. Really nice wines so we bought a couple of bottles - well it would be rude not to! Back on board the Kalgan Queen we sampled Cpt Jack's Savoury Damper, made by his mum to a secret recipe. Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread historically prepared by swagmen, drovers, stockmen and other. It was traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire and is an iconic Australian dish. The secret we later found out is to use sour milk! It was similar to a scone, very moreish and will definitely try it out when we get home. On the way back to Emu Point we were escorted by Pav and other Pelicans in search of a potential fish! As we arrived we were introduced to Perch. She likes to stalk the Kalgan Queen but is seen off by Percy if she is around! A fabulous 4 hour cruise! Definitely recommend this trip! Sat 30 May we went to the Anzac museum. There is a lot of information and interactive panels which give details about individual soldiers and the campaigns the Anzacs were involved in. You can also walk up to a viewing point and see the Harbour from which these soldiers, sailors, horses and nurses set off. Many of whom never returned so it would be their last view of Australia. 416,809 Australians enlisted. They suffered 215,585 casualties of whom 61,720 died. Lest We Forget.

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Photos

Cape Leewin Lighthouse - tallest on mainland Australia
Most South westerly point of Australia where two seas meet