Blogs from Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania - page 3

It was early morning as we pulled into the car park at Meelup beach. Our mission was to mountain bike through the undulating bushland, then venture through some of the local wineries and finish off with a dip in the ocean at the tranquil spot, known as Meelup Beach. The car park was empty, as it was still only 0700. But for those who venture to Western Australia in summer, this is the best time. By 1000 the sun would be overhead and scorching. Even at his time you could feel its warm embrace. As I unhooked my mountain bike, I noticed a movement by the beach. A startled kangaroo looked up and bounded past our car. After 10 years in Australia, this was the nearest I had ever seen one so close to the ocean. ... read more

The Margaret River region is very beautiful and obviously flush with cash. It is unbelievably lush with a mix of tall densely wooded forests, beautifully manicured vineyards and grassy paddocks filled with dairy cattle. Below the ground is equally stunning with approximately 200 caves, only a small number of which are open to the public. We located ourselves in a caravan park some 17 kilometres out of town. This proved to be quite central to our activities. Set on a farm, we were entertained by a variety of animals, some of which proved to be more friendly than others as Greg found out. Just ask the pig. There is lots to entertain visitors. Wineries, beer and cider breweries, several chocolate factories, several cheese factories and an icecreamery all had tastings and sales. Mazes, mountain bike and ... read more

Today was a busy day for Michael and I. We had four things we wanted to do today. They include going to a bird sanctuary, winery, visit a new surfing area and Margaret River and Bunbury for shopping. We again ate breakfast at the apartment, pretty simple and save a few dollars. As I mentioned before the food is expensive in Australia. We drove Cindy’s Dad to work again, however the trip was very sad. While driving down the main street to his plant, know for kangaroos wondering the road, one came jumping out of the woods right in front of an 18-wheeler truck. The site was horrifying and very traumatic for all of us, but especially for Michael. He was very upset and would not talk for quite some time. I can understand how he ... read more

After a rather damp night in tents we completed the all too familiar routine of packing up the bus, then we headed into the Southern Forests to see the Diamond Tree. Standing over 50m tall with a lookout platform at the top the Karri tree is one of the only few remaining active look out posts the rangers still use to spot fires. The questions you're probably asking yourself is how do you get up the tree? Well it used to be via wooden pegs, although after a falling branch wiped out a significant portion leaving a ranger stranded up the top they decided to use metal pegs. From the pictures you'll see this is still a precarious climb! Due to the slippery conditions we were only allowed a few meters up. The next stop was ... read more