Fremantle to Augusta

The threatening skies encouraged us to get up early and we managed to pack up before the rain started. Drove out of Fremantle and into some really heavy rain which obscured our vision and made driving on the motorway lots of fun! We stopped for a wet morning tea at Preston Beach, where we caught our first glimpse of the bright blue Splendid Fairywren. We ticked over 20 000 kms just north of Bunbury. This is one bloody huge country! Ella washed the windscreen as we filled up in Bunbury and soon had a queue of people asking if she would clean theirs as well! Perhaps we are being too narrow-minded thinking of busking as our only source of revenue!

We continued on to Busselton and found the newly renovated jetty and eventually, the caravan park. A quick setup while it wasn't raining was achieved with a minimum of fuss and we headed back out for a late lunch at the jetty foreshore. Busselton Jetty is 1.8kms long and we were pleased we had invested in new rain and wind proof coats. The Underwater Observatory was booked out, but we were just as happy wandering along the jetty, enjoying the exhilarating weather and the scenery.

Ella wanted to take the ducks with us the next morning. They had a lovely time waddling around and eating our bread - there was no toast for the humans! On the road by 9, we headed towards Cape Naturaliste and the lighthouse there. Our guide took us up the 57 steps and explained the lighthouse workings to us. It was automated in the 1970s but prior to that the Lighthouse keepers used to have to run the light with kerosene (hand pumped up to the top level) and then do a further workout by winding the pulley and weight system to turn the 3 tonnes of light mechanism. The Keepers must have been very fit! He took us out onto the viewing deck where it was breezy, a lovely day by local standards! Leon said he'd done tours for 8 years and had only ever seen the anemometer still twice! From the viewing deck we managed to see a couple of whales and some kangaroos - not all in the ocean!

Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse

                                             

Sugarloaf rock was nearby. In bad weather, apparently the waves crash into it with such violence that the spray flies over the top - one and a half times the height of the lighthouse! We took our guide's recommendation and drove the coastal road to Eagle Bay and Meelup Beach on the way back to Dunsborough. Meelup Beach was so fantastic we got our lunch supplies and doubled back to have a picnic there. It was a glorious day (still windy, but warm!) and the water was far too inviting to pass up, so Ella and Lachlan spent the whole afternoon swimming while Jackson and Marcus swam in between building a huge siege castle, complete with armaments. There was unanimous agreement that Meelup is the loveliest beach we have seen so far.

Meelup Beach - a fantastic spot!

We stayed until quite late before starting the drive south to Augusta. The picturesque countryside was complete with fat cattle and Ella was very impressed. "Oooh! We haven't seen cows for a long time!" We also hadn't seen trees for a long time and the Karri and Marri forests were utterly captivating in the fading evening light. Storm clouds gathered as we drove along and it wasn't long before it was pelting down, heavy rain mixing with hail as the temperature dropped alarmingly. We arrived at the campground in Augusta and it was dark, raining heavily and freezing cold. We sat in the caravan for a while until the rain was more a drizzle than a deluge and then quickly put the tent up. The Oz-tent is worth its weight in gold - up and completely dry in a couple of minutes! Those left inside the caravan were busy with pots and bowls under all the dripping leaks! After a hastily put together hot meal the world seemed a better place, although Marcus was not impressed that his bedding and pillow were soaked. He slept curled around a bowl, catching more drips!

Stay tuned ...