6th - 17th February 2017
Martin's Tank Camp
(Yalgorup National Park)
While still being based in Moore River, after our trip back home for Christmas and New Year, we did a three week trip down to the Margaret River Region. Bring on the wine, beer and food tastings!!!
After 3 months of luxury house stays we were just a bit excited to get back on the road in our little cubby camper.
The 350 klm trip was broken with a two night stay at Martin's Tank National Park camp. 233klm drive. The Park is just south of Mandurah. The Parks in W.A. are second to none. Well spaced allocated sites. Super clean toilets. And most times camp hosts to keep things clean and tidy, and nice and quiet.
Great bush camp with lake glimpses.
Lovely lake, but no swimming. Martin's Tank Lake has an extremely high salt content and is unfit for swimming. Oh well....just a walk then.
Salt crusted plants along the bank.
A quick stop in Bunbury to collect groceries and have some lunch on the waterfront.
The Margaret River Region has so much to offer. Wines of course. Breweries. Cheeses. Chocolates. Restaurants & Cafes. As if that isn't enough, the coastline is spectacular. The countryside lovely. So much to see and do. Three weeks wasn't long enough. So we are coming back after our housesit back in Moore River!
The first of three accommodation locations - Worldmark Dunsborough for five nights. Two bedroom apartment with the beach on one side, and a winery on the other. Perfect!
Top floor apartment.
Plenty of time by the pool the first couple of days, before the weather turned rainy.
Stormy sunset view from our balcony.
Looking back towards the resort from the beach.
Even a drink o'clock bench. How convenient!
Perfect sunset evenings.
Putting the bench to good use.
Early morning walks. Love this time of day on the beach.
Plenty of birds.
And Sting Rays.
Just thought this was a cool shot.
My laptop decided to clap it in, so a 15 minute drive up to Busselton to Harvey Norman to exchange under warranty. Thank goodness I took the extended warranty, as the manufacturer's warranty was up 5 days prior! Anyhow, they were great, and the new one is much better that the other ever was! Happy days.
While we waited for them to upload all saved photos and do computer and ram stuff, we went for a bit of an explore around Busselton. A lovely town, which has the famous Busselton Jetty.
Thought these birds were a bit cute.
Lunch at a very nice café / restaurant overlooking the Busselton Jetty. Not a great day weatherwise. Can't wait to come back here and stay for a week or so.
The first of many wineries. Palmer Wines. Tasted all on offer and then settled into the restaurant for a superb lunch.
Flametree Wines just across the road from the resort. They day was pouring rain, so nothing better than tasting some wine. Settle on the cab. sav. with a meat and cheese platter to while away the afternoon.
Next stop Gracetown just north of Margaret River township. Beaut bush caravan park, and back in the camper. Happy days.
Back in in our home sweet home.
With plenty of cheeky Kookaburras.
And a very cheeky chook that kept wanting to roost and scratch about in the back of the car behind the fridge! No eggs sadly.
Some glamping going on next door for a couple of nights.
The beach at Gracetown was great.
Settled in for a lazy day.
Gracetown beach is a small cove. Water was a bit chilly though!
Grrrrr! The air-con decided to clap out. With the temps in the 30's, we got the mobile fix it man in. $500 later..........
So lets hit the wineries!
The first of many stops....Evans & Tate.
The vines are all in full bloom and fruit. I find vines so incredibly lovely.
Hay Shed Hill Wines. Picked up a very tasty Shiraz Tempranillo. Lunch overlooking the vines.
Aravina Wines. This winery was stunning. In fact, most are. It is not just a matter of having vines, and a cellar door. Most have stunning restaurants and grounds. It is an experience to visit the wineries even if you don't taste the wines.
Looking out over the vines.
Cozy corner to enjoy a wine.
A few of the wines on offer.
The gardens at this winery were simply beautiful.
I have never seen such perfect hydrangeas. Massive perfect blooms, and lush leaves. Creating a lazy, peaceful space.
Twists and turns of garden walks.
A few barrels.
Leading down to a prolific kitchen garden.
There was even a small car museum! Something for the boys.
Another day and more vineyards. Vasse Felix - the first vineyard in the region. Established in 1967. Once again amazing wines and beautiful grounds. Time for a late lunch.
Mouthwatering!
Leeuwin Wines. Thisis where concerts in the vines are held. We just missed out on seeing James Taylor!
Leeuwin Wines are extremely well renowned, and now I know why.
Fine dining - OK!
When you can't decide on what to eat or drink - try it all.
Even some wildlife!
Voyager Winery. Extremely grandiose.
As with many vineyards, a well stocked kitchen garden.
Black capsicum!
Cape Mentelle Wines.
But it's not all about wine. The produce and delicacies are droolable!
Gabriel Chocolates are produced from the bean to end product on site. Beans are sourced from all over the world to give different flavours and intensities. Better try them all to make sure which ones I want. Hmmmmm...can't decide. Better get one of each!
Oh....and a melted dark chocolate mocha and just out of the oven amazing warm chocolate chip cookie. Have to admit my tummy was a little off after overindulgence. Oh well....never mind ha ha!
Margaret River Providores and Chocolates. More oils, sauces, marinades, relishes, mustards, jams and chocolates than you can imagine. Once again, all for tasting. I'm in heaven!
Now all those condiments are no good without cheese! You guessed it - more tastings. And once again too hard to decide, so one of each and the best pate.
Yallingup Cheese.
The view from the cheese tastings.
Just down the road from the caravan park an olive grove and produce. What else to do while the car is being fixed than go for a walk!
Coffee and cake enjoying the olive grove. And you guessed it - more tastings. Superb fetta and pickles. Load up the shopping bag!
And at the end of the day the only decision is which wine and selection of produce. Just a bit jealous of the locals who have this on their doorstep.
For a change we decided to have a Brewery day. First stop Blacks Brewing.
Tasted them all, then had a couple of brews with some very nice fries overlooking the lake.
Next Bootleg Brewing and some spicy buffalo wings.
Finished off with a glass or two at Cheeky Monkey Brewing.
An amazing afternoon discovering some history and hidden spots of the region on an Eco Tour with many thanks to Juz and Bec and the little darlings. We learned so much about the area from the two brothers operating the tour, who are third generation Margaret River locals.
Let's go!
Meelup Beach just out of Dunsborough. Number one on our come back to list.
Eagle Bay. Another come back to destination.
Even spotted a massive smooth stingray.
The ocean is so inviting.
Cape Naturaliste. Ruggedly beautiful.
Cape Naturaliste.
Great spot for some refreshments.
House of Cards Wines. Wonderful wines, and even better that all the growing, production and sales are carried out on the premises.
This one was another spectacular vista. And the wines were very approachable, too. Wills Domain. Better have a couple.
Time to relax a bit. Off to Cape Naturaliste-Leeuwin National Park for a week. Still only about 15 minutes drive from Margaret River township, but on the rocky coastline.
Great camp, complete with picnic table for drink o'clock! Most nights there was a gathering of neighbours. Great fun!
But down to the beach we go. Bit of a rough road down, but, oh so worth it!
Conto's Spring Beach
Set up for the day under our new, improved brolley. We wore the old one out.
Love rock pool swimming. The water was very refreshing, shall we say.
Another day, another explore. This time the town of Margaret River. The usual selection of shops and cafes. We did have a great lunch at the Settlers Tavern in the main street. And lo and behold, checking out the live acts coming soon....Ziggy Alberts. A young guy who, as a patient at Kawana Dental, I had seen grow from a young primary schooler into a talented musician. Pity we weren't going to be here for his performance.
A drizzly dreary day so headed south to Hamlin Bay,. Famous for the large stingrays that come right up to the shore. It's a bit confronting the first time a stingray glides over your toes at the water's edge! After that....amazing!
Hamlin Bay.
Fellow stingray watchers lined up.
The are so graceful.
Only another 14klm down to Augusta. The most southern point of Western Australia. Amazing to think we have travelled from Cape Leveque in the north, all the way down the coast to Cape Leeuwin.
Came across this little piece of history.
Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.
The southwest region of Western Australia has many, many caves. This is Lakes Cave, which was just at the end of the road to our camp. Time for a look.
The mouth to the cave.
Looking back up to ground level.
Not the greatest photos, but gives a bit of an idea. A massive cavern.
This shot shows what is called the floating table. The water now flows at a lower level. The pillars are holding a section of the original floor.
Time to explore some more of the Coastline. The town of Prevelly and the mouth of the Margaret River.
This cool surfboard fence at a café in Prevelly.
Not a bad spot for lunch. Prevelly Beach.
The Surfer's Point. Margaret River.
Looking out from Surfer's Point to the world famous breaks of Margaret River.
15th - 27th March 2017
Yippee.... on the road again. First stop Miami Beach just south of Mandurah, on our way back to Margaret River. We settled into a fabulous, quiet camp on the banks of the estuary. Complete with our own pergola!
Very peaceful camp on the water.
Our front yard.
Morning walks every day along the pathway following the water. Amazing birdlife.
Tried a bit of fishing....no luck!
Ah..the serenity of a waterfront bench.
I thought this water hen was very lovely.
As luck would have it, the annual Mandurah Crab Festival was on! Let's go!
This area is well known for the blue swimmer crabs. They are so pretty. Seems a shame to eat them....almost!
The bright blue ones are the males, and the duller ones the females.
Crowds galore. So much happening.
The festival is held in the park along the river.
And food....so much to choose from.
Chilli crab paella. So good!
Japanese noodle omelette. Delicious.
A glass of the local brew. Very tasty.
While watching some of the entertainment. The skiers were amazing.
Local talent pumping out the tunes.
And if you didn't like your baby, you could change it for free! (groan)
We called into Busselton again to go on the jetty train and have a look at the underwater aquarium at the end.
The Busselton jetty is almost 2klm long, because the water is so shallow. Back in the early 1900's timber was brought by rail to Busselton for loading onto ships.
Neat piece of sculpture.
Dezzi enjoying the train ride.
Tourist shot.
Down, down, down below the jetty we go to the underwater aquarium!
Corals and sponges have made the pylons their home. It was fantastic to watch the fish - some tropical - through thick windows below the ocean.
Peppermint Grove Beach was the next camp on our way back to Margaret River. An absolute gem of a sleepy beach town. The caravan park was practically empty. More peace and serenity!
Plenty of room to spread out.
The homes overlooking the ocean are stunning. Not a bad holiday home!
Just us!
And miles of beach to walk along every day.
Back in Dunsborough. Our camp right on the ocean. This will be great for the next 4 days.
The weather was a bit dodgy, but made for lovely, cloudy skies.
The walk down to the beach, and Dez soaking up the serenity.
A storm, and beautiful rainbow. I swear it was landing on our camper. Sadly no pot of gold when I got back from walking.
Singing and dancing in the rain. Never too old to be silly!
Dezzi fishing - apparently.
No fish.....again!
Our camp was owned by the Seventh Day Adventists. No alcohol?
Coweramup is a little town in the Margaret River region. There are statues of cows all through the town. When you drive through it looks like there has been a mass escape from the local dairy farm. It is commonly referred to as Cowtown.
These are just some.....
Friday night and off to the local East Street market. Bring on the yummy food and some music!
Chilli spud - very delicious!
There are about 180 wineries in the Margaret River region. Sadly couldn't get around them all, however, we did give it a good try. BUT, couldn't go past this one. The hockey fraternity will understand the pun here, as Justin's nickname has been Happy, often shortened to Happ since he was a young teenager. Yet another gorgeous vineyard serving very tasty wines.
Enjoying one of their refreshing Rieslings.
Peaceful grounds.
Yallingup Woodfired Bread...mmmmmmmm! You can smell it as you come up the lane. A tummy grumbling aroma of wood smoke and baking bread.
The boys were starting to do the daily bake when I got there.
So delicious.
Another visit to Augusta. The most westerly point in Australia and the last southern point before taking a left hand turn and heading east.
Cape Leeuwin is a stunning piece of coastline.
The Cape Leeuwin lighthouse - again.
Our camp at Augusta was kind of like a homestay for travellers. A young couple have set up their acreage lot to accommodate caravans, and glamping tents for hire. Bonus for us, no-one else there and young Toni was heading to Perth for a week. So no other campers coming in. Just shut the gate on our way out! The pump on the bore tank wasn't working. A handy man job for Dez. Turns out the plug wasn't in properly!.
Dezzi left holding the baby!
Augusta Marina view.
Our last camp on the southern journey. Coffee then hit the road.
I
Our travels from Cape Leveque in the far north of the Kimberley, through the Pilbara, Coral Coast, Moore River, Perth, Margaret River, has been amazing.
Time to turn left and head east. Excited to start exploring the forest region of the Great Southern. Not to mention some Rieslings!
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