The Bunbury Dolphins and the Gnomes

This morning I dragged the clan out of bed very early to go down to the bay of see the dolphins. Apparently the bay here is home to 360 wild dolphins that regularly come up to the shore to say hi!! Well we didn't see 360 but we did see two or three!

We went back to the park for a big breakfast that Troy cooked up for us. We also noticed that our power was off and when I went to check the plug this is what I found!  Apparently Harry didn't like us using so much power!

Then we set off on our merry way into Ferguson Valley and the Wellington National Park.  This is the home of Gnomesville, a roadside stop that has been inundated with heaps, and I mean HEAPS of gnomes! 

Not sure how it started, but now people come to have a look and leave a gnome! And a TV! The family tried to leave me there, but I didn't quite fit in!!

We then drove through the national park and saw the King Jarrah tree, and then onto the Wellington Dam and quarry before driving back to Bunbury.  After the kids had a swim in the pool and we had a nanna nap, we went out to the movies to see the Muppets Most Wanted, and then wished we hadn't!!  We grabbed some dinner and headed home for a game of cards and bed!

And We're Back on the Coast

Rather than waking up to the sounds of waves this morning we woke to the sound of Baaaaaaa!!!!  The lambs were very cute though and the kids got to feed them breakfast!

After packing up camp we set off again. As we had stayed in Margaret River we thought we'd better actually see the river! So we went to the coast to check out the mouth of Margaret River and also to check out the surf. The waves were knarley!!!! Which was just as well as the World Surf Pro had just finished. Shame we missed that!

We then went to Hay Shed Hill for brunch, another recommendation from Matthew. 

The winery had a lovely outlook, but the food, totally yummy!!! Troy had an Indonesian curry with egg and red rice.

From here we went to Laurence winery to see the toilets, which was a recommended thing to do from a few people.  While the toilets were stunning, the whole winery was awesome, fabulous gardens, a beautiful building and the most amazing art. We didn't try the wine as it was a bit early in the day, but the wine bottles were even quite gorgeous!

From here we went to Busselton, where we walked along the longest wooden piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere at 1.8km.

It is so long there is even a train to take people from one end to the other! 

We arrived in Bunbury where we are staying for two nights. After setting up camp we went into town for supplies and to check out the beach, before settling in for the night with an amazingly beautiful full moon! Apparently the haloing effect is caused by icicles in the atmosphere, according to some random that Troy was chatting to in the park. Will have to check with google! 

Margaret River = Sample Day!!!

Today we packed up early and set off for Margaret River.  The first stop on my agenda was a shell museum, which Troy refused to go into after declaring it was going to be lame. However after checking the reviews on trip advisor, he decided to give it a go!! It was amazing both in size and in range! It was Pete and Kath's private shell collection that they have been acquiring for 60 years and it was located in their home. Amongst the collection were also a lot of sea creatures including sharks, crabs and sea horses! They had that many shells they had even created things like chandeliers and wind chimes from them!! It was quite impressive!  And rather sad!!

We then found the farm stay where we had decided to spend a night. It is a working farm that has designated a paddock or two to the weary traveller, but they have gone all out, providing power, water, toilets and hot showers.  We set the van up, and then set off for sampling!!

The first stop was Stella Bella winery. We mainly stopped there because of its name, but we sampled some of the wines and bought a few. Stella bought herself a t-shirt too!

Our next stop was at the cheese factory, where we once again sampled and bought!  Getting the gist of our day yet?!!

Next we went to see a silk worm farm, and while we didn't sample the silk worms we did sample the mulberry jam and syrup that they produce as well as silk. As silkworms feed on mulberry leaves the farm has an abundant amount of mulberry trees and thus a huge supply of mulberries. The lady that ran the farm gave us a great detailed explanation of the way they create silk, exporting the cocoons to Cambodia to be spun into silk, which is then returned to the farm. It was very interesting.

Next stop was the Chocolate factory, no explanation needed as to what we did there!!!

We then went on to a winery that also made nougat. We sampled both produce including a honey almond nougaretto. That was like Baileys only more delicious! Sadly though there was a problem in the bottling department and there was none for sale. Damn it!

We then went to the Cheeky Monkey brewery and while sampling their beers and ciders we also had lunch.  The brewery also was attached to the Killerby winery, and we sampled a few of those wines too!

We drove back to Margaret River and visited the fudge factory, where we of course sampled and bought, although I don't think the fudge is as good as mine. Big call I know, but this was a unanimous decision amongst the family!!

On referral from the wine guru of the family (thanks Matthew H) we then went to the Voyager winery that had as equally impressive gardens as it did wine.  This was the best winery we visited today, according to the kids, because it also had a non alcoholic wine available that they could sample too!!  And it was delicious!!

Our last stop was the Leeuwin winery that also had impressive surrounds and great wine!  What a fantastic area this is!!

We got back to the farm in time to feed the goats.  The kids enjoyed this as much as the very hungry goats did!!

Hopefully this lamb won't be waking us up in the morning or Troy will probably eat it for breakfast!! 

Hamelin Bay

What is it with the West and fantastic weather! We were treated to another amazing day as we set off to see the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse at the point where the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet.

Troy was most impressed as the Lighthouse tour came with an audio guide! We made our own way around the grounds before meeting the gate keeper who took us inside the lighthouse where we climbed to the top, all 158 stairs!! The views were great and well worth the effort!!

                Southern Ocean                                                                              Indian Ocean

Afterward we had a drink with some yummy scones while watching the waves from both oceans crash against the coast.

We then headed to the Boranup gallery that specialises in timber furniture, glassware and welded sculptures. The furniture was exquisite, although we would have needed a second mortgage to purchase anything!! We then went to a hedge maze, another of my not so good ideas!!!  After very quickly finding our way to the middle and back again we went back to the caravan park to chillax and fish! Troy caught a few, but still the big salmon allude him!!

As the sun was going down, some dolphins decided to put on a bit of a show, delighting us all to no end. And although we are looking forward to seeing the staircase to the moon, the sun put on a similar display at sunset tonight.

The Giants of the West

We packed up camp yet again and made our way back to the Valley of the Giants.  

We didn't really need to go into a tourist attraction to see these beautiful trees as they have been lining the road for the past day or two, but they are just magnificent and we couldn't resist!

We did the Tree Top Walk and at 40m high were able to walk amongst the tops of the trees, before walking through the Ancient Valley and seeing the Red Tingle Trees that are around 400 years old. These trees were just amazing the way they grow and survive.

This tree was affectionately called the Grandma tree, although I'm not sure if that is the right name for it!!!  More like Mrs McGillacutty!!

We made our way along through Shannon National Park and came to Pemberton where we found the climbable Gloucester Tree. At 53m high it was once used to look for smoke as an alert of an oncoming fire.  Ronan and I started climbing and I was most surprised when I looked down to see Stella right behind me. And she didn't stop, making it all the way to the very top, as we all did! Great views from there too!

We then had a great feed at the Pemberton Hotel before continuing on to the Beedleup Falls. As it is was early Autumn they weren't so much falls as trickles!! But we still had a lovely walk. 

We then made our way to Hamelin Bay where we are staying for two nights. This caravan park is again right on the beach however this time we got our first taste of the Indian Ocean and also a true West Australian sunset!

Greens Pool and Parry's Beach

This morning we awoke to another amazing WA day, and Troy and I rode around the coast for a look at the view and the sun rising up over the town.

When we got back we drove into town to go to the Farmers Market and couldn't believe the queue for the avocados!

We stopped and took some creative photos of Dog Rock, a natural phenomenon and the number 5 thing to see in Albany!!

We then went out for breakfast before packing up the caravan and heading off.  Yeti seems to be just fine and behaving as though nothing happened. Hopefully this continues for the rest of our trip!! We made a stop at Greens pool, which was basically a really big rock pool at the beach.  The water was beautiful, and the kids jumped off the rocks in the middle, even Stella had a go!!

We then continued on and came across a toffee factory that also made apple cider and yummy salted caramel sauce, and we sampled and bought each of these!! Delicious!

We then found Parry's Beach and set up camp in the campground, which was quite full but great value for $10 per night.  Complete with warm showers and flushing loos, plus being right on the beach it was a great place to spend a night. Thankfully we still have Melbourne water on board as WA bore water is sooooo not tasty!! 

As they drive on the beaches over here Ronan thought he'd try riding on them too! 

The weather turned a bit windy so we jumped in the car to try and see the Valley of the Giants, but we missed it by 30min! We then went into Walpole to go to the local pub to have dinner and watch the footy but as West Coast was playing there was no way in heck they would put the Hawks game on the TV!! So we went back to camp after a rather unsuccessful afternoon, had dinner and went to bed!

Ahhh......Houston We Have A Problem

Once again we found a spot that we didn't want to leave, but with limited time available we had to continue on our merry way, so we left Bremer Bay headed for Albany. We were a little way down the road when an alert from Yeti announced that we needed to check the engine! We had to stop for petrol yet again!, so while there Troy popped the hood and checked her vitals! All seemed ok, no smoke pouring out, oil and water all fine, so we set off, knowing Albany was only a short drive. Once we had checked into the caravan park, this one also fabulous but rather expensive, Troy went off in search of a service centre, while we stayed and explored the park. We are right on the beach, and there is a lovely heated pool and spa and a super games room, so the kids are stoked! Troy managed to get the car looked at, and while the problem needs to be fixed the guy didn't think it needed to be done immediately which was lucky as he didn't have the parts required anyway. Something about a flux capacitor or catalytic converter or something!! It also helps to have a super Holden Guru on speed dial (thanks Rich!) and between the two experts Troy was comfortable to continue on until we got closer to Perth where they may have the parts!

We then went off to explore Albany, heading to the old whaling station for a tour.  I think this is as close to seeing a whale as I am going to get on this holiday!

This was quite an interesting place complete with rather gruesome pics of how they used to gut a whale! The kids loved exploring the old whaling ship. This is a harpoon that they used to shoot the whales with!

There were also some bones set out so you could see just how big these amazing creatures are!

On the way back to town, we stopped at the blowholes, and while there was no big water spray the sound was fabulous and it sent a rush of air out the top.

When we got back we had a quick dip and then headed out for dinner, a nice Indian feed. After dinner we went back to the park and watched the news only to find they still haven't found that plane yet!