Author: Mark Anderson

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Day 146: 23 October – Back to the bush

Author: Mr A

From: Denmark

To: Tozer’s Bush Camp, Bremer Bay

Distance: 233 km

After a very civilised few weeks working our way round the vineyards and cafés of the SW of WA, we headed off this morning  into the wild and wooly hinterland further east along the coast. Firstly though we thought we would detour through Mt Barker, and of course a winery beckoned. Well Ok then, just one more tasting. Plantagnet Winery was just on our route…it would have been rude not to…so we spent a very happy hour tasting some of their range. I know, what a way to spend a Monday morning.

We had a few hours drive ahead of us and were overjoyed that Tassie had decided to crash rather than stomp around the car, as is sometimes her want. Catherine employed the “Thunder Shirt” technique that is used on dogs to calm them when there’s fireworks or thurnderstorms. Basically swaddle them in something warm. In this case Catherine’s waistcoat. Seemed to do the trick, she was flat out the whole trip – wonderful!

We then drove through the magnificent Sterling Range, stopping for a roadside lunch to admire their towering presence, rising almost sheer out of the flat country surrounding them. 

It was finally time then to head bush, this time to a place called Tozer’s Bush Camp, which had shown up on WikiCamps as a relatively new place getting 5 star reviews. We headed off the tar and onto the dirt for the first time in over 6 weeks…it felt good. We met Tozer himself briefly, and his 9 month old kelpie.

Tassie woke up and viewed both from the safety of my driver’s seat. We were told to go and pick ourselves a spot, which we did, a fabulous array of wildflowers surrounding us. This looks like a top location. Only 3 other caravans are here, and 50 metres to our nearest neighbour. We are so loving travelling in the off season here. From December on it will be heaving. 

Can Tassie read upside down?
Tas heads off for a walk in searchof lizards and mice

I know it’s a Monday, and in the “old days” that meant fasting and alcohol free, but what the heck, madam was cooking up a storm of a fish red curry, so I brought out the big guns with a bottle of the Rockcliffe Third Reef Chardy we had brought in Denmark. A Halliday rated 97 pointer. We can’t believe how we have both been converted after such a short sojourn in the Margaret River. Such floozies! So easily swayed from “Oh no we don’t really like Chardy”…stereotyping a whole genre of wine with one foul swoop. The delicacy of the oaking is quite remarkable. It’s there in the background, but not shouting at you. 

A fine view of the hills

The evening concluded under the stars with a glass or two of Plantagenet Shiraz, meeting the neighbours around the communal fireplace and exchanging tips and stories. One of the many joys of travelling.

Another firey red sky
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Day 142: 19 October  – Walpole is apparently the belly button of the world

Author: Mr A

Distance – cycled: 9km Walked: 3km

Sometimes you meet someone in life, who when you match yourself against them you realise how little you know about the world. Today we took a eco-tour (as its marketing describes it) which was actually a history lesson, a science show, a naturalist history talk, and a fabulously entertaining tour of the Walpole Wilderness by boat.


The tour was hosted by a larger than life, eight generation stockman, turned tour raconteur and self styled eco-warrior, Gary Muir. How the heck Gary has amassed such a vast ranging knowledge of the history, natural and human, of this area is amazing. There is no subject he couldn’t range on, with enthusiasm and humour.


Even describing (by drawing in the sand) how Walpole was at one point just below the equator and positioned as the belly button of the world. His respect and knowledge of the local aboriginal culture was also refreshing. When he asked what I had done in Sydney I mumbled “sell software”, and felt embarrassed against his impact on the world. His award winning boot cleaning station has been used to prevent die back spreading further around the coast, Australia and soon to be the world. He has unearthed letters from Tolstoy in a local boat shed (metres from where we are camping), educated thousands of people and sewn a spark of environmental care into their hearts. Gary…I am not worthy.

After this trip we took a drive up into the “Valley of the Giants”, and wandered amongst the giant tingle trees. I’m sure this has been said before, but these trees produce a tingle down the spine as you crane your neck up into their upper branches, up to 80 metres over you head. The red tingle tree is also up to 20 metres round, and if I carry on eating the amount of pies I have on this trip I wont be far behind. It is truly humbling to walk amongst these giants.


Back at the caravan park we decided to go four a late afternoon ride along the the Biblimum track. Primarily a walking route, stretching from just outside of Perth to Albany, some parts of it are available as cycle trails. This section near us was and we headed into the forest as the afternoon sun was shining through the canopy. What a great little ride.


There’s so much to do around Walpole, we are really reluctant to leave tomorrow.

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Day 138: 15 October  – Wheeling around Margaret River

Author: Mr A

Distance cycled: 35 km

As Einstein said “There’s hope for a race that invented the bicycle”. After a fortifying BBQ brekky, we were off on the bikes following a very rough mud map drawn by the station staff, showing us how to get to the town of Margaret River “the back way”.


And what a brilliant back road it was, meandering through tall stands of trees, the sounds of the forest enveloping us. I was leading the way trying my best to interpret the map, and got the usual questions from my team that always started with the same phrase “Did you see” then ended with words like “massive tree, bird, lizard”. Now I don’t have the best eyesight, as some of you know, so invariably I didn’t. I like to think I’m seeing the big picture, not getting focused on details…..but actually I’m just charging through on my boulder crusher enjoying the rush. 


After a few back tracks we came out on the rail trail that leads into Margaret River, and were soon sipping hot chocalates at the local bike shop cafe that I had also been recommended to call in it. My bike always garners attention (which Mrs A thinks is the whole point of me owning it, suffering only child syndrome) and this time was no exception. In fact the mechanic has offered to come in on his day off and fit me up with tubeless tyres! Such enthusiasm, perhaps helped along by me buying a new helmet, after mine has mysteriously disappeared. 

Sadly the order of a dairy free and dairied up hot chocolate may have been mixed up, as Mrs A immediately shot off to find the nearest toilets, emerging quite a while later looking decidedly uncomfortable. We set off back to retrace our steps, and in time were wheeling down the beautiful driveway that frames the entrance to our delightful campsite-come-sheep station. 


That evening we had arranged to share dinner with the couple we had got to know on our wine tour, Nick and Carol. We had a Western Rock Lobster from the freezer, kindly gifted by people we had met in Geraldton, so Mrs A is found keenly watching YouTube to work out how we prepare it. After some anxious moments, its halved and a lovely marinade prepared for the BBQ. 

It cooked beautifully, and would have comfortably fed a less than hungry mouse, oh dear, we should have brought another one. Well it was only supposed to be the entree, and thankfully Carol had had  a casserole bubbling away all day. With some fresh bread it was just fantastic. Oh, and rather a lot of red wine, and then the Choclate Port came out, and the cheese. A perfect end to a perfect day, breaking bread with new friends, getting to hear their stories and dreams, simply wonderful. 

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Day 136: Friday 13 October – Sampling the delights of Margaret River

Author: Mr A

Location: Margaret River region


The day dawned sunny, finally it was warm enough to have breakfast outside again. A certain member of our family group particularly enjoyed the warmth:

So we’re not usually tour group inclined, but on this occasion I’m glad we signed up to today to do this all day guided exploration of some local producers. I really enjoyed having someone do the driving and make the decisions about where we go. We left at 10am and got back at 6pm – thats a big day of sampling I reckon, and for $80 a head, great value.


We had a wine tasting, followed by a decent lunch, another wine tasting, with nougat sampling thrown in, then a chocolate factory, another winery, a venison farm and finally a distillery!

A little background first. The Margaret River is a relatively young wine region, with dairy farmers starting to turn to grapes less than 40 years ago. Blessed with really fantastic terroir, they have aimed at the premium end of the market, with mainly low volume, bourtique producer (around 185 at last count). In total last year Margaret River wineries only accounted for around 1% of Australia’s total wine production. In an effort to diversify, a number of wineries have added other foods to their cellar door shelves. Nougat production, fine olive oils and chocolates. One has even built a distillery, offering premium (an overused word in this region I think) beers, whiskey, and liqueurs.


We drank some good wine…and some very ordinary wine, but had a lot of fun and learnt some things. Objective achieved. There has been very little about the food and wine in WA that we would perceive as good value, compared to what we have experienced in other states. My take is that those who truly are offering premium goods and services in their niche will continue to do OK, but those businesses who aren’t at the top of their game will find, as the economy in WA struggles, their usual queue of well heeled local customers will shorten or disappear. The customer demographics are also changing dramatically – UK visitors were down in WA this year by 10%, tourists from Asian countries are all up significantly. The businesses who understand how to meet these changing customer needs will prosper, but those who continue to present a very traditional white Australian face perhaps may not.

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Day 134: 11 October – A Margaret River lunch to remember

Author: Mr A

Location: Margaret River, Wills Domain

Another cold, gloomy day, but we had indoor games planned today so it didn’t matter. We had followed several friends’ advice and booked a table at Wills Domain, a restaurant and winery made famous by head chef Seth James.

Before heading out to lunch, however, we headed down to the beach for a short (emphasis on the short!) walk down along the coast by Yallingup. It’s the first time we’ve seen proper surf in a while, and a stunning location.


After getting the blood moving and some fresh air in our lungs, we headed over to Wills Domain.

It was set in a beautiful location amongst the vines, and we were offered a sample some of their wines before lunch.  Margaret River is known for Chardy and Cab Sav, not two of our favourite grapes actually, but one needs to be flexible in these matters. If we were still building a cellar, rather than drinking as we go, I would have been tempted with several of their wines, which are likely to turn into beauties with some more time in the bottle.

Tasting over, we wandered through to the restaurant, which they have recently renovated and changed the style to be very intimate, I counted only 6 tables, so there was no getting away from me for Mrs A. The dining room was quite lovely, with a fire flickering away and plenty of space between tables, refined not raucous, we fitted right in.

We asked our waiter (whose accent seemed to change from French to something else every other sentence!) the dairy question right up front – What can Mrs A eat without spending the afternoon losing her lunch from the dairy allergy she has? We were interested in the “feasting option”, as they so bluntly called it. In fact a great sample of their food in small courses. So, Mr ‘French-this-Minute’ comes back and explains how they can adapt the ingredients to suit. Wow….and they did. And it was a feast. Such fantastic blending of flavours, fresh ingredients, a little spiciness here and there, we loved it.


The car seemed to struggle back up the hill to our caravan park carrying the extra load.  Mrs A then took Tassie out for a late afternoon stroll, attracting the attention of several parrots, who seemed as intrigued to see a cat on a lead as some of the other residents. We are so happy she seems to be gaining in confidence, and with some encouragement, exploring her surroundings. Tomorrow, we will destroy all that and move her again!

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Day 132: 9 October – Brilliant Busselton by bike

Author: Mr A

Location: Busselton

Distance cycled: 30 km

We took the Zone to see the doctor this morning, The Caravan Doctor, that’s right. Somewhere down the Gibb River Road our suspension had taken a hammering and some little plastic stoppers had been damaged. Or was it the weight of the hefty wine cellar, packed in anticipation of a vitculatural desert, that gave the suspension too much to cope with?  The lovely people at Zone had sent some new ones down to this caravan repairer in Busselton. We rolled in at 8.45am, they immediately went to work, and we were away by 9.30am. How about that for service? 

So back we went to the caravan park and set up again, not exactly arduous, plug in a few pipes and leads and we’re done. Our trusty two wheeled steeds were readied for exploration and off we set. We headed along a cycle way that followed the coast, ogling some amazing houses on the way, and all the native flowers that had been planted beside it. It truly was one of the best cycle paths we have ever seen. Beautifully tended flower beds alongside us, views of pristine white beaches, oh…and flat…Mrs A is doing well but still on the mend. 


The path eventually led us into this new marina development at Port Geographe, just stunning, the houses, the landscaping, the canals, its one of the most spectacular estates I’ve seen in Australia. 


We forced ourselves to turn round and cycle back into Busselton and explore in the other direction along the coast. It was just the same, beautiful beaches framed by wild flowers flowing alongside this cycleway. We wanted to just go on and on…but the afternoon was drawing on so we headed back into town, stomachs grumbling. 


A shingle backed lizard we spotted along the way – very well disguised in the pea gravel and sand:


Busselton, you really are something special. The wealth of this council must be enormous to invest in the infrascture of the town as they have. And its all so terribly tasteful, darling. 

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Day 130: 7 October – A gastronomic treasure in Bunbury?

Author: Mr A

From: Australind

To: Bunbury

Distance driven: 24 km return

Distance walked: 7 km

Uninspiring weather led to a reluctant start to our day, in fact by the time we had driven 12 km down the road to Bunbury it was almost lunch time – handy really. A bento box later, our first Japanese food since leaving Sydney in May, we were heading to what Trip Advisor said was the number one attraction here. 

The Bunbury Farmer’s Market was an unimpressive brick building, but once inside our taste buds started to tingle. Wow…our trolley started to fill up, mouths watering with a fabulous selection of all things naughty and nice. I even located a Scotch egg that at least looks like it has some chance of tasting authentic. Catherine was in dairy free heaven, with ice creams, yoghurts and dips that even had me looking twice. The prices were very reasonable as well. Well done Bunbury! 

Back at the Zone I attempted to sort out the muddy water problem that has plagued us through this trip. This time it’s a different water tank that was producing discoloured water, so it was drained and a hose pipe shoved into the drain plug to try and blast the sediment out. Hopefully the water will no longer look like a pint of VB. 

We finally dragged ourselves out into the cold, windy, showery weather to have a quick “appetite sharpener” before dinner. Catherine of course caught some fab pictures.



Tucked in for the night now…Tassie is just in heaven with the constant attention she is getting! It’s a cat’s life in the Zone. 

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Day 128:  5 October – Perth in the rear view mirror

Author: Mr A

From: Perth

To: Clifton Lake

Distance: 128km driven

The day started early, it was wheels on the road by 7am as we needed to drop the Zone off to have a new en-suite door fitted, courtesy of the manufacturer. We’d had trouble with it not securing properly, but they keep innovating their build and now have a more robust model. They had kindly sent one across the continent for us. We also have had some custom made privacy screens made up  – the off the shelf models are too short for our high clearance off-road warrior. 

So caravan dropped off, we had a day to fill. A breakfast spot by the beach, a mushroom medley for madam (supposedly dairy free – the after effects proved not) and kippers for me (oh yes) and we were set up. A final top-up trip to T2 was called for, one simply can’t travel without some fine herbal and fruit teas. We did stop at a park to give Tassie a stretch, but it was rather too open and dogified for her taste. 


Then we get the call from Zone, rather sheepishly they tell us the door has been damaged in transit. Not their fault, it was packed well. Damm…we decide to get it fitted anyway, and they immediately offer to get a new one shipped to a destination of our choice fiurther down the coast. Rather wonderful of them. So more delays, the privacy screens wont be ready until 4pm. Anyway its 4.30pm before we leave the big city behind and point our nose south once again.

We have mixed feelings about leaving. We are both keen to get on the road again, but keep seeing things we didn’t get around to visitinthere. No visit to Rottnest, no cycling along the Swan River. And we are leaving our newbie friends Andy and Caroline. Such are the dilemmas of doing the big lap in 6 months! Will there be a next time? 

Catherine had found us a free camp for the night right outside a pub. Sounded good to me. We pulled up at the Clifton Lake Tavern, and I checked with a friendly manager all was good. Five minutes later (I love that about caravanning) and we were sauntering over for a very nice pub meal and a pint. 


The security was tight. Fortunately we had left Tas all snuggled up in the Zone. 

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Day 126: 3 September – A walk in the woods – from a feline perspective 

Author: Miss T 

Distance walked: 600 metres

I thought it was about time a feline perspective was provided into this narrative. I’ve a few words to say on how well my staff (yes…let’s be honest here) are performing on this caravan caper. If you’ve been paying attention to me (and you’re only human, so you must have – the cute Burmese you’ve seen adorn these posts recently ) I’ve joined them on their “Big Lap”. It’s not the kind of lap I was thinking about when it was first discussed,  but admittedly it does have some upsides. 

Today, for instance, I was encouraged to take a walk in the woods. Now I don’t mind a bit of a wander, nothing too rushed mind you, every bush and tree provides a unique ofalcatory experience that should be savoured like a fine piece of raw minced steak (if you thought cats like fish, do your homework). 

So this lead thing is a bit of a chore, a nice colour though, pink, so highlights my blue coat – don’t you dare call me “grey”. I just try to ignore that I’m actually attached to something and head off in random directions so the staff don’t start to get ideas about them being in charge. 


So off we set with the more agile staff member in tow, even SHE is struggling to keep up with my dodging and weaving around some prickly bushes. Its important to keep them on their toes. It’s rather a pleasant day, a few not-very-bright potential targets of my sleuth-like hunting skills are giving away their location by chirping and hopping about. I give them a stern look, but to be honest I’m being rather too well fed to make much of an effort. Anyway the other member of staff comes out to meet us, HE has his usual stomping gait and scares everything away. Honestly, I’ve seen labradors turn up with more grace. 


I did let HIM cuddle me last night though, as it was a trifle chilly, plus I did feel slightly guilty about how as soon as SHE came back from some jaunt, I immediately transferred my valuable affections from one sleeping mat to the other. Even though SHE arrived after a night away smelling like the place where I get prodded and poked with a needle every so often. But at least SHE doesn’t make that growling noise when  asleep. With HIM I sometimes wonder in the night if I’ve been thrown into a kennel full of boxers with bad colds.

So all things being considered, I am quite enjoying the change of air here and the chance to get out and about. The big windows they have installed for me in this particular caravan allow an appropriate amount of sunshine in, and I’ve got a pretty good rotation worked out now around the various sunny patches and soft furnishings. My water is freshened up whenever I give them a particular look, apparently they have big tanks of it all ready for me. I have also taken rather a liking to the outdoor chair that HE has been trying to sit in. Silly man thinks he’s going to get that back. Ah well…humans…let them dream…


The staff did go out today, thank goodness, leaving me in peace for a change, coming back rather too quickly (for my sleep schedule) 4 hours later. I communicated my displeasure with the withering look I am rather pleased to have honed. I feel sure they would have got the message…DO NOT DISTURB UNLESS YOU HAVE TREATS. 

Well I do need to get back to my feather pillow, but let me know if you would appreciate further feline perspective on this Big Lap thing. I’ll try and cram it into the brief time I spend during the day with my eyes open, not feeding, eating or being adored.  Meanwhile the staff are about to have their dinner, bless them…some kind of pizza thing the big bloke got all excited about. 

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Day 125: 1 October – A two BBQ day is a good day

Author: Mr A

Distance cycled (by Mr A only!): 22 km

Distance walked: 4km

I snuck out early for a quick ride in the woods. It’s a magnificent morning, and I forgot my camera, so use your imagination. The trail undulates through the tall stands of jarrah and marri trees, the sun is piercing through the canopy and sending shafts of light down onto the  trail. No one else is around – you can only hear the sounds of the birds and in the distance the river washing over the rocks. I decide I better head back to check if Mrs A is awake and ready for me to charge up the Weber.


I take the view that a cooking a BBQ breakfast of eggs, sausage, mushrooms, beans and toast, washed down with two pots of tea, is the best road I can help Mrs A get back to full strength. I cant cook much but I can do a mean brekky. Tassie comes out to observe proceedings. It’s what we always used to dream about when we were on the first part of the trip without her. Just chilling out with her enjoying the sun outside the caravan. 


I got up to get something from the Zone and immediately my chair was commandeered by the small furry one. Hadn’t got the heart to shift her, so decided it was time for another ride. This time I did take the camera….



It’s such a beautiful trail I could keep going and going…but worry about Mrs A, so head back and find she is ready for a walk. Yippee! First milestone to recovery. Off we potter into the woods. It was wonderful to see her up and around again, snapping away at the birds and smiling through the effort of getting enough air down her swollen throat. We saw a few birds which only live in this part of Australia, like this red capped parrot:

And this Scarlet Robin:



Back at the Zone I decided I would try my hand at dinner, after being swept along on the wave of success of brekky. My limited imagination and culinary repotoire meant the BBQ was fired up again, some veg were roasted and some pre-cooked salmon taken out of the fridge…I know….but Mrs A was happy to not have to cook all day for a change. 

 Another good day on the road to recovery…

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