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Day 150: 27 October  – A campsite and pristine beach all to our ourselves

Author: Mr A

From: Hopetoun

To: Munginlup Beach

Distance driven: 113 km

Distance walked: 7.5 km

All these little towns off the main tourist trail are just so friendly. We got a smile at the local IGA, and useful local information on road conditions from the bakery. We just had to buy a sausage roll to start the day. After talking to a a couple of friends yesterday who described themselves as ‘hitting the gym’ and ‘eating healthily’ we aren’t looking forward to Christmas around the pool together! 

After an hour’s drive we decided to head down to a little bay (Munginlup beach) on the coast for some lunch. Arriving, we saw a well laid out campsite, new toilets, and noone else. So…we thought let’s stay here the night. Tas was keen to explore so a walk to the ocean was in order. 

Rich dunes
The most colourful rock pools ever
Not even grey skies can stop this water looking incredible (sorry for the sloped horizon!)

After a spot of lunch and a read (John Le Carré’s new one for me, it’s a cracker) it was time to hit the beach minus Tassie. The wind was howling but it was a stunning vista that awaited us as we walked along. Not a single footstep was visible. We marched up the sand and came to a lagoon, again not a sign of anyone. 

Tas wasn’t too keen on the sight and sound of the ocean, but loved digging in these dunes

Heading back to the caravan we decided to use up some pancake batter and try making Yorkshire puds in our oven. Worked out very tasty – washed down with a Chardy from Mt Barker’s Plantagenet winery. Main is a chicken Pad Thai, absolutely yummy, so we decided it needed something special to show it off. I fished out the Brash Vineyard 2014 Shiraz. More medals than Usain Bolt’s mantelpiece. 

Yum!

It’s so nice to have a place all to ourselves, with only the sounds and smells of the ocean keeping us company.  This is a great time of year to be travelling along this part of the coast. The weather may be not the most beachy, but hasn’t often stopped us from getting out and about. I would trade sunbaking and swimming for less crowds any day. 

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Day 149: 26 October – Travelling east through more wild weather

Author: Mrs A

From: Bremer Bay

To: Hopetoun

Distance driven: 250 km

Distance walked: 2 km

As the crow flies from our camp this morning, tonight’s location was around 100km, but in between us and Hopetoun was the Fitzgerald National Park, and the mountains within it that stretch majestically down to the ocean, more than doubling our travel distance.

It was a blustery journey. The 3 tonnes of car and about the same of caravan were being buffeted around by extremely strong winds the whole way, making it a physical drive for Mr A as he struggled to keep us in a straight line. We were pleased Tassie seems to have got the hint about car travel, and immediately settled down for a long sleep on my lap while we journeyed.

We pulled up at our free RV camp in Hopetoun around 2.30pm, and within 5 minutes of parking up the wind gusts strengthened further still, reaching more than 72km/hour at one point, followed by horizontal torrential rain. We locked ourselves into the mobile apartment and put the kettle on for a herbal tea. When in doubt drink tea.

The rain continued for the rest of the afternoon, only breaking just before sunset, allowing us a brief opportunity to explore.

We’re parked alongside a heritage rail trail which traverses the bushland between Hopetoun and its nearest neighbour, Ravensthorpe for about 49km. Definitely an option for tomorrow’s activity. We strolled a short way along it and then down a pathway traversing a sand dune (made from giant tyres – innovation and recycling for you!) to a stunning white sand beach. Beautiful views awaited us, with the small town of Hopetoun in the distance one way, and beaches stretching away along the coast the other.

Follow the yellow brick road?
Sunset on another deserted beach
Anti-crepuscular rays in the sky opposite the setting sun (and a mini rainbow)….yes, I had to look that up!
Incredible skies

We counted the other caravans, motorhomes and campers parked up at this free spot – 12…More than the total number of vehicles we have seen on the road all day! I wonder how the Hopetoun residents feel about the town offering this free camping spot. I guess we all bring much needed money in to the area (Mr A is already eyeing up the bakery and pub!), but there is also a private campground here – how busy it is there?

We’re all settled in for a cosy evening – plenty of solar power despite the lack of sunshine today, full water tanks thanks to our last campground, and stocked up with food…and tomorrow’s forecast is sunshine. Much to look forward to! 

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Day 148: 25 October – Exploring Bremer Bay

Author: Mr A

Location: Bremer Bay

Distance walked: 6 km

Today we had decided to take a short 20 minute drive up the road to the nearest settlement, Bremer Bay. We set off with very little in the way of a plan, all we could gleam from a bit of Googling was “a small settlement surrounded by fabulous beaches, with fishing and surfing opportunities”. Well that describes 99% of all Australian coastal settlements…what was special here? We soon discovered that as we came to our first view of one of the surrounding beaches. What incredible colours, the vivid blue of the ocean was in stark contrast to the almost white sand. One local described it as ‘Whitehaven Beach without the temperatures and crowds!’

Too gorgeous!

The cold wind soon drove us back in the car again (a great day to be behind glass) and we carried on around the town trying to find its centre. Looking at Google Maps it wasn’t really apparent, because it doesn’t have one. Is the pub near the houses? No. Are any of the few shops clustered together? No. It was quite odd. It’s called a town, has 250 permanent residents, and apparently this swells to 11,000 in the school holidays. But really had no feeling of hanging together. 

Another stunning beach – sheltered this time
A people-free zone
Can imagine this being busy in the summer holidays

We drove around and found another spectacular beach though, and then headed to the local fish processing plant, as we had been told they would sell us some fresh catch. They hadn’t got any prepared, and we had no gear to gut and scale, so we brought some vacuum packed, frozen but locally caught, shark and sardines. The owners were delightful and we chatted for a while about their move from Gosford on the east coast of NSW to run the business. 

We finally found the pub we had been told served a pretty decent feed, and were warmly greeted by a very friendly barman. Everyone here has the time and genuine inclination to have a natter. Food was ordered and delivered to our table, sheltered from the wind. 

A great feed at the pub!

We were a little thrown by the very scary sculpture on the way out though! As the Ranger we spoke to said, he’d lived here for 15 years before he realised what it was. See if you can guess.

Something from our worst nightmares? This big mermaid is 6.3m long and weighs around 3.5 tonnes

We took a bit more of a drive around and then headed back a bit ambivalent about the place. Yes, it was surrounded by such beauty, but seemed to have no coherence, just a series of buildings scattered about randomly. Lots of land was up for sale so clearly there’s an appetite to develop the town, but it needs more infrastructure and planning. Get a new town council! 

Back at the camp a rather lazy afternoon followed, with Tassie being the recipient of far too much attention. 

Our beautiful fur child

We dragged ourselves out of the cosiness of the Zone though for one final sunset walk around the property, as we will be leaving tomorrow. This has been a fantastic bush camp and all credit to Terry, who keeps the place immaculate, and to Robert, the owner, for setting this facility up. Everyone here has been so friendly.

Tassie giving ‘I love you’ eyes
And the sun sets on another day
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Day 147: 24 October – It’s all about orchids!

Author: Mrs A

Location: Tozer’s Bush Camp, Bremer Bay

Distance walked: 6 km

We did something quite different today, joining Terry, an amateur botanist passionate about orchids, on a wildflower hunting expedition around the bushland surrounding Tozer’s bush camp. I must admit we have very limited knowledge of Australian flowers, and Western Australia seems to be richer in diversity than anywhere else we have been – possibly due to the smaller population and poor soils for farming purposes.

The three hour tour commenced at 10am and we were immediately educated with stories of the importance of the right amount of bushfires to help distribute seeds and open hard seed pods and shown the impact fire can have on the land. Then there were the orchids. Many are dependent on the sun to open (particularly the Shy Sun Orchid which will close up as soon as the clouds come over), whereas others just need warmth.

Below a few that we saw – I will try to remember all the names, but can’t guarantee they are all right!!

Leopard Orchid
Enamel Orchid
Cowslip Orchid
Goodenia
Melaleuca

There are many many more but they will have to wait for a wifi connection – we’re running low on mobile data.

It was a fabulous morning, and we returned for lunch with our heads spinning with all our learning.

We concluded our day with another walk, trying to remember what we had seen during the morning and spot more flowers, while enjoying the serenity of the bush. We finished up at the communal campfire for a chat with our fellow campers before heading back to the mobile apartment for dinner as the sun set. Just another day in paradise!

Another fine evening to conclude the day
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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 145: 22 October – Birds, beaches and blossoms

Author: Mrs A

Distance cycled: 22 km

Distance walked: 3 km

Turning left out of our campground we followed a cycle path without truly knowing where it would take us, enjoying the adventure of spontaneity. The path followed the forest behind the water’s edge with occasional diversions down to white sand beaches and incredible views.

We continued on as the paved pathway made way for an off-road route, following the Bibbulmun Track for a couple of kilometres, and back out through a housing estate. We chatted with a couple of local cyclists out for a Sunday morning explore who gave us advice on directions to go. We chose to follow the river towards the ocean, finishing up at a lookout with a vista of the spectacular Ocean Beach.

Perfectly still waters
Breezy hairstyle Mr A
A typical sleepy sandy and seaweedy beach

It was a warm and very humid day, with temperatures in the late 20s, constantly threatening storms which we would have welcomed, but never came. We returned via the other end of the rail trail, which brought us conveniently back to camp.

A lovely gravel trail to return us to camp

After a BBQ lunch, we spent the afternoon cleaning. Fridge, floors and shoe cupboard for me, mountain bikes and car for Mr A. After a shower and quick pick up of final supplies (we are off bush camping for a few days, and the IGA supermarket here is fabulous!) a walk to enjoy the stunning evening was in order.

The water was very still, offering mirror-like reflections.

The only ripples come from a pelican swimming up the creek
A drumstick – threatened species in these parts, with phytophthora dieback which feeds on the root system, rotting the plants
A pelican checking to see whether I had any fish to feed him
One of four kookaburras which stalked me on the walk
An ancient and twisted gum tree

Tomorrow we farewell this beautiful water and woodland paradise, and head further east. We’ll be sad to leave serene Denmark. It’s not quite Western Australia’s answer to Byron Bay as some suggest, but a far sleepier, more peaceful version of it. Denmark – it has been wonderful.

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Day 143: 20 October – Walpole to Denmark in an hour

Author: Mrs A

From: Walpole

To: Denmark

Distance driven: 73km Cycled: 28km

Well who knew you could travel to Denmark in less than an hour and still speak English? Denmark Western Australia was named by Europeans in 1829, not after the country as you would imagine, but after a naval surgeon, Alexander Denmark. The resident aborigines called the area Kwoorabup (place of the black wallaby). 

We turned in an easterly direction from Walpole and drove through stunning scenery, Marri, Karri and Tingle forests lining the roads with blue skies overhead, the morning sunlight filtering through the trees. Beautiful. We booked into a campsite down by the Wilson Inlet, a shallow lagoon full of birdlife with forest and white sand beaches lining the shoreline. We were keen to enjoy the beautiful day and so after setting up jumped on our bikes for an explore. Denmark is very bike friendly with shared pathways throughout town. 

We decided to embark on a ride along the Heritage Rail Trail which starts just 100 metres from the campground. 


It was a beautiful ride, along relatively flat pathways, mostly alongside the inlet and beaches, and frequently reminding us more of English countryside rather than typical Australian landscapes – it was only the flora and fauna which reminded us where we still were.



It was a stunning afternoon’s ride taking us to a little under 30km return and working up a good appetite for the evening’s activity. 

Just before heading off on our cycle, we had received a knock on the caravan’s door, as you do. It was the skipper of the the caravan site’s boat, popping over to let us know they were doing an evening cruise – $35 to head up the local creek and out into the inlet to see the sun set, including a fish and chip dinner delivered by the local pub! That was something we couldn’t say no to, so of course we booked on.

The cruise departed at 5.30pm sharp, and took us up the river, allowing us to see some incredible reflections while learning a bit about the region’s logging and farming heritage.


It was BYO so of course we took along a rather delicious chilled white to accompany us on the journey and to enjoy with our food. With a cloudless sky, sunset was lovely but not spectacular, and best enjoyed through the glow on the trees and scenery. 

A lovely end to a fine day.

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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 141: 18 October – The sun re-emerges and reveals Walpole’s beauty

Author: Mrs A

Location: Walpole

Distance walked: 5km

The rain and wind continued this morning, keeping the temperatures down and people inside. 

Mr A bravely decided to embark on a solo adventure to try out his new bike tyres while I got down to some volunteer work I had committed to. I’m helping two doctors in the USA and one in the UK with separate research projects – they have drafted questionnaires and I am helping to finalise them. Keeps me in a research mindset while travelling, and helps them with something positive for patients. Meanwhile I was also compiling a Q&A for another doctor who has agreed to answer questions for a support group I run. A busy morning on the laptop for me, grateful for a strong 4G signal! 


The wind dropped and the sun came out mid afternoon and Mr A and I decided to do some exploring on foot. Our campsite is surrounded by national park in every direction – an extremely picturesque location on the banks of the Nornlup Inlet. The inlet is calm and tinged red with the tannins from the forest which reaches down to the water’s edge. We can hear the roar of the surf on the Southern Ocean in the distance.


We walked through bushland full of beautiful wildflowers through to a stunning beach. Pelicans joined us along the coast and a sea eagle soared through the sky.



This region is a true haven for wildlife, with birds galore around the campground, along with wallabies munching on the lawns. Tomorrow we’re booked on an Eco tour around the waterways where we hope to learn a lot more about the region. We are in love with its peacefulness and serenity, as well as its many opportunities for toy usage. To bike, hike or PacKraft, that is the question…!

(Below: Western New Holland Honeyeater on a fence post behind our caravan)


A relaxing evening with a chicken curry, Peaky Blinders on Netflix and a glass of Coonawarra Cab Sav followed this gentle activity, accompanied by a small furry friend. Life is good!

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Day 139: 16 October – 100km an hour winds and torrential showers

Author: Mrs A

Location: Margaret River

The wind and rain started in the early hours of this morning, prompting a slow start to the day. We headed out around 9.30am to do a few tasks in Margaret River, before sitting down for a pot of tea and some brunch. Mr A then dropped me off at the scarily named hairdressers – Ed Scissorhands, while he dropped his bike off at the shop for some new tyres to be fitted.

It is always a little daunting having a cut away from your usual trusted advisor, but my hairdresser was fabulous, listening to everything I asked for and delivering perfectly. Given the ever increasing wind gusts and rain showers I suggested they might just want to do a basic blow dry, not my usual request of bouncy curls, but my consultant insisted and did a great job! I made her take a photo to prove what it looked like before I stepped out into the world!


Mr A met me and we drove north out of Margaret River about 25 minutes to Amelia Park Wines, the newest cellar door in the region. As with many cellar doors, the landscaping surrounding the building was spectacular, but unlike others, the entrance to the actual cellar door was something else. We entered through a big heavy wooden door into a dark wood panelled room full of wine barrels. The corridoor then led you forwards at which point two sliding wooden doors opened, revealing beautiful vineyard views and a tasting room – quite theatrical. It clearly worked its magic – after a few tastings we bought a couple of absolutely delicious wines and joined their members club.


From there we went down to Vasse Felix, probably the region’s most famous winery. A little bit of name dropping didn’t go amiss, and being (extremely!) loosely connected to Virginia Willcock (Vasse Felix’s world class chief winemaker!) enabled Mr A and I a free tasting of their $85 a bottle award winning Chardonnay – absolutely delicious. Our friends Carole and Nick drove up and joined us in the tasting here.

Our next vineyard was Howard Park, before we headed back into Margaret River for something quite different. Whisky. Yes, there is a distilliary here too. The starting price for a bottle of local Whisky is around $85 and they go up from there. We tried quite a few – learning how the bouquet is not always reflective of the taste, and just a tiny drop of water can make all the difference. 

All in all a very successful day despite the inclement weather, and Mr A is very proud to have a fine bottle of single malt for those evenings around the camp fire. We returned to camp for spaghetti bolognaise and an alcohol free evening!

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