Western Australia Week 6

Workers Pool - Dunsborough
October 26th 2009
Week 6
Monday - Day 36

We survived a muggy night but it was a very quiet one as no other campers were here in this five site free park. I took a short walk to try to photograph some red tails but was forced back to the van by bush mites. My ankles and lower legs have taken a swathing.

We packed up as quickly as we could and headed off to Dunsborough. It was only 60 kms away so we arrived with plenty of time to find a decent park. We settled on the Four Seasons and appear to be the only tourist caravan here with the exception of a camper trailer which might be empty. We gave the caravan it’s first of four stages of washing (one side per day) and caught up on the dishes and clothes washing as Monday’s dictate.

Glenda is feeling exhausted so is having an uncharacteristic nap this afternoon. The heat in the bush yesterday with the relentless insects has taken a toll on both of us.

The beach is across a busy main road that links Dunsborough with Busselton. A long line of church camps, nine in all have taken up advantage with the beach front and we had to giggle as every Christian sect from Seventh Day Adventists to United Scriptures (?!) had a camp there, as did the scouts of course. The beach itself is quite flat and stretches in both directions with no headland or cliffs until Busselton to the north and Dunsborough to the south. Expensive looking houses take up much of the beach frontage across from our park with a sign saying, “no thru road” and “no turnaround”, prominently discouraging beach goers.

We are in the Cape Naturaliste area and already the arum lilies that caught our attention last time have sprung up all over the place. We’ll head there tomorrow and look for red tailed tropic birds at Sugarloaf Rock. Tomorrow night it’s Iaido, Karate and Kobudo at the Busselton Goju Ryu Karate Club.

Dunsborough (Cape Naturaliste)
October 27th 2009
Tuesday - Day 37

Rain fell consistently from around 3 a.m. It was another warm night but the overcast sky kept us in a bit later than normal. We both agreed that the hot showers and clean amenities are a real luxury after five of the last seven nights in free camps.
Cape Leeuwin – Naturaliste N.P. was our first stop. A lot of people were here doing the tourist thing which surprised us. We opted out of the lighthouse tour and did the 40 minute cliff loop. A recent fire has destroyed much of the vegetation but the trees are returning.

Having a 180 degree view of endless ocean, this time the Indian stretching to Africa was inspiring. We noted a small boat chasing a lone whale a long way out.

Next stop was Sugar Loaf Rock. Only silver gulls appeared to be nesting, no red tailed tropic birds at all until Summer it seems. Still it was a good seascape as we remembered it.

A quick drive down to Yallingup followed and a look at another area being developed as an exclusive spot. There seems to be new estates popping up everywhere along this coast. The buildings seemed to blend into the cliff face if that’s possible with human dwellings. Their views were enviable.

We returned around midday for a light lunch before Glenda headed off to Busselton for some shopping come free time. I rested in preparation for tonight’s training.

Training began at 6 p.m. at the Seventh Day Adventist Hall. A small group of five of us were dressed for Iaido while another half dozen wore Karate gi with no insignia. I began with the Iaido group and Rick, a 3rd Dan ran the class. All nice people but the time went quickly. It was good to work out with my sword but I’m quite rusty.

At 7 p.m. I joined the Karate group and Craig Crampton, 3rd Dan handed much of the informal session to me.
This was unexpected but enjoyable. We worked through some basic principles of balance and stepping and I showed some techniques typical of the Shorin Ryu style of Karate. Some comparison of Kata and time was up. It’s always nice to meet people from different parts of the country who share similar interests and are open to sharing new ideas. I hope to meet up with them again.
Bird Sightings: Painted button quail, 146 birds 5 new birds

Dunsborough (Busselton)
October 28th 2009
Wednesday - Day 38

It rained for most of the morning, making walking a bad option. We drove to Busselton to do some shopping and check the Information Centre. Some good bird watching spots are suggested but in the rain it’ll be water birds (no pun intended). Due to the rain we were caravan bound for the morning but Glenda used the time to make a banana cake to use up some ripe bananas and a choc cherry self saucing pudding, plus a loaf of bread in the bread maker.

After lunch the sun came out for a while so we drove to a wetlands and bird hide about 10 kms north of Busselton. Windy conditions did not make for a good trip but a family of regent parrots on the walk to the hide was unexpected. Most of the arum lilies have past their peak but we managed to find a few to photograph. I’d guess that for arum lilies growing wild the best time to view their blooms would be August / September.

A look at a patchwork and quilting shop was on the agenda so I took in a newsagency as the rain was not far away. Nothing inspiring so I’m settling in to some of the books we’ve brought along on the trip.
Bird Sightings: Regent parrot, 147 birds 5 new birds

Dunsborough (Busselton)
October 29th 2009
Thursday - Day 39

We vacuumed the car and caravan and generally gave everything a spring clean. Some shopping for groceries and a look at some camping shops took up the middle of the day. I dropped in to see Craig to say goodbye as the training in Dunsborough tonight has been cancelled.
Late afternoon we drove to Dunsborough and on to Eagle Bay. We worked our way back to Meeup, stopping in at a number of small beaches. These were all nicely set within the coastal scrub which hasn’t been cleared too much. Because the sun was out, the water was blue and the white sand and red rocks made for great vistas.
Tomorrow we head to Hamlin Bay and sting ray feeding. Sounds fascinating.

Dunsborough – Hamlin Bay
October 30th 2009
Friday - Day 40

It was good to get going this morning after another restless night. Too many things on our minds to settle down unfortunately. “On the Road Again” is a song that I’m sure strikes a chord with many a traveller.

The best route south we felt was the Caves Drive which avoided the Margaret River wine region. Or so we thought. From the moment we left Dunsborough the odd winery would appear and the frequency of them only increased as we headed south. Fortunately great self control was in good supply and we didn’t stop once on our move south through tall trees with varying undergrowth from thick and seemingly impenetrable to low ferns.

Hamlyn Bay was soon reached and we settled on one night as the girl informed us that a large group of motor cross enthusiasts were coming in tomorrow. Too much noise I expect, they wouldn’t be able to help themselves.

The bay was once a hustling port for the timber trade which eventually lost its worth as the marri trees became less desirable than the jarrah wood. Consequently the old jetty rotted away and only the tips of long rotten pylons remain. Hamlyn Island lies out in the bay and the presence of “friendly” sting rays are all that attracts tourists today. Despite that we found it quite a pleasant place.

I must admit that I lost it big time as we tried to back in to a site away from where the girl said she had booked tomorrow’s guests. A sloping site together with soft sand and low trees did not make a good formula for parking. We eventually set ourselves up but late afternoon I admitted I was wrong and we moved a few meters to enable a more even and level set up. Backing a van is not usually a concern but we are both aware that it can bring out the worst in the driver. Me.

We drove down to Augusta to the lighthouse and water wheel.

The rusted water wheel once brought water to the lighthouse keeper but has been encrusted for many years and remains now a rustic icon. A $5 charge to cross the lighthouse grounds to view the convergence of the Southern Ocean with the Indian Ocean turned us off. It was free five years ago.

We moved up to Alexander Bridge Camping Ground on the Blackwood River to see if a stay tomorrow night might be viable. Alas most places were taken on this quiet spot. Nevertheless we stayed long enough to enjoy Glenda’s egg salad at a picnic spot within the camp grounds.

Back at the van we met two young guys from Switzerland who were travelling around for three weeks. Unfortunately tomorrow’s group have started to arrive and are in the onsite units near us. They’ve turned out to be very noisy so it’ll be a long night we expect.

I enjoyed walking the beach taking photos, especially shots of the rock parrots which are extremely tame as are the red wattlebirds. I walked to the cliff top to photograph the sunset which is always a humbling experience. Tonight we enjoyed roast lamb toasted sandwiches courtesy of Glenda’s frozen meat preparations for this trip.

Bird Sightings: Hoary headed grebe, 148 birds 5 new birds

Hamlin Bay
October 31st 2009
Saturday - Day 41

The neighbours quietened down around 10 p.m. which was fine and we slept in till after 7.30 a.m. This morning was overcast but not too cold so we caught up on dishes etc outside the van. I reviewed some of the photos from yesterday and on a closer look at the red wattle bird at right I’m convinced he rides for the Banditos motor cycle gang.

A lot of people were dropping in to the beach to look around this morning. The rock parrots seemed unperturbed and about a dozen were grazing next to the main pathway once again.

Around 11 o’clock I started on the coast walk south towards Cozy Corner. Once over the headland a strong south westerly wind hit along a beach with very soft sand. I trudged the km or so around the bay but saw little save a washed up sea dragon.
As a kid during summer holidays at Portland I’d always wanted to find a sea horse after seeing one that my mother had found. Fifty years later and I finally achieved that childhood dream.

The cloudy skies made for a deep green ocean which lightened over sand. If it weren’t for the windy conditions I’d have probably pushed on further although Cosy Corner was more than twice as far as I’d thought.

On the way back an osprey flew over with a small fish in its talons.Typically my camera was in its bag on my back so I missed a could have been shot. When I returned to the van I found that Glenda had used the hand washer to good effect and also had some spaghetti on the go for lunch.

We drove around the coast to Cozy Corner for a look but found no camping spots. On consulting our books we found another bay by the same name close to Albany which we might look at on our way back east.

Petrol was a bit light on so we pushed on to Augusta to buy some water for the next few days bush camp and to top up with fuel. A side trip to Molloy Island was disappointing in that it was a residential area and a not so inviting punt operating hourly for the locals.

Back at the van our neighbours are gearing up literally for Halloween. Adults and kids all dressed as witches and the like. Hopefully there’ll be no trick or treating tonight. We watched a Jacques Cousteau video on the Amazon before an early night.

Hamlin Bay – Snottygobble Loop
November 1st 2009
Sunday - Day 42

Despite the Halloween Party going on at the main camping area we managed a good night’s sleep. Some weren’t so lucky. During the night a large peppermint gum came down, crushing a camper across the centre between the two bed ends. The occupants were a family of four, the wife very pregnant, the husband and two young children.

Miraculously no one was injured. I joined a group of onlookers but couldn’t bring myself to photograph the devastation with the family and their friends there. Guess I’d never have made a war time journalist. It was a clear reminder to never camp below a gum tree, no matter what the wind conditions are like.

So, on to Snottygobble Loop. No, it wasn’t the name that attracted us, just its close proximity to a river and not so far from Pemberton. Why would you name a camp like this? I couldn’t fathom it, the closest association I had was a name my brother used to tease me with at primary school or there about (it’s okay Wayne, I’m long over it!). The ranger eventually dropped by and told me that it was named after the plant that features here, hence the photo. Draw your own conclusions!

We are in a National Park that is known for its Jarrah and Marri trees. The ranger pointed the two species out so I can spot a Marri tree easily. Jarrah and Karri trees are a bit similar to me at the moment. Our spot has nine individual sites but we’ve opted for the group camp area which has rain water, a reasonable toilet and concrete fire place. No other campers are about because it’s Sunday and work tomorrow. Just our luck to have a school group arrive in the morning!

Not many birds around and apparently not too many mammals here according to the ranger. The brook nearby leads to a large river, the Donnelly that runs 12 kms to the sea. It’s all good if you’re into fishing. Just before dusk some white tailed black cockatoos arrived to feast on the marri gum nuts high in the canopy. I took some photos and yes, the long bills proved they were Baudin’s black cockatoos.