Kings Around Oz: Busselton, Margaret River and Nannup

Busselton, Margaret River and Nannup

When leaving Perth we realised we weren’t going to be able to do it all but we were not prepared for how much there is to do in the South West. We just called into Bunbury for a day stop and had a little look at the Dolphin Discovery Centre but the kids were more impressed with the park that had a flying fox and a water station to play with. That night we did a free camp with the resident ‘boxing kangaroo’ that likes to roam the campsite in the hope for food. The next day we made our way to Busselton and found a great camp in a paddock at a Lawn Farm! From here we were able to explore what this area had to offer. Of course, a trip to Busselton is not complete without a trip down the 1.8km long jetty on the little train! Once you reach the end of the Jetty you get off the train and explore the underwater observatory. This is a building that is underwater and allows you to look at the marine life and stay warm and dry. We learnt that all the sea life that has grown on the pylons on building has formed naturally, and that the observatory has just provided a place for them to grow. The colours were amazing and it was pretty awesome to stand at the window where the tide line was and see the waves rolling on top and the fish swimming just below. Once we finished at the observatory it was back on the train to get back to the start of the jetty. At the Information Centre there was also the Ballarrat Room that we went to look at. This is the history of rail in the Busselton area and how the town has now preserved the original train that used to haul the timber from the Busselton area. The Ballarrat is now on display with many stories about its history and families that used to play on it when it was just parked up after it had be decommissioned. While in Busselton we also went and explored the Origins Markets, and we were able to taste some local produce and we managed to find some Banh Mi rolls!

We spent another day exploring the coastline around Busselton. We spent the day going to the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse where we went on a nice walk around the headland and then went to see the Lighthouse. The wind was blowing a gale and it was freezing! On our way home we continued to follow the coastline and stopped in at Castle Rock, Bunker Bay and many other beautiful beaches. After teasing Emmalisa all day with these beautiful beaches, we let her have a swim in the afternoon, but even she admitted it was a bit cold.

We also had a go at Archery while we were in Busselton. This was something different that we hadn’t done before, and we had a great time. Glen was the clear winner on the day, but Haydan and Emmalisa also did very well. It was a bit of a test of strength for Emmalisa as it is quite hard to pull the bow string back far enough to release the arrow. As for Laura, it is fair to say that archery is not her sport. Her aim was very off and more often than not she had to rely on the directions from Glen to tell her where to aim (otherwise the arrows were all heading well into the bush!) When we got back the instructors did say that for some people the brain plays tricks on you when you close one eye to aim. This made Laura feel a bit better as she thought there was something seriously wrong with her eyesight!

The weather was not always kind to us in Busselton, there was one morning when we started cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast and then it started to rain! So that morning we were cooking breakfast under a beach umbrella! Overnight it was also very cold so we all got out the warm PJs and thermals! Despite this we enjoyed our time here.

It was then on to Margaret River, and as we were driving through this region it was very clear that we were in a wine region. It felt like we passed a winery every few kilometres! On our way into Margaret River, we stopped off at Canal Rocks. This is a natural rock formation that over time the tide and ocean currents have worn away canals in the rocks. You can go for a walk over one of the canals via a little bridge then you can walk along the rocks to explore the other canals. From here we then went to explore Injidup Natural Spa. This is once again where nature shows its beauty and creates a natural spa as the waves flow into the rockpool. We then continued on our way into Margaret River via the Chocolate Shop! We enjoyed some afternoon tea compliments of the samples and looked at all the amazing and delicious chocolates. This was put on the list as a place we need to come back to, but we needed to find a place to stay so we kept moving. We did find another great place to stay, this time it was in a paddock at a winery and came complete with ‘our own dog, A.J’! (the dog that lives at the winery) A.J camped with us for 2 nights before his owners took him to Perth with them! There were also horses in the paddock, and we were so excited to find out that one of the horses was pregnant! We were told that she would have the foal in a few weeks. You can imagine how excited we all were when we went to visit the horses one morning and there was the foal with his mother only hours old! As you can guess, we spent some time at the fence watching the mother and her foal!

While at the winery Glen and Laura did a wine tasting but not being wine drinkers found the information and conversation about wine more enjoyable than the wine itself. The next day we went and explored some to the surf beaches that Margaret River is so famous for. It was fascinating watching the surfers at the surf breaks catch the waves and ride them in. That day they were also doing some controlled burns in the area and a thick blanket of smoke came over the town and it became quite dark and eerie. So, we decided to go to Lake Cave and do the cave tour. This one is the smaller of the 4 caves that you can explore but we were fascinated to learn about the cave environment and how they are formed and continue to live and grow today. We had fun playing the guessing game with the guide and try to guess the shapes in the rocks, I must say we were pretty good at that game. The tour then finished with a light show in the cave to highlight its features.

We also went back and retraced our steps from the first day as we wanted to check out the Spa Pool again and of course Emmalisa wanted to have a swim there. We then went back to the chocolate shop to check that the samples were still alright, but we also bought a selection of the chocolates to try for dessert. As we made our way home, we went for a walk through a quaint little town called Cowaramup or as it is more affectionately known, ‘Cowtown’. We enjoyed a yummy lunch at a bakery and browsed the little shops.

The next day was a big day as we drove down to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. On the way there we stopped off at Hamelin Bay where the Stingrays come right up close to the shore, and you can get close enough to pat them! It was amazing to see them interact with us. We then continued on to the light house and the first thing we looked at was the old water wheel that was built to supply the lighthouse keepers with fresh water. The ingenuity that necessity brought about in those times is to be admired, a lot can be learnt from our pioneers. Unfortunately when we got to the lighthouse we found out we couldn’t climb it due to maintenance being done. We could walk around the precinct and we learnt a lot about a lighthouse keepers life at the interpretive centre. We were also able to go to the point where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. As it seems all lighthouses are built on windy points so after a windswept look at the lighthouse, we made our way back via Augusta and picked up some local whiting for dinner. Of course, when Emmalisa saw the water a Flinders Bay, she just had to have a swim. This was a beautiful bay and protected from the wind.

On our last morning in Margaret River, we went to the Rotary Park and the little heritage village and learnt about the community camps that were set up for the migrants that came to make a new life in Australia. With so much to see and do in the South West we had to move on and we continued on to Nannup. Just before we got to Nannup we stopped off at Workers Pool and Barrabup Pool. These are in the National Park and are there from the days of the Timber Mills when the area was bustling with workers and their family. Workers Pool was where the timber mill families and workers got to go for a swim and relax but Barrabup Pool was just for the timber mill manager and his family to use. We then went to Nannup and called in to see an artist that showed us his work and he spoke to Emmalisa about how he creates his artwork. That afternoon we enjoyed once again looking at all the quaint little shops and in one upstairs gallery we lost track of time, and the owner nearly locked us in the shop as she was heading home. She said we were so quite she thought we had left! The next morning, we went for a walk along the Blackwood River and were blown away by the flood markers that were on a tree. In 1982 the flood mark nearly reached to top of the tree, and it looks like the bridge would have also gone under. It was a nice little walk along the river but after a brief stop here we continued on to Pemberton.