Week 20 – Margaret River – Augusta – Walpole

Week 20 – Margaret River – Augusta – Walpole – Denmark

September 11, 2018

The weather is still rainy with a strong onshore wind which is destroying the huge swell coming in to the beach at Margaret River. The headland at Surfer’s Point is well set up with a handful of world-class breaks within sight. Pity it’s blown to bits. The potential for excellent surf is obvious with numerous reef breaks – all that’s needed is offshore winds. After speaking to the owner of the local surf shop it seems that’s a way of life around here. Months of no surf with occasional good days in between.

So we visited another cave. This area is linked to the Ngilgi Cave complex with a ridge of limestone running from Yallingup in the north right through to Augusta in the south. They estimate there are over 100 caves in the area with a handful open to the public. The Lake Cave was awesome. A huge hole in the ground with over 350 steps down (and then back up). The suspended table is a feature of this cave. The stalactites have grown down from the roof to the previous level of the water in the cave then spread out to form a slab. The water level has then dropped over thousands of years to create this upside down table.

We took a drive through Boranup forest which is home to towering Karri trees. The track was a bit muddy due to the rain but the forest was beautiful with huge trees dwarfing the car.

Later that day we drove to Gracetown. The wind was fierce and we nearly got blown off the headland with driving rain.

We visited Coweramup (Cowtown) where they have celebrated the local dairy industry by displaying life-size cows throughout the town. Moodonna thought it was great.

We headed off south to Augusta the next day in driving rain. Lucky it was only a short leg. We stopped at a winery to sample their goods and they had a range of local produce as well.

We arrived at Turner Caravan Park to have a choice of sites as there were only 3 or 4 people in the park. It is really the off-peak period around here in September. The park was very nice with lots of green grass, right next to the Blackwood River.

We managed to book the Pathy in for an oil change in the afternoon so we drove to the mechanics that then dropped us off in town, she would pick us up later. Unfortunately we forgot that the keys to the van were in the car so we got to explore Augusta for 2 hours before walking back to the mechanics to pick up the car. Augusta is about the size of Bulli as far as shops go.

The next day we visited Cape Leeuwin lighthouse, which is situated at the southerly tip of this area. It is where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean and is very wild with huge swells pounding the rocks and islands.

We went to Jewel Cave in the arvo with a group of about 40 people. This cave is the largest cave open to the public with the cave extending over 3km underground. The main chamber was huge with a labyrinth of passages leading down below the chamber. I think this was the best cave of the ones we have visited.

We drove 260km through the southern forests to Walpole. On the way we visited Beedelup Falls near Pemberton. This waterfall has a suspension bridge over the river.

The van park at Walpole was very wet right on the Nornalup Inlet. This is a huge lake with an entrance to the sea, it would be great in summer for water skiing. The rain and wind made it very cold and uninviting.

We visited the Valley of the Giants, a forest area of giant Tingle trees mixed with Karri trees. The treetop walk is a major tourist attraction in the middle of the forest. Here they have built a metal boardwalk over 40m high which threads its way through the trees. This is to protect the trees as their roots are very shallow and can be easily damaged with people walking around near them.

After lunch we drove through the bush tracks to the giant Tingle tree which is estimated to be over 400 years old.

Then we drove to the Frankland River to see the circular pools. Here the water creates a whirlpool in the area at the bottom of the rapids. The water was very brown with tannins from the leaves in the bush creating the colour.

We drove to Denmark and found ourselves in paradise as far as caravan parks go. Gravel , level sites with every site an ensuite site. This is perfect in this awful weather. We drove down to the Ocean Beach to find a huge swell booming. The beach is hidden around a point so the swell is decreased a bit – must be gigantic out the front.

Nanna went for a shopping trip in Denmark while Pa watched the Dragons beat the Broncos. However, it was Sunday so most shops were closed.

We visited a few beaches the next day Parry and Hillier beaches. The surf is protected a bit here but the weather is still rainy and very strong wind.