OK so that 2.5 months on the road flew past quickly! We've been down the south coast of Western Australia and headed east towards the Nullabar Desert. The closest we got was Cape Legrand National Park before it was time to head back to the west coast. Along the way we saw beautiful Karri Forests, more National Parks with Ecualypt trees special to each region (it changes quickly), beaches with dazzling white sand, and the wheat belt of WA.
Karri Forest - in the sunlight there is a lovely pink hue to the whole area
More karri trees
A day's drive away we stopped at another National Park which had a canopy walk through the Tingle Trees - this is the only place this species grows.
These tingles have very shallow root systems and it's a mystery to us how they can be so straight and withstand some very strong winds. Yes, it is windy here!
She's called Grandma tingle.
After being away from the coast for a day and half we ended up in Bremer Bay on The Southern Ocean
with 8 different beaches to explore. This one, Short Beach, was our favourite. In fact it is on my short list of best beaches anywhere. Guess who??.
Campsite nestled amongst peppermint trees near Short Beach
Lucky Beach on Cape Legrand National Park near Esperance. A long drive from where we were but it was worth it. Plus the hut you can see on the beach made great cappuccinos.
And as soon as we got down to the beach we saw these two 'roos. Snack time for Joey
Washed out as the sand is so friggin white!
3 km walk on Lucky Beach is a great way to spend Valentine's Day
Still on Lucky Beach
To get back to where we needed to drop off the van we had a long day of driving through the wheatbelt. Ended up in a town called Wagin which had a municipal caravan site. Must say we were both a bit skeptical about it but didn't have other options other than driving late into the night. And that isn't a great idea given the amount of road kill we have seen; most of which happens at night. Surprisingly the camp facilities were excellent and spotless. The town definitely had a western feel to it - adding to the vibe of the old west was that most of the shops were shuttered, for sale, or just not open - just needed some tumbleweed rolling down the street. They do have a library and it seems the townfolk have a great sense of humour. Yes, it s sheep country.
We had another few days on the coast and managed to fit in a few more winery visits and one more beach stop
Meelup Beach near Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse Park. Last swim in the Indian Ocean and it was fantastic - beautiful sand and warm waters. Tied for best beach in WA along with Short Beach shown earlier in the blog. Brian thinks Yallingup Beach,which was in a previous post, also needs to be on that best beach list so here it is again.
Yallingup. Yup, it's also great
The galahs are almost everywhere and fly in large flocks and make alot of racket. Locals find them a bit of a pest but we thought the flashes of pink against blue skies beautiful. These guys roosted in the tree across from our campsite in Margaret River. To me they are synonymous with Australia and I will miss them and all the other wonderful flora and fauna.
Gee, can't remember the botanical name but know it is one of the over 500 species of eucalyptus found across the country. Same for the one below
Adios Australia - it has been a wonderful experience.
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