Nov 5 Busselton & Cape Naturaliste

 US Election day, Guy Fawkes Day (irony noted) and my mother’s birthday. We drove to Busselton to walk along the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere - 1.8 km long in a strong south westerly wind. There’s a train that takes tourists along the jetty but we opted to walk. Then after having a quick lunch nearby we drove to the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse which was one of the last 2 manned lighthouses in Australia. It now operates automatically with led lights providing the beam through a massive set of lenses.

The train and looking back to the shore

Australian Pied Cormorant

 

Cape Naturaliste lighthouse

Nov 3 Margaret River

 Margaret River wine area today to sample some of the local beverages and enjoy the beautiful countryside. The grass trees were in flower and so abundant! The wine was pretty good as well.

Cherubino winery

Clairault winery

Nov 2 Dunsborough

 Today we drove along the coast (sort of) to Dunsborough. Through tall timber forests, stopping at Denmark, where the local emergency services crew were holding a start of season gathering. Then on to Dunsborough, just out of Busselton and a bit north of Margaret River.

Denmark - park and river

    

Tall timbers near Walpole

Nov 1 Albany

 A quiet day with a drive to Misery Beach and the blow holes which weren’t blowing due to a shortage of large waves.

Looking over Frenchman’s Bay

Misery beach not looking at all miserable.

Looking towards the blow holes site.

Oct 31 Albany

 We’re in Albany for a few nights staying at a place called Chalets on FrenchMan. Lots of local native birds flying around the grounds. We visited another of the  beautiful beaches but the wind was blowing a gale from the south so we didn’t stay long.

Ibises on the lawn

Nanarup beach and inlet.

Late in the day a helicopter arrived to drop off some people who were staying here.

Oct 30 Albany

 Today we drove along the coast to Albany, staying in a beautiful chalet on the edge of town. At the back is the Bibbulmun Track which starts in Albany and wends its way along the coast to Perth. We walked about 100 metres of it past the bay that lies beyond where our chalets are.

Bibbulmun Track

A local who dropped in to say hello.

Oct 29 Esperance

 Today we drove east ro Wylie Bay then Cape Le Grand, stopping at Lucky Bay, a stunningly white beach with bright blue water, surrounded by smooth rock hills.

Wylie Bay

Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand

Wildflowers 

Oct 28 Esperance

 Today we visited a local glass artist, Cindy Poole working with kiln-fired glasswork. Her work is also included in the Whale Tail sculpture on the Esplanade at Esperance.

Whale Tail sculpture

Inset glass pieces

Some of Cindy Poole’s creations

Twilight Beach

Oct 27 Esperance

 Today we head south to Esperance past a number of gold mines. Around 5.5 million ounces of gold have been mined around Norseman in the past 90 years. Esperance has beautiful white sand beaches with turquoise waters. It is a major deep sea port for exports of both grain, iron ore and other minerals.

“The Lugger” commemorating the dock workers 

who used to load bales of grain onto the ships.

Part of a display of pottery produced by local students and potters 

from the local art collective.

Oct 26 Norseman

A longish drive today from the SA/WA border to Norseman. Little to see on the way apart from untouched bushland, short bushes and the roadhouses every 100km or so. I did have to take a photo of the Big Kangaroo though, to go with the big windmill.

Oct 25 Nullabor Border Village Roadhouse

 A long unwinding road to the WA border. 4.45 suddenly becomes 2.30. On the way we stopped at Penong to see Australia’s biggest windmill and its windmill museum, we drove along the lower section of the Nullarbor, and yes there was not a tree in sight, then  just off the road was a Great Australian Bight viewing platform. The sea was the most beautiful blue and the sand hills were pure white.

 

Oct 24 Ceduna

 Only 500km today, stopping at a few places along the road. Kimba claims to be the halfway mark between Sydney and Perth and features a makers centre with local crafts produced by local artists, both professional and amateur. It was set up in 2019 after the local mechanic closed down his business, making use of his large shed to create a community enterprise. Kimba also boasts a beautiful pice of silo art and a Big Galah.

October 23 Port Augusta

 First to Hahndorf for coffee and bienenstich (beesting cake), a local specialty.

Then on to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens to see an exhibition of glass art by Dale Chihuly, an American artist.

  

Then on to. Port Augusta via Port Pirie.

Sunset over the Port Augusta wind farm (if you look closely on the horizon)