Hello friends, this post is being written from our campground, Gracetown Caravan Park, in Margaret River, Western Australia. Our flight was at 6AM from Sydney to Perth, a 4 1/2 hour trip which took us from the shores of the Pacific to those of the Indian Ocean. Most tourists spend most of their time on the East Coast, but being naturally attracted to more elusive destinations, I wanted to spend time in this part of the country, which is full of National Parks.
We picked up our "campervan" while still early in the morning; Perth is three hours behind Sydney, so it worked out really well. We chose to spend our first day on this shore in the Margaret River area, in the country's southwest corner.
Margaret River is known for its wineries. We had intended to visit some and do some sampling, but time got away just taking in the sites, and of course, on account of the nearly four-hour drive.
As you would expect, this part of Australia does not resemble the area we just left; much as Los Angeles is a far cry from New York. And the weather is much cooler, at least today.
The topography is pretty flat, the soil is auburn colored and the trees are amazing. I couldn't tell you their names, but I know that they are uniquely Australian, quite tall, all thin-leafed and some apparently hundreds of years old. The surroundings permeate with a lovely smell of Eucalyptus.
The drive per se was not much to write about, until we nearly reached our destination. Then the vineyards sprouted seemingly out of nowhere, as did the cattle ranches, and yes, the ocean, with its incredible surfs.
Of course, being in Australia, you know we have been wanting to see kangaroos; there sure are enough kangaroo crossing signs, but the first manifestation of wildlife was not of these marsupials, but of this large gathering of deer, amazingly just relaxing in a field on the side of the road.
But the Margaret River area did not disappoint us, and just minutes after spotting the deer, I recognized some familiarly goofy figures in the not too far distance. I stopped the car to have a better look and spooked them enough that they begun to run and hop amuck; not one, nor two, but possibly thirty kangaroos. It was a wonderful site, which truly made my day. The photo leaves much to be desired though.
The town of Margaret River only has a population of 4,000 people, but tourists help multiply that number twenty-fold in the summer. However, on account of the fires many tourists have opted not to travel this year; still, August 26th is Australia Day, the equivalent of our 4th of July and, although this holiday is becoming controversial as of late, there are still a large number of Aussies taking to the roads this week.
We had enough time to take in some of the coastline, and found the estuary of the River Margaret to be a very interesting spot and a haven for serious surfers.
Before turning in (we are still quite jet-lagged and tired), we enjoyed a lovely pizza in town, at Pizzica, an exquisite place run by young Italians who have recently moved here.
I think I'll close for now, as I can hardly stay awake. Tomorrow we aim' to explore some local caves and the town of Freemantle. If I can get some good wi-fi connection, you'll be hearing from me again in 24 hours.
Stay healthy and happy, my friends.
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