Back on the South Coast Highway heading to Augusta. The road is actually Australia Highway 1, the main thoroughfare in the country, which encircles the continent in its entirety, connecting the country’s major cities. Yet, as I mentioned yesterday, away from any major cities it is no more than what we would consider a rural road back home. The picture below, taken at a road stop due to repairs, will give you an idea.
We were not prepared for this beautiful ride. Over 100 miles within National Parks, along the most majestic forest imaginable. Enormous trees lining the way and providing a much-needed canopy to protect us from the hot, blinding sun.
Occasionally, we’d encounter several flowering trees endemic only to this area. According to David Attenborough, this one corner of Australia contains no less than 12,000 different plant species, and 87 percent of them grow nowhere else in the world.
From Walpole we drove at least 100 miles before reaching the first town, Manjimup (pop. 4,000). Here we had a fast-food lunch from a local enterprise, Chicken Treat. Best fried chicken, I ever tasted.
But the forest did not stop at Manjimup. They call it the Great Southern Forest, and I can see why. We took a break at a small creek in the middle of nowhere. It was a heavenly spot, where might Karri trees grow to incredible heights. If I were a hermit, this is where I’d pitch my tent. It wouldn’t be a few poisonous snakes and spider to scare me.
The GPS advised to take a short cut down a rugged dirt road, which added to the coziness with the surroundings. Eric wanted to visit Jewell Cave, some 50 kilometers further. I obliged but chose to remain outside to savor a Nicaraguan stogie. He took many pictures with his android phone, including this one.
The couple that was fishing yesterday had advised me to visit Hamelin Bay if we were heading to Augusta. I’m glad they did. It is my favorite beach area so far. Stingrays were swimming mere feet from the shore, and the color of the water was painted in more shades of blue/green that I thought imaginable. This against a backdrop of azure sky and the whitest sand.
By mid-afternoon we arrived in Augusta, an affluent town located at the confluence of two rivers. I could easily live here. It is beautiful.
We checked into the most appealing campground of our journey so far, but I would not hesitate to call it the most appealing I’ve seen anywhere; it is located on the estuary of the Blackwood River. When we arrived, there were only a couple of spots left, which did not surprise me.
The stingrays at Hamelin Bay were hardly visible, but on the shore of this campground, several specimen were swimming in very calm waters, and when two fishermen arrived to clean their catch, like pets at home, they gently swam up to their legs, rubbing their fins and faces on the calves of the two gentlemen that were in the water, hoping to get a treat. It was an amazing spectacle.
Augusta is famous primarily for being the most Southwestern city in Australia. Near town, a peninsula juts out that is home to the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, the largest in the state. At the tip of this peninsula is the only place in the world where two oceans and two rivers meet. This is where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. To the south, only water until you reach the coast of Antarctica, to the west, thousands of miles of ocean will land you on the eastern shores of Africa. Cape Leeuwin is also, we learned today, the most distant land-point on earth from Washington D.C.
The road to the lighthouse, which we reached too late for a visit, coasted a rugged rocky shore where several fishermen were casing their lines into the surf.
Next to our campground we found a marvelous restaurant with great service, excellent food and a wonderful view. Once again, I ordered Spaghetti alla Marinara, which was prepared superbly.
We are now back in the camper where we are enjoying having very strong wi-fi. I might just be able to post this tonight, rather than wait till morning in search of an optimal spot as has often been the case. I’m hoping you are enjoying visiting Western Australia with me. I am certainly pleased to share the experience with you.
Comments