Western Australia

In search of the perfect Ploughman’s lunch

| Chris Riley

Another hard earned break day today following the back breaking work of clearing and stacking bricks from the shade house foundations.

First place on the list for perfect break day was a visit to the famous Margaret River Berry Farm. The Berry Farm constantly changes it’s menu and never disappoints. They always have some sort of sharing plate on, and today it was a Ploughman’s lunch. We’re always in search of the ‘perfect ploughman’s’, so our choice was simple.

Where to start - so much food.
Where to start – so much food.

A delicious sharing platter arrived consisting of hot meat balls, hot stuffed mushrooms, baked pastry pinwheels, chorizo, olives, a couple of good chunks of cheddar , feta with a small tossed salad, ham, warm turkish bread, four different pickles and chutneys, and melons, citrus fruit, pear quarters and grapes. I’ve tried to remember it all, but there was just so much, I’m sure I must have forgotten one or two things.

For me the perfect ploughman’s excels in it’s simplicity, good bread, good cheese, tasty pickles and just a few condiments. So, by it’s title not a perfect, ploughman’s. But as a shared lunch platter by any other name it was absolutely scrumptious.

Pretty cottage gardens at the Berry Farm, a nice place to walk off lunch.
Pretty cottage gardens at the Berry Farm, a nice place to walk off lunch.

Next, a couple of winery visits to admire their beautiful gardens. First, Voyager Estate, famous for it’s grand, formal gardens with trimmed hedgerows, and glorious roses. What better time to visit than mid spring. The roses were blooming beautiful. I noted a couple by name, and next week will attempt to locate them for additions to my own developing rose garden.

Huge rose arbours at Voyager Estate.
Huge rose arbours at Voyager Estate.
Formal hedgerows.
Formal hedgerows.
The Voyager rose garden in full bloom.
The Voyager rose garden in full bloom.
Close up of a perfectly formed rose bloom.
Close up of a perfectly formed rose bloom.

Then before returning home we called into Aravina Estate.

The vines overlooking small lake at Aravina Estate.
The vines overlooking small lake at Aravina Estate.

Those familiar with WA wineries may remember this estate by it’s former name, Amberley Estate. Not only has the name changed, but the gardens also. Their gardens used to always be a refreshing change from the grandeur and pristine gardens of the other wineries in the area. Not that the grandeur isn’t nice to see, but Amberley used to have a flourishing native garden supporting an abundance of bird life. It was always so peaceful. We used to sit on a bench and listen to the birds as they flitted from bush to bush. Alas, most of the natives have now been superseded by ferns and hydrangeas creating yet another winery with a manicured garden. Still nice, but we missed our little winery/native garden sojourn soaking up the ambience of peace and tranquility that used to be associated with Amberley.

Hydrangeas and ferns replacing the old native garden we loved so much.
Hydrangeas and ferns replacing the old native garden we loved so much.
Another pretty vineyard garden.
Another pretty vineyard garden.

A wonderful day. What a pleasure!

A trip down Caves Road

| Chris Riley

The day off we promised to ourselves for Tuesday didn’t eventuate until today (Wednesday). With a 24 degree day, it was just perfect for playing tourist in our own back yard, and worth the wait.

We mainly covered previously well covered ground, never-the-less, ground well worthy of repeat visits. I’m sure this will not be our last traverse of beautiful Caves Road.

Caves Road starts just outside of Busselton and winds itself west towards Dunsborough, and then south towards Augusta. It’s named Caves Road because of the abundance of limestone caves in close proximity. Today we didn’t visit the caves, or any of the many famous wineries  also in the area. Today was all about the scenic splendour.

First we drove almost to the southern end of the road to the undulating valleys of Boranyup Forest. Stopping to take photos of the tall trees, some as high as 60 metres, it was just beautiful to see the sunlight streaming onto smooth, silvery, Karri trunks. Being mid week it was so quiet, and peaceful, the birdsong incredible.

Caves Road winding through majestic Karri Forest.
Caves Road winding through majestic Karri Forest.

Next stop – a gallery that inspires dreams of a powerball jackpot win – The Boranyup Gallery. A normal lotto win couldn’t do justice to the magnificent furniture and artwork on sale in this gallery. A very grand house would indeed be needed to house any of the grand pieces on display. No – a normal lotto win just wouldn’t do it.

A $25,000 Marri Burl table - stuff of dreams.
A $25,000 Marri Burl table – stuff of dreams.

Then onto one of our favourite camp grounds, Conto’s, for lunch. We should have really found a day picnic area, but as it was so quiet we snuck into the camp ground in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and made use of the free gas barbecues there. Gorgeous and peaceful as always.

Paul cooking bacon for our caesar salads.
Paul cooking bacon for our caesar salads.

Lunch finished,  we wound our way back up towards Busselton calling into Canal rocks on the way. Striking, dramatic, awesome! Massive banks of granitic gneiss (pronounced nice) have been eroded over the ages forming a magnificent canal feature. A small wooden bridge has been built across the waters where we usually stand to watch massive waves smashing their way through the canal. However, today the water was calmer than usual, and the waters below the bridge not quite as white and turbulent as usual. Even at it’s quietest though, Canal Rocks are still a mesmerising show of nature at it’s best.

Sparkling waters at Canal Rocks.
Sparkling waters at Canal Rocks.

Next, an afternoon treat at Cape Lavender Tea Rooms. This was a first for us, on a neighbours recommendation. Our neighbours didn’t exaggerate. It won’t be our last visit.

Where we ate cake while listening to the dulcet tones of the rat pack.
Where we ate cake while listening to the dulcet tones of the rat pack.

A gorgeous day, what a pleasure!!

Time out for friendship and cards.

| Chris Riley

The house is progressing. We still have loads more to do, but the first stages are almost complete.

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TV cabinet, latest Gumtree bargain – a place to display a beautiful container of shells personally gathered for us from our favourite Coral Bay beaches.

Both guest rooms have now been painted and, along with the rest of the house, have been furnished adequately with a mixture of new and Gumtree bargains.

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Guest room complete with Annie Sloan painted bed head, and up cycled curtains rescued from lounge room.

We’ve made a few mistakes that need to be rectified, the biggest one being the lounge suite which we love, but it just doesn’t work in our small lounge. That’s now re-advertised on Gumtree and when it’s sold we’ll replace it with something more size suitable.

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Love this – but it’s too big and just has to go.

It’s been a very busy three weeks to get the house looking close to acceptable. This week-end with a visit from our dear friends, Bob and Di, & Marina and Terry, it was a perfect excuse to have some down time for fun and relaxation.

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Terry parading in his night shirt….. He’s a worry!

We drank too much, ate too much and exercised too little. We played cards, till the late hours having a good laugh as we always do. Bob, the master of derogatory name tags didn’t disappoint, (another totally unmentionable name tag – but one that had us in stitches, as usual).

Saturday we took a drive to the nearby vibrant little town of Cowaramup. Cowaramup has a current population of only around a thousand people. With it’s close proximity to Margaret River the town is now being sought out as a more viable residential alternative, so the population is expected to expand considerable in the not to distant future.

There’s a quaintness to the town that Paul and I find endearing. The town has used it’s name to create an identity for itself with statues of cows adorning the streets. The local shops have taken the cow theme on board, and all manner of cow ornaments and souvenirs are available for purchase. There’s cow aprons, cow garden statues, cow place mats, cow salt and pepper shakers, cow anything and everything. The shops are delight to walk around, and the shop owners don’t seem to have any objection to people just browsing without buying.

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One of many life sized cow statues adorning the streets of Cowaramup.
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Di and the cow.

Alas, on this visit the wind was cool (bracing) and rain was threatening, so our visit to Cowaramup was rushed, and our planned visit to Canal Rocks later in the morning cancelled.

A very pleasant day is forecast for this Tuesday, and as it’s Melbourne Cup day (the race that stops a nation), we’ve decided to take another day off. We’ve moved to this wonderful area because there’s so much to see and do here, so Tuesday we’ll make a start. It’ll be fun to be a ‘tourist’, in our own back yard, only without the hefty price tag of buying a tourist bed for the night.

Our plan is to spend at least one day a week getting out and about with our camera to take photos of the wonderful south western corner of Australia. So watch this space….

The best time to see WA

| Chris Riley

I don’t usually post twice in a day, but before we get stuck into our latest little domestic project I thought I’d talk first about the best time of year to visit WA. In particular I want to post this for those planning to travel here from interstate with their caravans or camper vans.

At this stage you may be expecting me to say the usual thing people say, ‘anytime’s a good time’. That just isn’t the case in WA. There is definitely a good time to visit, and a good seasonal direction during which to travel. And there’s definitely a not so good time…. We meet so many people who have hated WA, and without fail, everyone of them has been here at the wrong time of year, or been travelling against the better weather patterns. So, if you’re planning a trip up or down the west coast of Australia – read on…

If you plan on coming across the Nullarbor and travelling up the coast towards Broome, be warned the wind blows, and blows, and blows in the spring and early summer And the wind can be cold, icy cold. However around late December the winds start to drop and it gets hot. Any wind after late December is welcomed as a ‘cooling breeze’. This is the time to be anywhere coastal from Esperance up towards Perth. There’s a lot to see in this little corner of WA, so you won’t be bored if you have three to four months here. If you don’t have that long, and plan to travel up the whole WA coast, plan to arrive a little later than December so as you’re not travelling north of Perth before the end of March.

From Perth up to Broome is best enjoyed from late March onwards. The winds have usually completely dropped, the ocean is warm, and the very hot, humid summer temperatures in the north are starting to cool and become pleasant.

Mid April to mid May is a perfect time to visit Coral Bay and the Exmouth Penninsula. Barn Hill and Broome is like paradise from June through to early September. From there I’d recommend travelling on to the Majestic East Kimberleys and the Northern Territory.

There’s inland places that shouldn’t be missed, not least of which is Karijini National Park. Travelling north during the months of May to September will have you in the right place and in the right season to enjoy a side trip to this wonderful area. The season will also be right if you’re wanting to do the Gibb River Road.

If however you’re planning to travel down towards Perth from the NT, I’d recommend the coastal road only up until late August. After that you’ll likely hit strong head winds that can blow all day. The water gets cold and the wind whips straight through you. However, the Great Northern Highway will keep you away from the worst of the chilly winds and will bring you through some glorious scenery in the Pilbara.

The wildflowers that WA is so famous for start in the Pilbara around mid August. So if you’re lucky enough to be travelling towards Perth from the North during the spring, I’d recommend taking it slowly with side trips off the beaten track to get in amongst the glorious wildflower colour.

So, now you have it from a seasoned WA traveller. I’m yet to meet an interstate traveller who has travelled WA in the right direction during the right seasons that hasn’t thoroughly enjoyed what they’ve seen. And I’ve yet to meet an interstate traveller who has travelled WA in the wrong direction for the seasons who hasn’t disliked the whole experience.

WA’s a very big state. It’s a lot less populated than the east coast, so it’s easy and comfortable to travel the bigger distances between fewer towns. There’s a lot here to see, and to experience,  but the weather will play a vital part in whether or not you enjoy it. Travel at the right time and I’m sure you’ll find it a pleasure! I do.

Wildflowers in the Pilbarra

| Chris Riley

Our eagerness to get back to Perth after having been away for nearly two and a half years has trumped our desire to travel slowly through the Pilbarra on our last leg of this trip.

Iron-ore rich, red Pilbara country.
Iron-ore rich, red Pilbara country.
Balancing Rocks.
Balancing Rocks.

Our planned four day trip has been condensed into two days. We left Broome, travelled through Port Hedland and took the Great Northern Highway via Newman towards Perth. First stop was a roadside stop approximately 280kms north of Newman.

Tonight, our second night, we’re in Cue, 1582kms south of Broome. Tomorrow we’ll travel the remaining 646kms and will be back in Perth at our favourite Perth caravan Park – Karrinyup Waters.

Those distances no doubt sound horrendous to both my overseas readers, and to some of my interstate readers. BUT – in WA, those distances aren’t difficult, even with a fifth wheeler trailing along behind. Since leaving Broome we haven’t been through any traffic lights, and we’ve only been through a couple of intersections ( both in Hedland). We’ve only had two road turns, the first as we left Broome and turned onto the Great Northern Highway, and then again as same Highway turns south just after Hedland.

Being a mining area, the superb roads are maintained to a high standard for the huge road trains. The road train drivers travel at a good speed on the flat or down hill, and are very courteous when they’re on an uphill grind. We have a CB radio which we keep tuned into the truckie’s channel. The truck drivers have a long, clear view of the road ahead, and give us the all clear when it’s safe to overtake. A constant speed of around 95kms an hour is easy to maintain.

A road train with three carriages, (some have four carriages and can be up to 53metres long.)
A road train with three carriages, (some have four carriages and can be up to 53metres long.)

Before we depart in the morning (at around 7am) we fill our thermos for coffee, and we pack our snack and lunch cooler bag to keep in the car between us. Paul drives, and it’s my job to keep him fed, watered, and entertained. A good supply of fresh fruit, nuts, and crackers with cheese, between sips of iced water keeps us sustained throughout the day. The iP0d provides entertainment with a good selection of our preferred music.

We usually have one fuel stop a day, and perhaps a couple of loo stops, at which times we fill our travel mugs with coffee, and on the road again.

So, that’s how we manage the long travel days – easy.

A sea of pink bursts from the red earth.
A sea of pink bursts from the red earth.

Not so easy, bi-passing Karijini National Park, and only snapping all the gorgeous wild flowers from inside the car as we zip past. Promise to ourselves – a slow trip next year over the same route taking time to enjoy all the pleasures whizzing past us this time round.

The sun sets on Cable Beach

| Chris Riley

What can I say about Cable Beach that hasn’t been said before. The turquoise waters, the white/gold sands, the blue skies, the gentle breezes, the sunsets…….

Our favourite beach.
Our favourite beach.

We’re on our last night of only a three night stay this time. We’ve swam in the ocean. We’ve enjoyed lovely beach walks. And we’ve relaxed between both on a hired sun lounger in the shade of a beach umbrella.

We’ve eaten fish and chips on the beach at the days end as we waited for sunset.

Clouds forming as we eat fish and chips waiting for the sun to set.
Clouds forming as we eat fish and chips waiting for the sun to set.

We’ve walked amongst the rock pools when the tide was out.

Exposed rocks when the tides out.
Exposed rocks when the tides out.

We’ve seen the sun lighting up the palm trees as it descends towards the ocean.

Palm trees lit by the setting sun.
Palm trees lit by the setting sun.

We’ve watched the camel trains return from their nightly sunset walk.

The iconic Cable Beach Camel Trains.
The iconic Cable Beach Camel Trains.

We’ve watched the sun dip into the ocean.

The sun sinking into the Indian Ocean.
The sun sinking into the Indian Ocean.

We’ve wandered amongst the rock pools as dark approaches.

Rock pools to add interest to an evening beach walk.
Rock pools to add interest to an evening beach walk.

We’ve watched the sun set turn to yellow.

The golden afterglow from the setting sun.
The golden afterglow from the setting sun.

And then to red.

The red fire-glow before the dark.
The red fire-glow before the dark.

We can’t wait to return and do it all again.

What a pleasure!

Sunset cruise and swim in Lake Argyle’s Infinity pool

| Chris Riley

We arrived at Lake Argyle around lunch time on Friday, and spent two nights there. We’ve visited before, but have never stopped over. Last time we visited, it was June 2014, and the famous INFINITY POOL was freezing – way to cold for us to venture in even for the sake of a photo. Not so this time.

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Lake Argyle’s Infinity Pool.

It was gorgeous and pleasantly warm, only just cool enough to be refreshing. The pool is considerably above the lake but is designed so as to look as if it is almost part of it. What a delight.

Having heard good things about the SUNSET CRUISE, we decided to give it whirl the next afternoon. First a 45 minute video on the making of Lake Argyle. It’s the largest man made lake in the southern hemisphere, and was built over a three year period from around 1970 – 1973. It’s absolutely massive, with a surprisingly small dam wall. In fact if I recall correctly, it’s the smallest dam wall in the world for the volume of water it’s supporting.

Then a coach picked us up and took us out to the boat. Jack the tour guide, and the skipper were great. What Jack didn’t know about that Lake, and Kununnura mustn’t be worth knowing. He was open to questions, and provided a wonderful insight into the nature of the dam, the spillways, the wildlife, and facts and figures on the Kununurra farms and plantations it supports.

The lake is over a hundred kilometres long, so we only cruised a small section of it. The cliffs surrounding it, and islands in the middle of it are typical of the  Top End and the East Kimberleys – red and glorious.

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Mirror reflections in the lake.

After a small stop in the ‘Bay of Islands’ we moved on for our sunset swim.

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Loved this shot Paul took as we powered along.

About half an hour before sunset, we all jumped, dived or floated off the end of the boat into the water, all with a water noodle to drift around on as we waited for the sun to set. A life ring was floated out to us loaded with glasses of wine and champagne, and with a platter of cheese, dips and crackers. For the beer drinkers, Jack tossed out cans. I finished my glass and floated back to the rear of the boat to see if a refill was possible. Not only was it possible, but Jack was poking the neck of full champagne bottles into small pieces of cut noodle and tossing them into the water for us to refill our own glasses in the water. With the noodle covering the neck of the bottle they float upright. What an experience.

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Floating on yellow noodles as I sipped champagne and Paul slurped beer.

Then the sun set!!!

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Wow!

I’ve seen lots of sunsets, but none whilst swimming in the middle of Lake Argyle with a glass of champagne in my hand. If you have Lake Argyle in your sights for a visit – don’t miss this experience.

But wait, there’s more….. This next part isn’t a usual part of the cruise. In fact, I believe it was a first. There was a full moon rising that night, and Jack knew where it would rise. So, for those of us game enough to get into the water with our cameras Jack told us when and where to have our cameras poised so as to capture the moon and it’s reflections in the water. Similar to the famous ‘Staircase to the Moon’ for which Broome is famous, I don’t think I quite captured it at the right moment. To have had the opportunity to try was something I’ll never forget.

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Stairway to the Moon from Lake Argyle.

The next day we departed for our two day trip to Broome.

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More of the top end’s majestic scenery to entertain us throughout the trip.

Lake Argyle’s sunset cruise – Up there with the best of pleasures!

Amazing Eastern Kimberleys

| Chris Riley
Sunset over lake Kununurra as we wait for our camp oven dinner
Sunset over lake Kununurra as we wait for our camp oven dinner
Beautiful Lake Argyle taken out the plane window
Beautiful Lake Argyle taken out the plane window

We went on our flight to the Bungle Bungles today, flight there, helicopter over the Bungles, and flight back. Totally amazing.

To date the best scenery we’ve ever seen was a few years ago when we flew out over the Bucchaneer Archepelago to the Horizontal Falls. The scenery we’ve seen lately in the East Kimberleys comes a pretty close second. Interestingly, the Horizontal Falls is also in the Kimberleys, but not sure if it’s in the Western or Eastern Kimberleys, probably somewhere near the middle.

We’ve enjoyed our caravan park here with it’s many organised happy hours. Last night we had one of their weekly camp oven dinners. Morroccan Lamb, Beef casserole, Apricot Chicken, and curried Chick Pea and Pumpkin, all served with couscous and a bread roll, and followed with home made damper with maple syrup. Delicious, especially having it all cooked for us, and no cleaning up afterwards.

Tomorrow we’re moving on, into the Northern Territory. We’re planning on one or two nights in a free site near Victoria River on route to Katherine. There’s plenty to see around Katherine so I imagine we’ll be there a few nights before we head to Humpty Doo to catch up with Kelvin.

East Kimberleys

| Chris Riley

We tried to extend our time in Broome, but it would have meant moving to a different site. So we figured if we had to move it may as well be to new territory, and we headed for Kununurra.

First stop was Fitzroy Crossing where we spent two nights. We went out to Geikie Gorge, did the boat trip up the Fitzroy river, and found a nice place to swim. All very pleasant.

From Fitzroy we headed towards Kununurra with a plan to stop at a roadside stop over night. However, we missed the one we wanted and ended up doing an unplanned long day all the way to the Discovery Park in Kununurra. When we arrived there was a sign up advising there weren’t any powered sites left. As we were pretty tired after the full days drive we hoped they at least had an unpowered site. How lucky were we though, when they realised they had booked someone in twice, which meant they had a vacant powered site. So here we are.

Upon booking in we were invited to happy hour at Croc Rock. Croc Rock is a barbecue area on the banks of Lake Kununurra and only about 50 metres from our site. There’s a massive big rock table there, and also George, a freshie, frequently pops up on the bank there in the evenings to visit. Hence the name, Croc Rock. So, off we went for happy hour down at Croc Rock. The next night, we went there again for a sausage sizzle put on by the park. They had a huge camp fire burning, and everyone brought their chair and drinks down to enjoy either a sausage or rissole buttie and a natter.

This park is famous for it’s social events. Every Saturday they do a sausage sizzle, and on Tuesday mornings they do pancakes. Both of these events are for a gold coin donation for the Flying Drs. On Monday nights they have a barbecue (choice of wild caught Barramundi, or steak) with salads and rolls, and on Wednesday nights they have a camp oven cook out. Both of the latter are for either $10 or $15 a head, cheap for a meal out….. Apparently the camp fire cook out is a huge hit with over a hundred usually turning up.

We went out to the world famous El Questro today. Breathtaking scenery, in fact the Eastern Kimberleys all round has amazing scenery, and like nothing I’ve seen before. Unfortunately photos just don’t do any of it justice. El Questro itself though is like most places that have made a huge name – in my opinion just too big, and with very little owner input, the‘care factor’ diminishes.

We planned on getting to Zebedee Springs around 8.30am hoping to beat the crowds, but first we had to get out to the village area to get our park pass. When there we got sent on a wild goose chase to three apparently unmissable lookouts. After nearly an hour we finally gave up after finding they were all up quite isolated and ‘serious four wheel drive tracks’. Wish she’d mentioned that before we tried to find the unmissable. In fact, she hadn’t even asked if we were in a 4 X 4. We just aren’t experienced enough to tackle that grade of 4 x 4 driving. After we gave up on that and made our way to Zebedee Springs it was past 10am and the crowds had gathered. The springs were stunning but for the masses. Enough said.

After Zebedee we headed for Emma Gorge, a medium graded walk. Paul made it there and back to the gorge, but for me it was too tough and I turned back before even making it half way. I don’t think I could have completed the walk when I was a teenager, let alone a decrepid old woman nearing 60. I’m convinced the person who graded it must have climbed Mt Everest and graded this as ‘medium’ in comparison. It wasn’t steep, but rocky as!!! Mind you, a lot of people older than me were managing it, so it left me feeling a bit deflated to say the least.

So, after years of looking forward to El Questro, I found it all disappointing. Guess that’s the danger of having high expectations.