Tourist Season is almost here

December 20, 2016April 22, 2017 | Chris Riley

The only trouble with living in a popular tourist destination is that when tourist season hits, so do the tourists. What for most of the year is our own little tranquil beach suddenly becomes crowded as you will see from the photos I took of Paul as we went down to our little patch of beach for our daily walk.

Paul, amongst the tourist crowds on our little patch of beach.

And the same crowds spoiling our tranquility in the other direction.

As we walk up the beach towards Busselton there’s a few more resorts, so a few more people. But compared to photos we’ve seen of lovely beach destinations in Europe, or even the gorgeous beaches in Perth – we’re very, very spoilt, and consider ourselves soooo lucky. There’s not a day goes past as we walk up the beach that we don’t look at each other and say, “What a pleasure”!

Palmers Winery

December 14, 2016April 22, 2017 | Chris Riley

I’m so pleased I’ve joined up with a local women’s walking group. The women meet up twice a week at 8am at a local cafe near the beach path and walk for a 1/2 hour in each direction along the path overlooking beautiful Geographe Bay. There’s no better way to get to know people than walking and chatting, not to mention the hour or so after the walk spent in the local cafe having a coffee with the ladies.

Not only do the ladies walk twice a week with a coffee follow up, but they also go out to lunch at one of the eateries in the winery area at least once a month. I’m not only getting to know people in the local community, but am also getting local information on the better places to eat. There’s nothing like ‘local knowledge’.

A couple of weeks ago the walkers met at Palmers Winery , near Dunsborough. The meal, service and ambiance was superb, and not over pricey. So, today I went there again, this time, with Paul.

Paul had the fish of the day, a superbly cooked Red Emperor dish which he reported was excellent. I tried the Bento Box, something new to me. For those of you who don’t know what a Bento Box is, (I didn’t), it’s a Japanese meal served in a box with several different compartments. The compartments hold a selection of delectable Japanese morsels, including some raw scallops and raw tuna. A hot rock comes with the meal on which to cook the raw items to ones own liking. It was an intriguing meal, and one I wasn’t disappointed with.

We followed up by sharing a desert – also very nice. Then a walk around the dam and a visit to the cellar tasting area. Unfortunately, we forgot to take our camera, so we only managed one photo taken on the iPhone, which was badly in need of a clean, so the photo’s a bit hazy. There’s nothing quite like rows of vines with roses at either end, overlooking a beautiful lake to inspire fantasies of being in some romantic European country – perhaps Tuscany, or the South of France.

But then again, who needs to be in either Tuscany, or the South of France fighting through hoards of people when we have such delights on our own doorstep, only minus the crowds. It’s a real pleasure to be a tourist in our own neighbourhood, only with the comfort of our own bed to come back to at the day’s end.

In search of the perfect Ploughman’s lunch

November 4, 2016April 22, 2017 | 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.

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.

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.

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.

A wonderful day. What a pleasure!

A trip down Caves Road

November 2, 2016April 22, 2017 | 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.

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.

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.

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.

A gorgeous day, what a pleasure!!

Time out for friendship and cards.

October 30, 2016April 22, 2017 | Chris Riley

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

fullsizeoutput_12ef — 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.

fullsizeoutput_12fd — 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.

fullsizeoutput_12fa — 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.

fullsizeoutput_12f1 — 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.

fullsizeoutput_12f3 — One of many life sized cow statues adorning the streets of Cowaramup.

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

October 9, 2016April 22, 2017 | 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.

Rest Point at Walpole

March 20, 2014April 22, 2017 | Chris Riley

Rest Point caravan park is right on this inlet - stunning. — Rest Point caravan park is right on this inlet – stunning.

Nearby there are plenty of forest walks through old growth forest.

Greens pool, just one of the many beautiful beaches nearby.

Walpole/Denmark area - where the forest meets the ocean. How good is this... — Walpole/Denmark area – where the forest meets the ocean. How good is this…

There’s so much to do around this area and the caravan park is more than adequate and so, so cheap. It’s $22 a night for a large powered site, and the 7th night of each week is free. That means total cost per week is $132.00. It’s $140 a week in a lot of the national parks and that’s without power. The sites here are grassed and it’s right on the banks of the Nornalup/Walpole inlet and to our rear is the Walpole golf course, so very picturesque.

There’s so much to do here. A few days ago we visited Shannon National park and took a cheese and tomato sandwich there to toast on there gas bbqs for our lunch. It was lovely in the forest. Then we went and checked out Windy Harbour. That day it wasn’t living up to it’s name and was very calm. The coast there was gorgeous, with beautiful rocks formations rising out of the ocean all along the shoreline. We stopped and tossed in a line with a lure for half an hour or so, but no luck. It was a good day though, despite the lack of fish.

Yesterday we stayed around the campground and using some burley and prawns caught our lunch from the Nornalup inlet, off our caravan park jetty. I caught my first meal ever with 4 herring and Paul caught two.

Today it was overcast with a few showers, so we went off into the nearby forests and did a few short bush walks, then went to local touristy herb farm and indulged ourselves with coffee and fig cake. Both were worth the calories, very nice.

A few people here have little fire pits. One is made from the inside drum of a front loading washing machine. Being made of stainless steel and having mesh type walls, placed up on a couple of bricks it makes a superb well ventilated fire drum. The other is made from a cut off gas bottle. The person with the cut off gas bottle is selling them. I tried to talk ‘the master’ into buying one to use for our camp oven, but his enthusiasm was somewhat lacking compared to mine. Never mind, there will be a time when one day I can have a camp fire and use my camp oven. I have a leg of lamb in the freezer waiting for the day.

I will post some pictures of the surrounding areas one day soon.

Cape Le Grand National Park

March 12, 2014April 22, 2017 | Chris Riley

Wow! Visited Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park around 15 years ago. Loved it then, loved it now. We weren’t sure how long we’d stay for, but ended up staying for 7 nights. It’s a lovely, lovely spot. Lots of red dust, so our caravan has now well and truly been christened.

I’m sure I could go around the world and back and wouldn’t find a better walking beach than Lucky Bay. With it’s firm, white, squeaky sand, it’s rolling waves, and a rocky geographic background features it’s just about perfect. Add to that, most often we had the beach almost to ourselves once we left the immediate vicinity of the camp ground and you have reason to believe you’ve stumbled across paradise.

The camp ground is a lot busier than it was 15 years ago. Now most days by 9.30am it’s full to capacity and people are getting turned back to Esperance. On the day we got there, we arrived around 8.30am and took the last site available. Despite being full to capacity almost every day, the 3 woman’s toilets and 2 solar showers coped well. I had a hot shower every day, and never had to wait long for one to become vacant, and I never had to wait for a toilet. So, the facilities, whilst not plentiful, are certainly adequate. Also there’s a campers kitchen, with solar heated hot water and plenty of spring water available. So, although the facilities are basic they’re better than a lot of camp grounds have, and are enough to make a long stay possible.

Fifteen years ago we were impressed by how tame the kangaroos were, and I’m pleased to say they’re still just as friendly. One day we had a mother and her Joey took up residence on our ground sheet for around 5 hours. However, when we brought lunch out and didn’t share it with them they left and didn’t return for the duration of our stay. Perhaps some other camper was more obliging.

Paul fished off the rocks with just a lure the day before we left and came back with 11 herring. So, we had a free lunch that day. It was a fabulous stay, and we’ll certainly go back again one day I hope.