Our next camp spot after leaving Perth was Belvidere Campsite in Leschenault Peninsula Conservation Park, just north of Bunbury. It drizzled with rain all day and there were mozzies everywhere so we decided to light a campfire.
When it stopped raining we went for a walk to have a look around. There were heaps of kangaroos around the camping area. Some of them were huge. It was meant to be $18 a night for camping but no one came to collect fees so we scored a freebie.
When it stopped raining we went for a walk to have a look around. There were heaps of kangaroos around the camping area. Some of them were huge. It was meant to be $18 a night for camping but no one came to collect fees so we scored a freebie.
The next day we drove on to Margaret River and stayed at Big Valley, a working sheep farm 10 minutes out of town. This area has everything - all kinds of produce, a winery on every corner, beautiful old forests and surf beaches. We paid for four nights so we could stay there for Tara's birthday.
We went to have a look at Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse near Augusta. It's the largest lighthouse on the Australian mainland.
It was a cold, windy day - appropriate for our first sighting of the Southern Ocean. It is actually the point where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean and if you look carefully you can see where they meet by the movement of the water.
There are some spectacular caves in the area, so we decided it was worth paying the $50 fee to see one of them. We went to Mammoth Cave. They give you each an MP3 player and you go on a self-guided tour through the cave, pressing the relevant buttons at each point and hearing an explanation of what you are seeing.
The photos, unfortunately don't do justice to the experience. It was only dimly lit, so I wasn't sure any of the photos would turn out at all. I'm so glad we went there. It was incredible.
After coming up out of the cave, we had a bit of a walk through the bush to get back to the carpark.
The kids spotted this huge tree lying down near the pathway.
On our way back from the lighthouse and the cave, we stopped at the main surf beach near Margaret River. This is the place where they hold all the big comps.
The only spot on the farm where we could get mobile phone coverage was at the top of one of the sheep paddocks. We drove Tara up there to make some phone calls on her birthday and the boys had great fun trying to keep up with us on their bikes.
Because it was Tara's birthday we got to feed the pet sheep and the chooks, then the kids helped collect the eggs.
That night we went out for dinner at the Margaret River Hotel.
The next day we headed off and turned the corner of Australia - heading east! The forests around the southwest corner of WA are amazing. We found a spot called Parry Beach in the Camps book but didn't know anything about it until we got there. I couldn't believe it was only $7 a night - showers and toilets (and not those nasty drop ones either!)
The campsite was right on a beautiful bay. The kids loved climbing over all the rocks.
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