My Adventures – Into The West!

Left Ceduna with a heavy heart – only because I spent way longer there than I should have! Ok, last time I bag Ceduna (well till next time I do anyway!).

So off to Eucla. Six – ish hours along the Eyre Highway. The road was straight, surrounded by the treeless Nullarbor Plain. Stopped several times to check out the Great Australian Bight. Some beautiful scenery! Stayed in a cabin (got an early start tomorrow, ten – ish hour drive to Esperance!).

If you want an easy access view of the Great Australian Bight, do it on the SA side of the border. The Eyre Highway is at its closest to a number of view sites in SA. Way closer than the WA side of the border!

Although it added considerable time to the journey – glad I stopped along the way. Achieved two things, got my steps up and got some great views.

Due to two days of big driving, shouted myself a cabin at the border. Good night’s sleep in a bed, watched some footy. Sort of a bit “normal” (not sure I liked it though!).

Up real early for the ten – ish hour drive from Eucla to Esperance. Done some long distance driving before, but not for a long while. Alice to Darwin in a day (with kids in the back), Alice to Adelaide easy in a day (thankfully my Rugrats never asked “are we there yet”). How would I go with this haul? Made it easy, along the way tackled the longest straight piece of road in Australia.

Most of the trip was flat treeless plains. But getting close to Norseman it changed into woodlands that were heavily populated by Salmon Gums – a type of Eucalyptus native to this part of WA – I had never seen before. The trunk of the trees were a bronze colour and due to recent rains the foliage was a lush shiny green. They were truly beautiful. Not sure my photo does them justice.

Arrived at the Pink Lake Tourist Park in Esperance – packed with families. This’ll test the teacher in me! Huge site – ok-ish amenities (just!!).

Easter Sunday saw me go for a walk along the esplanade in Esperance, including the jetty! Very enjoyable experience, really done a nice job of making this a walking, cycling, scootering friendly zone. Lovely views across the water. A guy fishing on the jetty had hooked a ray of some kind – struggled with it for a good 15 minutes whilst I watched. Got it to the surface a couple of times – it’s “wing span” would have been close to a couple of metres. Left with the young fella close to exhaustion – not sure if he pulled it in!

Esperance is a beautiful seaside town. Best known for its stunning golden beaches, it’s beautiful turquoise waters and sensational surf. It has unfortunately been the recipient of bad press due to 2 recent shark attacks that resulted in fatalities. It’s a shame because some of the beaches I visited today were simply breathtaking. I know it was not ideal swimming weather (20 degrees), but of the 5 beaches I visited not one person was swimming or surfing. I’ll let the photos do the talking!

The museum area is well worth a visit. Today I was blessed with a makers market – lots of local hobbyists plying their trade, hoping to cash in on the fruits of their labour. There was also a vintage car show – some nice machines, lovingly restored and proudly shown off by their owners. back to the tent to listen to some footy and rest up a bit before another five hour road trip to Albany tomorrow! Also as the Easter Bunny clearly didn’t remember me this year, I treated myself to a Dudley Estate Porky Flat Shiraz – thankfully it was as delicious as I remember it being at the tasting! Yummo – so much so, I finished the bottle! Cheers!🍷

Easter Monday saw another reasonable drive – off to Albany. The first half of the trip had lots of water on the side of the road and even some roads damaged by flooding. They have had some serious rain recently. The trip was nice, through some lovely countryside. About halfway, as the road turned south to Albany amazing shows of Pincushion Hakea (Hakea Laurina) took centre stage. This is one of my favourite native plants and it was lovely to see – in it’s native setting. Also some good shows of Albany Bottlebrush (I think) and Candlestick Banksia (again a guess).

Got to Kalgan River Caravan Park and was blessed with a beautiful river front site. Such a beautiful place – dated amenity block, but the view and serenity make up for that!

Tuesday morning saw BDOB go for one of the best wet shaves he has ever had. Ron’s Barber Shop in the main drag of Albany! A real old school barber – hots towels, several different oils and lotions – money well spent.

Then off the Limeburners Whiskey Distillery. Overlooking the harbour, this is a lovely spot for a distillery (they also do gin – meh!). Had a look at the distillery – the smell of the mashing was glorious (bit like porridge). Then went in for a tasting. Tried their Tiger Snake Whiskey – a rye whiskey, very delicious! Bought a couple of bottles.

Next for the day was Torndirrup National Park. This wild and rugged coastal park is known for its spectacular wave-carved features including the Natural Bridge, The Gap and the Blowholes (although I’ve blown more in the bath with one of my farts than the blowholes did today).

Wasn’t sure whether I should go to the next venue or not – but in the end decided I would visit Albany’s Historic Whaling Station. Whaling had taken place in Albany for 178 years – with the last whale being slaughtered in 1978. An interesting museum that gives a snapshot into a brutal part of our nation’s history. Glad this barbaric activity is long gone from Australian shores. No photos!

Last stop for the day – a winery. And the winner was (drum roll) – Castle Rock Winery. Renowned for their Rieslings – I gave three of them a go – Castle Rock Estate Riesling, Skywalk Riesling and RS21 Riesling. Also gave the Sauvignon Blanc and Diletto Chardonnay a go. Very nice. Bought some – of course!

A very wet morning greeted BDOB on Wednesday. Raining cats and dogs! It good weather to pack up a tent – but that I did. Wet, muddy and cold. Yuck! But I was sad to leave this idyllic spot – really enjoyed camping here, will be back for sure!

So what should have been three and a half hour drive to Prevelly, near Margaret River, turned out to be a five hour slog. Road works meant two stops at red lights for 20 minutes at a time (on a road in the middle of f**king nowhere!!). Plus 40 kms an hour for about 30 kms of road! Mind you the scenery was pretty cool and driving at slower speed than normal allowed for me to take more of it in. In no particular order I got to see heaps of vineyards, fruit orchards, lush green hills, beautiful old Eucalypt forests, coastal scrubland, pine plantations, massive lakes. Quite a smorgasbord. A beautiful place – a bit like the Yarra Valley in Victoria. Would be a great place to live, but is extraordinarily remote and has s**t phone service (not good enough Telstra!!).

Arrived at the Prevelly Caravan Park – wow, simply wow! Beautiful location. HUGE sites. Lush grass (for the tenters of the world!). Fantastic amenities. Right next door there is a general store as well as an awesome cafe/bar/restaurant.

Set up camp. Winery tasting – thank you Cape Mentelle Vineyards – some super yummy whites and some cheeky reds. Some may have found there way to the Ranger for later sharing.

Walk along the beautiful beach before dinner. Saw some sail boarders – had a great mate Shaun who I lived with in Darwin for a few years (my daughter’s God Father) who was a mad sailboarder. Reminded me instantly of him!

What would Thursday bring? Well, firstly a quick trip down the coast to Cape Leeuwin – the most South Western point on the Australian mainland. Has a cool historical site – recording the history of the lighthouse that has stood here since 1895 and is the tallest lighthouse on the mainland. Unfortunately the lighthouse is currently undergoing significant restoration work, but the museum has really cool interactive displays that are well worth going for. About 150 m offshore is where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. There’s this weird phenomena where the swell from each ocean comes from opposite directions, meeting along this line that is visible to the naked eye. Really cool.

Too early for a winery, so underground I go. Off to Jewel Caves. Yet another limestone cave.

Must be time for a wine – off to Leeuwin Estate. A simply beautiful winery set amounts some beautiful grounds. Known for their white wines – I enjoyed some pretty special Sauvignon Blancs, some exquisite SSB’s and some delicious Chardonnay’s. Took a few bottles with me.

Went for a stroll around Margaret River’s main drag. Fairly typical “surf region” town, good feel to it though!

Second winery of the day – Brookland Valley and Houghton Cellar Door. Another beautiful spot, some more delicious white wines. Really enjoyed their three Chardonnay’s. Might have liked them so much some magically appeared in the Ranger!

Back to Prevelly where they are preparing for the Margaret River Pro 22 event. This is part of the World Professional Surfing Tour. There was a decent crowd watching the surfers go through their paces before the weekends competition. Now these guys are talented, I’ve tried surfing a few times and managed only a couple of seconds at best standing on the board. But unless you have some binoculars, a spectator sport it ain’t. Did my best with photos, but the surfers will probably look like ants, which to be honest is what they looked like through the naked eye.

Friday saw me leave Prevelly – very sad to do so as I loved my time here. One more winery Vasse Felix. The oldest producing winery in the Margaret River. Outstanding location, beautiful Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Expensive morning, but quality is quality.

Next stop, Perth.

So the music playing last week was …..

Marillion – An Hour Before it’s Dark. Check it out!! At least watch the reaction to the song Care by Jim Newstead (added below!).

Next, Placebo’s first album in over 8 years, and the first as a duo – “Never Let Me Go”. Original members Brian Milko and Stefan Olsdal working with session musicians to produce the album. Brilliant album that should satisfy long term fans, but should also attract new fans with song ripper songs. Stand outs for me include the amazing opening number Forever Chemicals (welcome back boys – wow! And I mean serious WOW!). The Prodigal (could have been written for where I am in my life right now – holy shit!) and Surrounded by Spies. 4 1/2 out of 5. Please tour Oz – one of the best live performers I’ve ever seen (three times, so just be good!).

Right the next bit of music could result in serious “judgement” – but please before being too harsh remember this ….. I am a child of the 60’s whose musical journey began on the late 70’s early 80’s. New Wave had a major influence on my musical choice – so ….. Men Without Hats “Again 2” their first studio album since 2012. Yep, remember “The Safety Dance” – those guys. And they haven’t strayed far from their first album “Rhythm of Youth” – which I own on vinyl. Really enjoyed it their early stuff. But time has passed this genre of music by and the novelty lasts about as long as as sherbet lemon does for me – ok for a while but I then need to crunch, enjoy the sherbet and move on. 2 out of 5 stars. Need a different mate for Marillion and Placebo I think!

So MWH didn’t hold my attention for too long. Needed another album – went for Tears for Fears new one – “The Tipping Point”. Now these guys are f**king amazing. I remember listening to their first album “The Hurting” in the Alice Springs High School library during Year 12 with Jeff and Robert – Mr Hodges checking if we were in-fact studying during our “frees”. It’s there first album in 18 years and is simply f**king sublime! When you’ve got it, you’ve got it, and these two blokes (Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith) have it in spades. Although globally successful with three albums – they could have been oh so much more! This album has strong songs throughout – so my favourites change on each listening. At the moment Break the Man, Rivers of Mercy and Please be Happy (shout out to someone special). Five out of five stars – a must listen!! I’ll dip into this lots on my journey I reckon!

Til next time …