A mini holiday to Margaret River... and beyond
Trip Start
Sep 02, 2009
1
34
72
Trip End
Oct 30, 2010
Where I stayed
Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia
Saturday, June 5, 2010
We all wanted to go on a road trip before Dave and I leave Perth in August, so the June long weekend was a perfect chance. We were going to go up north but it was a logistical nightmare and most of the weekend would have been spent driving, so we went for the easier option and decided to head down south to Margaret River. Margaret River is a very beautiful wine region and we decided to stay in a hostel by the sea, a short drive from the town.
At 6.30am on the Saturday morning Heather, Kirk, John and Laura met us outside our house and we drove the 3 and a half hour journey in our hired people carrier. When we got there we immediately went to the Fudge Factory*, and then to the Cheese Factory*, the Nuts and Cereals Factory* and the Chocolate Factory*. YUM!
*They're called "Factories" but really they're shops with free tastings.
We bought some really tasty produce (the cheese was especially tasty) and headed to our hostel, in Previlly, to check in. It was odd to be staying in a hostel again and we were reminded of how exhausting it is to be back on the road! We had 2 dorm rooms: Laura, John, Dave and me in one, Kirk, Heather and Gillian (who was going to join us the next day) in the other.
After a little rest and a freshen up we headed to the beach which was only a five minute stroll away. It was really beautiful and we could see why it was called surfers point, the waves were massive.
That night we all pitched in and cooked a really delicious dinner, and afterwards Kirk taught me and Dave how to play poker... and thrashed us at it.
The next morning Gillian arrived and we drove to Augusta to see the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse which is on the most Southern Westerly tip of Australia, where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. It was totally manually operated until 1982 by a clockwork mechanism and kero burner, one of the last in the world. The view was stunning, and reminded me a lot of home (especially the cold breeze and rolling green hills).
After getting some fresh air at the lighthouse we headed to the Jewel Cave, Australia's largest show cave which has one of the longest straw stalactites found in any tourist cave in the world. The cave was underground and absolutely MASSIVE. We had a half hour guided tour at the cave, during which we walked almost 2 kilometers and descended 42 meters down, and it was spectacular. It is called the Jewel cave because of how heavily decorated it's ceiling is with stalactites that sparkle like jewels. It was really impressive and a lot different to the caves we've visited so far on the trip.
Next it was onto the main event of the trip: The wine tasting! You can't go 2 steps in Margaret River without coming across a winery... there's thousands of them! First we went to the Brown Hill winery where we tasted about 9 different wines in about 5 minutes. It was only our first winery and my taste buds were already knackered! Then we went to the Stella Bella winery where we tasted a further 6 wines... this was hard work! We bought a couple of bottles from both wineries then headed back to the hostel to drink them.
After dinner (take away this time) we played Jenga and more poker (which Kirk thrashed us at AGAIN... thank goodness we weren't playing for real money!).
On the Monday morning it was time to head back to Perth. Kirk and Heather went with Gillian in her car and Dave and I went with Laura and John in the people carrier. We all met up in Busselton, where we visited the longest timber pile jetty in the southern hemisphere. We posed for some photos then continued our journey. Laura, John, Dave and I went to Bunbury to try see if we could see any dolphins at the Discovery Centre, and to meet John's parents for lunch. Unfortunately it was overcast and raining so the dolphins, who usually come right up to the shore, didn't show. Lunch with John's parents was lovely.
We arrived back in Perth safe and sound and absolutely knackered. I had forgotten how much hard work it is being a tourist (hehe)! Only 8 weeks left until we leave Perth, and there's still more we want to see here. But we're getting very excited, even though we've made some really great friends who we'll definitely miss.
LOVE! x x x
