The Great Southern

We made it down to the Great Southern, the largest and most diverse region within Australia’s South West. The first stop was Albany, a cool town with plenty going on. While the weather was nice, we thought we better head straight to the beaches which we’ve heard so much about. Emu point was the first and wow it was stunning. Why don’t we have kayaks!? The water was so inviting, clear blue and still.
We then had a quick stop at Albany’s most popular beach, Middleton beach where we parked up for some lunch and took a stroll up the boardwalk which overlooked the bay. We came across some giant lizards along the pathway and spoke with a Scottish man who came over to Australia on a boat 50 years ago. He told us how it was a great spot to look for whales which are common in the area, but unfortunately, we were just out of season for it.
Our free camp for the evening was about 20 minutes away called Cosy Corner, and it sure lived up to its name! We got there around 5 pm as we treated ourselves to fish and chips in the town beforehand and therefore struggled to find a free spot at the site when we got there. We squeezed in, to a cosy corner, under some trees which were on a slight slope. Our sleep was interesting that night as Tom kept rolling down squishing me against the side, but it was fine for the one night so we can’t complain!
We drove to the next town that morning which was Denmark. A ‘hippie’ style town which had a really nice vibe to it. Surrounded by a lot of trees, more trees than we had seen in a long time, it gave it that quirky forest edge and we liked it. We even liked its smell! That might sound odd but smell has become a very sensitive sense to us, in particular when it comes to the drop loos we have found at some of our campsites, but that’s a subject I won’t be going into.
After stocking up our supplies at the Super IGA, we headed to William Bay National Park to look for the ‘Elephant Rocks’ which was a must see in the area. I just wished so much that the weather was warmer. The water looked incredible in the sunshine but we couldn’t bring ourselves to go for a swim amongst the rocks as it was just 19 degrees. Instead, we went for a paddle and climbed to another rock which had great views of the Elephant’s backsides which looked like they were in a herd looking out to sea.

A short walk away was the Green Pool, we couldn’t overly see the ‘green’ aspect to it, but it was really pretty nonetheless. Unfortunately, as we were taking a stroll up the beach the heavens started to open and so we ended up running back to the van to take shelter. We took the opportunity to go and check out the toffee and cider factory nearby as the weather was naff. It was such a great find! We tried several different flavoured toffees and ended up with a cider tasting plate which was yummy! Chilli and Jalapeno cider definitely won the weirdest flavour award along with the Expresso being our favourite toffee flavour, both of which we came away with as souvenirs. They didn’t last long…

As we were getting all the closer to Perth, we found ourselves some more amazing natural wonders of the West Coast including the Valley of the Giants, which is basically a glorious forest full of ancient humongous trees. We also took to a few more incredible beaches including Hamelin Bay in Augusta.

When we arrived in Margaret River we knew it was a place we needed and wanted to stay for at least a few days. Let’s be fair, the wineries alone could take up a week! But that would be taking our drinking to the next level. We settled for visiting a couple of wineries, the first was attached to the Chocolate Company – Winner Winner! We resisted buying any but sure made the most of the samples dotted around the place before we headed over to Providore, Coward & Black Winery for some wine tastings. We also got to try a variety of jams, chutneys and sauces too which were delicious.
We then went onto a Brewery & Cidery called Cheeky Monkey, honestly because I liked the name and there were so many to choose from. It had such a lovely set up, a popular place for functions and luckily we got a table beside the lake in the sunshine. After I did some more wine tastings (Tom sensibly refused as he was driving) we decided to get a beer and cider tasting pallet with a side of pizza! It was Saturday after all…

And what better way to finish a great day than to take a dip in the ocean. We were recommended to go and find the Injidup Natural Spa, and we were so glad we did. A great spot hidden behind some large rocks, was a pool of seawater as giant waves came crashing over, one of which got us right in the face.

With another day to spend in the beautiful Margaret River, we decided to go in the Mammoth Cave which wasn’t far from where we were camping in the Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park. It was cold but beautiful and really interesting to learn all about how it became a tourist attraction and see some of the bones which were found inside from thousands of years ago.
And of course, we had to go to the mouth of the river. A chance to relax and soak up some sunshine. Margaret River has certainly been one of our favourites stops so far!
That brings us to yesterday where after staying in Gracetown for the night we had a quick game of mini golf which was free for guests (and must say I won by 1 point, even though Tom got 3 holes in 1s!), we headed out to Bussleton to walk on the longest wooden jetty in Australia – and apparently in the world measuring 1.8km long!

We then stayed in a great campsite, called Belvidere campground, surrounded by kangaroos, kookaburras and campfires, but unfortunately came with the almighty nightmare mozzies. With signs up saying that mosquitos in this particular area can carry diseases, we straight away put on more layers, applied the insect repellent and lit the campfire. I honestly thought they would stay clear but turns out they can still bite through clothes and unfortunately our feet (and my bum) were key targets.
With itchy feet and bums, today we arrived in Perth! We have booked ourselves in a nice campsite near Perth airport, only 15 minutes from the city centre. With plenty of backpackers around us and planes flying low above our heads, I get the feeling we are in for an adventurous, lively couple of weeks, and I can’t wait!

Gemma.