Yallingup to Gracetown

Today we have decided to head south to Cape Leeuwin just outside Augusta. First stop was Margaret River as the town at the centre of the wine district named after it. Attractive enough town with one or two interesting shops but not a long stay place unless you want to spend a few days visiting the individual winery's.

On leaving here on down the Bussell Highway to Augusta and on to Cape Leeuwin. Nothing much to Augusta so on to the Cape.

Historic Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is situated at the most south westerly tip of Australia, standing at the point where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet - 8 kilometres west of Augusta. With a stunning blue backdrop of the ocean meeting the sky the lighthouse appears to glow in white splendour during summer, whilst during winter the awesome force of the fierce Southern Ocean and powerful Indian Ocean crashing against the Cape makes your visit a unique, awesome and contrasting experience year round.

A famous maritime landmark and important meteorological site from which data is collected, the tower stands 39 metres high from ground level and 56 metres above sea level. Its piercing beam, which has an intensity of one million candles, shines over the surrounding rugged sea and landscape for 26 nautical miles or 48 kilometres. Cape Leeuwin on which the lighthouse stands is also the start point for the Cape to Cape Track. Nearby is also the Old Waterwheel, a wooden water wheel that once supplied water to the lighthouse from a fresh water spring in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge. The water wheel has now calcified from the lime in the water, and although the wheel no longer turns water still trickles over the structure, as fresh as the day the water wheel was first erected.

Having spent quite sometime here including a very informative tour of the lighthouse with a very interesting guide time to move on as now mid afternoon.

Heading north again we detoured to Hamelin Bay hoping to see Black Rays in the water close to the shore. We were not disappointed and saw several along the shore line in the clear waters.