Gracetown to Rockingham

Another leisurely start in our woodland site before driving the short distance to the Vasse Felix Winery. Although the Margaret River area has dozens of vineyards, this is the oldest and even so only dates back to1967. The original Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted by Tom Cullity are gnarled and full of grapes today, ready to be harvested in two weeks time. The white grapes have already been picked and are being processed. The tour took us around the vineyard and into every section of the wine making process; it was a great time to visit as we saw so much happening from the grape being delivered into the first separation process through to bottling and packing. The aroma was quite intoxicating! The tour ended with a very informative wine tasting that had us appreciating Chardonnay (a bit) and enjoying the reds immensely. We declined having a long lunch in the restaurant for a delicious picnic on the beach at Busselton.

The afternoon was spent driving away from the Margaret River region to Rockigham ready to go on to Perth to return the campervan tomorrow. The journey was uneventful apart from a quick call to Maui service centre to get down advice for a flashing light on the dashboard. The concern was quickly resolved over the phone and we were able to continue.
The change in scenery was marked with an increasingly dry landscape and more mixed vegetation.

Rockingham seems a pleasant holiday resort with, apparently dolphins in at least three locations and penguins in captivity. The foreshore is long and sandy, but surprisingly one of the points of interest is the bulk grain terminal! It is an impressive building but somewhat incongruous at the end of the beach road. We decided not to stay in the campsite adjacent to the grain terminal, but instead headed inland to a more tranquil site.