The South West

As Western Australia is so huge the easiest way to see it is to take an organised tour. The tour I took is a 5 day tour staring in Perth and heading around the south west coast along to Esperance and then back to Perth.

Day one began with the journey from Perth. Leaving early morning we headed south towards Mandurah, one of the biggest towns outside of Perth. From Mandurah we travelled to Busselton, home of a huge 2km long Jetty. Unfortunately the Jetty was shut for repair works but usually you can walk along the Jetty to the end which has an underwater observatory attached at the end. Apparently there is plenty of coral and sea life which circle the area making for good viewing. A wander around the town itself revealed a fairly large but average town in terms of beauty and shops. The beachfront itself is beautiful, crystal clear water but the town falls somewhat short. We took a look inside the old courthouse however which was interesting. A look at the old cell block showed very cramped living conditions in a building that only closed down as late as the 1970s.

From Busselton we headed to Yallingup, home of the Ngilgi Caves. The caves stretch for several miles below the coast line of the south west, however only a small part is open to the public. Fully accessible by stairs we entered the caves. The most impressed had to be the grand hall, a huge open space full of stalactites hanging from the ceilings. The room creates clear, crisp sound and has hosted opera singers and bands alike who have recorded or performed concerts inside the caves hall. Steep as you can imagine, the caves twisted and turned for miles it seems, beautifully sculptured and ranging in colour. Some emitting a red glow, others transparent, and my favourite, those which glowed slightly as bright light was shone on them and then taken away.

Next, Margret River, home to some of the many wineries in the south west region of Australia. Margret River town is a lovely little place. A main shopping strip runs through the centre with pubs and shops at either side and a small park situated at the top of the hill. A very busy place indeed though with lots of passing traffic. Margret River is also home to the famous Prevelly Park, a huge surf break just out of the centre itself. Huge surf competitions often take place here due to the gigantic waves.

Day 2 began with a drive to the Karri forests to the highest tree top lookout in the world, The Bicentennial Tree which sits 80odd metres off the ground. The tree itself is perfectly straight with large metal poles drilled into the side of the trunk spiralling up to the top. Only think chicken wire runs around the edge so the poles, supposedly to stop you falling. A few rest points are situated at various points up the tree before you reach the top which has enclosed ladders leading up to the very top lookout. Originally used as a fire lookout, from the top you can see for miles across the valley and the trees below as the lookout stands a good few metres above the other trees. Next stop is The Valley of the Giants hosting the ancient Tingle trees and the famous Tree Top Walk. The tree top walk allows you to walk though the Tingle forest, 40 metres above the forest floor. Next we travelled to the William Bay National Park to view the large granite formations known as Elephant Rocks. These rocks are meant to resemble a herd of elephants from behind, though personally I found this one hard to see! Next to the Elephant Rocks sits Greens Pool, clear crystal water surrounded by a rocky bay. Unfortunately the sun was setting when we reached this destination and so the green glow the pool gives off through the water reflected was not visible at this time. Tonight we slept overnight in Albany.

Day 3 and a short walk around the town early morning showed Albany as a developing but pleasant old town trying to revamp itself. A large amount of construction work was taking place by the docks to create large peace gardens and generally neaten and tidy up the aesthetes of the town. The buildings in the town centre itself were mainly old and very pretty. Large in size with a beautiful church central to the town. First stop were the Blow Holes. Eroded rock on the water's edge creates gaps in the rocks surface. These gaps have the sea below them. When the swell of the sea is high, the current forces the water to crash against the rocks and effectively 'blow' out of the gaps between the rocks. Unfortunately the swell was not big enough to experience the water blowing through the holes but the sound and wind given by the waves created an impression of what to expect. Next we headed to Castle Rock in the Porongurup Ranges. A steep climb lead to a large boulder appearing to balance on the rock surface below. Pretty cool really to see when created by the erosion of the rock. A narrow and steeper climb lead to a lookout across the valley. Not too impressive on a low cloudy day. The rest of the day was spent driving the long distance to Esperance, known as the jewel of the south.

Day 4 and a short drive led us to Cape Le Grand National Park. Here we climbed a huge rock face, very steep and difficult as the wind picked up but well worth the view from the top. Hills formed the backdrop of the view as the colour from the pristine beaches was even visible so far away. Esperance, known for its beautiful beaches and clear blue waters definitely lived up to its reputation. They really were breathtaking. We visited Lucky Bay, one of the most popular beaches in the park and my favourite Thistle Cove which curved round the bay, rocks surrounding the beach which had the softest, fine sand and crystal clear blue water. Paradise. Thistle Cove sits next to Whistling Rock, a giant rock formation which when the wind blows sounds just like the sea, surprisingly this was very true. Next we journeyed along the Great Ocean Drive with more views of the beautiful beaches and Pink Lake. A lake slightly pink in colour due to green alga present in the water. Again we spent the night in Esperance.

Day 5, the final day of the trip and a huge 750km journey from Esperance back to Perth. The drive was broken by a visit to Hayden, home to Wave Rock, a giant wave like rock formation. The rock itself curves over like a wave from the sea and is emphasised by stripes of black, yellow, cream and reds run vertical down the rock. The one thing that surprised me about Wave Rock was how commercial it has become. People tell me the developments have only been over the last few years but several small shops and a large restaurant and motel resort now sit close to the rock itself. Next to Wave Rock sits Hippo's Yawn, a large rock shaped like the top of a Hippo's mouth, creating the illusion of a Hippo Yawning. Pretty cool really considering this is nature's creation. From here it was back to Perth.