To Augusta
I quite liked Margaret River. It is easy to see why it is so popular with Western Australians and other visitor.
I was a bit slow leaving the camping ground due to the need to do some washing. I am so undomesticated.
I had a good breakfast at the Blue Ginger café over the road. It is one of those places that has the right formula for a café. These independent cafes are so much better than the chains like Hudson’s or worse still – Starbucks.
Bike path to the beach
It is a fair way from Margaret River to the nearest beach at Provelly. There is a bike path which is good to see.
I decided to take the Caves Road to Augusta. This is one of only two options. The other is the Bussell Highway. The Caves Road was not too crowded given it was a Monday.
The road passes through some great countryside with some spectacularly tall Karri trees.
Snake
At one point I came across a Tiger snake. Apparently the Tiger snakes in WA are not as aggressive as those in Tasmania. This one seemed to confirm that and simply slivered off into the bush.
Augusta a bit quiet
It was quite late when I finally made it into Augusta. The place seemed deserted. I had a long chat with the owner for the hostel. He hailed from Leeds and had married a local girl. It seemed that business wasn’t too good and they it up for sale. It seems that a lot of tourist businesses are suffering in WA.
I headed off to the pub for a meal. The meal was ok , but the place was freezing.
Lighthouse
In the morning I headed out to the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. I like lighthouses for some reason. They are typically in an interesting spot. Some like this one are at extreme points.
This one is where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. Others I have been too in Australia have included: Point Otway (the most Southerly point on the mainland) Cape Byron (the most Easterly point) and the Tasman Lighthouse on the east coast of Tasmania.
The tour of the lighthouse was interesting.
Bus to Pemberton
The owner of the hostel had told me that the ride from Augusta to Pemberton was “ long and boring”. I decided to take the bus.
Back at the hostel I met an American women who was also travelling to Pemberton. She is a musician living in Amsterdam.
As it turned out, we were the only passengers on the bus. The driver was a real character. He is an Italian who had lived in Perth for more than 35 years. He still has a very strong Italian accent and is very amusing.
We arrived into Pemberton a bit late due to a problem with the suspension on the bus. The hostel turned out to be am old Timber cutters cottage. It is great.
Tram
I spent the day In Pemberton. I has good community services centre with free WiFi for seniors over 50. One of the benefits of getting old.
One of the tourist attractions is a tram that runs on part of the old railway line from Pemberton to Northcliff. I was a bit of fun.
One the old people staying in the hostel was a bloke who had ridden the Munda Biddi Track from Perth. He said it was very tough. He looked at my bike with the five bags and the ‘slick’ front tyre and said “you will struggle”. He had a ‘Bob Trailer’ and was carrying bugger all.
Flickr Links
Garmin Links
To Augusta
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/634789733
Cape Leeuwin
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