ADMINISTRATION UPDATE (28 NOVEMBER 2013)

Life is about to become a little logistically hectic for the Marshies.  I therefore thought a quick, real time update would be a good idea.

We are still in Busselton, and shall be staying here for another two weeks. There is much remaining to be seen and done in this area.  

But, as happens, a technical problem of some significance has disrupted our serene existence. Our hot water service has developed a major leak of unknown origins.  On the basis of the water spread on the floor and rust marks on the towels we have been using to stop the spread, I strongly suspect a corroded main tank.  As I am sure you will understand, Not Happy Jan!  The unit is only two years old and we have been anal about replacing the anode regularly.

Complete removal and inspection is the only way in which the cause and rectification of this problem can be managed.  We have arranged for a local caravan repairer to see to this tomorrow, but that means having to take the van to his workshop.  Why they cannot do this on site is beyond me, but they were adamant that we would have to come to them. 

To that end I shall be spending today pulling down and packing the annex and stowing all our gear, which is currently spread far and wide, in readiness to hitch up first thing tomorrow morning.  And then, of course, once the heater has been removed, I have to bring the van back and re-site it for our remaining two nights here at the Kookaburra Park.

On Sunday 1 December we then move again, this time to the Sandy Bay Caravan Park some 4 kms west along the bay.  At this stage, the heater manufacturer has come to the party in that they have agreed to replace the entire unit if the tank is faulty, despite the fact that it is 12 months out of warranty. Hopefully we'll only be responsible for the installation costs. In any event, another return trip to the caravan workshop will be necessary at some stage whilst we are at Sandy Bay to have the replacement unit fitted.

The upshot of this is that your fearless foreign correspondent will be fully occupied with matters other than tales of our adventures for the next few days.  We still have more to explore in the Margaret River coastal area south of Yallingup, and a trip to Bunbury, whilst we are so close, is also on the agenda.  

I would hope to resume our travel yarns sometime early next week.  Stay tuned!

BUSSELTON - PART 3 - PORT GEOGRAHPE AND BEYOND (NOVEMBER 2013)

Why haven't we seen anything of Busselton itself by now I hear you ask.  Simple.  I haven't yet taken a couple of photos which are essential, namely one of the entire length of the jetty from the lighthouse tower, which is a 'must'.  Hopefully that will be done today, but in the meantime we have done some more touring in the local area.

In our walks along the foreshore paths of Geographe Bay we had seen road signs pointing to a distant marina and boat ramp and noticed the bulk of what appeared to be a breakwater wall in the distance to the east.  It was time to take a closer look.

Busselton is an expanding town.  This became clearly evident as we drove out through the new suburban area east and north of the main centre before reaching Port Geographe, the marina and development site some 6 kms from Busselton itself.  

As this sign shows, the whole marina and beachfront area is currently under reconstruction and expansion.  It is a massive undertaking which, like so many of these works, has not been welcomed by many in the community who are concerned about the effects it will have on the bay itself.  Where canals have been dredged and completed and homes built, the end result was, to us, just typical of any number of such developments we have seen throughout Australia and of no great interest as such.






But I did take a few indicative shots.  The entrance to the established marina area leads to a row of townhouses and restaurant..an expensive restaurant!

Beyond this, at the western end of the basin, we did spy this group of somewhat unusual townhouses, the design of which demonstrated some welcomed architectural flair.

The working end of the marina was much as is to be found everywhere with its boat ramps and boat lift,

but as we looked out across the array of moored craft we did spot one of particular interest...the biggie!  We suspect that this is one of the cruise ships on which those who are prepared to part with about $1,000 per day can take in the Kimberly Coast and its many attractions on cruises of varying lengths, but this is only a guess.  In any event, whatever its use, it was very much the king of the castle in this marina.

From Port Geographe (which you may have gathered did not overly impress us) we decided to check out some of the beaches further around the bay.  The local road network took us through groves of the ubiquitous Peppermint trees

and past the dairy and beef cattle grazing fields which run along the Vasse-Wonnerup wetlands.

These wetlands are a real feature of the countryside around Busselton, and they are significant.  Running some 15 kms north and east of the town, these wetlands are Ramsar listed.  Apart from anything else, they provide habitat for some 37,000 birds of 90 species. A great deal of work is currently being done to manage and protect this area from the degradation of invasive weeds and other threats.







Just beyond the waters of the wetlands lie the beaches of the north-eastern end of Geographe Bay, some of which are set aside for 4WD adventures.  We poked our noses into the entrance at Peppermint Grove beach to see what this was all about.

Plenty of wheel tracks..this didn't look too bad.










But a closer inspection of the sand above the high water mark soon revealed that this is serious low tyre pressure country, and, as can been seen in the previous shot there is not a lot of beach to play with.  But we did spot a couple of hardies belting and bashing their way west along the sand




and, to the east of the entrance road, saw a very well established group who were obviously well versed with the area and were taking full advantage of what was on offer.

Two of the great advantages of beach living on Geographe Bay are that tidal movement as we know it is almost non-existent, and, because the bay faces north, the generally prevailing winds of the area are off-shore. Encroaching large waves are virtually unknown.    A beach camp just above the high water mark can be established with confidence.  I did feel a pang of envy as I photographed this lot.

Strangely enough, my suggestion that we take a spin along the beach was not met with enthusiasm by the co-pilot.  Mutterings of "remember what happened at Inskip Point" (where I infamously bogged last year) filled the cabin.  We made our way back to Busselton on the blacktop, and as we did so came across a most unusual house.

This was the sort of home of which I had seen so many in my adventures through England and Scotland on my travels home from Cyprus all those years ago.  It certainly looked authentic and I couldn't help but wonder just when it had been built.  By sheer good chance my curiosity was soon satisfied...as I was taking this shot the owners emerged to take their dog for a walk and were more than happy to tell me that what I as looking at had been constructed in the mid 1800's.  

What a contrast to the home directly across the road!








In our next tour we take in some of the coast to the south and visit Cape Leeuwin and the Augusta area.

BUSSELTON - PART 2 - DUNSBOROUGH AND CAPE NATURALISTE (NOVEMBER 2013)

One of the reasons we chose Busselton as a spot in which to spend some time was the fact that it makes an ideal base from which to sortie out up and down the coast from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin and in the Margaret River hinterland of the far south-west of WA. And what a lovely part of the world it is.

I haven't yet completed my pictorial ramble around Busselton itself, so let's go for a drive to the west to explore the holiday town of Dunsborough and then on to Cape Naturaliste and some of the beach resorts nearby.

Dunsborough, old and new, lies some 30 kms to the west of Busselton on the shores of the western end of Geographe Bay.  It is the epitome of a beachside holiday resort town.  Many parts of Dunsborough reminded us both a great deal of the Hayborough region of Victor Harbor where the well off of Adelaide laze about in their 'holdiay homes'.  Some of 'old Dunsborough' can still be found, but redevelopment is rife.

By chance our visit coincided with the town market.  I'm not sure what it is about markets...no matter the fact that one knows that a stroll through the lines of stalls will present little other than junk jewellery, locally made jams and relishes, 'craft' work of varying descriptions, a second-hand book stall, a 'Chinese massage' booth and face painting for the kiddies, they always seem to exert a Siren appeal.  We couldn't resist a look...and left empty handed as always (apart from a great sausage in a bun!)






The Central CBD area is a bit of a clutter...one which seems to have been somewhat overwhelmed by the rate of development and population expansion. And it was difficult to photograph!






At the end of Dunn Bay Road, the reason for Dunsborough's popularity becomes obvious.  The magnificent beach

is complemented by a well maintained foreshore park area 

complete with covered BBQs

and a spot of beachside local art.

Westwards, towards the point at the end of this delightful bay, we came to the local small boat launching ramp and stubby jetty

which is accessed through yet another park area.

Looking further west from this park can be seen the rocky type of shoreline which is a feature of much of this part of the coast, contrasted to, to the east

another sweep of very white sand and crystal clear water.

Whilst 'flash' beach houses can be found throughout Dunsborough, this end of town is very much the 'Hayborough' section to which I referred earlier.

The styles varied considerably

(this was our favourite...for those who remember Oleander Street this probably comes as no surprise)

but, as our later enquiries at a couple of local real estate agents made clear, any thought of a move into this area is not for the financially fraught or faint-hearted.

I invite you to note the price in the bottom right hand corner of this advertisement.....that's right....over $1 million for a block of land!  A ready made house of any size in this patch will set a new owner back in the general order of $2 million plus.   No wonder I liked the place....sheer good taste...shame the $'s wherewithall doesn't keep pace!

Mind you, Dunsborough does have its drawbacks, particularly at this time of the year.  And again it reminds us of Victor Harbor......it is the home of 'Leavers' week', the WA equivalent of our 'Schoolies'.  The main difference is that here it is not at all organized and from what I have heard the locals just batten down.

So, after our flirt with opulence, Cape Naturaliste beckoned.  As the photos will show, we actually visited here on a different, and much greyer day, but the two areas are so close, I have included them in the same blog.

This may be the time to make mention of the many French sounding place names which abound in this area.  Cape Naturaliste, Geographe Bay, Cape Freycinet, Cape Clairault etc etc Does the name Nicholas Baudin ring a bell?  A meeting with Matthew Flinders in Encounter Bay?  

In 1800 Baudin left France in two ships, 'The Naturalist' and 'The Geographe', tasked to explore and map the great southern land then known as 'New Holland'.  Baudin made landfall in this area of WA and was charting his way east along the southern coast when he ran into Flinders who was doing the same in the opposite direction.  Given that Baudin was the first to properly chart this corner of Australia (as opposed to merely banging into it), his chosen names, obviously French, remain part of the landscape to this day.

As another small personal aside, apart from school history, I had been well aware of Baudin's exploits as a result of my love affair with Kangaroo Island, where, on the southern end of The Hog Bay Beach at Penneshaw stands 'Frenchman's Rock', a monument to the fact that Baudin came ashore here in search of fresh water.

But I digress...on to Cape Naturaliste, its lighthouse and scenery.  As lighthouses go, this one is, well, puny actually, particularly when compared with its giant cousin at nearby Cape Leeuwin, but it does the job, and has done since it was built in 1903 from local quarried stone.

And here, a spot of editorial honesty....I filched this photo from the Internet.  Other than by payment of what I considered to be a ridiculous fee, access to the surrounds of the lighthouse is barred.  Imagine this happening at Cape Willoughby or Cape Borda...nonsense.  I can understand that a guided tour of the interior should be for a fee, but to walk around the grounds?  

In any event we chose to do the free 'circular trail' through the scrub around the lighthouse, from which we did gain the occasional glimpse, but nothing like this.

Given the late construction of this light, I was interested to read that tens of ships had been wrecked on this part of the coast before its completion.  Prior to that, landfall was made in Geographe Bay at what was, and still is, known as 'The Tub'.  This most primitive of navigational aids consisted of a large water barrel sitting astride a thirty feet high pole on the shores of Geographe Bay near where Busselton now stands.  And, in a real advance, the sailors' friends who erected the tub eventually decided that a light should be hung from it for those arriving at night....most considerate!

So off we went around the tip of Cape Naturaliste on a trail which was firm and flat to begin, but 

did deteriorate somewhat as we progressed.  And there's that model again...she just pops up everywhere.

The views out over the Indian Ocean were wonderful, including at once stage,

a partial sighting of the coastal Sugarloaf Hill, a different view of which we shall see later.







As mentioned earlier, we did gain the odd glimpse of the top of the lighthouse across the thick scrub, but not often.

Frankly, this did not bother either of us.  

The coastal scenery, much of which I have to say (at the risk of becoming repetitively boring) reminded me so much of parts of KI, was a delight to see, but the best part of our walk from my perspective was

the wildflowers

which could be seen everywhere along the track, sometimes easily as in this case, and in others,

with some difficulty.  But I had my 'flower eyes' open and even managed to spot these local wild orchids, the pictorial reproduction of which has been severely limited by both my photographic equipment and skills.





This is another instance in which I have exercised editorial rigour.  I took a raft of 'flower shots' but have decided there is a limit to their appeal in this format.

From the Cape we wended our way back past the several beach coves and resorts which can be found west of Dunsborough. The first of these is Bunker Bay where expensive resort accommodation and private houses nestle side by side in the scrubland overlooking the sandy beach beyond the rocks.









A similar scene is to be found at the next bay, Eagle Bay, but here the sweep of the beach is much more expansive and the holiday houses many more in number.

And then we came to what is reputed in the tourist blurb as the gem in this area, Meelup Beach. Even on this less than 'beachy' day, its appeal was obvious with its good amenities block,

well established  BBQ sites













and another great beach.  We had no difficulty in accepting that this place is overrun during the holiday periods.







This whole area really is a great part of the country and one in which we feel very much at home. We are particularly glad we chose Busselton as our 'home away from home' for a number of weeks.

BUSSELTON - PART 1 - KOOKABURRA CARAVAN PARK (NOVEMBER 2013)

It was time to stop pretending we could be counted amongst the rich and famous, well, rich at least!  The Mandalay had been a wonderful slice of luxury, but reality is an unforgiving master....it was time to move to digs which were more to our budget.

The Kookaburra Caravan Park is wonderfully located on the Busselton Esplanade, but a short walk to the extraordinary Busselton Jetty and nearby foreshore parks and an equally short hop into the main Busselton CBD.  We had read that the sites here were very tight and had done a recce whilst at the Mandalay, only to find that this was not the case.  Certainly there was less individual space than at the Mandalay, but Kookaburra was not nearly as potentially crowded as many parks we have come across on the East Coast.

The Kookaburra Park is different to many in that it is unfenced on all but the western side where it abuts the Busselton Pioneer Cemetery (more later).  Here the yellow dividing fence can just be seen in mid shot.

A little further along Adelaide Street (how could we not stay here?) we come to the back of the park where the sites immediately abut the roadway.  This was a matter of some concern to the cynical old copper but after a visit to the Police Station in the next street, I was reassured that the only real problems occur when untidy punters are wending their muddled ways home from the nearby Esplanade Hotel on a Friday or Saturday night.  Even then, I was told, the only goodies targeted were the contents of exposed eskies!

I decided that reasonable security measures would overcome this potential problem, and we moved in accordingly to a site just beyond where Liz is standing on the footpath in the above shot.  On the day we moved in this was the only site available that was large enough to take us but, after setting up, I remained concerned about the direction in which our annex was facing. The winds here can be challenging to say the least, and we had no shelter at all to the south-east where we looked out across Adelaide Street and over the open expanse of a nearby oval.  

Sure enough...a day later the first of what has now been many south-easterly hoots began.  We were belted.  I don't mind flapping annex walls and the odd ripple through the awning, but when that responds to unusually ferocious gusts with a resounding 'crack', I begin to worry. With little relief in sight according to the forecasts, I approached the park managers with a request for a shift if a site became available.  They could not have been more obliging.  

A good site in more sheltered spot was taken up by a van which was unoccupied...its owners were in Perth dealing with a major illness.  "Can you help us move it to a storage park?"  "Of course..when do we start?"  A few hours later, after the now vacant site had been mowed and watered, we moved.  

Erecting the full annex is not a task without its challenges....there is a real trick to making sure everything is properly locked in and the levels are right.  We don't bother too often but here I was up for it....we had another three weeks to go in this park and improved physical comfort weather wise and peace of mind from a security perspective was paramount given we were planning to be off touring on a number of occasions. 

Our new site was a little 'up and down' and a fair bit of fine tuning was needed, but after a couple of hours we were set up. And things were much more comfortable.  The trees and vans behind us offered shelter, and the fact that on the fridge side of the van our neighbour was in a tent meant that we had considerable 'elbow room'.  

The only slight problem we faced was the lack of immediate shade...things did get a bit warm on hot days, but that's why we have an air conditioner (for the cat of course!) and with a length of shade cloth preventing direct sun on the fridge area, we were happy with things. I had my eye on another site before we moved. Good choice, Marshie...it will be available....in early April 2014!!  I can pick them.

The unfenced front of the Kookaburra Park, 

which faces across the seafront parks to the Jetty precinct, is as open as the rear but by all accounts this is not a problem other than on rare occasions.

And frankly, as I said earlier, we view the comments about the close confines of this park as silly.  The roadways are a little narrow, but like the Mandalay, the staff of the Kookaburra provide directions to put all arriving vans on site with an absolute minimum of fuss. The amenities are adequate, the staff cannot do enough for their guests, and this is the type of park where folk talk to each other.  We were happy as!

And what did Max think of his new home? Well he certainly likes the annex, particularly when there is one unoccupied chair,

and when things have moved indoors he is quite happy to lean back and relax in his little basket whilst keeping a critical eye on all things human

until it all just gets too much altogether.  Life on the road can be so demanding!

We intend to make the Kookaburra our home until 1 December when we are moving down the road to the Sandy Bay Park for another fortnight.  The demand here at Kookaburra is so great that all the sites are pre-booked as of that date.  We decided that Busselton is such a great spot we would remain here until it was time to move back to Perth over the Xmas period.

Given the length of time we are staying in this area, and the amount of touring throughout the Busselton, Margaret River and other local areas we intend to do, I have decided to break the blog segments into something more or less 'topic driven' for ease of later reference....hence the additional title information and shorter offerings.