Beautiful Southwest

Posted On November 13, 2019

After spending two days at Bunker Bay it was time to say goodbye to our friends as they needed to head back to Switzerland. We were very blessed that we have another 2 months plus in this great country and therefore headed further down south.

Swimming with Rays at Hamelin Bay

We started our drive with a stop at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory – not too bad but for sure it couldn’t compete with Swiss chocolate (credit where credit is due) followed by some wine tasting at the very friendly Sandalford Wines.

Following Route 250 we passed through Bonarup Forest with its majestic trees – like in a fairy tale. Shortly after we arrived at Hamelin Bay Holiday Park where we pitched our tent for the next two days. Needless to say that the campground is next to a breathtaking beach.

Hamelin Bay is known for its rays and we were once again lucky. The next morning we spotted two right at the beach and later in the afternoon, there were even five of them. They came right up to the beach and we could even swim with them. A fantastic experience.

It’s hard to overstate the abundance of wildlife in Australia. From the above-mentioned rays to Kangeroos, Kamels, Emus and not to mention the numerous colourful birds. Absolutely stunning.

A bit less stunning is the Australian fly. A few hundreds of them joined us on our short two hours hike to Foul Lighthouse. Hazel was not overly pleased, to put it mildly (she has a fly net by the time of writing).

Southern Forest

The next day we left for Augusta where we had a look at the lighthouse and an old waterwheel which was in a surprisingly good condition.

Via sleepy Nannup (ten houses and a police station) we made our way to Manjimup (no we don’t make up these names) which was slightly bigger.

After stocking up on supplies we headed to the lovely Fonty’s Pool Caravan Park which is situated in a lush green setting.

The park has it’s own big semi-natural pool which was built by an Italian immigrant early in the last century. We made good use of it the next day which was a rest day for us (one needs to rest from travelling around).

Well rested we left the campground the next day which was all about the Southern Forests.

First stop was Big Brook Dam which is a popular picknick and swimming spots.

After a short walk, we continued to the rather dry Beedelup Falls where we meet two smart cockatoos who eagerly approach every arriving car for some food (successfully for sure).

The drive continued along farmlands and through several forests. Along the way, we saw a snake, a wild pig and even two emus while driving during a forest.

We were equally impressed by the very big and majestic trees. Some are even climbable although we skipped that part (mainly due to Kevin’s vertigo).

Via Northcliffe, we continued to Walpole where we stayed at the lovely Coalmine Beach Caravan Park which came with plenty of wildlife. We were greeted by some Kangaroos, a Kookaburra and even bumped into some bunnies in the night. Better than any zoo.

Practicalities

We stayed at the following campsites:

• Hamelin Bay: Hamelin Bay Holiday Park
• Manjimup: Fonty’s Pool Caravan Park (best caravan park so far)
• Walpole: Coalmine Beach Caravan Park