| Thursday | 7th | Sydney-Perth | |
| Friday | 8th | Kalgoorlie | |
| Saturday | 9th | Esperance | |
| Sunday | 10th | Esperance | Cape Le Grand |
| Monday | 11th | Esperance | |
| Tuesday | 12th | Esperence | |
| Wednesday | 13th | Hopetoun | |
| Thursday | 14th | Stirling Range | Wave Rock |
| Friday | 15th | Bremer Bay | Bluff Knoll |
| Saturday | 16th | Bremer Bay | Whale Watching Tour |
| Sunday | 17th | Albany | |
| Monday | 18th | Albany | Granite Rock Hike |
| Tuesday | 19th | Augusta | |
| Wednesday | 20th | Busselton | |
| Thursday | 21st | Busselton | Margaret River Wine Tour |
| Friday | 22nd | Bunbury | |
| Saturday | 23rd | Perth | Gnomesville |
| Sunday | 24th | Perth-Sydney | |
Thursday 7th
We had a super early start for our 0625 flight from Sydney to Perth.
Check in was a breeze and before long we were on QF641 bound for Western Australia.
The flight got in, on time, at 0815.
We couldn’t find the No Birds Car Rental stand and on calling them discovered it was offsite.
They sent the shuttle to collect us for the short 4 minute ride to their HQ in Kewdale.
Collecting the car was a easy peasy and by 0900 we were on the road.
We booked the car with DiscoveryCars.com. It was an SUV and (only) cost $985.32 for the 18 days.
We also took out the insurance, for something different, because it was only $14 a day.
By 1000 we’d made our way to Coogee beach, just south of Perth, for a swim and to check out the Omeo Wreck.
It was scorching hot and the water was fresh, so we had a good morning swimming and relaxing at the beach.
We also decided to take a leaf out of some kids’ book and jump off the pier a couple of times.
You only live once, right?
Around midday we hopped back in the car continuing north to check out South (Freemantle) Beach.
It was boiling hot and the sand was searing so we had a quick swim before heading back to the car.
About 1330 we headed north to Leighton Beach for a bite to eat. We ended up at Bib and Tucker – a restaurant we had wanted to try out last time we were in WA but it was closed.
The restaurant was fab, right on the beach with great views and amazing cocktails.
We stuffed our faces before continuing on our Perth beach-hopping adventure to Cottesloe.
Sculptures by the Sea happened to be on while we were there, so we had a little bit of a look at that before heading down the beach.
The water wasn’t as nice and clean as further south, but it hit the spot in the searing heat.
I had a bit of a play with the drone (before being told off by the lifeguard) and then we decided to call it a day and head over to our friend’s place.
What should have been a quick 20 minute trip was double that after the GPS took us on a bit of an adventure, but around 1700 we arrived at Dianella to drop off our stuff before heading back to the coast for sunset and dinner at the Scarborough Markets.
Around 2000 after a long, long day we decided to head home and call it a night.
Friday 8th
As is the way when we’re on holidays these days, we had an early start – leaving our friend’s place at Dianella around 7am.
We had a quick coffee stop at Nogi Lane before heading east to Lesmurdie National Park.
There are a few options for walks to do but we settled on the 3 kilometre Valley Loop.
It took us exactly an hour and while we were a little disappointed that the waterfalls were dry (even though it rained just about the entire time we were doing the walk), we enjoyed the it all the same.
We had a good two hour drive ahead of us to Cunderdin for lunch, so we broke up the trip with a quick stop at Mundaring Weir, a walk through Northam and a photo stop at the Meckering Earthquake Faultline.
We arrived at Cunderdin at 1215 and made a bee-line for the Ettamogah Pub for lunch.
We experienced all the seasons while we were driving, and while at lunch, but thankfully the clouds cleared by the time we were on the road again, revealing a hot and sunny afternoon.
We had a quick walk around Southern Cross to break up our trip and rolled into Kalgoorlie around 1800.
We went straight to the Super Pit lookout to check out the mine before finally heading to our hotel: Hospitality Kalgoorlie at 1930.
We had a quick freshen up before wandering into town in search of something for dinner.
In the end we settled on Thai food – as you do in a place like Kalgoorlie.
Around 2100 we were back at the hotel, exhausted, and ready to hit the sack after a long, long day.
Saturday 9th
We had an easy morning – with breakfast at the hotel before heading out to take a bit of a look at Kalgoorlie and some of its fancy old buildings.
We had a walk up Hannan street, stopping at DeBernales for a coffee.
There wasn’t a great deal going on, so after a quick photostop outside Questa Casa – the oldest continually operating brothel in Australia – we hopped in the car and started our journey south.
We had a quick stop in Norsman to stretch our legs before continuing south to Esperance.
We arrived at our hotel around 1500 and after a little while relaxing and settling in we headed out to explore the foreshore.
I don’t know what I was expecting but I thought Esperance was sort of a letdown. It’s a very sleepy coastal town with nothing much going on. It’s close to everything we wanted to see in the region, so it served its purpose, but for some reason I was expecting more.
We managed to secure a reservation at the fully booked Bistro Louis after sending the restaurant a text message (at its own instruction).
Around 1920 we walked over for dinner.
Food was pretty good, though service was just OK.
Around 2130 we left the restaurant for the short walk home and by 2140 we were tucked up in bed, ready to call it a day.
Sunday 10th
We had a relaxed start and a surprisingly decent breakfast at the hotel before heading out to explore.
By chance Esperence’s Farmers’ Markets were taking place just next to the hotel so we had a wander around there before stopping in to Bistro Louis again for a coffee.
Around 0900 we were on the road again – out to explore some of the sites near to Esperance.
We started off at Pink Lake which is not pink and is hardly a lake. It’s only about ten minutes from Esperance and worth a look.
The morning we went it was a bit cloudy making for some pretty moody pictures.
Returning to the coast, we stopped off at Eleven Mile Lagoon, Ten and Nine Mile Lagoons.
The weather was still pretty mediocre but it was nice to see the beaches all the same.
We had a look at Observatory Point and beach, before continuing on to Twilight Beach.
This is one of those postcard perfect beaches in WA but as the weather was still a bit grey, we decided to continue on to Fourth Beach, Salmon Beach, Blue Haven and West Beach.
Blue Haven was our first swim of the day, and while the water was fresh, it was pretty epic.
The weather was supposed to fine up a little in the afternoon, and seeing as though we were just around the corner from the town, we decided to head back in for some lunch.
We ended up going to 33 Degrees for lunch with a view.
When the sun started shining we hit the road, returning to Eleven Mile Lagoon for a look.
We sent the drone up for some aerials before hopping back in the car and continuing towards Twilight Beach.
The water was still pretty rough so we had a quick dip before heading around the corner to the much more sheltered Blue Haven Beach for our last swim of the day.
Around 1830 we decided to call it a day and so packed up and returned to the hotel.
We’d scored a reservation at Taylor St Quarters, and while we were still pretty full from lunch, we managed a pretty nice meal.
We got home at 2100 – stuffed from lunch, dinner and a long, long day. It’s an easy hour-long drive
Monday 11th
Today was all about exploring Cape Le Grand. We chose Esperance as our first stop along the south coast because of its distances to all the things we wanted to see in the region.
We did expect it to be a bigger town, but it was OK for what it was.
We had an early start – enjoying another decent breakfast at the hotel before heading out for a walk and coffee run.
By 0930 we were on the road headed east towards the Cape Le Grand National Park.
We made a bee-line for Hellfire Beach, arriving around 1030.
It was a bit cold and grey so we took some pictures and then decided to try our luck at Little Hellfire Beach.
It’s a short fifteen minute walk between the two beaches – passing through thick Australian bushland.
We had a look at Thistle Cove and the Whistling Rock (we think) before taking a look at Lucky Bay and Rossiter Bay.
Around 1230 we arrived at Frenchman Peak for a little hike that turned about to be slightly more challenging than we’d anticipated.
We made it up in less than an hour, and after trying to recover (and battle the wind) we decided to head back down for a swim.
We went back to Hellfire Bay to brave the freezing water for a quick minute, before packing up for the day and heading back to Esperance.
Around 1500 we arrived back at the hotel for a quick shower and relax before heading out around 1700 for dinner.
We arrived at Lucky Bay Brewing around 1730 and it’s lucky we did because apparently the kitchen closes for orders at 1800.
We had some nice pizzas and beers before heading back to the hotel around 1900 to chill.
Tuesday 12th
We had a bit of a slower start today – breakfast at the hotel again – before heading out for a walk along The Esplanade. We ended up at the Jetty where there’s a little cluster of cafes for a coffee. We settled on the Coffee Cat. Around 1000 we hit the road, heading east again, this time to Wharton Bay. We arrived around 1130 and because it was a bit cold and miserable we opted out of a swim.
Instead we headed back to the Condingup Tavern to thaw out and have a bit of lunch.
Stuffed after having a big burger, we went back to the coast to check out the Orleans Beach Viewpoint. That was a bit of a bust and seeing as though we’d seemingly run out of things to do, we went back to Wharton Beach for another look.
It was still wet and wild so instead of going for a swim, we climbed up the rock overlooking the beach for a better view.
It was grey and windy so around 1500 we decided to call it a day- heading back to the hotel to chill. Dinner was at the Pier hotel – all of twenty metres form the hotel and so after a relaxing dinner and a couple of drinks we crawled back to the hotel.
Wednesday 13th
We had a relaxed morning before beginning our long journey west towards Hopetoun. We wanted to take the coastal road, which in retrospect, was probably a mistake. The road was dirt and pretty rough.
We stopped at Munglinup Beach, Starvation Bay, Mason Bay and 12 Mile Beach along the way to break up the trip, and while there were some pretty nice spots, it was sort of grey and miserable and not worth a swim.
Around 1400 we arrived at Hopetoun, Just in time to slip into the Shipwrecked Gourmet Bakery for a snack.
We checked into our motel – The Hopetoun Motel and Chalet Village – which was nice enough and close to all the “action”.
With still a few hours of sunlight left, we decided to head into the Fitzgerald River National Park.
We started with a look at 4 Miles Beach before continuing up the hill to Barrens Lookout.
We did the short Conservation Walk which was nice before continuing deeper into the park.
We drove down to take a look at Cave Point and battled the wind out on the headland.
I think a couple of the roads in the National Park were closed and so Hamersley Inlet was our last stop.
We pondered doing the 3.6 km walk to the beach but given the weather was so miserable we decided to head back to the car and make our way back to the motel.
We were back in Hopetoun around 1700 so had a quick freshen up before heading down the road to the Port Hotel for a drink.
It was a nice little pub, right on the water and pretty much the only place in town.
With VERY limited options, we ended up heading north a little bit to find something to eat at the Wavecrest Village & Tourist Park.
We were back at the motel around 1930 ready to relax and have an early night.
Thursday 14th
We had a long day ahead of us, and so we were up early for breakfast.
We had a quick walk around “town” before heading over to the Mount Baren Barren Cafe which was surprisingly decent and the staff were super friendly.
By midday we’d arrived at the Lake Grace Caravan Park – to check out our first stop of the day – Wave Rock.
Just about everyone had told us Wave Rock was overrated and it wasn’t worth the effort – but we really liked it.
There were hardly any tourists there and so we got some great pictures and videos.
After a little while stuffing around, we started the walk around to Hippo’s Yawn.
Sort of unfortunately, in retrospect, we never made it.
We saw a way up Wave Rock and so clambered up and didn’t ever actually get to see Hippo’s Yawn.
We had a bit of a look around on top of the rock, which actually isn’t anything special, before wandering down to grab some lunch.
We ended up just across the road at the Wave Rock Cafe which was better than expected.
We had a quick lunch before heading across the way to check out Lake Magic.
It cost $10 each just to enter which I thought was a bit steep but it was worth a look.
Again, we were the only people there, and I think they’d been having lots of rain because the water was all churned up disgusting.
But we had a swim and got some good shots.
Next up was Mulka’s Cave to see some of the oldest and best preserved indigenous paintings, before continuing on to Lake Grace.
We had a quick stop to grab some supplies before continuing south to Stirling Range Resort.
We arrived at 1830 – a little bit after reception closed, but luckily they left the key out to our Rammed Earth Cabin.
The cabin was pretty well decked out and so we cooked sausage sandwiches for dinner before calling it a day.
Friday 15th
The reason we stayed at Stirling Range Resort was so we could get up early and hit the road.
Today was the day we were going to scale bluff Knoll. The “resort” was the closest accommodation to the mountain – a short ten minute drive.
We arrived at the starting point around 0820 and armed with wet-weather jackets, set off on our way.
It was cold, wet and windy, but aside from a few (too many) stairs, the hike was easy enough.
I arrived at the top around 0930 and tried to find somewhere sheltered and dry to wait for my friends.
They weren’t far behind – maybe twenty minutes and so after taking a few silly selfies, we began the steep and slippery descent to the car.
I made it down by about 1100 and spent a minute thawing out while waiting for my friends to arrive.
Around midday we got back on the road for the short trip down to Bluff Knoll Cafe.
By now it was hot and sunny (at least at this altitude) and so we had a nice relaxing lunch before setting off to Bremer Bay.
Just after the turn off to the Borden-Bremer Bay Road I started to panic because we were so low on petrol.
Then Google sent us on a wild goose chase.
Eventually we had to go back to Borden to fill up, before continuing on our way south.
We arrived at Bremer bay around 1415 and had a look at a couple of the town’s neighbouring beaches before heading to our home for the next couple of days – Bremer Bay Resort.
In the afternoon, we decided to head out and take a look at a couple of beaches before dinner.
We went to Banky Beach and the Little Boat Harbour Beach – which was a personal favourite of mine and earmarked for a return visit.
Next up we went to Blossoms Beach and Native Dog Beach.
It was already fairly late in the day so we noted the beaches we wanted to return to, and headed back to the hotel.
On the way home we made a quick detour to see the Bremer Bay Jetty – which wasn’t worth it at all.
We spent a little while relaxing and getting freshened up for dinner before heading out.
We ended up staying at the hotel for dinner – not least because it seemed to be the only place in town – and it didn’t disappoint.
Saturday 16th
We had an early start today ahead of our Whale Watching cruise. We headed down to Bremer Bay Boat Harbour around 0800 ready to board our boat.
We’d had plenty of warnings that the water out to where the Orcas like to hangout would be rough, and they weren’t wrong.
The Bremer Canyon is a deep-sea cleft that lies about 65 kilometres out from the coast. It took us about an hour to get out there.
It didn’t take long to spot the elusive mammals and so we had plenty of opportunities to try to get some good photos (albeit while battling the rocking boat).
We also saw a pod of pilot whales and one lone dolphin.
Around 1530 we headed back towards Bremer Bay – stopping at Glasse Island to say “hi” to some of its resident seals.
We were back at the boat harbour around 1630 giving us just enough sunlight to go back and visit a couple of beaches before dinner.
We dropped in on Little Boat Harbour Beach and Native Dog Beach before heading back to the hotel.
We had a quick turn around before heading out to a friend’s place for sunset and a BBQ.
We were home by 2230 – ready for bed after a long, long day.
Sunday 17th
We had a nice breakfast at The Telegraph across the road before heading out to find somewhere for a post-brekkie swim.
We ended up back at Native Dog Beach.
By 1015 we were on the road again – with a stop at the much-hyped but not that impressive Cheynes Beach.
It may be because it was covered in rotting seaweed the day we were there.
Back on the road we reached Albany around 1300 and decided to continue on while it was hot and sunny to check out Misery Beach.
The path to the beach was closed which was a downer, but we were undeterred.
We figured it would be easy enough to clamber along the rocky shore to the beach and while it was far from a walk in the park, we managed it.
We had the entire beach to ourselves so spent a couple of hours swimming and relaxing before psyching ourselves up to make the return clamber back around the coast to the car.
We had a look at Salmon Holes, but decided against a swim after having seen a dozen stingrays milling about just off the shore.
We continued on into Torndirrup National park to check out the eerie Blowholes and finally The Gap and the Natural Bridge.
It was 1630 and the weather had turned so we headed back into Albany to find our accommodation.
We stayed in Albany Harbourside Apartments and Houses and were pleasantly surprised with our little cottage.
We each had a bedroom to ourselves as well as plenty of common space AND a laundry that we fully exploited.
The house wasn’t far from the waterfront or all the bars and restaurants so all in all, we were pretty happy with it.
Around 1900 we headed into town for a bite to eat – settling on the heaving Due South.
We were home around 2300 and ready for bed after a long and busy day.
Monday 18th
We had a slow morning.
Around 0830 we wandered up the road for breakfast – settling on Frederick’s Cafe.
At 0930 we headed off ready for our hike to Castle Rock near Porongurup.
The trip to the starting point was only about thirty minutes north of Albany and there’s a $15 fee for parking.
We set off around 1000. The Castle Rock Walk Trail is about 4 kilometres long and the sign says expect the hike to take about two hours return.
We made it up to the Granite Skywalk in about 50 minutes and by the time we finished stuffing around at the top it would have been two hours.
The top of the hike is pretty hairy with a series of cold, steel ladders leading up to the peak.
It was cold and windy, but it was a fairly clear day so it’s worth doing, if you can muster the energy.
We were back at the car around 1200 and starving after the hike so we made a bee-line to the Mount Barker Country Bakery – which was massive and had more than a few options.
It was still early so we decided to continue our day of sightseeing by heading south to the coast to check out some of the beaches in William Bay National Park.
It’s an easy hour’s drive, and while it was still a big grey and cold, the beach and rocks didn’t disappoint.
First we checked out Greens Pool which we weren’t brave enough to dip our toe in.
Then we continued up over the headland to Elephant Rocks.
Next up we checked out Waterfall Beach which wasn’t anything special.
And Madfish Bay which had potential if it wasn’t for the tempermental weather.
When we were done we noticed a sign for the Denmark Good Food Factory promising samples of homemade toffee and fudge and so we hung a right and went to investigate.
From there, it was a good hour-drive home so we were back at the house around 1630.
Around 1900 we were ready for dinner.
It was a pretty fresh night so we were lucky to get a table inside Six Degrees for dinner.
Around 2100 we were back at the house – exhausted and ready to call it a night.
Tuesday 19th
We had a bit of a slow start today before heading over to Emu Point for breakfast.
It’s about 15 minutes drive from where we were staying.
We ended up at Emu Point Cafe and were pretty pleased with our choice. The setting was great, and the food wasn’t bad either.
We went back to the house to pack up our affairs before getting back on the road around 0945.
Before continuing on our way to Augusta we decided to check out the Peak Head hike – in part to burn off our breakfast. Around 1000 we arrived at the starting point and we probably made it to the peak around 1100.
It was fairly windy and grey but it was a good walk.
We were back at the car around 1145 and so decided to squeeze in a quick look at the Albany Wind Farm before heading west.
We arrived at the highly recommended The Dam Denmark around 1330 – just in time for lunch.
We had a long drive ahead of us so needed to refuel.
Around 1800 we pulled into Boogaloo Camp which is probably a little more backyard camping than glamping – but we had a nice tent and the facilities were pretty good.
We were in the fancy new GeoDome which was big and clean and spacious but was lacking electricity (first world problems I know).
The bathroom facilities were clean and close enough and there was also a little communal kitchen nearby.
We ended up at the Karridale Roadhouse for dinner. It’s about a 10 minute drive north of the camp. And Probably 20 minutes north of Augusta.
There wasn’t much else going on, so we thought that’d be the best option.
The food looked OK but I was all fooded out from the day’s meals so decided to give it a miss. The overbearing smell of hot oil was also a bit nauseating for me.
We were back at the “hotel” around 2030 and after a few failed attempts at ghost stories, we hit the sack.
Wednesday 20th
There wasn’t a lot going on at the camp so we got up early, showered up and headed into town for a look around.
Augusta seemed pretty sleepy too but there were a few cafes along the main street – ready and eager to take our money.
We ended up at The Ragged Robbin which was a quaint little coffee shop hidden in the back of a vintage store.
The menu was limited but we managed to fuel up before hopping back in the car and heading down the coast.
It was a nice crisp morning but probably a bit cool for a swim, so we just had a look at Jetty Pools, Flinders Bay Jetty and of course Granny’s Pools.
We also tried to have a look at Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse but it wasn’t yet open and at $20 for a guided tour we didn’t really think it was worth the time or the money.
We took a courtesy picture of the Water wheel before heading back for a quick photo stop at Point Matthew.
We stopped in at the Jewel Cave – but at $24 dollars a pop for an hour-long tour – in this economy?! – we decided to opt out. It was too nice a day outside to waste on an expensive cave tour.
Our next stop was at the recommendation of the nice woman in the Augusta post office – Cosy Corner Beach.
It was a steep walk down, but it was such a nice spot, out of the wind.
Further along the coast is Hamelin Bay.
Everyone raves about it but with a big StingRay milling around just off the shore we decided against a dip.
A couple of hours north, we arrived at the Injidup Natural Spa at Yallingup. It wasn’t the easiest to find, but we managed.
We spent about an hour and a half there flailing, playing in the rockpools and sunning ourselves on the rocks.
It was definitely a highlight and worth a look if you’re in the area.
About 15 minutes up the road we hit Dunsborough – just in time to grab our 50th meat pie – at the Dunsborough Bakery.
The pies were a hit but we needed something sweet to wash them down so we continued up the road to Simmos Ice Creamery on the outskirts of town.
From Dunsborough it was only 20 odd minutes to Busselton, and so around 1600 we were at our house – Busselton Seaside Escape Apartments.
The house was a bit basic and dated, but it had three bedrooms and a washing machine so it did the trick. The location was pretty good too – about two blocks from the Busselton Jetty – and so close to all the bars and restaurants.
At 1730 – freshly showered up and rested – we headed out for a walk to catch the sunset along the famous two kilometre-long pier.
We ended up at The Goose at the foot of the jetty for a pretty decent feed.
Thursday 21st
We had an earlyish start to fit in breakfast before heading out to explore the wineries of Margaret River.
We ended up at Hummingbird for breakfast – a fairly big cafe in the centre of town. We lined our bellies well ready for the day ahead.
We were back at the house for 0900, giving us a bit of time before our 0930 pick up.
In the end we went with Southwest Charters for the tour. It cost us $130 each and they took us to four wineries, a pub for lunch, the chocolate factory and some Providore store.
Our first stop of the day was Flametree Wines – about 30 minutes west of Busselton.
The winery was nice. A bit more like a hotel lobby than a winery and at 1030 I’m not entirely sure we were fully ready to get on it, but we had fun all the same.
Next up was Happs Wines – about 15 minutes south of Flametree. This was an interesting experience whereby they explained the wines and left us to it. Selfservice! Seemed like a dangerous idea to me, but we were pretty well behaved. It’s also free!
By 1230 we’d arrived at Black Brewing Co – a craft beer brewery 20 minutes further south than Happs Wines.
I think there were only a couple of options for lunch (included in the price of our tour) but I remember getting a pretty decent burger.
Next up we hit up Evans and Tate Wines. It’s only ten minutes south of the brewery.
The setting and the concept of the winery was pretty cool – they served the wine in little test tubes – but there wasn’t really a vibe.
The wine was served in this big cavernous room and the host wasn’t the greatest.
Around 1445 we arrived at The Margaret River Chocolate Company.
This was another massive place – more like a factory than a chocolate shop. And there were only a couple of things for sample. All in all I think it was a bit of a let down. Too big. Too impersonal. Too expensive. I wouldn’t bother going if I was in the neighbourhood again.
On that, ten minutes down the road we rocked up at Providore. Same as the Chocolate Factory I wouldn’t bother. Overpriced. No samples. Not a lot going on.
Five minutes down the road we arrived at our final winery for the day – Fishbone Wines.
This place was buzzing. There were heaps of people there. There’s a shop, winery and (supposedly decent) restaurant.
We were already well on the way by the time we arrived, so we had a good afternoon with the friendly hostess. We spent about 30 minutes tasting their various offerings before hopping back in the car for the 30km ride back to the house.
Around 1630 we arrived back home.
We spent a couple of hours relaxing and getting freshened up before heading up the road to Al Forno for dinner.
We had a couple of MASSIVE lasagnes which we probably didn’t need before heading home around 2100 and calling it a night.
Friday 22nd
We got up early and packed up the house (and took advantage of its vacuum to clean the filthy car) and headed out to grab a coffee.
Around 0900 we were on the road – headed west to Meelup Farmhouse. It was very busy for a Friday morning and the food, along with the setting, didn’t disappoint.
We spent about an hour gutsing ourselves before heading to the coast to check out a few more beaches before continuing on our way.
We had a look at Eagle Bay Beach – in part because a friend had a holiday house there and we wanted to check it out.
It’s a nice, big beach, but it was a bit windy and rough (and we’d just stuffed ourselves) so we decided against having a swim.
Next up was the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse.
It was $16 dollars for entry and a tour – which we weren’t thrilled about, but luckily they let us in for free on account of the lighthouse being under renovation.
A little way down the road we arrived at Castle Bay – which was a nice beach with some interesting rock formations.
Again, it was fairly windy so we opted out of a swim, but I managed to get the drone up.
Around 1230 we arrived at Yallingup Beach for a swim.
It’s a big instafamous lagoon. The sun was burning and the water was fresh. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the fresh water before packing up to continue our adventure.
Just around the corner, we happened across Canal Rocks Bridge which – apart from a group of bogans behaving badly – was pretty cool to see.
We stopped in at Kathleens Seat, Canal Rocks lookout before continuing to Smith’s Point.
Around 1500 we stopped off at Cape Lavender for a scone, a milkshake and an assortment of other purple-shaded, lavender-scented goodies.
Full of treats, we decided it was time to get back on the road and continue on our way to our home for the nights – Bunbury.
We arrived in Burnbury around 1700 and checked into our accommodation.
We ended up staying at The Rose Hotel and while I was slightly apprehensive about the quality of the accommodation, we were pleasantly surprised.
I think it cost us $175 for a triple room – with a $25 buck gift voucher to use in the bar/restaurant.
After a quick freshen up, we had a little walk around town, before heading back to the pub to meet a friend for dinner.
By 1900 the place was heaving. People everywhere – the bistro and bars were both packed.
We had a feast (paid in part by our voucher) before heading back upstairs to call it a night.
Saturday 23rd
We got up early and headed up the road to Benesse for breakfast.
We checked out of the motel and decided to go for a bit of a walk around town before heading off. We did a long walk around the Preston River and down to the jetty and the beach before heading inland to climb up the Marlston Hill Lookout.
Back on the coast, we continued along the coast to the Bunbury Surf Club before heading back to collect the car.
The highlight of the day was visiting Gnomesville and so we made a bee-line to the Bunbury Homemaker Centre to pick up some supplies.
We had a look in both bunnings and the dollar store but ultimately decided the two dollar shop had the best offerings.
About thirty minutes east of Bunbury we arrived at Gnomesville and it was better than we had expected. It’s a massive collection of Gnomes – probably running into the thousands – all set out in a little patch of bushland.
We spent far too long taking pictures, making videos and generally just carrying on, before setting up our own little Gnome display and heading off on our way.
We stopped off at Mandurah on our way back to Perth – checking out the boardwalk for a coffee, some lunch and a leg stretch.
We ended up at Todd Cafe which was a nice little spot on the bay.
At 1500 we were back on the road headed north for Perth – ending our 3000-odd kilometre road trip.
We arrived at Crown Towers in Perth around 1600 – a nice little treat after a couple of weeks in backwater motels.
We spent the afternoon relaxing and swimming at the hotel pool before heading up to the room to get freshened up for dinner.
Being a busy Saturday night, we struggled to get into any of the hotel’s restaurants and so decided to hop back in the car and head into town for dinner.
We ended up at the little family-run Vietnamese restaurant – Phi Yen – for dinner.
We were all pretty tired after a long day and so after a quick bite to eat we returned to the hotel and were in bed by 2200.
Sunday 24th
We had a very lazy morning at the hotel – overindulging at breakfast in the Epicurean restaurant.
When check-out rolled around we packed up the car and headed out into the world to kill a couple of hours before our flight.
We stopped off at Sir James Mitchell Park for a coffee and to admire Perth’s skyline before continuing on to the Blue Boat House.
It’s a little blue boat house (surprise surprise) that’s become somewhat of a social media sensation for one reason or another.
We dropped off our friend in Dianella before continuing to the airport.
We returned the rental car around 1334 and just missed the shuttle to the airport.
In retrospect we should have called an Uber but it was going to be $20 for a five minute trip and so we decided to wait for the next shuttle.
That’s how things went pear shaped. Well, one of the reasons, anyway.
We arrived at Perth airport around 1411 – just shy of 40 minutes before our 1450 flight JQ987.
But that’s how it all came apart.
Apparently for a Jetstar flight, you need to be at the airport 40 minutes before you fly.
So when we arrived they refused to let us check in our bags. They said we could board – but they wouldn’t take our bags.
So we were fucked.
We pondered trying to get on a Qantas flight an hour later, but that would have cost us $500 each. More than double the price of our original return flights from Sydney to Perth.
After much deliberation we decided to contact our friend in Perth who graciously agreed to come and collect us and let us hangout at his place until our night flight – a redeye at 2230.
After calming down and relaxing for a few hours at his place, we decided to go for a drive, drink and dinner.
He took us up along the coast about 25 minutes to Sorrento.
We stopped at Hillary’s Boat Harbour to catch the afternoon light.
We had a drink at the ill-smelling Breakwater pub on the boardwalk there before settling on Turkuaz Turkish Restaurant for dinner.
Burnt from our experience earlier in the day, around 1930 we hopped back in the car and headed to the airport.
We arrived just after 2000 – giving us plenty of time before our 2230 flight back to Sydney (which, by the way, was half hour after our original flight was due to land).
We arrived back in Sydney at 0630 giving me just enough time to get home, shower up and head into work.