Australia here we come!

11/8/12

We left Bunbury at 9.45am and drove inland through the towns of Boyanup and Donnybrook. There was a bit of cloud about but not too much. We found a free camp at Ironstone Gully Falls Rest Area and decided to spend the night there. We set up camp and deployed the solar panels. The rest area is in the middle of a Marri forrest but we managed to find enough sun poking through the trees for the solar panels. Because there was so much wood lying about we decided to have our first camp fire. We collected wood and rocks and made a great little fireplace. During the afternoon I got the urge to cook some corn bread so out came the crab oven and the black iron pan. To say the corn bread was GUUURD would be an understatement. We spent the afternoon and evening sitting by the fire and watching bush television.

12/8/12

We planned to spend another day by the fire but mother nature had different plans for us. When we woke it was pouring rain and there was water flowing through both awning areas of our caravans. The whole rest area was awash and the Ironstone Gully Falls were flowing like the Barron Falls in North Queensland after a cyclone. It wasn't a hard decision for us to decide to leave but the packing up was very uncomfortable in torrential rain. Everything was wet including us when we left and made our way out through the mud and water onto the main road. We drove to Busselton in the rain and found the Visitor Information Centre. We were all wet and cold as we entered the building and the girls found information about caravan parks from one of the staff. We picked the Four Seasons Holiday Park and headed for it. Guess what? We had positioned both caravans on their sites and were about to unkook when the heavens opened again. We all got even wetter as we set up in the monsoon. As luck would have it our air conditioner decided to stop working when we needed the heating cycle the most. I just love caravanning in the rain!!!!!

13/8/12

It was raining again this morning and we decided to stay put and keep dry in the caravans. Karen rang an air conditioning business to get our heater working again. The rain eased during the morning and we all set about trying to dry things out. Later in the day the air conditioning man arrived and found we had a gas leak. He fixed the leak and regassed the system and left. Karen turned the heater on and it still didn't get warm. She was not a happy camper that night.

14/8/12

The air conditioner people were contacted again first thing this morning and we were told the mechanic would call sometime during the day. We decided to stay close and took a short drive into town and had a look around Busselton. The girls did some shopping at the IGA. Mary-Anne, who had been knitting madly, posted her latest creation, a huge baby rug, to her newest Great Nephew. We got a call from the airconditioning man and zoomed back to the caravan park. The mechanic arrived about 2pm and checked the system. He told us it was working properly in the van and he also checked the pipes up on the roof just to be sure. After he came down we turned the heater on and, low and behold, it was doing what it should do. I have a feeling he found something up top that he forgot to turn on or adjust yesterday and was embarassed to tell us. But who cares, it worked now!!!

15/8/12

My days of relaxing were over. The Margaret River District was the target for today and the girls wanted to see everything in one day that a normal tourist would take a week to see. There are two ways to drive through the Margaret River District and today we decided to take the inland road that leads through the town of Margaret River. Our first stop was at the Wonky Windmill Farm and Eco Park. There we bottle fed baby lambs and hand fed emus, alpacas, pigs, shetland ponies, rabbits, deer, kangaroos, lamas, goats and a white duck. It was a great experience and we were sad to leave.

Our next stop was the Margaret River Chocolate Company. I have never seen so much chocolate before and the free samples were very nice. Unfortunately, only Kerry Packer could afford to buy a full block of chocolate so Mary-Anne and I settled on a double icecream instead.

Next was the Margaret River Dairy Company and some free cheese tasting. Then we went to the Margaret River Silk Road where thousands of silk worms are kept. A lady explained the whole process of silk making and we left a lot more knowledgable than when we first arrived. Our next stop was the MR Nuts and Cereals. Every form of nut and cereal was on display. Mary-Anne bought some choclate coated nuts and yoghurt covered sultanas and I bought a packet of BBQ peanuts.

We had lunch at Cowaramup - pronounced 'CAR-WARRA-MUP'. After lunch the girls walked through some shops in the town, namely The Candy Cow, Margaret Riviera, Moon Haven Natural Products and MuKau to name a few. Then we continued onto the town of Margaret River and had a drive around. It was very busy so we didn't stop there.

We then went to the Leeuwin Estate Winery and all of us felt like we were under dressed. It was a flash establishment with magnificent lawns and a beautiful Cellar Door. There was even a wood fire inside that warmed the whole building. Unfortunately the wines tasted like shit and the art gallery was full of modern crappy art. But I suppose one day they will get it right. Next was the Voyager Estate Winery. This time we only looked at the wonderful South African styled gardens and the buildings and not the art work or wine tasting. We all left happy and not deflated like at Leeuwin Estate.

It was late when we arrived back in Busselton so we shouted ourselves fish and chips for tea.

16/8/12

Today we took the Coastal Road through the Margaret River District. Our first stop was the Bush Shack Brewery at Yallingup. But just like the winerys, the brewerys here don't seem to know how to brew a proper beer. After reading the information on the different types of beers available I decided to be kind to my taste buds and not try any. (Imagine drinking chilli beer).

Then we went to the Ngilgi Caves and walked down 350 steps into a fairyland of stalactites, helictites, stalacmites, shawls and columns. It was worth the effort and the humidity to view this natural wonder. From one wonder to another we stopped at a clifftop rest area and had lunch overlooking the Indian Ocean.

After lunch we went to the Yallingup Shearing Shed. Unfortunately the shearing sheds are closed during August and there was only the shop open for viewing. They had some wonderful woollen items for sale but the prices were out of this world. Our next stop was the Natural Olive Oil Soap and Vasse Olive Oil Factory. Then the Gabriel Chocolate Factory with free tastings. From there we went to Gracetown which is another small village, like Yallingup set amongst the bush right on the Indian Ocean. We visited the Cowaramup Point Lookout with stunning views out over the Indian Ocean but no whales to see.

On the way home we stopped at Simmo's Icecream factory where Mary-Anne and I had another double icecream each. It was too cold again for Karen to have one.

17/8/12

The weather was clearing up and we were hopeful that the underwater observatory at the end of the Busselton Jetty would be open today. But it was closed due to murky water. We still took the tram ride out along the jetty which is 2kms long. It was a bit chilly but the ride to the end of the jetty and back was fun. We had lunch in the park on the foreshore next to the jetty and then went to the Busselton Butter Factory Museum. The old butter factory was closed down and the buildings were given to the local council for use as a museum. It is a very large museum and covers the history of the local area. We spent a couple of hours there and were very impressed. Then we drove down the coast to Dunsborough and the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. We took part in a guided tour of the lighthouse and climbed to the top. Fortunately for Karen and I it was not a very tall structure. It is still an operating lighthouse but it is now fully automated. We stopped in Dunsborough on the way home and the girls did some shopping at Coles.

18/8/12

I didn't want to get out of bed this morning because I knew when I did I had to drive the girls to a flower and garden festival at Nannup. (I felt sick with excitement!!) The drive to Nannup was a bit hilly but it was a beautiful sunny day for a change. Nannup is a very neat little town and the locals take great pride in its appearance. The festival was more like a market than a flower show. The only flowers I saw were in raised garden beds lining the footpath. It must be an annual event as there were thousands of people in the main street and walking around was a bit difficult. The Lions Club had a sausage sizzle going and we all had a giant ham burger for lunch. (I had two). In one of the stalls Karen bought a yellow scarf for our daughter Sandra, a bib for our grand daughter Stella and an over the shoulder burp cloth for her mum and dad, Tara and Brett. When we were all 'festivaled out' we drove to a park just on the edge of town and Mary-Anne shouted us some cup cakes she bought at a stall. It was a long drive home but the snorning of the girls kept me awake.